WordPress or Custom Software? What to Know Before You Choose a Website With an Admin Panel

The most common fork in the road when you commission a website: build it on WordPress, or write it from scratch? Both have their place. The problem is that most people selling one of them do it by running down the other. Here is the difference in five headings, in plain business language. At the end we say openly which one we recommend and when.

First, the definitions

• WordPress: the most widely used content management system in the world. Ready made themes and thousands of plugins get a site up quickly; the site is really the sum of those parts.
• Custom software: the site and the admin panel are written from scratch for your needs. Only the features you actually use exist, and the code is handed over to you.

Both give you an admin panel. The difference is how closely that panel matches the way you work, and how the structure underneath is kept standing.

1. Speed

A stock theme plus a stack of plugins loads weight the page does not need. Without careful optimization the site opens in 4-6 seconds. In custom software only the code you need is loaded, so a 1-2 second load is normal. Speed affects the visitor, your Google ranking and your ad quality score at the same time.

Result: custom software is fast from day one. WordPress gets fast only with an expert on it and constant maintenance.

2. Security and maintenance

WordPress is everywhere, and that makes it a target. Plugins that are not updated regularly open holes. Plan on maintenance at least once a month: core, theme and plugin updates, plus backups. Custom software has no plugin layer, so the update load is small and the attack surface is narrow.

Result: WordPress means maintenance is not optional. Custom software means little maintenance, but you need an ongoing relationship with the developer, or the code in your own hands.

3. Using the panel

The WordPress panel can do everything, which is exactly why it is complicated. To change one price: which menu, which plugin, which tab? In custom software the panel holds only your pages and your fields, laid out as "Services / Corporate Website / Price". You know where to find things.

Result: day to day, a custom panel is easier. With WordPress there is a learning curve and the "am I going to break it" hesitation on top.

4. Flexibility and design

A theme has limits. For a layout the theme did not anticipate you need either another plugin or a developer, and the result still tends to look like a template. In custom software the design is drawn for your brand; the only limit is what you need.

Result: if you do not want to look like a template, go custom. If a standard blog or brochure site is enough, a theme will do the job.

5. Cost: today and two years from now

WordPress is cheap to set up: a theme and a few hours. Spread it over two years and you add maintenance, paid plugin and theme renewals, and the speed and security work in between. Custom software costs more to set up and less per year afterwards, and the site is your property because the code is handed over.

Result: short term, WordPress is cheaper. Long term, custom software is usually more economical and less trouble.

Which one, when?

• Personal blog, a content site that publishes often, a very tight budget: WordPress makes sense. Find someone to own the maintenance.
• Corporate site, clinic or doctor site, service business, e-commerce, a shared panel with a mobile app: custom software. Speed, trust, a panel built for you and owning the code all show up in revenue here.
• Your current WordPress site works well: you do not have to change anything. Just do not let the speed and security maintenance slip. Once it becomes fragile, slow and impossible to update, it is time to move.

How we work

We do not build on stock themes and plugin stacks. We write the site and the admin panel from scratch for you. The panel holds only the fields that do something for your business: text, images, prices, new pages and the messages that come in from forms, all managed by you. The source code is handed over and there is no monthly rent.

Our prices are published openly instead of hidden behind a form: Landing Page $500, Corporate Website $1,200, E-Commerce from $2,250, all + VAT, with a limited time 25% off. See pricing for what each package includes, and the panel section on the home page for how the panel works, step by step.

If you are still deciding, a free first call is enough. Get in touch and we will look at your current site and tell you honestly whether to move it or fix it.