WordPress vs custom,
over three years.
WordPress looks cheap on day one. Add three years of hosting, plugins, security, and upkeep and the picture changes. Put in your own numbers and compare it to one flat care plan.
A professionally maintained WordPress setup, the fair like-for-like with a done-for-you care plan. Every figure is editable, so use your own numbers.
These figures are planning estimates, not a quote. Every project is different. The numbers use Stonekept's published pricing as a baseline; for an exact price, tell us what you need and we'll send back a fixed proposal.
WordPress is cheap to start, and then it isn't
The sticker price of a WordPress site rarely tells the whole story. The real cost shows up over the years that follow: managed hosting, premium plugin licenses that renew annually, a security or backup service, and the hours (yours or a developer's) spent keeping core, theme, and plugins patched so the site doesn't break or get hacked. Add an occasional "can you fix this" invoice and the running total climbs.
A custom-coded site flips that. There's no database, no plugins, and no admin login, so there's nothing to license, patch, or break into. One flat care plan covers hosting, HTTPS, monitoring, and your edits. We're not anti-WordPress. For a big, content-heavy site with a team, it's the right tool, and we'll say so honestly. But for a typical small-business site, the three-year math usually favors custom-coded. Put in your own numbers above and see.
Good to
know.
Is a custom-coded site really cheaper than WordPress over time?
Often, yes, once you count the full picture. WordPress itself is free, but managed hosting, premium plugins, a security/backup service, and ongoing maintenance stack up month after month. A custom-coded site bundles hosting, security, and edits into one flat care plan with nothing to license or patch. Plug your own figures into the calculator to see how it comes out for you.
What if I maintain the WordPress site myself?
Then your out-of-pocket cost drops. Set maintenance to $0 in the calculator. But your time isn't free: keeping core, themes, and plugins updated (and cleaning up if something breaks or gets hacked) is real, recurring work. The comparison is fairest when you value those hours honestly.
Will you tell me if WordPress is actually the better choice?
Yes. For large, content-heavy sites with an in-house team, WordPress can be the right call, and we'll say so rather than sell you a rebuild you don't need. Our point is narrow: for most small-business sites, custom-coded is faster, safer, and cheaper to run.
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