Comparison of Techniques and Impact on Website Development Costs

Introduction - How site technology affects revenue, costs and business scalability

When the owner of a small service company heard that his new website would cost 80,000 zlotys instead of the expected 15,000 zlotys, he was met with a brutal business lesson: choosing technology is not just a technical matter, but a strategic decision. A mistake made at the stage of tool selection can really cost dearly.

Many entrepreneurs treat technology like a black box. They hear names like WordPress, React or Webflow, but they don't always understand the implications of these choices for budget and subsequent work. It's a bit like buying a car knowing only its color - you can end up with a Ferrari when what you really need is a van to haul goods.

The cost differences between approaches can be surprising. A simple business card website can cost around PLN 5,000 if you build it on WordPress, while completely different costs will arise with custom development - there the price will easily jump to PLN 50,000. Likewise, e-commerce in a ready-made system can close in PLN 30,000, while a dedicated platform will quickly exceed PLN 150,000. Each option is sometimes justified - or completely wrong - depending on specific needs.

The biggest expense is rarely the startup costs. It's the hidden fees that tend to be the most severe: hosting, regular upgrades, technical support, integrations with external systems and future expansions. A company that saved £20,000 in the beginning may end up overpaying by £100,000 in three years. This is a real-world example - imagine a store that starts on a ready-made platform and then needs advanced integrations with wholesalers and an ERP system; migration and customization cost much more than a well-thought-out architecture from the beginning.

In this article, we will take a closer look at the actual costs of various web technologies. We will analyze CMS systems, no-code platforms and custom development from the perspective of budget and business goals. We'll show specific case studies of companies similar to yours - for example, a small bakery for which simple WordPress was sufficient, and a medium-sized B2B company that needed a dedicated solution - and give practical tools for making informed decisions.

There is no technology that is ideal for everyone. Instead, there is a technology that is optimal for a particular business and its growth plans. It's worth finding out which one it is in your case - because the choice can determine the next years' spending and growth opportunities.

Technology overview: when to choose WordPress, no-code or custom development (React, NextJS)

The world of web technologies resembles a store shelf full of brands - each promises a perfect solution, but in practice the differences are often hidden in the details. Understanding the main categories will make it easier to make an informed decision and assess the risks.

CMS in practice: costs, advantages and disadvantages of WordPress, Drupal and Joomla

WordPress dominates for a reason. It's easy to use, has a huge repository of plugins and themes - from WooCommerce to Elementor - so a standard business website often costs £8,000-25,000. Hosting starts at around £50 per month; if you care about backups, support and SLA, rather count on £300-800. The biggest advantage? It's easy to find a WordPress specialist in most cities, which lowers maintenance costs and turnaround time.

Drupal is a different shelf. It is the system of choice for institutions and companies that need a high level of security and scalability - for example, government portals or universities often use Drupal. A project involving it probably requires a budget of 30,000-100,000 PLN and an experienced team. Maintenance costs are sometimes higher - premium module licenses, specialized hosting and programmers at £200+/hour are typical elements of the bill.

Joomla sits somewhere between WordPress and Drupal. It may suggest a compromise: more flexibility than WordPress, but without the scale and cost of Drupal. It works well for projects of moderate complexity, when WordPress starts to become too weak and Drupal overkill.

No-code vs low-code: when to use Webflow, Wix or Squarespace for MVPs

No-code platforms tempt with speed and simplicity. Webflow allows you to realize a professional website in the style of a design agency - the cost of the project is often in the range of PLN 10,000-20,000. For simpler sites, such as a local business or portfolio, Wix and Squarespace can close the project in 3,000-8,000 PLN. Monthly fees start at around PLN 40, but increase with additional features like e-commerce or advanced forms.

In the long run, there is a trap here: these platforms lock you into their ecosystem. You won't transfer fully finished code and integrations with external systems are sometimes limited. If you're planning a store with more than 1,000 products or advanced API integrations (ERP, PIM), no-code may not be enough. For freelancers, small service providers and startups testing an idea, it's often the most sensible and fastest option - a coffee shop, for example, can launch a booking site on Wix in a few days.

