Comparison
WordPress is flexible, open source and widely supported, and it suits a firm that has someone to choose a host, pick plugins, apply updates and edit pages. A managed site suits a firm that wants none of that: no plugin stack to patch, no CMS login to secure, and a studio that writes, publishes and keeps every page current.
What it is
WordPress is open source software licensed under GPLv2 or later. The self-hosted version runs on your own hosting, which needs a supported PHP and database version and HTTPS. It has a very large directory of free plugins.
WordPress.com is the hosted service: its paid plans include hosting and SSL, and higher plans allow plugins. WordPress.com also sells a design service and can match you with agencies for bigger builds.
The plugin question
Most WordPress law firm sites run a theme and a set of plugins for forms, SEO, caching, security and page building. Each one is a dependency someone has to keep updated and compatible. That is manageable with a good maintainer; it is a risk when the website is nobody's job. Our sites have no plugin stack: pages are hand-coded and served as static files.
Ownership, stated honestly
WordPress is excellent on portability: it is open source and content exports in a standard format. That is a real advantage. On our plans the firm owns its domain and gets an export of its content and articles on cancellation, but it does not get an editor to run itself; the trade is that the studio runs it.
Speed is possible on both; the default differs
A carefully built WordPress site can be fast. Many are not, because themes, page builders and plugins add weight. Our pages start light and carry a 90+ PageSpeed guarantee, which matters when paid clicks land on them.
Side by side
Twelve things a law firm should compare. Statements about WordPress come from its own published pages, listed under sources, or describe it in general terms.
| What matters | WordPress | AttorneyWebStudio |
|---|---|---|
| Speed and Core Web Vitals | Depends on host, theme, page builder and plugins; can be fast with care. | Hand-coded static pages served from Cloudflare's edge, 90+ PageSpeed on mobile and desktop, guaranteed and kept. |
| SEO control | Extensive, usually through SEO plugins configured by the site owner. | A page per matter type, per office and per attorney, with written titles, canonicals, sitemaps and redirects, done for you. |
| Schema and JSON-LD | Available through plugins or custom code. | LegalService, LocalBusiness per office, Person, Service, FAQPage and BreadcrumbList, generated from the same data as the page. |
| AEO and GEO readiness | Depends on content and configuration. | Answer-first pages with FAQ blocks, an llms.txt file and consistent names for the firm, offices and attorneys. |
| Hosting and security | Self-hosted: you choose and manage the host. WordPress.com paid plans include hosting and SSL. | Cloudflare hosting, SSL, monitoring and versioned deploys inside the fee. No plugins or CMS login to secure. |
| Maintenance burden | Core, theme and plugin updates, backups and compatibility checks, by the owner or a maintainer. | None for the firm. Weekly detail updates plus revisions, handled by the studio. |
| Who does the work | The firm, a freelancer or an agency. | A designer, a developer and a writer at the studio, with a person to email. |
| Content and blog | Excellent blogging tools; the writing is up to the firm. | 2 researched, cited articles a week (3 on Multi-Office), never written as legal advice. |
| Design quality | Theme or custom; ranges widely. | A design system made for the firm and applied to every page, office and profile. |
| Accessibility and compliance pages | Depends on the theme, plugins and whoever builds the pages. | Privacy policy, terms, cookie consent that gates scripts, an accessibility statement, WCAG 2.2 AA in mind, and the advertising disclaimers the firm specifies. |
| Cost model | Software is free; hosting, premium themes, plugins and maintenance are paid separately. WordPress.com has plan tiers. | From $137 a month, plus a $797 build fee invoiced only after launch. No fixed term. |
| Lock-in and ownership | Open source under the GPL; content exports in a standard WordPress format. | The domain stays in the firm's name; on cancellation the firm gets an export of its content and articles within 14 days. |
Be honest
You have a staff member or long-term maintainer who is comfortable with hosting, updates and plugins.
You want to edit every page yourself, any time, in a CMS.
You need a specific plugin-based feature, such as a membership area, that a managed marketing site does not offer.
And when we are
Nobody at the firm wants to own updates, plugins, backups or a CMS login.
You want speed and structured data built in rather than assembled from plugins.
You want the writing done too: practice area pages and researched articles every week.
Switching, or using both
Most of our redesigns start from a WordPress site. The move is planned page by page.
- 01We crawl the current site, list every URL and decide with you what to keep, rebuild or merge.
- 02We rebuild the pages on the new structure, bring across posts that earn traffic, and set a 301 redirect for every old URL.
- 03At launch we point the domain, check search console, and fix anything that did not carry. Your WordPress hosting can then be cancelled.
