What drives WordPress maintenance cost in Canada

The cost of looking after a WordPress site depends less on its size than on what it does and how quickly you need help when it breaks. A few pages of information and a site that takes registrations and payments are different jobs, even if they look alike. The other big factors are how many plugins it runs, whether hosting and backups are included, whether small improvements are included, and the state the site is in when someone takes it on.

We do not publish prices, ours or anyone else’s, because a single number would mislead you. This article explains what moves the number, so you can compare quotes on the same terms.

Why do quotes for the same site vary so much?

Because providers are often quoting different things. One quote covers updates only. Another includes hosting, backups, monitoring and an hour of changes a month. A third is hourly, with nothing included until something breaks. Before comparing prices, compare the lists.

What the site does

This is the biggest driver.

An information site (pages, news, a contact form) mostly needs updates, backups and monitoring.
A site that takes money or personal information (registrations, renewals, donations, a member area) needs more care: every update has to be tested against the forms and payments, and a failure costs more when it happens during renewal season.
A site connected to other systems, such as a membership database, a CRM or an accounting tool, needs someone to check those connections still work after each change.

How many plugins it runs

Every plugin is something to update, test and watch. Security researchers at Patchstack counted 11,334 new vulnerabilities in the WordPress ecosystem in 2025, 91% of them in plugins (Patchstack, State of WordPress Security in 2026). A site with 15 well-chosen plugins is cheaper to look after than one with 50, several of them doing the same job. Removing plugins you do not use is also in WordPress’s own security guidance (Hardening WordPress).

How quickly you need a response

“Next business day” and “within the hour, including weekends” are priced very differently, because the second means someone is always available. Most organizations need fast response only at certain times: renewal deadlines, event registration, a tournament weekend. It is worth saying so when you ask for a quote.

Whether hosting is included

Some care plans include hosting; others assume you have your own. If hosting is included, the provider is also responsible for the server: keeping PHP on a supported version (PHP 8.2 stops receiving security fixes on 31 December 2026, for example, php.net), server security and performance. That is more work, and it removes a second bill and a second party to blame.

Backups, and whether anyone tests them

WordPress recommends backing up both files and database, weekly for a small site and daily for a busy one, with several copies in different places (WordPress, backups). The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security adds that restores should be tested regularly (control BC.7, baseline controls). Daily backups kept off the host and tested restores cost more than a weekly backup nobody has ever restored. They are also the difference between losing an hour and losing a month.

Whether improvements are included

Some plans include a small amount of time each month for changes: a new page layout, a form, a fix to something that has annoyed staff for a year. Others bill every change by the hour. Neither is wrong, but a plan with included time costs more per month and less per year if you actually use it.

Accessibility upkeep

If your organization has 50 or more employees in Ontario, your public website has to meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA, and keep meeting it as content changes (ontario.ca). Checking new content and templates for accessibility is ongoing work, and a plan that includes it will cost more than one that does not.

The state of the site at the start

A site that has not been updated for a year, runs on an old PHP version or depends on abandoned plugins needs catching up before routine care can begin. Expect that to be quoted as a one-time piece of work, separate from the monthly plan. It is a fair charge, and a provider who skips it is taking on risk they have not priced.

Care plan or hourly support?

A care plan costs the same each month and makes someone responsible between problems. It suits sites that take money or personal data, and organizations that want a predictable budget.
Hourly support costs nothing in a quiet month and more in a bad one. It suits simple sites with a capable person inside the organization who handles updates and backups.

What hourly support rarely includes is anyone watching the site. If nobody is responsible for noticing a problem, the first person to notice is usually a member.