WordPress or a custom-built site: when to choose which, with prices from 98 quotes
WordPress for frequent publishing and standard websites; custom-built when the site books appointments, accepts payments or connects to a system. A website from us costs €500-5 000 based on 98 of our quotes, most often around €800.
For businesses building a new website and choosing between a fast WordPress start and a custom-built website.
Ивелин КириловChief Technology Officer (CTO) ·Managing editor:
Владислав БарковManaging Director· Updated WordPress when your team publishes frequently, the website is standard and the priority is editing it yourself. A custom-built website when it needs to book appointments, accept payments, calculate quotes or connect to a CRM and inventory system: a website from us costs €500-€5,000, usually around €800, across 98 of our quotes as of 14 August 2026, and WordPress websites are in the same range because the design and copy work is the same.
We do both. That is why the comparison below is not “ours versus WordPress”, but about when each foundation is right for the website you are paying for. The ready-made products here are WordPress and subscription-based website platforms; the facts about them come from their public pages as of the date shown next to them.
WordPress Site
A good fit for lots of posts and easy editing: more than 43% of websites on the internet use it, there are thousands of themes and plugins, and every editor has used it.
Custom website
A good fit when the site books appointments, accepts payments, calculates prices or connects to a system, and when it has many service and city pages that need to load quickly.
Comparison by criteria
| Criterion | WordPress Site | Custom website | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | The same design and copy work: €500-€5,000; the theme and paid plugins are extra | €500-€5,000, usually around €800; no plugin licence fees | Functionality decides, not the foundation |
| Speed | Depends on the theme, plugins and hosting; every plugin adds code | Depends on the code we write ourselves; the page carries only what it needs | Custom-built |
| SEO | Good for blogs and standard pages with a plugin for titles and descriptions | Control over the structure, Google data and pages for services and cities | Custom-built for many pages |
| Administration | Convenient for frequent publishing; the editor already knows it | Edit directly on the page, or use an admin area limited to what you need to change | WordPress for lots of content |
| Integrations | Plugins while the logic remains standard: forms, galleries, maps | Appointment booking, payments, CRM, calculators, portals, inventory management systems | Custom-built |
| Support | Updates for WordPress, the theme and every plugin; a missed update is the most common cause of a breach | Updates to a single codebase; €100-€350 per month if you want support | Custom-built when there are few changes |
Ready-made products our clients weigh up
The facts come from each product's public page, read on the date next to the link. A figure we could not read there is not included on the page.
| Product | What it is and how you pay | Who it is for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress | Open-source software licensed under the GPL, free to install; according to its own figures, it powers more than 43% of websites on the internet. Hosting, the theme and paid plugins are separate. | A company that publishes frequently and wants an admin area every editor already knows. We build websites on it. | wordpress.org, for WordPress as of 14 October 2026 |
| WooCommerce on WordPress | WordPress’s online store platform, open source and free to download; extensions and hosting are separate. | A company website that also needs a store with a standard catalogue, within the same admin area. | woocommerce.com as of 14 October 2026 |
When WordPress is enough
When the site is a brochure with services, a gallery and a form, and you will publish news or articles every week. When you have someone who has already worked with WordPress and wants to change text and images themselves, without asking us. When the site has no logic: no bookings, payments or calculations. For this type of site, we also build WordPress sites with a good theme.
When the site is rarely updated but needs to do something, WordPress starts collecting plugins: one for bookings, one for payments, one for the form and one for speed. Each is updated separately, each adds code, and every missed update is a door in. A site flagged as dangerous by Google also stops the advertising that leads to it, and recovery takes weeks.
When a custom-built website wins
When the website does the work. Bohemia Barber in Haskovo books appointments in its own system, with an admin panel for the barbershop, and was ready in two weeks. Vida Luxe books appointments for an aesthetic clinic. Nacionalnata asansyorna kompaniya and Dobrite Hamali calculate quotes directly on the website before the customer calls. AGA Transfer accepts transfer bookings. None of these is a plugin you configure; each is a small program that is part of the website.
When there are many pages. A company with ten services in several cities has dozens of pages that need to load quickly and tell Google exactly what they are about. A custom-built website generates them from data instead of someone typing them by hand in an admin area.
When the client wants to edit without learning an admin area. Likhtgiter Bulgaria edits its text directly on the page by clicking it. Hristiyanski tsentar Sofia received a separate content system in Bulgarian and English, with no design changes. This is editing tailored to the company, not the WordPress menu.
The price: why it is the same and where it differs
The design, copy, photos and service pages take the same amount of work regardless of what the site is built on, so a WordPress site and a custom-built site from us fall in the same range, €500-€5,000, most often around €800. The price starts to differ when it comes to functionality: appointment booking, card payments, a calculator, a CRM integration or a connection to inventory software. Each is a separate line in the quote and moves the site higher in the range.
After launch, WordPress requires updates to the core, theme and every plugin; a custom-built site requires updates to a single codebase. Maintenance is optional for both, €100-€350 per month, and includes a nightly backup, checking that the site is responding and minor changes. A site like the one for Lihtgiter Bulgaria can also run without it.
Real systems and solutions you can open
Seventeen pages for a manufacturer of grating platforms, a form with an attached drawing, and editing by clicking the text. Launched ten days after the demo.
A barbershop in Haskovo with its own booking system and admin panel. Ready in two weeks.
Services, doctors and appointment booking on the website.
The customer selects the building, number of stops and elevator type and gets an estimated price for a new elevator or modernisation before calling.
Card donations, sermons from YouTube and a content system in two languages, with no design changes.
WordPress, if:
- your team publishes frequently
- the website is standard and has no integrations
- you have someone who already works with WordPress
Custom website, if:
- the website needs to handle bookings or accept payments
- you need a calculator, portal or integration with a CRM and inventory system
- you have many services and cities to target on Google
- you want to edit directly on the page, without an admin area
Next step
Considering “Website development”? Describe what you need.
You describe the project, we come back with questions and a price range, then a demo and a written proposal.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for SEO?
Both can rank; Google does not care what they are built on. A custom-built website gives you more control over speed, structure and service- and city-specific pages, which, when there are many of them, are generated from data instead of written by hand.
When is WordPress not enough?
When the website needs to book appointments, accept payments, calculate quotes or connect to a system. That is when plugins start piling up, each one is updated separately, and the site becomes slower and more vulnerable because of its own functionality.
Is a custom-built website more expensive?
Not because of the foundation. Design and copy cost the same, €500-€5,000, usually around €800. Booking, payments or a calculator cost extra; they are separate line items in the quote, regardless of the foundation.
Can I edit the website myself if it is not WordPress?
Yes. Likhtgiter Bulgaria edits its text by clicking it, directly on the page. For a content-heavy website, we build a separate content system, as we did for Hristiyanski tsentar Sofia, in two languages.
What happens to a WordPress website if it is not updated?
Missed plugin updates are the most common reason a website gets hacked and flagged as dangerous in Google. That is why WordPress support for €100-€350 per month includes updates; with a custom-built website, there are fewer updates and they are less frequent.
How long does it take?
Two to six weeks for both, after we receive the copy and photos: Bohemia Barber was ready in two weeks, Vida Luxe and GP Invest in five. Before you pay anything, you see a demo of the homepage with your services.
