An honest comparison
WordPress or custom-built:the five-year numbers.
WordPress is a superb tool for many things. For a public service that must be secure, accessible, multilingual and last for years, it is almost never the cheapest option. This comparison uses indicative market figures for a mid-sized institutional website with four languages.
| Criterion | WordPress with a template and plugins | Custom-built (our approach) |
|---|---|---|
| Initial cost | Low to medium: template, paid plugins and adaptation | Medium: our own design and development |
| Annual maintenance | Updates to core, template and 20 to 40 plugins; frequent breakages | Minimal dependencies; planned, tested updates |
| Security | The most attacked target on the internet; depends on every plugin | Minimal surface, static site, strict CSP and no exposed admin panel |
| Performance | Depends on caching and the sum of plugins; Lighthouse 40 to 80 | Pre-rendered; Lighthouse 95 to 100 |
| Multilingual | Third-party plugin with an annual licence and duplicated content | Native: routes, SEO and content per language |
| Accessibility | Depends on the template; rarely full AA | WCAG 2.2 AA from the design stage |
| Ownership | Third-party code under licences; migrating is costly | The code is yours; no recurring licences |
| Lifespan | 3 to 5 years before rebuilding | 8 to 10 years with continuous evolution |
Estimated five-year cost
Indicative estimate for a mid-sized institutional website (around 200 pages, 4 languages). Includes licences, maintenance, incidents and one design refresh in the WordPress case. Excludes content and photography.
| Item | WordPress | Custom-built |
|---|---|---|
| Initial build | €8,000 to €15,000 | €18,000 to €35,000 |
| Template and plugin licences (5 years) | €2,500 to €6,000 | €0 |
| Maintenance and updates (5 years) | €15,000 to €30,000 | €9,000 to €15,000 |
| Security incidents and breakages (5 years) | €4,000 to €12,000 | €500 to €2,000 |
| Rebuild or migrate within 5 years | €8,000 to €15,000 | €0 |
| Indicative total | €37,500 to €78,000 | €27,500 to €52,000 |
Custom-built costs more in the first year and less in every year after that. And what the table doesn't show: speed, real accessibility, security and a website you never have to rebuild.
When we do recommend WordPress
For blogs, one-off event websites or projects with a very small budget and no security or accessibility requirements. We say it plainly because we have maintained it too.
Ask us for an estimate using your real figures.
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