Building a website on WordPress sounds affordable — until you start getting quotes that range from $500 to $50,000 for what seems like the same thing. The gap exists because WordPress website development cost depends heavily on who builds it, how it’s built, and what it needs to do.
This guide breaks down every cost layer — hosting, themes, plugins, development hours, and ongoing maintenance — so you can budget accurately before a single line of code is written.
Summary
- WordPress development costs range from $500 for DIY builds to $50,000+ for fully custom projects
- Hosting, themes, plugins, and developer rates are the four core cost drivers
- WordPress ecommerce website development cost runs higher than standard sites due to payment, catalog, and security requirements
- Custom website development cost versus WordPress favors WordPress for most small-to-mid-size businesses
- Ongoing maintenance adds $500–$3,000/year to your total investment
- Agency builds cost more but reduce long-term technical debt
What Determines WordPress Website Development Cost?
No two WordPress builds cost the same. The final number depends on a set of variables that compound quickly once you move beyond a basic template.
Type of Website
A simple blog or brochure site sits at one end of the cost spectrum. An ecommerce store, membership platform, or directory site sits at the other. Each type requires different plugins, more complex database structures, and additional development hours.
Who Builds It
Your three options — DIY, freelancer, or agency — each come with distinct trade-offs in cost, speed, and output quality. Working with a dedicated WordPress team gives you the clearest path to a scoped, predictable build.
| Build Type | Typical Cost Range | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| DIY (self-managed) | $500 – $2,000/year | Blogs, portfolios, small business sites |
| Freelancer | $2,000 – $15,000 | Small-to-mid projects with clear scope |
| Agency | $10,000 – $50,000+ | Custom builds, enterprise, ecommerce |
Level of Customization
A pre-built theme with minor edits costs a fraction of a custom theme built from a blank canvas. The further you move from “out of the box,” the more developer hours you’re buying.
Core Cost Components of a WordPress Website
Understanding each cost layer helps you identify where to invest and where to save.
Domain and Hosting
Domain registration typically runs $10–$20/year. Hosting is where costs spread significantly based on your traffic and performance needs.
| Hosting Type | Monthly Cost | Best For |
| Shared Hosting | $3 – $15 | Low-traffic blogs, starter sites |
| Managed WordPress Hosting | $25 – $100 | Business sites, moderate traffic |
| VPS / Cloud Hosting | $50 – $200 | High traffic, custom configurations |
| Dedicated Server | $150 – $400+ | Enterprise, high-volume ecommerce |
For most business sites, managed WordPress hosting through providers like WP Engine, Kinsta, or Cloudways is the right balance of performance and cost.
Themes
A free theme costs nothing upfront but may require developer hours to customize. A premium theme runs $40–$200 as a one-time purchase. A custom-designed theme built from scratch adds $3,000–$10,000 to the project cost.
Premium themes like Divi, Astra Pro, or GeneratePress offer strong flexibility at low cost. If your brand requires a unique look or highly specific layout logic, a custom theme is worth the investment.
Plugins and Functionality
WordPress plugins handle everything from SEO to contact forms to payment processing. Costs here add up faster than most people expect.
| Plugin Category | Typical Annual Cost |
| SEO (e.g., Yoast, Rank Math Pro) | $0 – $99 |
| Security (e.g., Wordfence, Sucuri) | $99 – $299 |
| Backup (e.g., UpdraftPlus, BlogVault) | $70 – $150 |
| Forms (e.g., Gravity Forms, WPForms) | $59 – $199 |
| Membership / LMS | $149 – $299 |
| Page Builder (e.g., Elementor Pro) | $59 – $199 |
A fully functional business site typically requires 8–15 premium plugins. Budget $500–$1,500/year for a solid plugin stack, depending on your feature requirements.
