WordPress or a custom website (Next.js, custom PHP)? Clear criteria for when one pays off and when the other does.
What WordPress is - realistically, in 2026
WordPress is the most popular CMS in the world (46% of all websites). That has pros and cons. Pros: a huge plugin ecosystem, lots of developers who know it, easy upkeep for editors, a fast launch, a lower build cost.
Cons: performance depends on the quality of the theme and plugins (bad setup = slow site), security updates are mandatory (because attacks come at scale), and scaling past 100,000 monthly visits requires serious hosting.
What a “custom website” means
Usually: a frontend in Next.js, Astro or React + a backend or headless CMS (Sanity, Contentful, Payload). Or plain custom PHP if the logic is specific.
Pros: ideal performance (Core Web Vitals out of the box), perfect scalability, no plugin conflicts, no CMS attacks, a unique design without a theme.
Cons: a more expensive build (2-4x), a developer is needed for every structural change, fewer people who can maintain it.
When WordPress makes sense
- A company website with 5-30 pages, a standard blog.
- An online store with up to 500 products (WooCommerce).
- Monthly traffic < 100,000 visits.
- Your team needs to update content often (non-technical editors).
- A build budget under €5,000.
- Standard functionality (forms, blog, gallery, membership).
When a custom website makes sense
- A product or platform with specific business logic (SaaS, booking, calculators, portals).
- Monthly traffic > 100,000, especially with spikes.
- Especially high performance requirements (Google Ads landing pages, e-commerce with > 1,000 products).
- Integration with internal systems (ERP, CRM, APIs).
- A unique design and branded interaction - where a theme won’t do.
- A long-term investment, budget €10,000+.
Three live sites, three different paths
Stikibee is WordPress and WooCommerce. A parent picks a set, types the child’s name in Cyrillic or Latin script and sees every sticker before paying. It’s a shop with rules, not a brochure site - and it still fits in WooCommerce, with a custom configurator.
Mightly is a custom CMS and shop. Microgreens change after every harvest, so the founders edit products and prices themselves, with no theme and no ticket for every SKU.
Keser is WordPress, but not a cart. A new-build real estate catalog: apartments, move-in phase, PDFs and the way to the sales office in Ruma or Gradiška.
Ballpark prices: the WordPress launch package from €1,390, a custom website from €1,890, and the Woo & custom stack package at €6,900 (−20% until December 31, 2026: €5,520). The full overview is on the pricing page.
Hybrid - headless WordPress
There’s also a middle option: WordPress as the backend/CMS + a Next.js frontend that fetches content through a REST or GraphQL API. You get an editor you know (WP admin) + the performance and unique design of custom. It makes sense when you need a content team that already knows WordPress and a development team that knows React.
Next steps
See the WordPress service or Custom website development. For a recommendation based on your specific situation: send an inquiry with a short description of your business and scope.