An honest comparison
WordPress vs. a Custom-Built Website
WordPress runs a huge share of the web, and most people have heard they should use it. Here is what it really takes to run a small business site on it, next to a site built in clean code.
Side by Side
Where the two paths actually differ
Not a list of reasons to be scared off WordPress. Just what each path really costs you, in money, time, and flexibility.
Cost
WordPress
WordPress itself is free. Hosting, a premium theme, a page builder and the plugins you end up needing usually run $30 to $80 a month, and a freelancer to set it up costs about what a custom build does.
Custom build
One build price, starting at $997 for a landing page or $1,997 for a full site. Hosting from $59 a month if you want me to keep it running, or host it anywhere.
Time investment
WordPress
Setting it up takes a weekend if you have done it before and a lot longer if you have not. Then plugin updates, theme updates and the odd broken page take time every month.
Custom build
I build it and hand it over finished. You do not touch a dashboard unless you want to.
Design flexibility
WordPress
Almost anything is possible. Getting there means a theme plus a page builder plus plugins, and every layer you add makes the site heavier and harder to fix.
Custom build
Built from scratch in code, so any layout is possible without stacking tools on top of each other.
SEO and speed
WordPress
WordPress can rank very well, and a lot of the web runs on it. Speed depends on your theme and plugins, and most small business WordPress sites are slow because of them.
Custom build
No theme, no plugins, no bloat. Pages load fast on phones, which is what Google measures.
Upkeep
WordPress
This is the real cost. Core updates, plugin updates, security patches and backups are on you. Skip them and the site gets hacked or breaks, often both.
Custom build
Nothing to update and nothing to patch. I handle hosting, backups and fixes on a monthly plan, and the site does not break when you ignore it.
Ownership
WordPress
You own it, which is a big plus. You can move a WordPress site to any host, though the move is fiddly and the plugins come with you.
Custom build
You own the code and every file. Moving it is copying a folder.
When WordPress Is Actually the Right Call
WordPress is the right call if you publish a lot, like a blog, a news site, or a business that posts new articles every week and wants to do it without a developer. It also wins if you already have a WordPress site that works and a person who keeps it updated. What I steer people away from is a five-page local business site on WordPress with twenty plugins, because that is the setup that breaks.
Questions People Ask
WordPress questions, answered plainly
Is WordPress free?
The software is free. Everything around it is not. Hosting, a theme, a page builder, backup and security plugins, and someone to set it all up add up fast. Most small business WordPress sites cost more per year than the owners expect.
Why do WordPress sites get hacked?
Because they run on plugins, and plugins fall behind. WordPress powers a huge share of the web, so it is the biggest target, and an old plugin is the easiest way in. Keeping everything updated every month is the fix, and that is the job most owners stop doing.
Can you build on WordPress instead?
I build in code, not WordPress, because the site is faster and there is nothing to update. If you truly need a blog you edit yourself every week, tell me on /start and I will say whether WordPress is the better fit for you. I would rather send you the right way than sell you the wrong site.
Ready for your site to work as hard as you do?
Tell me about your business and I'll reply with honest recommendations and a clear quote. No pressure either way.
Compare another builder