Development and Design Labor
Developer and designer rates vary by location, experience, and engagement model.
| Build Type | Typical Hourly Rate |
|---|---|
| Freelancer (emerging markets) | $20–$50/hour |
| Freelancer (US/UK/Australia) | $75–$150/hour |
| Agency (mid-tier) | $100–$175/hour |
| Agency (full-service) | $150–$250/hour |
A standard business site takes 40–80 hours to build. A complex project with custom features can exceed 200 hours.
WordPress Ecommerce Website Development Cost
Running a store on WordPress means adding WooCommerce — the most widely used ecommerce plugin in the world — on top of your standard site build. WordPress ecommerce website development cost is higher than a standard site because of the additional layers involved.
WooCommerce-Specific Costs
WooCommerce itself is free, but the extensions that make it fully functional are not.
| Extension | Annual Cost |
| Payment Gateway (Stripe, PayPal) | Free + transaction fees |
| Subscriptions | $279 |
| Memberships | $199 |
| Bookings | $249 |
| Advanced Shipping | $79 – $149 |
| Product Add-Ons | $79 |
A mid-size WooCommerce store with subscriptions, product variations, and custom checkout logic typically costs $8,000–$25,000 to build and $2,000–$5,000/year to maintain.
For high-volume stores — 10,000+ SKUs, complex inventory logic, or B2B pricing rules — WordPress ecommerce website development cost can reach $30,000–$60,000 when custom development is involved.
If you’re planning a full WooCommerce build, this guide on WooCommerce development services covers what to expect from an end-to-end project.
Custom Website Development Cost vs. WordPress
The debate between custom website development cost versus WordPress is really a question of what you’re optimizing for: control or speed.
When WordPress Wins
WordPress is the right call for most small-to-mid-size businesses. You get a proven CMS, thousands of plugins, a massive developer ecosystem, and a faster path to launch. A comparable custom-built site would cost 3–5x more and take significantly longer to ship.
For content-heavy sites, portfolios, business sites, and even mid-scale ecommerce, WordPress delivers strong ROI.
When Custom Development Makes Sense
Custom development is justified when your requirements fall outside what any CMS can handle natively — highly specialized workflows, proprietary data structures, unique user authentication logic, or performance demands that WordPress can’t meet even with optimization.
| Factor | WordPress | Custom Development |
| Time to Launch | 4–12 weeks | 3–9 months |
| Upfront Cost | $3,000 – $30,000 | $30,000 – $150,000+ |
| Maintenance | Plugin/theme updates | Ongoing developer dependency |
| Flexibility | High (with plugins) | Unlimited |
| Best For | Most business use cases | Unique, large-scale platforms |
For the majority of businesses evaluating custom website development cost versus WordPress, WordPress wins on total cost of ownership within the first two years.
Hidden Costs Most People Overlook
The sticker price of a WordPress build rarely tells the full story. These line items catch most buyers off guard.
Ongoing Maintenance
WordPress core, themes, and plugins require regular updates. Skipping updates leads to security vulnerabilities. A managed maintenance plan runs $100–$500/month from an agency or $50–$150/month from a freelancer.
Performance Optimization
A slow WordPress site hurts both conversions and SEO. Performance work — caching, image compression, CDN setup, database optimization — can add $500–$2,000 to a project if not scoped upfront.
Security and Compliance
For ecommerce sites handling payments or personal data, WordPress security isn’t optional. SSL certificates, firewall configuration, malware scanning, and PCI compliance work add cost that many initial quotes exclude.
Migration Costs
If you’re moving from another platform to WordPress, expect to budget $1,000–$5,000 for a proper migration depending on content volume. Folio3 has covered this in detail for common migration paths, including Joomla to WordPress migration and Drupal to WordPress migration.
