Choosing a platform for your website is one of the most consequential decisions you'll make early in a project. Get it right and everything flows smoothly. Get it wrong and you'll either outgrow it in eighteen months or spend years working around its limitations.
We've built on all three of the most common approaches: WordPress, Webflow, and custom development. So we can give you an honest comparison based on real project experience rather than vendor marketing.
WordPress: the familiar default
WordPress powers over 40% of the web. It's the default suggestion from most agencies and freelancers, and for simple sites it's a perfectly reasonable choice.
Where it works well. Content-heavy blogs, simple brochure sites, and projects with tight budgets. The plugin ecosystem means you can add functionality quickly, and most developers know how to work with it. If you need a site live fast and aren't planning to do anything unusual with it, WordPress will get you there.
Where it struggles. Performance, security, and customisation. A typical WordPress site loads in four to eight seconds out of the box. Plugin conflicts are a constant management overhead. Security requires ongoing vigilance; WordPress sites are the most targeted on the web, and plugin vulnerabilities surged 68% year-on-year in recent reports.
Typical cost. £2,000 to £8,000 for a professional WordPress site, plus £100 to £300 per month for hosting and maintenance. The ongoing costs are important; WordPress sites need regular attention to stay secure and functional.
Best for. Small businesses that need a simple web presence, bloggers, and projects where budget is the primary constraint.
Webflow: the visual builder
Webflow positions itself as the middle ground: more design flexibility than WordPress, less technical than a custom build. It's a visual development platform that generates clean code and includes hosting.
Where it works well. Design-led marketing sites where the visual experience is the priority. Webflow gives designers direct control over layout and animation without writing code, which can produce visually impressive results. The built-in hosting is fast and the CMS is clean and intuitive.
Where it struggles. Anything beyond a marketing site. Webflow's CMS is limited compared to a full content management system; complex content relationships, custom fields, and multi-user workflows all have constraints. Custom functionality requires workarounds or third-party integrations. And you're locked into Webflow's hosting, which means your site lives on their platform and moves on their terms.
Typical cost. £3,000 to £12,000 for design and build, plus Webflow's hosting fees (£15 to £40 per month for a CMS site). Agency costs are often higher than WordPress because fewer developers work in Webflow, so the talent pool is smaller.
Best for. Design-focused marketing sites, portfolio sites, and businesses that want visual polish and are comfortable with platform limitations.
Custom development: the flexible option
A custom build means your site is engineered specifically for your business. The technology choices are made based on your requirements rather than a platform's constraints. Our stack is Next.js with Payload CMS, but the broader category includes any modern framework-based approach.
Where it works well. Everything from high-performance brochure sites to complex web applications. Custom builds give you complete control over performance, security, functionality, and user experience. There are no plugin conflicts, no platform limitations, and no vendor lock-in. You can build AI-powered features, custom integrations, client portals, booking systems. Whatever your business needs.
Where it struggles. Speed to launch for very simple projects. A custom build takes longer than installing a WordPress theme, and the initial cost is higher. For a five-page brochure site where nothing unusual is needed, it can be more investment than the project warrants.
Typical cost. £3,500 to £15,000 for a brochure site, £5,000 to £40,000+ for ecommerce or web applications. Ongoing maintenance is typically lower than WordPress because there's no plugin ecosystem to manage; budget £50 to £200 per month for hosting, updates, and support.
Best for. Businesses that depend on their website for lead generation, sales, or customer service. Companies planning to grow and evolve their site over time. Any project that needs custom functionality, integrations, or AI-powered features.
The comparison that matters: total cost over three years
Most businesses compare platforms on upfront cost alone. That's a mistake. The total cost of ownership over three years tells a very different story.
WordPress. £5,000 upfront plus £200 per month ongoing (hosting, maintenance, security, plugin management) equals roughly £12,200 over three years. Add in the inevitable redesign at year two or three when the site feels dated and plugins are causing problems, and you're looking at £15,000 to £20,000.
Webflow. £7,000 upfront plus £30 per month hosting plus occasional maintenance at £100 per month equals roughly £11,700 over three years. Lower ongoing costs than WordPress, but limited growth potential may trigger a platform switch before year three.
Custom. £8,000 upfront plus £100 per month ongoing equals roughly £11,600 over three years. Higher initial investment, lowest ongoing cost, and no forced redesign or platform migration because the site was built to evolve.
The numbers above are illustrative; every project is different. But the pattern holds: custom builds cost more upfront and less over time, while WordPress costs less upfront and more over time.
Decision framework
Here's a simple way to think about the choice:
Choose WordPress if you need a simple site quickly, your budget is under £3,000, and you're not planning significant custom functionality. Accept that you'll pay ongoing maintenance costs and may need to rebuild in two to three years.
Choose Webflow if visual design is your top priority, your site is primarily a marketing tool, and you don't need complex functionality or integrations. Accept the platform limitations and vendor lock-in.
Choose custom if your website is a core business asset, you need custom features or integrations, performance matters for your rankings, and you want a site that grows with your business. Accept the higher upfront cost in exchange for lower lifetime costs and greater flexibility.
Where we stand
We moved our entire agency to custom development because the businesses we work with need more than what template platforms can deliver. Our clients across Hertfordshire, Essex, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and London are typically businesses where the website is a genuine growth driver; not just a digital business card.
That said, we'll tell you honestly if WordPress or Webflow is the better fit for your specific situation. We'd rather point you in the right direction than build something over-engineered for your needs.
If you're weighing up your options and want an honest conversation about which approach makes sense for your business, get in touch. We'll give you a recommendation based on your goals, not ours.