Clad vs. WordPress
Self-hosted WordPress powers millions of sites. Is it the right choice for a small business that just needs to get online? An honest comparison.
The quick verdict
WordPress is powerful and has the largest ecosystem of any web platform. But self-hosted WordPress means managing hosting, security, updates, plugins, and backups, or paying someone else to. Clad gives you a professional website with none of that overhead.
Side by side.
How Clad and WordPress stack up across the dimensions that matter.
| Clad | WordPress | |
|---|---|---|
| Time to a live site | Under 10 minutes | Days to weeks (setup + build) |
| Design approach | Custom, built from scratch | Theme-based (free or premium) |
| Monthly cost (AUD) | From $49/mo (all-inclusive) | $10-50/mo hosting + plugins |
| Upfront cost | $199 design fee (waived on annual) | $0-200+ (theme + plugins) |
| Technical knowledge needed | None | Moderate to high |
| Security and updates | Fully managed | Your responsibility |
| Own your website files | Yes (full export) | Yes (self-hosted) |
| Human quality check | Every build reviewed | No |
| Ongoing changes | Describe in plain English + visual editor | Learn the WordPress editor or hire a developer |
| Plugin ecosystem | Core features built-in | Massive (60,000+ plugins) |
A closer look.
The areas that matter most for small business.
Complexity and maintenance
This is the fundamental trade-off. WordPress gives you enormous power and flexibility, but it comes with real operational overhead. You need to choose and configure hosting, install WordPress, select a theme, install plugins, keep everything updated, manage security, and handle backups. A single outdated plugin can make your site vulnerable to attacks. For a small business owner who just wants a professional website, this is a lot of ongoing work. Clad handles all of this for you -- hosting, security, SSL, performance, and updates are all included. You focus on your business, not your website infrastructure.
Pricing (the real cost)
WordPress itself is free, but the total cost adds up. Quality hosting runs $10-30/mo AUD. A premium theme costs $40-100. Essential plugins (SEO, security, backups, forms, caching) can add another $50-200/year. And if you cannot build the site yourself, a WordPress developer typically charges $1,500-5,000+ for a basic business site. Clad starts at $49/mo with a one-time $199 design fee that covers your custom designs -- waived entirely on annual plans. That includes hosting, ongoing changes, and a visual editor. No surprise plugin renewals.
Design and quality
WordPress themes range from excellent to terrible, and the quality of your site depends heavily on which theme you choose and how well you customise it. Premium themes like Divi or Astra offer flexibility but still require significant design effort. Most small business WordPress sites end up looking generic because the business owner lacks the time or skills to customise the theme properly. Clad generates a unique design for every business. No themes, no templates -- just a custom site built around your brand, content, and industry. Every build is reviewed by a real person to ensure quality.
SEO and performance
WordPress has a strong SEO ecosystem -- plugins like Yoast and Rank Math are excellent tools. But they require configuration, and WordPress sites can be slow without careful optimisation (caching plugins, image compression, database cleanup). Clad sites are static HTML -- they achieve near-perfect Lighthouse scores out of the box with no configuration needed. SEO fundamentals are baked into every build automatically. For a small business competing in local search, this matters. Google rewards fast, well-structured sites, and Clad delivers that by default.
Which is right for you?
Every business is different. An honest recommendation.
Choose Clad if...
- You want a professional site without managing hosting, security, or updates
- You don't want to learn WordPress, choose plugins, or hire a developer
- You value a fast, secure site that just works without ongoing maintenance
- You'd rather describe changes in plain English than navigate the WordPress editor
- You want a unique custom design, not another theme shared with millions
Choose WordPress if...
- You need complex functionality like e-commerce, membership portals, or LMS features
- You have the technical skills (or budget for a developer) to build and maintain a WordPress site
- You want access to the largest plugin ecosystem in the world
- You need a full content management system for frequent blog publishing
- You anticipate needing highly custom functionality that goes beyond a marketing website
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