WordPress or custom site? What to choose for your business

This dilemma is probably the most common with any serious site - which platform to go with? WordPress is the proven standard that runs 43% of the internet, but custom solutions (Next.js, React) are becoming increasingly popular among premium brands. The price difference can be 3-5x. This guide helps you recognize which solution truly fits your business.

WordPress - pros and cons

WordPress runs 43% of all websites in the world for a reason. Cheap to build (from 800 EUR for a custom theme), huge community (60,000+ plugins solve almost everything), easy content editing from the dashboard (the client changes everything themselves), rich ecosystem of hosting providers. In our web development service WordPress is the most common choice for small and medium businesses.

Pros

• Lower build cost (800-3,500 EUR for a standard site)
• Fast build (4-8 weeks for standard)
• Huge community - every question already has an answer online
• Client can change content themselves (Gutenberg blocks)
• Easy to find a development partner if you change agencies
• Plugin for almost everything (WooCommerce, SEO, forms, multi-language)

Cons

• Slower than custom solutions (Core Web Vitals harder to get into the green)
• More security-vulnerable (most popular = biggest target for hackers)
• Plugins can collide (5-10 plugins = regular conflicts)
• Updates can break the site if not tested
• Not ideal for very specific custom flows

Custom (Next.js, React) - pros and cons

Custom development with a modern framework (most often Next.js, React, Nuxt, SvelteKit) gives total control - but at a significantly higher price (from 3,500 EUR for standard, 8,000+ EUR for serious projects).

Pros

• Lightning performance (Core Web Vitals in the green out-of-the-box)
• Security - no 'standard plugin' a hacker can attack
• Total flexibility - any custom logic is possible
• Better SEO score (speed + clean code)
• Scalability - handles big traffic without crashes

Cons

• Higher build cost (3,500-15,000+ EUR)
• Longer development time (8-20 weeks)
• Client can't change content themselves (needs a CMS layer on top)
• You're tied to the developer/agency for every change
• Fewer ready-made solutions - everything has to be coded

Direct comparison (head-to-head)

Assume a standard business site with 10 pages, blog and contact form:

Build cost

WordPress: 1,500-2,500 EUR. Custom Next.js: 4,500-7,000 EUR.

Development time

WordPress: 4-6 weeks. Custom: 8-12 weeks.

PageSpeed score (mobile)

WordPress (optimized): 70-85. Custom Next.js: 90-100.

Monthly maintenance

WordPress: 50-100 EUR (updates, backup, security). Custom: 30-80 EUR (fewer updates, but a developer is needed when changes come up).

Who changes content?

WordPress: you, from the dashboard. Custom: the developer (unless a headless CMS is added, which costs an additional 800-1,500 EUR).

When to choose WordPress

Go with WordPress if:

• Your budget is up to 3,500 EUR
• Content changes often (news, blog, updates) and you want to change it yourself
• You need standard functionality (business card, blog, small e-shop)
• You have a small team/yourself and don't have a developer 'on hand'
• You plan to change agencies later - WordPress experts are everywhere

When to choose custom

Go with a custom solution if:

• Speed is critical (e-commerce with thousands of products, marketing site with lots of traffic)
• You have custom flows (complex calculations, multi-step forms, client dashboard)
• Premium brand positioning - you want the site to 'feel different' from competition
• SaaS product or site with user accounts
• 5,000+ EUR budget and long-term development plan

A third option: Headless WordPress

Headless architecture is 'best of both worlds' - WordPress is just a CMS where the editor enters content, and the frontend is Next.js that pulls content via REST API. Performance is almost identical to a full custom solution, and the client still changes content themselves.

Cost: 4,000-7,000 EUR (between WordPress and full custom). Ideal for content-heavy sites where performance matters - blogs with thousands of posts, magazines, content-driven sites.

Not sure which is the right choice for your project? Send us a brief through the contact form - you'll get a recommendation with pricing for all 3 approaches, then you choose based on concrete numbers.