What you get with us
Every capability of the managed site, and which plan includes it.
| Capability | Solo Practice$137/ month | Multi-Attorney$297/ month + usage | Multi-Office$747/ month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pages that open instantlyStatic, hand-built pages served from the edge, 90+ PageSpeed guaranteed on mobile and desktop. | Included | Included | Included |
| Practice area pagesOne well-structured page for every matter type the firm takes, written answer-first. | Included | Included | Included |
| Office and attorney pagesA location page for every office and a profile for every attorney, all inside one site. | Included | Included | Included |
| Intake routerThree questions, then the inquiry goes to the right office or attorney with the consultation terms shown. | Included | Included | Included |
| Inquiries into your intake CRMEvery form, router and call inquiry lands in the CRM your intake team already uses. | Included | Included | Included |
| Weekly detail updatesAttorney moves, new hours, new bar admissions and fee changes published every week without using a revision. | Included | Included | Included |
| Researched articles2 long-form, cited articles a week on the questions people search before they contact a firm. | Included | Included | Included |
| Search, answer and AI visibilityTechnical and on-page SEO, office and service-area pages, answer-first FAQs, schema and llms.txt, so search engines and AI assistants can read the firm correctly. | Included | Included | Included |
| Managed hostingCloudflare edge hosting, SSL, backups and monitoring inside the monthly fee. Nothing itemized. | Included | Included | Included |
| The AI EngineAn AI receptionist, site chat and SMS, Messenger and Instagram agents that take inquiries and book consultations, never give advice. | Not included | Included | Included |
| The Content Engine3 articles a week, 3 social image posts, 2 reels and a managed Google Business Profile for each office. | Not included | Not included | Included |
In their words
Our after-hours calls used to go to voicemail and get returned the next afternoon. Now the phone is answered, the details are in our CRM with a summary, and the attorney who handles that matter type sees it first thing.
Daniel WhitcombeFirm administrator, Family law practice, six attorneysTampa, FL GotIntake router and the AI receptionist after hours on Multi-Attorney
People looking for a defense lawyer are on their phone and they are not patient. The old site made them wait. This one opens straight away and the call button is right there on every page.
Marcus BellamyPartner, Criminal defense firm, two partnersAtlanta, GA GotA fast site on the phone, live in a week on Solo Practice
Most of our inquiries come in the evening, often by text. The chat and SMS agents take the details, never comment on the case, and book the consultation with the right attorney. Our team starts the day with a clean list.
Luis ArriagaManaging attorney, Immigration firm, bilingual intakePhoenix, AZ GotVisa-type pages and chat that answers in the evening on Multi-Attorney
Illustrative sample reviews. The names, firms and quotes are examples written to show the kind of work described, not statements from real clients. Verified reviews replace them as real firms send them.
Questions about WordPress and AttorneyWebStudio
01Is WordPress good for law firms?
It can be very good when someone skilled builds and maintains it. The questions are who keeps the plugins, theme and core updated, who writes the pages, and how fast the finished site is on a phone.
02Why don't you build on WordPress?
Because a managed site does not need a CMS the firm logs into. Hand-coded static pages remove the plugin stack, the admin login to secure and the update cycle, and they are fast by default.
03Can we edit our own pages on your sites?
Not directly. You email changes or raise them in your client portal: weekly detail updates are included, plus revisions each month. That is the trade for having nothing to maintain.
04Will we lose rankings leaving WordPress?
Not if every URL is mapped. We set 301 redirects from each old address to its new page before launch and check search console afterwards.
05Can you bring our WordPress blog posts across?
Yes. We move the posts worth keeping, rebuild them on the new site and redirect their old addresses. Thin or outdated posts can be merged or retired with your approval.
06Is WordPress cheaper?
The software is free. Hosting, premium themes and plugins, security, backups and someone's time to maintain it all are not. Compare the total, including your time, with a plan that includes all of it.
07What about WordPress.com instead of self-hosted?
WordPress.com paid plans include hosting and SSL, and higher plans allow plugins. You still design, write and update the site yourself unless you buy a design service.
08Is our content locked in with you?
No. The domain stays in the firm's name and on cancellation you receive an export of your content and articles within 14 days.
Cited
Sources
- WordPress.org: About (checked 2026-09-18)
- WordPress.org: Requirements (checked 2026-09-18)
- WordPress.org: Plugins directory (checked 2026-09-18)
- WordPress.com: Pricing (checked 2026-09-18)
- WordPress.com: Website design service (checked 2026-09-18)
- WordPress.com Support: Export your content (checked 2026-09-18)
WordPress is a trademark of its owner. AttorneyWebStudio is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by it; the name is used only to describe and compare.
We aim to keep this comparison fair and current. If something about WordPress has changed, email hello@attorneywebstudio.com and we will correct it.
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From $137 a month, live in 7 days, build fee invoiced after launch. Book a demo, or email the studio and a person replies within one working day.