Custom development step by step: cost, scalability and framework selection (NextJS, React, Vue, Angular)

Custom development starts to make sense with larger budgets - usually from £50,000 and up. React dominates the market, which means a wider choice of developers and lower maintenance costs in the long run; it is used in applications with high interactivity (example: interactive dashboards). Vue is often chosen where fast development and more pleasant APIs for developers are a priority, while Angular works well in large, enterprise systems with complex architectures.

The biggest advantage of the custom approach is unlimited scalability and full control over functionality. The initial cost is higher, but each successive feature can be designed exactly to the company's needs. Monthly expenses usually relate to hosting (PLN 200-2000) and occasional fixes or expansions. Choose custom development if your company has unique processes, plans for rapid growth or needs advanced integrations with external systems - for example, integration with a warehouse system or extensive partner APIs.

Cost analysis: from setup to maintenance to scaling - breakdown of milestones and budget

The true cost of creating and maintaining a website often resembles an iceberg. At first glance, only the price of implementation is visible, but much of the expense hides beneath the surface. Companies that only count the initial cost often hit financial surprises after just a few months.

Initial project costs: setup, UX/UI design and development - what to include

For simple business websites on WordPress, it usually starts at around £8,000, but projects with custom design and integrations can cost as much as £35,000. Drupal usually requires a larger budget - a minimum of PLN 25,000 even for relatively simple implementations. On the other hand, custom development in technologies such as React or Vue starts at around PLN 45,000 and exceeds PLN 200,000 for complex platforms.

The no-code platforms seem tempting in price. Webflow typically ranges from £8,000-18,000, while Wix can start at £4,000. This may suggest quick savings, but the implementation price is often deceptive. Realistic development time for a WordPress site is typically 4-8 weeks, while custom development can take 3-6 months. Wix promises finished sites in a week, but in practice there are functional limitations and the need for revisions.

The hidden costs can be considerable. Migration from an existing site most often costs an additional PLN 3,000-15,000. Integration with a CRM or accounting system is another PLN 5,000-25,000 per connection. Training the team on how to use the new CMS is usually in the range of PLN 2,000-8,000. In practice, companies migrating from an old system can pay up to about 30% more than they originally anticipated.

A practical example: if an online store uses a custom payment module, migration may mean not only moving data, but also writing new integrations - which quickly raises costs.

How to calculate site operating costs: hosting, backups, security and updates

Monthly maintenance costs can vary widely. Professional hosting with management for WordPress is usually 300-800 PLN per month. Drupal, due to the required environment and support, is more often 600-1500 PLN. For custom applications, hosted on dedicated servers with monitoring, costs start at around 800 PLN and can reach 3,000 PLN per month.

No-code platforms tempt with low startup fees. Wix Basic at around £40 looks attractive, but Business Premium packages raise the cost to around £250. Webflow starts at about £120, and extensive e-commerce features can increase the bill to £800+ per month.

Security is a separate category of expenses. WordPress requires regular updates, backups and monitoring - it's worth counting on PLN 200-500 per month for basic security maintenance. Custom solutions require dedicated technical support - the cost of proactive management usually reaches PLN 2000-5000 per month.

Technical support varies in both availability and rates. In the WordPress market, you will find many freelancers in the range of £80-150/hour. Drupal specialists usually demand a minimum of £200/hour. With custom development, the company often remains dependent on the original team or has to pay for an expensive migration to new developers.

A practical example: for a payment integration failure in a WooCommerce store, a quick freelancer support may cost 100-150 PLN/hour, but for a custom integration, a team will be needed, which significantly increases the rate and response time.

Development costs: integrations, APIs and scaling - how to budget

WordPress is excellent for quick implementation of standard features. Adding a newsletter, a contact form or a basic store is usually a $1,000-5,000 expense. However, advanced personalizations and custom solutions quickly raise the cost to a level comparable to custom development.

No-code platforms quickly reveal their limitations when expanding. Adding features outside the available catalog may prove impossible or require a complete migration. A common scenario: a company saves £20,000 at the start, and after a few years pays £60,000 to rewrite the system for a custom solution.

Custom development gives almost unlimited flexibility. Virtually any function can be designed and implemented, and the cost of a programmer's labor is usually in the range of PLN 150-400 per hour. For growing companies that regularly expand systems, long term is often the cheapest solution.

