What Does It Cost to Maintain a WordPress Website in 2026?
Building a WordPress website is one thing. Keeping it running, secure and updated is something else, and this is where many people overlook the real costs.
I often get the question: "What does it actually cost to have a website per year?" The answer depends on whether you do it yourself or pay someone to take responsibility. External prices below were taken from the vendors' own pages on 3 October 2026, and the sources are listed at the end.
The Fixed Costs
Whether you maintain your site yourself or not, there are some expenses you can't avoid.
Hosting
Hosting is the foundation. The quality of your hosting directly affects speed, uptime and security.
As an example, here are the shared hosting packages at the Danish host Simply.com. Prices include VAT and apply on renewal, that is from year two:
| Package | Price per month | Price per year |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | 69.95 DKK | 839.40 DKK |
| Standard | 129.95 DKK | 1,559.40 DKK |
| Pro | 199.95 DKK | 2,399.40 DKK |
| Enterprise | 299.95 DKK | 3,599.40 DKK |
The first year is cheaper, and every package includes a .dk domain and SSL. See Simply.com's prices (Danish).
If your site has a webshop or a lot of visitors, hosting set up specifically for WordPress is worth a look. It costs more, and the price depends on traffic, storage and how much support is included.
Domain
Punktum dk, which runs .dk, states that a .dk domain name costs 72.50 DKK including VAT per year (Danish). The registrar can add its own fees, and many hosts include the domain in the package. Remember to renew it. An expired domain can cost you all your SEO work.
SSL Certificate
Most hosting providers include a free SSL certificate, usually from Let's Encrypt. Paid certificates exist but are rarely needed for an ordinary business site. SSL is a requirement today, because browsers mark sites without HTTPS as not secure.
Premium Plugins and Themes
WordPress is free, and many plugins have a free version. If you use premium versions, most require an annual licence for updates and support. That usually applies to page builders, SEO plugins, security plugins, backup plugins and form plugins.
One example: Rank Math PRO costs €95.88 for the first year and €107.88 on renewal, excluding VAT. Each vendor lists its prices on its own site. Add up the licences before you choose plugins, because they renew every year.
Professional Maintenance
This is the expense that really makes the difference. A service agreement with a WordPress professional typically covers:
- Regular updates of WordPress core, themes and plugins
- Security monitoring and malware scanning
- Daily or weekly backups with restore capability
- Speed optimisation and performance monitoring
- Uptime monitoring with alerts on downtime
- Emergency bug fixes within an agreed response time
Read more about what a service agreement includes in my WordPress service agreement guide.
What it costs with me
I call it operations responsibility, and there are three levels:
| Package | Price per month | Includes, among other things |
|---|---|---|
| Micro | 2,500 DKK | Updates, daily backup with restore test, 24/7 uptime monitoring, security hardening and 20 minutes of small fixes a month |
| Light | 5,000 DKK | Everything in Micro, critical errors started the same working day, ongoing security scanning and 60 minutes of small fixes a month |
| Drift+ | 10,000 DKK | Everything in Light and 3 hours of improvements a month with before/after measurement |
All prices exclude VAT, and there is no commitment. Hours beyond what is included cost 900 DKK per hour. See WordPress operations and all my prices.
If you compare with cheaper agreements
There are service agreements that cost much less than mine. Before you compare prices, ask whether anyone tests that the backup can actually be restored, and how quickly an error is picked up once monitoring spots it. The answers show whether you are paying for automatic updates or for a person who takes responsibility.
Total Overview: DIY vs. Getting Help
1. Do it yourself: from under 1,000 DKK a year
Simply.com Basic costs 839.40 DKK including VAT per year on renewal, with a .dk domain and SSL. Premium plugins come on top. You handle updates, security and bug fixes yourself, which takes technical knowledge and time.
2. Operations with me: from 30,000 DKK a year
Micro costs 2,500 DKK per month excluding VAT. You pay hosting, domain and licences separately, because the accounts are in your own name. You skip the technical work and can focus on your business.
Why Maintenance Saves You Money
"Can't I just let it run?" No. Here's what happens when you neglect maintenance:
- Hacked site: Cleaning up after a hack takes time, and the price depends on how deep the attack goes. With me, malware removal after a hack costs from 3,000 DKK, depending on the scope. See WordPress security.
- Lost traffic: A slow or down site costs you visitors and customers every day.
- Broken site after update: When you finally update after months, the risk of errors is much greater.
- Google ranking: Google prefers fast, secure sites. Neglect costs you visibility.
Read more about annual costs in my guide to website costs and my maintenance guide.
My Recommendation
For most small and medium businesses, I recommend:
- Hosting with backups you can restore, where you know the renewal price
- A service agreement where the backup is tested and a response time is agreed
- Only the plugins you actually use. Each plugin is a potential vulnerability and a licence to renew
It's an investment in peace of mind and a website that actually works for your business. Also see my guide to standard setup for SMB sites for a solid starting point.
Sources
All sources were read on 3 October 2026. Prices change, so check the vendor's own page before you buy.
- Simply.com: Hosting packages and prices (Danish): simply.com
- Punktum dk: How much does a .dk domain name cost? (Danish): punktum.dk
- Rank Math: Pricing: rankmath.com
- Mahoje: Prices, WordPress operations and WordPress security
