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 entirely — and this is where many people overlook the real costs.
As a freelance WordPress developer, 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 a professional. Here's an honest overview.
The Fixed Costs
Whether you maintain your site yourself or not, there are some expenses you can't avoid.
Hosting: €60-250/year
Hosting is the foundation. The quality of your hosting directly affects speed, uptime, and security.
| Type | Price/year | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Shared hosting | €60-100 | Small blogs, personal sites |
| Managed WordPress | €120-250 | Business sites, shops |
| VPS | €150-350 | Larger sites with heavy traffic |
Don't skimp on hosting
Cheap hosting at €3/month sounds tempting, but costs you more in the long run. Slow loading, frequent downtime, and poor support eat your time and your customers' patience.
Domain: €10-20/year
A standard domain (.com, .eu, .co.uk) typically costs €10-20/year. Country-specific domains may vary. Remember to renew it — an expired domain can cost you all your SEO work.
SSL Certificate: €0-60/year
Most hosting providers include free SSL via Let's Encrypt. Premium SSL certificates (for webshops or businesses with high security requirements) cost €35-60/year. In 2026, SSL is an absolute requirement — Google penalises sites without it.
Premium Plugins and Themes: €60-350/year
Using premium plugins? Most require an annual licence for updates and support:
- Page builder (Elementor Pro, Bricks): €60-120/year
- SEO plugin (Rank Math Pro, Yoast Premium): €50-100/year
- Security plugin (Wordfence Premium, Sucuri): €60-180/year
- Backup plugin (UpdraftPlus Premium): €35-60/year
- Form plugin (Gravity Forms, WPForms Pro): €50-100/year
Most business sites use 3-5 premium plugins. It adds up quickly.
Professional Maintenance: €60-250/month
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 agreed response time
Read more about what a service agreement includes in my WordPress service agreement guide.
Price Examples for Service Agreements
| Level | Price/month | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | €60-100 | Updates, backup, monitoring |
| Standard | €100-180 | + security, speed, support |
| Premium | €180-250 | + priority support, development |
Total Overview: DIY vs. Professional
DIY maintenance: €180-600/year
Domain, hosting, SSL, and plugins. You handle updates, security, and bug fixes yourself. Requires technical knowledge and time.
Professional maintenance: €1,000-3,600/year
Everything from DIY plus a service agreement. 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 typically costs €400-1,200. Prevention costs a fraction.
- 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.
The most expensive mistake
The most expensive maintenance is the maintenance you don't do. I've seen businesses pay €1,800+ to rescue a hacked site that could have been protected for €100/month.
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:
- Quality hosting with daily backups (€120-180/year)
- Service agreement at least at the basic level (€60-100/month)
- Only the plugins you actually use — each plugin is a potential vulnerability
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.
