Website builder vs WordPress: what each one asks of you
The difference that matters is who does the work after launch: the updates, the fixes, and the new pages and posts that bring people in from search. WordPress hands that work to you or someone you pay. Theo does it as part of the plan.
| Theo | WordPress | |
|---|---|---|
| Who builds the site | Theo, from a chat description or your current site's URL; first preview usually in minutes | You, with a theme and a page builder, or a freelancer or agency |
| Who edits it after launch | You describe the change in chat and Theo makes it | You in the WordPress editor, or your developer |
| Who does the search work each week | Theo, on Starter and Pro; no chat credits used | You, a plugin checklist, or an agency on a retainer |
| Hosting, updates and security patches | Included; a static website over HTTPS with no plugins to update | A host you pay; updates and backups are yours or your host's |
| Domain | Connect your own or buy one inside Theo | Connect it at your host |
| Online store | Shopify and Wix connect directly with a cart; WooCommerce and Etsy keep their checkout | WooCommerce on your server |
| Code and ownership | You own the site and its content; Pro adds read-only GitHub access | Open source; you own the files and the database on your server |
| Starting price, as of September 2026 | $29.99 a month on Basic; $69.99 on Starter with the growth work, free for 30 days; $129.99 on Pro | Free software; hosting, a theme, plugins and developer time are separate bills |
What WordPress does, and what it leaves to you
WordPress is open-source software: free to download, with a theme and a plugin for most things, and everything after that on your plate. Here are three things it is known for, what each one leaves to you, and where Theo stands on each. The WordPress alternatives for a small business list covers the other platforms in the same terms.
- Custom functionality. With a developer, WordPress can run a member area, a booking engine on your own server, or a database of your own; that code is yours to build, host and keep patched. Theo does not do custom code development, process payments or run a member database. A Theo site links to the tools that do, such as Calendly or Square Appointments for bookings, and to a Shopify or Wix store that connects directly, or a WooCommerce store that keeps its checkout.
- Full control of the code and the server. WordPress gives whoever runs it the files, the database and the server, and makes the core, theme and plugin updates, the security patches and the backups that person's job. On Theo the hosting is included and the site is static, so there is no core, theme or plugin to update, and Pro adds read-only GitHub access to the code.
- Publishing at scale. WordPress was built for publishing and runs blogs with hundreds of posts and several authors; the writing, the editing and the publishing schedule stay with the people you have for it. Theo builds a website for a business first: on Starter and Pro it writes the weekly pages and posts itself and holds them for your review, and changes to the site go through your chat.
Where Theo is the better choice
Theo is the better choice when the website is a means to an end: you want customers to find the business and call, book or buy, without a second job keeping the site running.
- Nothing to install, update or patch. On WordPress the core, the theme and every plugin get updates and security patches that someone has to apply and check. Every Theo site is a static website served over HTTPS, hosted by Theo, with none of that to do.
- Changes are a sentence in a chat. There is no drag-and-drop editor: type what you want changed in plain English, drag in photos, and Theo makes the change. Edits use chat credits.
- The search work is done for you, every week. On Starter and Pro, Theo researches keywords and competitors, builds pages and posts, fixes technical issues, improves speed, submits pages through Search Console and works toward citations in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, with no chat credits used.
- In Theo's audit of 5,974 small business websites, 35 percent of the 687 WordPress sites with search data got an estimated zero visitors a month from Google search (The State of Small Business Websites 2026); the platform alone does not get a site found.
Keep WooCommerce and put a Theo site in front of it
A WooCommerce store keeps its WordPress hosting. If it runs on your main domain today, give it its own address, such as shop.yourdomain.com, before you connect the domain to Theo; Theo builds the website in front of it, your Theo pages link to its products and checkout, and buying stays in WooCommerce. When products change, ask Theo in chat to refresh them.
Shopify and Wix stores connect directly instead: products, prices and stock appear on your Theo pages with a cart, and checkout completes in the store.
Moving a WordPress site to Theo
Four steps; the old site stays up until the domain switches in step three.
- Enter your current URL. Theo builds a preview that matches your site's look, usually within minutes.
- Bring the content across. Pages, posts and images move to the new site; the old addresses that still get traffic are redirected to their new pages once Search Console is connected.
- Connect your domain when you are ready. Theo walks you through pointing both the root and www versions at the site and leaves your email records alone; the switch takes effect once the registrar's records update, usually within a few hours, and your WordPress site stays live until then.
- Connect Google Analytics and Search Console. Once both are connected on the live domain, the growth work on Starter and Pro switches on.
What to expect after the move
Rankings usually wobble for a few weeks after any move; Moving a website to Theo covers each step and what to expect.
If you already have a WordPress site, run the free audit: it checks traffic, rankings and search health and lists specific fixes, with no login. If you are starting from nothing, build the site free and see it first.
The short answer
Pick Theo if
You want a website that is built, hosted and worked on for you, with nothing to install or update, and you would rather type a change in chat than learn a dashboard. A site with hosting is $29.99 a month on Basic; the ongoing search work starts at $69.99 a month on Starter, free for the first 30 days.
What WordPress leaves to you
The hosting, the core, theme and plugin updates, the security patches, the backups and the search work, done by you, a developer on retainer or an agency. With a developer's code it can run a member area, your own booking engine or payments on your own server; a Theo site links to the tools that run those instead.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a website builder vs WordPress cost a small business?
Theo is $29.99 a month on Basic for the site, hosting and security; Starter is $69.99 a month, adds the ongoing search work and is free for the first 30 days; Pro is $129.99. Nothing else is billed unless you buy top-up credits, a domain through Theo or one of the optional backlink packages in the Boost checklist. WordPress is free software; hosting, a theme, plugins and developer time are separate bills.
How long does it take to get a site live?
The first Theo preview is usually ready in minutes. Reviewing and publishing take as long as you give them; once you point the domain, it connects when the registrar's records update, usually within a few hours, and the WordPress site stays live until then.
Who owns the website?
You do, on both. On Theo you own the site and its content, and Pro adds read-only GitHub access to copy the code. On WordPress you own the files and the database on your server.
Can I cancel Theo, and what happens to the site?
Yes, anytime, with no long-term commitment. The cancellation confirmation names the day the subscription ends. You can copy the site and images before that day; they are yours either way. Your domain is yours whether you connected it or bought it through Theo, so it goes with you.
Is Theo built on WordPress?
No. Theo builds and hosts its own static sites; there is no WordPress dashboard, theme or plugin underneath.
Can I keep my WooCommerce store?
Yes. WooCommerce keeps its WordPress hosting, and your Theo site links to its products and checkout. If the store runs on your main domain today, give it its own address, such as shop.yourdomain.com, before you connect the domain to Theo.
Will I lose my Google rankings if I move from WordPress to Theo?
Some movement for a few weeks is normal after any move. Theo brings the content across, redirects the old addresses that still get traffic once Search Console is connected, and on Starter and Pro submits the new pages for indexing. Keeping the same domain makes the change smaller.