How much does website maintenance cost in the UK?

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Ask “how much does website maintenance cost?” and the honest answer is “it depends”. Which is true, and no help at all.

So this guide does two things. First, it explains what the price actually depends on, so you can compare any quote fairly, including mine. Then it shows my own prices in full, with what’s included and what isn’t. No “contact us for a quote”, no VAT surprises, no small print to hunt for.

It’s written for one-person and small UK service businesses on WordPress.

Key takeaways

• Website maintenance in the UK is paid for in one of three ways: your own time, an hourly rate when something breaks, or a fixed monthly plan.
• The price of a website maintenance plan depends mainly on what is checked after updates, who fixes what updates break, response times, editing time and whether hosting is included.
• A useful test is whether one missed enquiry or one lost afternoon would cost more than a month of maintenance.
• WonderlandSites care plans start at £79 a month, with no VAT charged, no minimum term, 30 days’ notice and no exit fee.
• No website maintenance plan can honestly promise more clients, rankings or income; it protects the site you have and the enquiries already trying to reach you.

In this guide

• What are the three ways to pay for website maintenance?
• What changes the price of a maintenance plan?
• Is website maintenance worth it for a small business?
• How much does WonderlandSites charge?
• Which plan would I pick, and what should you ask about any price?
• Frequently asked questions
• Sources and references

What are the three ways to pay for website maintenance?

There are three ways to pay for website maintenance: do it yourself and pay with your time, pay someone by the hour when something breaks, or pay a fixed monthly fee for a plan that does the regular jobs. Each can be the right choice. The difference is who does the weekly work and when you find out about problems.

1. Do it yourself

The cost is your time, plus any paid plugins for backups or security. It works if you’re comfortable in WordPress and genuinely do it every week. The hidden cost is the week you don’t, and the hours lost when an update breaks something and you’re searching for answers at 10pm.

2. Pay someone when it breaks

You call a freelancer or agency when something goes wrong and pay by the hour. Cheap in a quiet year. But nobody does the weekly jobs in between, so problems tend to be bigger by the time you notice them, and you’re paying at the most stressful moment.

3. A monthly plan

A fixed monthly fee for the regular jobs (updates, backups, security, monitoring) and an agreed amount of help. You know the cost in advance. The question is what’s actually in the plan, which is where prices really differ.

The three side by side

Here’s how the three compare on the things that matter most.

What changes the price of a maintenance plan?

The price of a maintenance plan changes with how much work and responsibility sit behind it: what’s checked after updates, who fixes what breaks, how quickly problems are handled, how much editing time is included, whether hosting is included, how much reporting you get and how complex your site is. Compare those seven things before you compare prices.

The seven price drivers

• What’s checked after updates. Updating is quick. Checking that your pages and forms still work afterwards takes time, and it’s the part that protects you. WordPress’s own guidance is to back up before every update (WordPress.org), which adds time too.
• Who fixes it if an update breaks something, and whether that costs extra.
• How quickly they respond, and on which days.
• How much editing time is included each month, and whether it rolls over.
• Whether hosting is included, or you pay your host separately.
• How much reporting you get: a one-line all-clear, or a proper report with what was done and what’s next.
• How complex your site is. A five-page service site is simpler to look after than a busy online shop.

Watch for VAT

Some prices are shown without VAT. UK businesses must register for VAT once their taxable turnover goes over £90,000 in 12 months (GOV.UK), and registered businesses add VAT to their prices. Always ask whether a quote includes VAT.

Is website maintenance worth it for a small business?

Website maintenance is worth it for a small business when one missed enquiry, or one lost afternoon, would cost more than a month of maintenance. If it wouldn’t, careful do-it-yourself maintenance may be the better choice. Only you know your numbers, so the honest answer comes from a short sum you do yourself.

The sum I’d do in your shoes

1. What is one new client worth to you? Think of a typical first booking or package, not your best-ever client.
2. How long could a broken form go unnoticed? If you don’t test it, the honest answer is “until someone tells me”.
3. How much is an hour of your time worth? Especially an hour taken away from clients or family.

If one missed enquiry or one lost afternoon costs more than a month of maintenance, a plan is likely worth it. If it doesn’t, doing it yourself carefully may be the better choice. Either answer is fine. I’d rather you chose with your eyes open.

What a plan can’t do

A plan can’t promise more clients, rankings or income. It protects the site you have and the enquiries already trying to reach you. Be wary of any plan that promises more than that.

How much does WonderlandSites charge?

