How Much Does It Really Cost to Maintain a WordPress Website?

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Should You Switch WordPress Maintenance Providers? What to Check First

Before you cancel your current plan over price alone, here’s what to look at.

Quick answer

Don’t compare WordPress maintenance providers on price alone. A cheaper plan can end up costing more once you account for licences, backups, and support that were previously included. Before switching, get a copy of your current maintenance agreement, ask your existing provider exactly what’s included, and make sure you have full access to your hosting, domain, DNS, and any premium plugin licences before you hand things over.

Table of Contents

What does WordPress maintenance actually include?

At the most basic level, WordPress maintenance can simply mean keeping your website’s themes and plugins up to date. But a properly maintained website often involves much more than clicking “Update.”

Depending on the provider, a maintenance plan could include:

  • WordPress core updates
  • Plugin and theme updates
  • Website backups
  • Security monitoring
  • Malware scanning
  • Uptime monitoring
  • Performance monitoring
  • Troubleshooting
  • Fixing minor issues caused by updates
  • Premium plugin and theme licences
  • Technical support
  • Small website changes
  • Database maintenance
  • Checking that key functions (like contact forms) still work

Not every provider offers all of these — that’s normal. What matters is knowing exactly what you’re paying for.

Do you have a maintenance contract?

Check this before you even start comparing providers. If you’re paying someone monthly to look after your site, you should know what you’ve agreed to.

A good maintenance agreement should spell out:

  • How often your site is updated
  • Whether backups are provided, and how often
  • What security monitoring is included
  • Whether plugin and theme licences are included or billed separately
  • Whether content updates are included
  • How much support you can request
  • What happens if your site breaks
  • Whether fixing update-related problems is included
  • What counts as “additional work”
  • How additional work is charged
  • Typical response times for support requests
  • How to cancel the agreement

It doesn’t need to be a lengthy legal document. You should just be able to answer: “What am I paying for each month?” If you can’t, ask your current provider to clarify — especially if you’ve never actually seen a written agreement.

Don’t assume everything is included

A common source of confusion: assuming “website maintenance” covers anything website-related.

Updating WordPress, plugins, and themes might be included. Rebuilding your homepage probably isn’t. Fixing an issue caused by a plugin update may be covered, but writing five new pages of content is likely additional work. Adding new features or functionality usually needs a separate quote.

Having the scope in writing protects both you and your provider, and makes it clear when something is routine maintenance versus new development work.

What to ask before you change providers

Don’t cancel your existing arrangement until you know exactly what you’re giving up. Ask your current provider:

  • What is included in my maintenance plan?
  • Are my premium plugin or theme licences included?
  • How often is my website backed up, and where are backups stored?
  • Are backups kept separately from the website?
  • Are WordPress, plugins, and themes updated for me — and checked afterward?
  • What happens if an update causes a problem?
  • Is security monitoring, malware scanning, or uptime monitoring included?
  • Are small content changes included?
  • Is technical support included?
  • Are there third-party services being paid for on my behalf?
  • Are there any known issues with my website?
  • Who owns the accounts and licences being used?
  • Do I have access to my licences, subscriptions, and extensions?
  • Is help with email accounts included?

You may find your monthly fee covers considerably more than you realised.

Don’t forget the licences and subscriptions

Your monthly fee may include premium plugin licences, extensions, security services, malware monitoring, backup systems, and other subscriptions. Some providers get discounted agency pricing on these and pass the savings on to you.

If your new provider doesn’t include the same licences and subscriptions, you may need to buy them yourself — which can make a “cheaper” plan look very different once everything is added back in.

What should happen during a handover?

A proper handover is more than a login and “good luck.” A new provider needs access to (and understanding of):

  • WordPress admin account
  • Hosting account
  • Domain registrar
  • DNS or Cloudflare account, if applicable
  • Google Search Console and Analytics
  • Email/SMTP service
  • Premium plugin and theme accounts
  • Backup systems and security services
  • Other key integrations

It also helps to document the theme, page builder, any customisations, plugins that shouldn’t be updated without checking first, known issues, and backup location/history.

What if your website uses a page builder your new provider doesn’t know?

Not every web professional works with every page builder. If your site uses Divi, Elementor, WPBakery, Bricks, or another builder, confirm your prospective provider is genuinely comfortable with it — before the handover, not after.

How much should WordPress maintenance cost?

There’s no single “right” number. Cost depends on:

  • How complex the site is
  • How many plugins it uses
  • Whether it uses premium software
  • Whether it’s an online shop
  • How often it needs updates
  • Whether backups and security monitoring are included
  • How much support and response speed you need

A small brochure site has very different needs from a large WooCommerce store with many integrations. Rather than asking “how much should this cost?”, ask “what does this service include, and does it fit my site?”

Can you maintain your own website?

Yes, for straightforward sites. You could handle:

  • Updating text and images
  • Simple page changes
  • Adding blog posts
  • Keeping plugins updated
  • Checking that backups are working

One thing not to skip: confirm your site is being backed up properly. Check with your host how often backups run, how long they’re kept, where they’re stored, whether you can restore one yourself, and whether restoring costs extra.

Should you change providers?

Not necessarily. If you’re happy with the service, your site is properly looked after, and you understand your plan, there may be no reason to switch. If cost is the concern, talk to your current provider first — they may be able to adjust the plan. If your needs have outgrown the arrangement, it’s worth reviewing your options, including handling some basics yourself.

Don’t decide on monthly cost alone. Understand what you’re getting, which licences are included, where backups live, and what you’d need to arrange yourself before switching.

Switching checklist

  • [ ] Do I have a maintenance agreement?
  • [ ] What exactly is included in it?
  • [ ] Which licences and subscriptions are included?
  • [ ] Where are my backups?
  • [ ] Do I have access to my hosting account?
  • [ ] Do I have access to my domain and DNS?
  • [ ] Do I have all the necessary WordPress logins?
  • [ ] Are there any known issues with my website?
  • [ ] What theme and page builder does it use?
  • [ ] Are there any customisations I need to know about?
  • [ ] Does the new provider know how to work with my website?
  • [ ] Do I understand exactly what the new service includes?

A cheaper plan isn’t automatically a better deal, and a pricier one isn’t automatically better either. The right arrangement gives your site the care it needs, without paying for things you don’t.

FAQ

What’s usually included in WordPress maintenance? Core, plugin, and theme updates, backups, security and uptime monitoring, and minor troubleshooting are common — but coverage varies widely by provider, so check your agreement.

Is WordPress maintenance the same price for every website? No. Cost depends on site complexity, plugin count, whether it’s a WooCommerce store, and how much support and monitoring is included.

What should I ask before switching WordPress providers? Ask what’s currently included, whether licences and subscriptions are covered, where backups are stored, and whether you have full access to hosting, domain, and DNS.

Can I maintain my own WordPress website? Yes, for simple sites — updates, content changes, and confirming backups are running are manageable without a developer. More complex or e-commerce sites usually benefit from professional support.

Have a question? Get in touch.