What Craft CMS really costs to own
A clear-eyed model of what Craft CMS costs to own over five years. Licence, build, plugins, hosting, maintenance, training and the editor-friction tax most spreadsheets miss.
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Topics cover WordPress, Craft CMS, Laravel, site rescues and practical AI integration. If you run a website, hire developers or look after one for someone else, there is probably something here for you.
Posts are decisions and principles, not tutorials. You will find advice on when a site rescue beats a rebuild, what to ask before signing a maintenance retainer, how to spot a CMS that will hold up for the next five years and how to fold AI features into a site without breaking what already works.
If you are short on time, start with picking a CMS, what a site rescue looks like or what maintenance actually covers.
A clear-eyed model of what Craft CMS costs to own over five years. Licence, build, plugins, hosting, maintenance, training and the editor-friction tax most spreadsheets miss.
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A non-technical look at what changes for the business when you move from WordPress to Craft. Editor experience, training, maintenance posture, security, performance, hiring, lock-in and the honest trade-offs.
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Craft CMS pricing has three layers: the platform licence, the developer building it and the ongoing cost to keep the site running. This guide breaks down each one with UK numbers for 2026.