Scaling up is when technology shows its worth. WordPress does well up to a certain point, then it requires serious optimization - and at a cost of tens of thousands. For custom solutions, scaling often comes down to adding server power and optimizing the architecture, which is sometimes less costly and more predictable.

Example: a growing site generating a lot of traffic may require WordPress to make costly caching fixes and rewrite some of its functions, while a custom application designed for scaling usually only needs an increase in infrastructure resources.

How business requirements, budget and growth rate determine site technology

Choosing a web technology is not a matter of aesthetics or fashion - it's a strategic decision. What works great for one business may prove to be a hindrance in another. The key is to match the tools to the company's real needs and growth plans, not the other way around.

Technology selection by company size and scaling plans - practical tips

Startups operate under a high degree of uncertainty. Platforms such as WordPress or no-code solutions allow you to quickly validate an idea and launch an MVP for ~£5,000-15,000. If the product doesn't grab, the loss is relatively small. In contrast, a full custom solution for ~£80,000 can strangle a young business before it has time to test market demand - this seems obvious, but it's worth pointing out.

Mid-sized companies usually already have more stable revenues and more predictable plans. This is a good time to invest in a scalable platform. Systems like Drupal or custom development often pay for themselves within 2-3 years due to lower development costs and greater flexibility. Example: a SaaS company that starts with 2-3 integrations, after moving to scalable solutions, can add more modules without extensive redesign.

Corporations look at the long term. An investment decision of PLN 200,000+ should serve for 5-10 years. In such cases, custom development is sometimes the only reasonable option - it gives full control over the architecture and easier scaling. It is also worth remembering that migration between technologies can be expensive: the cost of the transition can be 50-150% of the value of the new implementation. For example, a company switching from WordPress to a custom solution after three years is likely to pay a minimum of PLN 40,000 for data conversion and functionality mapping.

Matching technology to industry: e-commerce, services, B2B - what to choose and why

E-commerce has specific requirements: payments, warehouse management, sales analytics. WooCommerce can handle a store of up to ~10,000 products and an implementation of about PLN 25,000. However, if you are planning a marketplace or hundreds of thousands of SKUs, you will need a Magento-type solution (PLN 60,000+) or a fully custom solution. A practical example: a fashion boutique can launch on WooCommerce, but a multi-vendor platform for multiple sellers will likely require a more sophisticated architecture.

B2B companies typically need deep integrations with CRM and ERP. Standard CMSs often require additional modules or plug-ins - a cost of £10,000-30,000 is not uncommon. Custom development gives native integration right from the start and simplifies the handling of business processes. For corporate clients, integration with an invoicing system or product catalog is an everyday occurrence, so it's worth anticipating this at the design stage.

In regulated industries, such as finance or medicine, RODO and accessibility (WCAG) obligations introduce additional requirements. That's usually an addition of about PLN 15,000-40,000 to each project, regardless of the technology chosen - for example, the cost of a security audit, documentation or accessibility testing.

How to assess team competencies and plan outsourcing or training

Having an in-house IT team changes the economics of the entire project. In-house programmers cost about PLN 120,000-180,000 per year, but they are available "on call" and are more familiar with the company's specifics. Outsourcing may seem cheaper on paper, but support hours at £200 each quickly accumulate with heavy use.

The market for specialists is diverse. With WordPress, competition is high - help can be found from ~£100/hr. React or Vue developers usually expect £250+/hr, and experienced Drupal specialists are a rarity, often priced around £300/hr. Training a team on a new technology is another parameter to consider - an investment of £3,000-15,000 per person might suggest that it's better to consider working with an external provider to begin with.

A company without in-house IT competence is likely to become dependent on external vendors. This is not always a problem, as long as service agreements and SLAs are well structured - but it's worth keeping this dependency in mind when choosing technology.

Cost case studies: comparing budgets for small, medium and large projects

The theory sounds good, but business reality often verifies it. Below you will find three real-world examples - how the choice of technology affects the budget and what practical consequences this can bring. Some of the conclusions are obvious, others - perhaps suggesting different priorities than initially assumed.

