WordPress migration cost ranges from $300 (simple host-to-host on small site) to $50,000+ (complex multi-platform consolidation with WooCommerce + multilingual + custom integrations). The right number depends on source platform, content volume, complexity (WooCommerce, multilingual, custom code), and post-migration support needs. Most quotes vary 3-5x for the same brief because migration scope is poorly understood at brief time.
This guide breaks down realistic 2026 pricing for WordPress migration projects by source platform, complexity, and delivery model. Real numbers from actual quotes given on real client projects, with ROI math for DIY vs professional migration.
Quick verdict: $300-$1,500 for host-to-host moves, $2,500-$10,000 for platform-to-WordPress (Wix, Squarespace, Webflow), $10,000-$30,000 for Shopify-to-WooCommerce, $30,000+ for enterprise multi-site consolidations. Cheap quotes either skip redirect mapping or use unmaintainable shortcuts.
WordPress migration cost: quick reference
If you are evaluating WordPress migration cost for your next project, you are weighing real trade-offs between cost, complexity, ownership, and time-to-launch. The right WordPress migration cost decision depends on a handful of variables — team capacity, scope clarity, and how much ongoing maintenance you can absorb. The summary below is the 60-second version; the rest of this guide unpacks the nuance.
- WordPress migration cost pricing typically ranges based on scope clarity, integration count, and ongoing support requirements.
- WordPress migration cost timelines vary from days (small scope) to months (enterprise scope) depending on complexity.
- The biggest variable in WordPress migration cost is requirements clarity at the brief stage — vague briefs produce vague quotes.
- Vendor selection for WordPress migration cost matters more than tool selection — the right team beats the right stack.
- WordPress migration cost ROI is positive when scope is bounded, deliverables are specified, and success criteria are measurable.
For complementary perspectives on WordPress migration cost, the Google site move guidelines and WordPress moving guide resources cover adjacent angles worth reviewing alongside this guide. They focus on the underlying technology and standards — this post focuses on the WordPress migration cost decision specifically.
When you revisit your WordPress migration cost approach in 12 to 24 months, three signals usually indicate a refresh is justified. First, the original brief no longer matches business reality — product, audience, or operational scope has shifted. Second, the underlying technology has moved forward enough that the WordPress migration cost decision made under previous constraints would be different today. Third, ongoing maintenance overhead has crept up beyond what was forecast at launch. None of these are emergencies on their own; together they signal it is time to revisit fundamentals rather than patch around them.
Cost by migration type
Realistic 2026 pricing bands by migration project type:
| Migration type | Cost range | Timeline | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Host-to-host (simple) | $300-$1,500 | 1-3 days | WordPress site moved between hosts, DNS, SSL, verification |
| Host-to-host (WooCommerce) | $1,500-$5,000 | 3-7 days | Above + WooCommerce + active orders + subscriptions |
| Wix → WordPress | $3,500-$10,000 | 6-10 weeks | Content migration, theme rebuild, redirect map, SEO |
| Squarespace → WordPress | $2,500-$8,000 | 4-8 weeks | Above with Squarespace export tooling |
| Shopify → WooCommerce | $10,000-$30,000 | 6-14 weeks | Products, customers, orders, theme, payment migration |
| Webflow → WordPress | $3,000-$10,000 | 4-8 weeks | Content, theme rebuild, redirect map |
| Custom CMS → WordPress | $8,000-$30,000+ | 8-16 weeks | Custom export script, CPT mapping, theme |
| Multi-site consolidation | $8,000-$25,000 | 6-12 weeks | Multiple WP sites consolidated to one |
| Enterprise / multilingual | $25,000-$80,000+ | 12-24 weeks | Multiple languages, regions, complex integrations |
The seven cost drivers most clients underestimate
Items commonly under-scoped:
- Content volume — 100 vs 5,000 posts is dramatically different scope; cost scales roughly linearly with content
- WooCommerce / ecommerce — adds 50-100% to migration cost vs content-only sites
- Active subscriptions — Stripe migration team coordination, payment method handover; adds 20-40h
- Custom code — proprietary plugins, custom themes, custom integrations need rewriting
- Multilingual — WPML / Polylang migration adds 30-50% to multilingual site work
- Form submissions / member areas — Wix Forms / Squarespace Members data does not export; rebuild from scratch
- Post-migration monitoring — proper 30-day monitoring is 10-20% of project cost; cheap quotes skip it
DIY vs professional migration math
When DIY makes sense vs hiring:
DIY migration is rational when
- Site is simple (no WooCommerce, no multilingual, single language)
- You have 20-40 hours of focused time + technical comfort
- You can afford 1-3 weeks of post-migration cleanup if issues surface
- Site revenue is under $50k/yr (so consultant cost is hard to justify)
- You have backups + rollback comfort
Hire a professional when
- Site has WooCommerce with active orders/subscriptions
- Site is multilingual or has complex content model
- Site revenue is over $100k/yr (downtime cost dwarfs consultant fee)
- You have no time to learn migration patterns
- Migration must hit a deadline (product launch, contract end)
Why migration quotes vary 3-5x
Same brief, three quotes — $1.5k, $5k, $12k. Why?
The $1.5k quote
Solo dev, no redirect mapping, basic file + DB transfer, no SEO preservation, no monitoring. Acceptable for tiny sites where SEO doesn’t matter. Risky for anything ranking.
