WordPress looks cheaper. The bill comes later.
WordPress powers 43% of websites. It is easy to manage, has thousands of plugins, and lets non-technical users update content. The cost appears low. The real cost shows up later. Plugin bloat makes pages slow. Slow pages lose rankings and conversions. A plugin ecosystem means a vulnerability surface. Theme constraints mean your site looks like everyone else on the same theme. Custom-coded sites built in Next.js load in under 100ms from cache. They score 95+ on PageSpeed. They are built to your exact design. No plugin dependencies. No hacked login pages. For businesses where performance and conversion matter, custom code is the better investment.