Choose WordPress when
- The business publishes or updates content regularly (articles, listings, announcements)
- Non-technical staff need a familiar editing interface
- You want access to a large ecosystem of existing plugins for common features
Choose a custom-coded website when
- You need a tailored layout, workflow or administration tools defined for your business
- You prefer a scoped administration interface to a general publishing system
- The project needs a specific structure that a WordPress theme does not offer well
Cost and ongoing responsibility
WordPress projects start from $300 plus a $30/month agency service fee; WordPress hosting, domain registration, paid themes and plugins are separate external costs. A custom-coded website is $600 with no monthly agency fee, though it does not include a built-in content-publishing interface the way WordPress does — content updates go through the admin dashboard scoped to the agreed project.
Both options need ongoing maintenance
WordPress core, themes and plugins need updates, backups and compatibility checks. A custom website also needs dependency updates, hosting and security review, and backups appropriate to its data. Having no mandatory monthly agency fee does not mean maintenance is unnecessary or free forever.
Agree who handles these tasks after handover and what support includes. For WordPress, the first-year agency cost starts at $660 ($300 setup + 12 × $30), before hosting, domains and paid plugins. The custom website is $600 before external costs; additional work after the included follow-up is priced separately.
Packages discussed in this guide
Review each package's scope and agency fees before requesting a quote. External costs are separate from setup prices.
- Custom-coded websites — $600
- Shopify & WordPress — From $300 + $30/mo
Official references
- About WordPress and its open-source license
The software is free; operating a website has separate costs.
- Official WordPress update guidance
Review update and backup responsibilities before handover.