At first glance, WordPress appears to be the most cost-effective way to launch a business website. It’s free to install, hosting can be as low as a few dollars per month, and thousands of free themes make it seem like you can launch quickly without breaking the bank.
Let’s break down where those costs come from (and how to avoid them).
But here’s the truth: WordPress websites often get more expensive the longer you run them.
What initially appears “cheap and flexible” can quickly turn into hidden costs, including financial, time, and lost growth opportunities.
Let’s break down where those costs come from (and how to avoid them).
WordPress runs on plugins. Need SEO? Security? Analytics? Forms? You’ll need a plugin for each.
What initially feels “flexible” quickly becomes fragile and expensive.
Pro Tip: Audit your plugins every quarter. If your CMS needs 10+ plugins to run basic features, it’s a sign you’ve outgrown WordPress.
As traffic grows, many businesses continually upgrade their hosting to keep the site stable. Suddenly, your $5 hosting bill is $50–$200/month.
Pro Tip: Use a CMS with built-in hosting and CDN so speed is guaranteed, without surprise costs.
One security breach or day of downtime can cost you more than a year of CMS fees. Want peace of mind? Choose a CMS where security is automatic, not your job.
What started cheap ends up as ongoing dev costs.
Pro Tip: If your marketing team can’t edit pages themselves, your CMS is costing you more than money — it’s slowing campaigns.
Growth shouldn’t feel like patchwork.
HubSpot CMS flips the script. Instead of patching with plugins, it gives you everything out of the box:
With HubSpot CMS, you remove hidden costs and invest in a growth-ready website from day one