When a non-profit compares website quotes, it almost always compares the build price. That is the wrong lens: over three years, building the site is often barely a third of the real budget. The rest hides in hosting, maintenance and unplanned call-outs.
“Static” does not mean frozen. The difference between the two families of website comes down to a single point: when the page is made. A WordPress site rebuilds it on every visit — database queried, theme assembled, extensions run. A pre-generated site builds it at the very moment you publish it. It is then immediately available to read, without the rebuilding WordPress has to redo on every view — hence the instant speed and the absence of any attack surface.
For whoever writes the content, nothing changes: a back office, entry forms, a preview, a Publish button. The page is rebuilt and put online straight away, as often as you like.
The four line items of a real budget
1. Building the site
This is the visible one. Depending on ambition, expect:
- €600 to €800 for a few-page presence;
- €1,200 to €2,000 for a full site with news, events and a donation page;
- over €3,500 for a bespoke site with a members area.
Be wary of the extremes: a “free” site built by a volunteer carries a hidden cost — their availability in two years' time — and an €8,000 quote for ten presentation pages mostly funds the agency's overheads.
2. Hosting and the domain name
A modern pre-generated site needs only very simple hosting: €10 to €50 a month all in, backups included. A WordPress site needs decent dynamic hosting (€8 to €30 a month) plus serious backups, rarely included in entry-level plans. The domain name itself costs around €25 a year.
3. Maintenance — the forgotten line
This is where budgets slip. A WordPress site runs on a core, a theme and a dozen extensions that must be updated continuously. If nobody does it, the site will be hacked sooner or later; if somebody does, that time is billed — typically €300 to €600 a year in outsourced upkeep.
A pre-generated site has no extensions to patch and no exposed database: maintenance comes down to server security updates, shared across every site hosted.
4. Unplanned call-outs
A hack, an extension abandoned by its author, an update that breaks the layout, a form that quietly stops sending messages: each incident means work billed by the hour — or a broken site for weeks. The likelihood of these incidents follows directly from the technical complexity you carry.
The three-year sum
Take an eight-page non-profit site with news:
| Line item | “Cheap” WordPress | Pre-generated site |
|---|---|---|
| Build | €1,000 | €1,200 |
| Hosting (36 months) | €540 | €900 (maintenance included) |
| Maintenance / updates | €1,200 | €0 (included) |
| Incidents (estimate) | €300 | ~€0 |
| Three-year total | ~€3,040 | ~€2,100 |
The option that was cheaper to build costs half as much again over the period — without counting the volunteer hours spent dealing with problems.
The right questions to ask before signing
- Who applies the security updates, and is it included?
- What happens if we want to change supplier? (The code and the content must belong to you.)
- Are backups automatic, and are they tested?
- Does the quote include training for whoever will update the site?
- What is the total cost over three years, all in?
A serious supplier answers those five questions in writing, without hedging.
Descartes puts its craft at the service of non-profits. Our packages are published with their price ranges, maintenance included — let's talk about your project.