The $5k quote
Solid dev, full redirect map, SEO preservation, 7-14 day monitoring, content verification. The “right” answer for most mid-complexity migrations.
The $12k quote
Boutique studio, comprehensive testing, performance baseline, 30-day monitoring, training session, documentation. Justified for complex sites where downtime is expensive.
Cost by delivery model
Same project, different team types:
- Solo freelancer ($60-$150/hr) — sweet spot for $500-$15k projects
- Boutique studio (2-8 people) ($90-$220/hr) — sweet spot for $10k-$40k complex migrations
- Mid-size agency (8-30 people) ($120-$280/hr) — sweet spot for $40k+ enterprise migrations
- Large agency (30+ people) ($175-$400/hr) — usually overpriced unless enterprise process needed
Concrete pricing examples from my client engagements
Three real examples:
Host-to-host with WooCommerce
Scope: Move WooCommerce store from Bluehost to Cloudways, 1,200 products, 8,000 orders historical, active subscriptions via WC Subscriptions. Full redirect verification, post-migration monitoring 14 days. Cost: $1,800. Timeline: 4 days.
Squarespace to WordPress migration
Scope: 200-page B2B site on Squarespace migrated to WordPress + Astra theme. Content migrated, blog images re-imported, 200+ URL redirects mapped, Search Console transitioned, 30 days monitoring. Cost: $5,200. Timeline: 5 weeks.
Shopify to WooCommerce
Scope: $1.2M/yr Shopify store with subscription products migrated to WooCommerce. 4,500 products, 18,000 orders, 240 active subscriptions. Stripe migration team coordination, custom theme rebuild, full redirect mapping, 30 days monitoring. Cost: $24,000. Timeline: 12 weeks.
How to scope migration to a budget
Levers when budget is fixed:
- Phase the migration — content first, ecommerce later, custom integrations last
- Defer features to post-migration — get on WordPress, add member areas / customizations later
- Use existing themes — Astra / Kadence customization vs full custom theme rebuild
- Reduce monitoring window — 7 days vs 30 days, accepting more risk
- DIY content migration with consultant for cutover — split work between you + specialist
When DIY migration backfires
Common DIY failure patterns:
- Skipped redirect mapping — site goes live, 70% of pages 404, traffic crashes
- Accidentally noindexed — staging copy noindex carried to production; rankings disappear
- Database not properly serialized — search-replace skipped; URLs broken everywhere
- Email DNS forgotten — emails to/from site domain bounce for days
- Cache plugin not configured for new host — site slower than before migration
Pricing — FAQs
How much does WordPress migration really cost in 2026?
Realistic ranges: $300-$1,500 for host-to-host on simple sites. $2,500-$10,000 for platform-to-WordPress (Wix, Squarespace, Webflow). $10,000-$30,000 for Shopify-to-WooCommerce. $30,000+ for enterprise multi-site or multilingual migrations. Migration scope ambiguity makes quotes vary widely — insist on detailed deliverables in the SOW.
Why are migration quotes so different?
Three reasons. (1) Different deliverables — a $1.5k quote without redirect mapping or monitoring is a different product from a $5k quote with both. (2) Source platform — Wix is harder than Squarespace; Shopify is harder than Wix. (3) Content volume + complexity (WooCommerce, multilingual, custom code) all multiply the work.
Can I migrate WordPress for under $500?
For host-to-host on simple WordPress sites (no WooCommerce, no custom code, single language, under 500 pages): yes — $300-$500 covers a competent migration. Below $300 you are usually getting “WordPress files moved” without redirect verification or monitoring — acceptable for tiny sites, risky for anything ranking. Platform migrations are not realistic under $1,500.
Engagement — FAQs
Should I pay fixed-price or hourly for WordPress migration?
Fixed-price — migration scope is well-defined enough for fixed quotes after a brief scoping call. Reputable migration specialists offer fixed-price quotes after 30-60 minutes of discovery. Hourly without a cap is a red flag because migrations have well-understood scopes; hourly billing usually means the dev does not know how to estimate.
How long should post-migration support last?
Standard is 7-14 days. Premium services include 30 days. Enterprise often extends to 60-90 days. The first 14 days catch 80% of issues; days 15-30 catch the remaining 20% as new traffic patterns surface unexpected edge cases. Skip post-migration support only on internal-use migrations or simple sites.
Is hiring a specialist worth it for migration?
For sites with $50k+/yr revenue, yes — the cost of a botched migration (lost rankings, downtime revenue) typically exceeds specialist fees by 5-10x. For tiny sites or hobby blogs, DIY is reasonable. The math: specialist costs $300-$30k upfront; botched DIY can cost 1-12 months of revenue + fix work. Hire for serious sites; DIY for trivial.
What is the most important factor in WordPress migration cost?
The single most important factor in WordPress migration cost is matching the project scope to the right delivery model. WordPress migration cost done by the wrong team type can cost 3-5x more than necessary; WordPress migration cost done by the right team is predictable, bounded, and produces measurable value. Run an honest scope discovery before committing to any WordPress migration cost engagement, and insist on detailed deliverables in the SOW so both sides are aligned on what success looks like.
Want a fixed-price WordPress migration quote? Tell me about your current setup.
Migration quotes need real scope visibility — DB size, plugin count, custom code, redirect volume, content shape, integrations. I assess your current setup to map every migration cost, then deliver a fixed-fee quote with a concrete cutover plan so you know the real number and timeline before committing to the move.
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