A WordPress care plan is a monthly service that keeps a website updated, backed up, secure and working. Most small business sites pay somewhere between $50 and $500 a month, and the spread comes down to three things: whether hosting is included, how much hands-on work is included, and how fast someone answers.
The figures below come from prices that providers publish on their own websites, which we reviewed in November 2026. Plans differ a great deal in what they cover, so the same price can mean very different things.
What each price level usually buys
| Monthly price | What it usually includes | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| About $50 to $100 | Software updates, backups, security and uptime monitoring. Often no hands-on changes. | A simple site that rarely changes |
| About $150 to $300 | Everything above, plus a set amount of fixes and edits, speed work and faster replies. Hosting is sometimes included. | A business that depends on the site for leads |
| About $400 to $700 | Everything above, plus regular new content, search work and reporting. | A business actively growing through the site |
| $700 and up | Online stores and complex sites, where payments and stock add risk. | E-commerce and custom builds |
The parts that change the price
Is hosting included?
Some plans cover maintenance only, and you pay a hosting company separately. Others include hosting. When you compare two prices, add your current hosting bill to the one that does not.
How much hands-on work is included?
Updates and backups are largely automated. A person changing your phone number, adding a project or fixing a broken page is not. Look for a stated number of hours or tasks per month, and for what happens when you go over.
How quickly does someone answer?
Same-day response costs more to provide than a reply within three business days. Check whether the plan states a response time at all.
Seven questions to ask before you sign
- Who owns the domain, the hosting account and the website files?
- If I cancel, do I get a full copy of the site, and how soon?
- Where are the backups stored, and how often are they made?
- How many hours of changes are included each month?
- What happens if the site is hacked while I am on the plan?
- Is there a contract, and what is the notice period?
- Are updates checked afterwards, or only applied?
Warning signs
- No price on the website. A monthly service with a hidden price usually means the price depends on what they think you will pay.
- Unlimited everything. Unlimited edits for a low flat fee cannot be delivered for long. Either the work slows down or the terms change.
- A platform you cannot leave. If the site only runs on the provider’s own system and cannot be moved, you are renting it, not owning it.
- A long contract for a simple service. Month-to-month is normal for maintenance.
What we charge
For comparison, our own plans are $79, $179 and $399 a month. Managed hosting is included in all three, the middle and top plans include two and five hours of fixes and edits, and there is no contract. The details are on the WordPress care plans page.
Not ready for a monthly plan? If something is broken right now, the emergency WordPress fix is a one-time $149 with no plan required.
If you are comparing hosting as well, see what is included in our managed WordPress hosting.