In short
Between WordPress or a custom-coded site, choose WordPress if you want to publish or edit often yourself, for example articles or a catalogue, and a custom-coded site if you want a fast, sober showcase, with no plugins to update. A WordPress built without a page builder can be very fast: the site I built on WordPress for a private detective agency in Lyon scores 99/100 on mobile.
WordPress or a custom-coded site: what is the difference?
WordPress or a custom-coded site: the question comes up in almost every project. WordPress is free, open source software, distributed under the GPL licence as stated on its official site, and it runs on PHP and a database. It is the most widespread website software: according to W3Techs figures, a little over four websites in ten used it in 2026.
A custom-coded site is designed for your business: the pages, layout and features are written for your need, without going through a generic template. It can be hand-coded, or built on a WordPress theme developed from scratch, without a page builder. The two approaches are therefore not always opposed: the real choice is about what the site loads, and who can edit what.
When WordPress is the right choice
WordPress suits you if:
- you want to edit your texts, add pages or publish articles yourself, without going through a provider;
- several people feed the site, such as a team or writers;
- you plan an active blog or many pages that change;
- you manage a large catalogue that changes often;
- your starting budget is tight and a well-chosen existing theme is enough.
The downside is maintenance. The software, the theme and the plugins must be updated regularly, and each plugin adds code to load and one more thing to watch. A WordPress site that is not maintained quickly becomes slow or vulnerable.
Some plugins also set cookies or load external resources. The visitor’s consent may then be needed: the CNIL details the rules on its page Website, cookies and other trackers.
When a custom-coded site is more suitable
A custom-coded site suits you better if:
- your site presents a business with few pages, which rarely change, like a showcase site;
- mobile speed and technical simplicity matter, because the code contains only what the site needs;
- you want a design that looks like no template;
- you prefer not to manage cookies or external tools;
- you do not want to keep track of plugin updates.
The downside: changes often go through your provider, unless an editing interface was planned from the start. For a showcase site that changes twice a year, this is rarely a problem. For a site you want to touch up every week, it is: say so at the design stage.
The criteria that really make the difference
To decide between WordPress or a custom-coded site, five criteria really matter. Here is the summary first, then the details.
| Criterion | WordPress | Custom-coded site |
|---|---|---|
| Editing it yourself | Yes, from the administration interface | Only if an editing interface is planned |
| Maintenance | Regular updates of the software, theme and plugins | Few updates, reduced technical surface |
| Hosting | PHP and database, most often paid | A static site can be hosted for free |
| Speed | Depends on the theme and plugins | Light by construction, if the code stays sober |
| Cookies | Depending on the installed plugins | None, if nothing is added |
| Cost | Often lower start, maintenance to plan for | More expensive to design, lighter to maintain |
Speed
Google measures loading experience with the Core Web Vitals. Considered good: the largest element displayed in 2.5 seconds or less, a responsiveness of 200 milliseconds or less and a stable layout (shift score of 0.1 or less), measured on 75% of visits. A sober custom-coded site reaches these thresholds more easily. A well-configured WordPress site does too, but it takes work and few plugins.
SEO
Neither solution automatically puts a site at the top of Google. What matters: one page per service, a title and description specific to each page, real text, a site that is fast on mobile and your city mentioned naturally. WordPress offers plugins to manage these settings, a custom-coded site builds them in from the design stage. The showcase site guide recalls these basics, and Google publishes its SEO starter guide.
Security and maintenance
With WordPress, plan regular updates and backups. With a custom-coded site, the technical surface is smaller, but hosting, backups and changes still have to be organised. In both cases, ask who takes care of it and how often.
Budget
The starting cost of a template-based WordPress site can be lower, but you have to count hosting, any paid plugins and long-term maintenance. A custom-coded site generally costs more to design and less to maintain. The guide price of building a website details the cost items.
Changing your mind later
Moving from WordPress to a custom-coded site, or the reverse, is possible: it is a redesign. The key is to keep the page addresses or redirect them to protect your ranking. See website redesign in Lyon.
Two sites, two choices: WordPress or custom-coded in practice
I made both choices, for two different needs.
Sentinelle Investigations: WordPress with a theme developed from scratch
The manager of this private detective agency in Lyon publishes his own articles: WordPress was the obvious choice. But with no page builder and no off-the-shelf theme: the theme was developed from scratch, with only a few plugins, including an SEO tool and a cache tool. Measured with PageSpeed Insights on 24 October 2026, the site scores 99/100 on mobile, displays its main content in 1.1 seconds and weighs 279 KB. The trade-off: WordPress and plugin updates still have to be followed. See the case study.
orbitoile.fr: a hand-coded static site
This site changes little and does not publish news every week. It is therefore hand-coded, with no database or cookies, and fits in a free 10 MB hosting. The trade-off: every change goes through the code. That is no problem for me, but it would be one for a customer who wanted to touch everything up alone.
How to choose between WordPress or a custom-coded site: three questions
To decide between WordPress or a custom-coded site, ask yourself three simple questions:
- Who will edit the site, and how often? You every week, or your provider from time to time?
- Is your site a showcase or a tool that evolves? A blog, a catalogue or a shop change more often than a business presentation.
- What maintenance are you willing to handle or delegate? Updates, backups, fixes.
If your answers are “my provider”, “a showcase” and “as little as possible”, a custom-coded site is often more coherent. If they are “myself”, “a blog or a catalogue” and “I will handle it”, WordPress has the edge.
At Orbitoile, both routes exist: custom theme or controlled WordPress. The right choice is made after a conversation about your business, and the launch prices are displayed on the home page. See website design in Lyon and the steps to build a website.
Key takeaway
WordPress or custom-coded site: choose WordPress if you want to edit a site that changes often yourself, and a custom-coded site if you want a fast, sober showcase with no maintenance to watch. In both cases, SEO depends on content, structure and speed, not on the tool.