Headless CMS Development vs WordPress Development
Which you need, what each costs, and when a project wants both — headless cms development compared with wordpress development.
Last revised
Both sit under Website Development, and clients regularly ask which of the two they actually want. The short answer is below; the rest of this page is how to tell, what each costs, and the cases where a project needs both.
What each one is
- Headless CMS Development Building sites where content is managed in a headless CMS such as Contentful or Sanity and delivered to a fast custom front end.
- WordPress Development Custom WordPress development beyond page builders, from themes and plugins to WooCommerce, headless setups and performance.
The numbers
| Headless CMS Development | WordPress Development | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | From $145.00 per hour | From $145.00 per hour |
| Services underneath | — | 6 |
How to decide
Go with Headless CMS Development when
- The difference here is one of emphasis rather than deliverables — headless CMS development
Go with WordPress Development when
- The job is specifically custom theme development, which sits under this one
- The job is specifically headless WordPress, which sits under this one
- The job is specifically plugin development, which sits under this one
When a project wants both
Worth knowing: More often than the question implies — the same job frequently touches both, and one team covers them, so moving between them is a conversation rather than a second supplier. If you are not sure which your files need, that is what the free trial is for. The process is the same either way: whichever you pick, the work runs through the same stages and is checked against the same bar. Website Development sets that out.
Questions we get on this specific choice
Is one of them cheaper?
They start at the same rate, so the choice is about what the job needs rather than about budget. Complexity moves both.
Which is faster?
Much the same, and volume moves the number far more than the choice between these two does.
Can you tell me which one my files need?
Yes, free. Send two or three real files — that judgment is part of the trial rather than something quoted separately.
Can I switch after we start?
Yes. If the files say the other one is the right answer, we re-quote before doing the work rather than after.
Where to go from here
- Headless CMS Development — what it is, in full, with its own pricing
- WordPress Development — the same for the alternative
- Website Development pricing — both rates side by side with the US market ranges
- Try it free — a free technical review of one page, written up, and we will tell you which of the two your files need
- Get a quote if the scope is already clear
- Every rate we publish, on one page
