WordPress vs custom website: which is right for you?

WordPress is the better choice when your team already knows it, you publish a lot of content and you want a huge choice of plugins and developers. A custom-coded website is the better choice when you want a fast, lean site with fewer moving parts to update, and you're happy for a developer to handle structural changes. Neither is cheaper by default. The right pick depends on who edits the site, how often, and what it has to do.

We build both at Ortha, so this comparison isn't a sales pitch for one side. Our starter and business websites are offered as either custom-coded Next.js or WordPress, at the same starting price.

What's the difference between WordPress and a custom website?

WordPress is a content management system. You install it on a host, pick a theme for the design, and add plugins for features like forms, SEO settings, bookings or a shop. Almost anything can be added without writing code, which is its biggest strength and its biggest weakness.

A custom website is code written for your site specifically. On our website builds that usually means Next.js for the site itself and a CMS such as Payload for editing text, images and posts. Features are built in, not bolted on, so the site only carries what it needs.

Both can be easy to edit. Both can rank in Google. The differences show up in maintenance, flexibility and what happens when the site grows.

When is WordPress the better choice?

WordPress makes sense in a lot of situations.

• Your team already uses it. Retraining editors costs time, and a familiar dashboard means the site gets updated.
• You publish often. WordPress was built for posts, categories and archives. A busy blog or news section is home ground.
• You need a specific plugin. Some industries rely on WordPress plugins with no simple equivalent elsewhere.
• You want lots of developers to choose from. If you part ways with one, finding another who knows WordPress is easy.

The trade-off is upkeep. WordPress core, your theme and every plugin need regular updates. The WordPress hardening guide is blunt about why: once a security fix is released, the information needed to exploit the old version is almost certainly public, which makes outdated sites easier targets. A site with 30 plugins has 30 things to keep current, and any of them can clash with another. Plugin conflicts after an update are one of the most common reasons a WordPress site suddenly breaks.

Most WordPress problems we see come from heavy page builders and piles of plugins, not from WordPress itself. A WordPress site with a custom block theme and a short plugin list can be quick and stable. Our post on finding a WordPress plugin conflict shows how to check whether plugins are slowing you down.

When is a custom website the better choice?

A custom-coded site tends to suit these cases.

• Speed matters to you. With no theme framework or plugin scripts to load, pages carry only the code they use.
• You want fewer things to update. There's no plugin list to keep current, and fewer third-party pieces to break.
• The design is specific. Layouts that would need a page builder in WordPress are just part of the build.
• The site needs custom features. If you need something like a quote calculator or a client area, building it into the site can be cleaner than stacking plugins. If it's starting to sound like software, our web apps page lists the signs you need one.

The trade-offs are real too. Adding a brand-new type of page or feature usually needs a developer, not a plugin install. And you depend more on whoever built it understanding the code, so ask for clean documentation and make sure you own the code. With our builds, the code, design files and content belong to you and the domain stays in your name.

Is a custom website more expensive than WordPress?

Not necessarily, and the build price is only part of the cost.

On our pricing page, a starter website of up to 5 pages starts at $1,250 and a business website of up to 8 pages with a blog starts at $2,000. Both prices cover either custom-coded Next.js or WordPress. Where the platforms differ is in running costs:

• WordPress usually means paying for hosting suited to PHP and a database, any premium plugins and themes, and someone's time to apply updates. Our care plan for an existing site starts at $79 a month.
• A custom site has fewer licenses and plugin renewals, but changes to structure or features are developer time. Extra website hours are $60 an hour on our list.

If you expect to add lots of new page types yourself every month, WordPress may cost less over time. If the structure stays fairly stable and you mainly edit text, images and posts, a custom site often costs less to keep running.

WordPress vs custom website for SEO

Search engines don't rank a site higher because of the platform it runs on. What matters is that pages load quickly, have clear titles and headings, link sensibly to each other and say something useful.

WordPress makes some of that easy with plugins, and a custom site has it built in. Every website we build ships with page titles, descriptions, a sitemap and loading-speed checks, whichever platform it's on. The risk to search traffic comes from the move between platforms, which we cover next.

Moving off WordPress: what to plan for

If you've decided to leave WordPress, the move itself is where most of the risk sits. A good plan covers:

1. An inventory of what you have. Pages, posts, images, forms, and what each plugin does. Some plugins do jobs nobody remembers until they're gone.
2. A URL map. Every old address and where it will live on the new site.
3. Permanent redirects. Google's guidance on site moves says 301 and other permanent redirects don't cause a loss in PageRank. Pages that vanish without one are how sites lose traffic in a move.
4. One change at a time where possible. Google suggests that if you're changing domain, CMS and layout, you do them one after another. If you're moving platform, keep the same domain that week.
5. Forms and integrations tested before launch, with email notifications checked.
6. Patience. Google notes it can take a few weeks or more for new URLs to replace old ones in search on a medium-sized site.

Moving from Wix, Squarespace or old WordPress starts at $250 with us as an add-on to a new build, and includes moving content and redirecting old links.

How to decide

Ask yourself three questions.

Who will edit the site, and what will they change? If it's mostly text, images and posts, both work. If your team wants to build new page types without a developer, WordPress has the edge.

How much upkeep are you willing to do or pay for? If you'd rather not think about updates, a lean custom site has less to look after. If you'll have a care plan either way, the gap narrows.

Is your current WordPress site the problem, or the way it was built? If it's slow and fragile because of a page builder and a long plugin list, rebuilding on WordPress with a custom theme may solve it. Our WordPress service starts with a review that tells you whether fixes will do or a rebuild is worth it.

FAQ

Is WordPress better than a custom website?

Neither is better for everyone. WordPress suits teams who know it, publish often and want lots of plugins. A custom site suits businesses that want a lean, fast site with less to update and are happy to use a developer for structural changes.

Is a custom website better for SEO than WordPress?

The platform itself doesn't decide rankings. Fast pages, clear titles, sensible links and useful content do. Both can do well. The bigger SEO risk is moving between platforms without redirecting old URLs.

Can I edit a custom website myself?

Yes, if it's built with a CMS. On our custom builds you edit text, images and posts through an editor, and we include a handover session so your team knows how. New page types or features usually need a developer.

How much does it cost to move a website off WordPress?

It depends on how many pages and posts you have and what the plugins do. With us, moving off old WordPress starts at $250 on top of a new site, which starts at $1,250 for up to 5 pages. You can request a fixed quote or book a free 30-minute call.