WonderlandSites care plans cost £79, £149, £299 or £749 a month, alongside a free Website Check and a £150 one-off Quick Fix. All prices are in UK pounds and no VAT is charged. Every monthly plan is month to month, with 30 days’ notice and no exit fee. Here’s what each one is for and what it includes.

Every care plan includes

On my hosting: weekly updates with a check of your key pages afterwards, daily backups kept separately for 7 days plus weekly backups kept for 6 weeks, malware scanning, the padlock (SSL) renewed automatically, PHP kept on a supported version, and a monthly note or report. If an update I run breaks something, including a form, I fix it free.

What’s different between plans

• Essential Care includes up to 30 minutes of small edits a month.
• Care Plus adds up to 2 hours of changes a month and a test of your forms and booking links every month, not just after updates.
• Growth Care adds up to 4 hours of changes a month and monthly Google upkeep on your existing pages.
• Done For You adds 6 more hours a month for new pages and campaigns, and a written plan each month. I only take 3 businesses on this plan, so each one gets proper time.

Extras, always agreed first

The Update Pack is 3 hours for £150, to use within 90 days. Extra time is £60 an hour. Unused time doesn’t carry over. Bigger projects get a fixed price before anything starts.

The Quick Fix promise, and leaving

The Quick Fix is fixed in 7 working days, or it’s free. If you join a care plan within 30 days, the full £150 comes off your first care plan bills. If you ever leave a plan, you keep everything (your website, your domain and your content) and I send you a handover pack with a full backup and your domain transfer code. Full details, with a worked example for each plan, are on my plans page.

Which plan would I pick, and what should you ask about any price?

For most one-person service businesses whose site is in decent shape, I’d pick Essential Care. If your forms and booking links are how clients reach you, or you change something most months, Care Plus fits better because it tests those links every month. Whichever provider you choose, ask the same six questions about any price.

My pick for you

• Essential Care keeps the site safe, backed up and watched, and fixes anything my updates break.
• Care Plus is the better fit if clients reach you through forms and booking links, or you change something most months.
• Not sure? Don’t guess. That’s what the free check is for.

Six questions to ask about any price (including mine)

1. What exactly is checked after each update?
2. If your update breaks something, is the fix included?
3. How much editing time is included, and does it roll over?
4. Is VAT on top?
5. Is there a minimum term or an exit fee?
6. If I leave, do I keep my site, domain and content?

Frequently asked questions

How much does website maintenance cost per month in the UK?

It depends on what’s included. A plan that only runs updates costs less than one that also checks your pages and forms afterwards, fixes what updates break and includes editing time. My own plans start at £79 a month, with no VAT and no minimum term. Compare inclusions before comparing prices.

Is website maintenance worth it for a small business?

It’s worth it if a broken form, a hacked site or a lost afternoon would cost you more than the monthly fee. If you’re comfortable in WordPress and will genuinely do the weekly jobs yourself, doing it yourself can be fine too. Do the short sum in this guide to decide.

Does website maintenance include hosting?

Sometimes. Some providers include hosting; others expect you to pay your host separately, which changes the true monthly cost. My care plans work on my hosting. If your site is hosted somewhere else, the free Website Check tells you how we’d cover it before you decide anything.

Is there VAT on website maintenance?

There is if your provider is VAT-registered, because registered businesses must add VAT to their prices. Some providers show prices without VAT and add it at the end. Always ask whether a quote includes VAT. WonderlandSites charges no VAT, so the prices on my plans page are what you pay.

What is the cheapest way to maintain a WordPress website?

Doing it yourself is cheapest in money, because the main cost is your time. You’ll need reliable backups, a habit of weekly updates and a check of key pages afterwards. It becomes expensive when an update breaks something you can’t fix, or the weekly jobs quietly stop happening.

Can I pay for website maintenance only when something breaks?

Yes, many freelancers and agencies charge by the hour for one-off fixes. It can be cheaper in a quiet year. The trade-off is that nobody does the weekly updates, backups and checks in between, so problems tend to be bigger, and more stressful, by the time anyone notices them.

Is there a minimum contract for website maintenance?

That depends on the provider, so always ask before you sign. Some plans tie you in for twelve months or charge an exit fee. My monthly plans are month to month, with 30 days’ notice and no exit fee, and you keep your website, domain and content if you leave.

Sources and references

• When to register for VAT – GOV.UK (the £90,000 VAT threshold).
• Updating WordPress – WordPress.org documentation (back up before you update).
• Backups – WordPress Developer Resources.
• Hardening WordPress – WordPress Developer Resources.
• WonderlandSites plans in full – every price on this page, checked 28 October 2026.

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