WordPress pros and cons in one line: it gives you the most freedom and the lowest running costs, but you (or someone you pay) have to look after it. WordPress runs about 39% of all websites, from one-page cafés to big news sites, so it is a safe choice. Whether it is the right choice for your business depends on how much you want to do yourself.
WordPress pros and cons: the short answer
- Choose WordPress if you want to own your site, add almost any feature and keep running costs low.
- Expect to spend a little time each month on updates and backups, or pay for a care plan.
- If you want everything in one box and never think about updates, Squarespace or Wix is simpler, but you pay more each month and you are tied to them.
One thing to know first: “WordPress” can mean two things. The free WordPress software that you install on your own hosting (often called WordPress.org), and WordPress.com, a paid hosted service built on the same software. This guide is mostly about the first one. The difference is explained in WordPress.com vs WordPress.org.
The pros of WordPress
1. You own it
The WordPress software is free and open source. Your site, your content and your files sit on hosting you choose, and you can move them to another host whenever you like. Nobody can switch off a feature you rely on or put your price up because you are locked in.
2. It can grow with you
There are tens of thousands of plugins for bookings, shops (WooCommerce), memberships, forms, multilingual sites and much more. A five-page brochure site today can become a shop or a booking site later without starting again.
3. Low running costs
You pay for hosting and a domain, and that can be a few pounds a month for a small site. Most of what you need is free. Compare that with a builder plan at £12 to £25 a month before VAT. See how to choose web hosting for what to look for in a host.
4. Good for search engines
WordPress makes clean pages, and free SEO plugins such as Yoast help you set titles, descriptions and sitemaps. You can change URLs, add structured data and speed things up, which some builders limit.
5. Easy to find help
Because so many sites use it, there are freelancers, agencies, guides and forums everywhere. If your web person disappears, someone else can take over.
The cons of WordPress
1. Updates are your job
WordPress, your theme and your plugins all need updating, often several times a month. Most updates are smooth, but now and then one breaks something, so you need a backup first. Ignoring updates is the most common way small WordPress sites get hacked.
2. Security needs a bit of care
Because WordPress is popular, bots try to break into it all the time. Strong passwords, two-factor login, a security plugin, up-to-date software and regular backups deal with most of it. See website backups for small businesses.
3. Too much choice
Thousands of themes and plugins means some are badly made, slow or abandoned. Piling on plugins slows a site down and causes conflicts. Fewer, well-known plugins is the rule.
4. More to learn at the start
You choose hosting, connect a domain, install WordPress, pick a theme and set it up. A builder like Squarespace does all that for you in one sign-up. Once it is set up, editing pages in WordPress is as easy as any builder.
5. Support is spread out
There is no single help desk. Your host helps with the server, plugin makers help with their plugins, and nobody owns the whole picture unless you pay someone to.
What a small WordPress site really costs
| Cost | Typical for a small business site |
|---|---|
| WordPress software | Free |
| Domain name (.co.uk or .com) | A few pounds to around £15 a year (see domain name basics) |
| Hosting | From a few pounds a month for basic shared hosting; more for managed WordPress hosting |
| Theme and plugins | Often free; premium ones are usually a yearly licence |
| Your time or a care plan | An hour or two a month, or a paid care plan |
For a quick figure for your own site, try our website cost estimator.
When WordPress is the right choice
- You want to own your site and be able to move it.
- You expect to add features later: bookings, a shop, a members area, a blog.
- You care about running costs over several years.
- You are happy to do updates, or to pay someone a small monthly amount to do them.
When a builder is the better choice
- You want one company to handle hosting, security and updates, and you never want to think about them.
- Your site is simple and will stay simple.
- You are happy to pay a higher monthly fee for that convenience.
We compare the options side by side in WordPress vs Squarespace, WordPress vs Wix and WordPress vs Squarespace vs Wix vs Shopify. If you choose WordPress and want it set up properly, our domain and WordPress setup service does the technical part, and a WordPress care plan takes care of updates and backups.
Sources
Prices were read on each provider’s UK pricing page on 13 November 2026. They change often, may not include VAT and can include first-year offers, so check the provider’s page before you buy. We build and look after WordPress sites, so we have tried hard to be fair to the other platforms.
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