Case 1: budget and technologies for a small service company (10-50 employees)

Law firm from Krakow needed a new website with:

• offer presentation,
• expert blogging (SEO),
• consultation reservation system,
• Possibility of further expansion (e.g., sale of materials, landing pages for campaigns).

Three viable scenarios were considered, analyzingTotal cost of ownership (TCO), deployment time and development flexibility.

Option 1: WordPress (classic SMB stack).

• Launch cost: ~£10,000-14,000
• Maintenance: ~£300-500/month (hosting, upgrades, maintenance)
• 3-year cost: ~£20,800-32,000

Pros

• A huge ecosystem of plug-ins (bookings, SEO, e-commerce, forms),
• Low entry threshold for content editors,
• Easy expansion with WooCommerce (PDFs, training, payments),
• A large market of contractors (low dependence on a single supplier).

Minuses

• Quality dependent on workmanship,
• Requires regular maintenance,
• With more plug-in chaos, it can lose performance.

Option 2: Webflow (no-code / low-code).

• Launch cost: ~£10,000-13,000
• Subscription: ~£120-250 / month (CMS plan + hosting).
• 3-year cost: ~£14,500-22,000

Pros

• very fast implementation,
• high quality "out of the box" design,
• No need to take care of the server, updates, security.

Minuses

• Limited functional flexibility (integrations, custom logic),
• e-commerce and bookings usually through third-party tools,
• Increasing dependence on the platform (vendor lock-in),
• smaller market of specialists in Poland.

Option 3: Custom (React / Next.js)

• Launch cost: ~£35,000-50,000
• Maintenance: ~£300-600 / month (hosting, monitoring, minor changes)
• 3-year cost: ~£46,000-70,000

Pros

• Full control over architecture and performance,
• No technological limitations,
• A good base for a digital or SaaS product.

Minuses

• cost,
• Every change requires a technical team,
• No real ROI at the stage of a simple company website.

Recommendation

WordPress has proven to be the best compromise between:

• At a cost,
• flexibility,
• The ability to scale as the law firm grows.

In practice:

• The law firm started with a blog and bookings,
• After a year, she added the sale of PDF materials,
• difference~£20-30k relative to custom was allocated for SEO and Google Ads campaigns,
• The site realistically began to generate leads, not just "look good."

Webflow was a sensible alternative, but more as:

• quick image page,
• A "starter" solution with no plans for functional expansion.

Case 2: Budget, platforms and integrations for a medium-sized online store

The sporting goods store had been online for five years. WordPress + WooCommerce started choking at 5,000 products and ~200 orders per day - slower loading, indexing and stability issues.

The migration to Magento cost PLN 65,000 plus PLN 1,200 per month for hosting and support. Integration with the warehouse system (PLN 15,000) and with payments (PLN 8,000) raised the initial cost to PLN 88,000.

An alternative custom solution on Laravel was priced at £120,000 with monthly costs of £800. Higher starting price, but full control over sales functions and the ability to optimize for specific processes.

Ultimately, the store chose Magento because of its ready-to-use integrations with payment operators and courier companies, as well as its powerful marketing features (shopping cart segmentation, promotions, upselling). After one year, sales increased by 40% due to better performance and marketing tools. ROI was achieved in about 14 months - a result that seems to confirm the right decision to migrate.

Case 3: architecture, integrations and costs for a large company with B2B requirements

An international logistics company needed a customer portal with ERP integration, shipment tracking and an invoicing module - the system had to handle a large number of concurrent queries and multiple integration points.

Enterprise Drupal: £180,000 implementation + £4,000 per month. Strong security and robust CMS backend, but some limitations with custom business processes.

Custom development: PLN 280,000 + PLN 2,500 per month. Full integration with existing systems, dedicated API and scalable architecture.

The company opted for a custom solution. The automation of order processing and billing resulted in savings of about PLN 50,000 per month in operating costs - mainly by reducing manual adjustments and speeding up processes. The investment paid for itself in 8 months, and the portal already serves 15,000 active customers without performance issues. This is an example where a higher initial expense seems fully justified by long-term savings and scalability.