What a Realistic WordPress Budget Looks Like
Here’s how total costs break down across three common project types.
| Website Type | Item | Typical Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Small Business Site (Brochure / Blog) | Hosting + domain | ~$200/year |
| Premium theme | ~$100 (one-time) | |
| Essential plugins | ~$400/year | |
| Freelancer build (30–50 hrs) | ~$3,000–$5,000 | |
| Total Year 1 | $3,700 – $5,700 | |
| Mid-Size Business Site (Lead Gen / Custom Design) | Managed hosting | ~$600/year |
| Custom or premium theme | ~$2,000–$5,000 | |
| Plugin stack | ~$800/year | |
| Agency build (60–100 hrs) | ~$10,000–$20,000 | |
| Total Year 1 | $13,400 – $26,400 | |
| WooCommerce Ecommerce Store | Managed/cloud hosting | ~$1,200/year |
| Theme + design | ~$3,000–$8,000 | |
| WooCommerce extensions | ~$1,500/year | |
| Agency build (100–200 hrs) | ~$15,000–$40,000 | |
| Total Year 1 | $20,700 – $50,700 |
How to Reduce WordPress Development Costs Without Cutting Corners
Spending less doesn’t have to mean building less. These approaches help stretch your budget without creating technical debt.
- Start with a proven theme framework. Astra, GeneratePress, and Kadence are lightweight and highly customizable. Starting from a quality base reduces design hours significantly.
- Scope features ruthlessly for V1. Launch with what you need, not everything you want. A phased roadmap is more cost-effective than a bloated first build.
- Choose a plugin-first approach before custom code. Before spending hours on custom development, verify whether an existing plugin solves the problem. It often does.
- Audit your plugin stack annually. Unused or redundant plugins add maintenance cost and security risk. Keeping your stack lean saves money long-term.
For sites planning a major platform shift, Webflow to WordPress migration and Squarespace to WordPress migration guides can help you understand what’s involved before committing budget.
Key Takeaways
- WordPress website development cost ranges from $500 (DIY) to $50,000+ (custom agency builds) depending on scope, type, and who builds it
- Hosting, themes, plugins, and developer labor are the four primary cost variables — budget for all four from the start
- WordPress ecommerce website development cost adds WooCommerce extensions, security, and performance layers that significantly increase Year 1 spend
- Custom website development cost versus WordPress favors WordPress for most business use cases; custom development is only justified for highly specialized requirements
- Hidden costs — maintenance, performance, migration, and security — often add 20–40% to initial project quotes
Conclusion
WordPress website development cost is rarely a single number — it’s a stack of decisions that compound over time. Whether you’re building a simple business site or a full WooCommerce store, the clearer you are on scope, the more accurately you can budget and avoid surprises.
For most businesses, WordPress delivers the best balance of cost, flexibility, and long-term control. If you’re ready to plan your build with accurate estimates, talk to Folio3’s WordPress development team to get a scoped quote for your project.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Does a Basic WordPress Website Cost?
A basic WordPress site built by a freelancer typically costs $2,000–$5,000 for the build, plus $500–$800/year in hosting and plugin fees. DIY builds using free themes and plugins can cost under $200/year but require your own time and technical effort.
What Is the Average WordPress Ecommerce Website Development Cost?
WordPress ecommerce website development cost for a WooCommerce store typically runs $8,000–$25,000 for a mid-size build. High-volume stores with custom features can reach $30,000–$60,000. Annual maintenance and plugin renewals add $2,000–$5,000 on top.
Is Custom Development or WordPress Cheaper Long-Term?
WordPress is cheaper in almost every scenario for small-to-mid-size businesses. Custom development requires ongoing developer dependency for even minor updates. WordPress’s plugin ecosystem handles most requirements at a fraction of the custom development cost.
How Long Does It Take to Build a WordPress Website?
A simple business site takes 2–4 weeks. A mid-size site with custom design runs 6–10 weeks. A WooCommerce ecommerce store with integrations typically takes 8–16 weeks depending on scope and revisions.
What Ongoing Costs Should I Budget for After Launch?
Budget $1,500–$4,000/year for hosting, plugin renewals, security, and basic maintenance. Sites requiring regular content updates, SEO work, or technical support will run $3,000–$8,000/year when managed by an external team.
