Vercel vs WordPress Hosting: Cost and Performance Comparison
Asad Ali
Founder & Lead Developer · Former WordPress Core Contributor
Vercel vs WordPress Hosting: Cost and Performance Comparison
One of the biggest shocks for WordPress users who migrate to Next.js: hosting can be free.
Let's break down the real costs of WordPress hosting versus Vercel, including the hidden expenses most comparisons miss.
Quick Cost Comparison
| Traffic Level | WordPress Hosting | Vercel |
| 10K visits/mo | $15-30/mo | Free |
| 50K visits/mo | $30-50/mo | Free |
| 100K visits/mo | $50-100/mo | Free |
| 500K visits/mo | $150-300/mo | $20/mo |
| 1M+ visits/mo | $300-1000/mo | $20-150/mo |
Vercel's free tier includes 100GB bandwidth, which covers most sites up to ~500K visitors.
WordPress Hosting Tiers
Budget Shared Hosting ($3-15/mo)
- Examples: Bluehost, SiteGround, Hostinger
- Reality: Slow, shared resources, oversold servers
- Performance: TTFB 800-2000ms
- Best for: Nobody serious about their site
Managed WordPress ($25-50/mo)
- Examples: WP Engine, Kinsta, Flywheel
- Reality: Better but still limited
- Performance: TTFB 300-600ms
- Best for: Businesses who need WordPress
VPS/Dedicated ($50-200+/mo)
- Examples: DigitalOcean, Linode, AWS
- Reality: Full control, full responsibility
- Performance: TTFB 100-300ms
- Best for: Teams with DevOps expertise
Vercel Pricing Breakdown
Hobby (Free)
- ✅ 100GB bandwidth
- ✅ Unlimited sites
- ✅ Automatic HTTPS
- ✅ Global CDN
- ✅ Automatic deployments
- ❌ No commercial use allowed
Pro ($20/mo)
- Everything in Hobby, plus:
- ✅ Commercial use
- ✅ Team collaboration
- ✅ Password protection
- ✅ Advanced analytics
- ✅ Priority support
Enterprise (Custom)
- For large organizations
- SLAs, compliance, dedicated support
The Hidden Costs of WordPress
WordPress hosting pricing is just the beginning. Let's add up the real costs:
Required Extras
| Item | Annual Cost |
| SSL Certificate | $0-100 |
| CDN (Cloudflare Pro) | $240 |
| Security Plugin | $100-200 |
| Backup Plugin | $50-100 |
| Caching Plugin | $50-100 |
| Performance Plugin | $50-100 |
Hidden costs: $490-840/year
Developer Time
| Task | Hours/Year | Cost @ $100/hr |
| Plugin updates | 26 | $2,600 |
| Security patches | 12 | $1,200 |
| Performance tuning | 8 | $800 |
| Backup management | 6 | $600 |
| Troubleshooting | 12 | $1,200 |
Time cost: $6,400/year
Total Cost of Ownership
| Item | WordPress | Vercel |
| Hosting | $300-600/yr | $0-240/yr |
| Plugins/Tools | $490-840/yr | $0 |
| Developer time | $6,400/yr | ~$500/yr |
| Total | $7,190-7,840/yr | $500-740/yr |
The real difference: 10x or more.
Performance Comparison
We tested identical sites:
| Metric | WordPress (WP Engine) | Next.js (Vercel) |
| TTFB | 380ms | 45ms |
| LCP | 2.1s | 0.6s |
| FCP | 1.4s | 0.4s |
| Page Size | 2.3MB | 180KB |
| Lighthouse | 62 | 100 |
Next.js on Vercel is 8-10x faster.
Scaling Comparison
What happens when you go viral?
WordPress
1. Server resources spike
2. Database connections max out
3. Site slows down or crashes
4. Emergency hosting upgrade needed
5. Or overpaying for headroom "just in case"
Vercel
1. CDN serves cached static files
2. Edge functions scale automatically
3. No database to bottleneck
4. Site stays fast
5. Pay only for actual usage
Vercel's architecture can't get overwhelmed by traffic the same way WordPress can.
When WordPress Hosting Makes Sense
To be fair, sometimes WordPress hosting is the right choice:
- ✅ Complex plugins required (WooCommerce, LearnDash)
- ✅ Non-technical editor needing familiar interface
- ✅ Legacy site with heavy customization
- ✅ Specific WordPress-only functionality needed
Migration Path
Ready to save 90% on hosting?
1. Export content from WordPress
2. Convert to Next.js (our tool does this)
3. Deploy to Vercel (free)
4. Point domain to Vercel
5. Cancel WordPress hosting
FAQ
Q: Is Vercel really free?
Yes, for personal/hobby projects. Commercial sites need the $20/mo Pro plan. But even Pro is cheaper than budget WordPress hosting once you factor in everything. See full Vercel comparison →
Q: What about email hosting?
WordPress hosting often includes email. With Vercel, use a separate email provider (Zoho Mail is free, Google Workspace is $6/mo).
Q: Can I host dynamic features?
Yes! Vercel supports serverless functions, databases (Vercel Postgres), and authentication. Most "dynamic" needs are covered.
Q: What if I exceed bandwidth?
Vercel charges $40/100GB overage on Pro plan. For reference, 100GB serves about 500,000 page views for a typical site.
Q: What's the learning curve?
If you're used to WordPress, there's a learning curve. But Next.js is well-documented and most developers get productive within weeks.
Conclusion
The math is clear:
- WordPress hosting: $7,000+/year in real costs
- Vercel: $0-240/year
Same site. Same content. 10x faster. 10x cheaper.
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