How to choose the optimal technology: step-by-step for MVP and scaling projects

You are facing a decision that could cost you tens of thousands of zlotys. How do you avoid a mistake you'll regret for years to come? You need a system that will help you think like an investor, not like a consumer - that is, to look at long-term costs and growth opportunities.

Decision-making framework: 5 questions to determine the best technology for a project

1. what is your realistic budget for 3 years?
It's not just the cost of implementation. Consider maintenance, support, upgrades and development. If you have £50,000 for three years, "custom development" at £45,000 can be a trap - you'll be left with little reserves for patches or extensions. Example: a small local store that invests most of its budget in a custom solution often pays extra later for integrations or patches.

2. how quickly will you add new features?
If you plan to make changes every month - a new promotion, payment integration, landing page - WordPress or off-the-shelf platforms may be sufficient. If, on the other hand, the updates will be infrequent but large and complex (e.g. new B2B sales modules), custom development will probably come out cheaper in the long run.

3. do you need integration with external systems?
CRM, accounting system, warehouse - each integration is work. In the case of off-the-shelf CMSs, such integration often costs £5,000-15,000 as a separate project. In bespoke solutions, integrations are usually designed from the beginning as part of the architecture, which can reduce time and cost at scale. This may suggest choosing a different path if you plan a lot of connections to external systems.

4 Who are your technology competitors?
If most players are using the same WordPress templates, custom design gives a real image advantage. On the other hand, in a conservative or regulated industry, a proven CMS can build more trust with customers and partners. It's worth checking out competitor examples - sometimes it's better to fit in, and sometimes it's better to intentionally stand out.

5. what resources do you have to manage the project?
The lack of an in-house IT team usually means more dependence on the vendor. WordPress and popular platforms have a larger base of companies offering support, which can be safer. A small, niche solution may require constant contact with one contractor - and that can be risky if that contractor disappears or raises prices.

Mistakes in technology selection: how bad decisions generate additional costs and delays

The most expensive mistake? Selecting technology only at the lowest starting price. A company that saved £15,000 at launch often overpays £60,000 on migrations and patches. This is not uncommon - it's a scenario worth anticipating.

The second classic is ignoring maintenance costs. "Free" WordPress with a cheap payment plugin can generate monthly costs higher than a professional e-commerce solution. Example: a small platform that started out paying £30-50 per month for a plugin, after a year starts spending £500-1,000 on patches and additional plugins to meet growing needs.

The no-code trap works subtly. Platform marketing focuses on ease of use, overlooking the limitations of development. When the company grows and specific needs arise, the only option becomes expensive migration or functional compromises. It may seem that no-code will solve everything - sometimes it does, but not always.

Negotiating with technology providers: rates, SLAs, maintenance, and property rights

Ask about growth scenarios: "How much will it cost to add an online store a year from now?" Running away from specific amounts or "it depends" answers is a red flag - we understand that not everything can be priced accurately, but you should be given forks and cost scenarios.

Demand details of code and data ownership. Who has the right to the code? Where will backups be stored? Some vendors have vendor lock-in practices that hinder future changes and increase migration costs.

When comparing offers, check not only the prices, but what is included. An offer for £20,000 may not include data migration, while a competitor for £25,000 already has it included. Also check the SLA, response time to requests, scope of testing and documentation - these are elements that often determine cost and comfort later on.

Summary: Practical conclusions and recommendations when choosing a web technology

There is no single ideal web technology - there are solutions to fit your needs, budget and development plans. In practice, the choice comes down to a trade-off between cost, scalability and speed of deployment.

WordPress will work well for about 70% of businesses. It's flexible, has a large plugin base and widely available support, and implementation costs are usually reasonable - a good choice for, say, a company blog, a simple store up to a few hundred products, or a marketing site. Drupal, on the other hand, is an option for projects that require increased security and easy scaling; it is often chosen by public institutions, corporate portals or sites with extensive role management. No-code platforms work great for small businesses with simple needs - a landing page, reservations or product MVP can be put up very quickly and cheaply.

Custom development makes sense with budgets of £50,000+ and clearly non-standard business requirements. It's a good solution when you need a multi-sided marketplace (marketplace), custom ERP or deep integrations with logistics systems - where off-the-shelf systems usually fail.