TL;DR -- Custom PHP isn't automatically more secure than WordPress. Security depends on maintenance discipline, not platform choice. Most businesses get better security outcomes on WordPress because the ecosystem handles updates, monitoring, and incident response automatically. CEOs should evaluate the 5-year maintenance cost, not just the security claim.
A CEO posted on Reddit last week asking if their developer was right. The developer claimed custom HTML and PHP would be more secure than rebuilding their site on WordPress. Eighty-four comments debated it. Half agreed with the developer. Half called it a lock-in tactic.
I've had this conversation with clients at least two dozen times. The developer isn't necessarily dishonest. They just didn't explain what security actually requires. It's not about the platform. It's about whether you have the infrastructure and budget to maintain that platform properly for five years.
Is custom PHP more secure than WordPress? No. Custom PHP can match WordPress security if you have dedicated security engineers, ongoing development support, and mature vulnerability management processes. For 90% of organizations, WordPress delivers better security outcomes because the ecosystem provides those capabilities automatically.
In 2025, the CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) database recorded 48,185 vulnerabilities across all software (Patchstack, 2025). WordPress core accounted for less than 1% of those. The vast majority of WordPress breaches trace to abandoned plugins, not the platform itself. Custom PHP breaches don't make the news because there's no coordinated disclosure ecosystem to report them.
This article gives you the decision framework your developer didn't. What security actually costs. Where breaches really come from. When custom PHP makes sense and when it's a maintenance trap.
The "Custom Is More Secure" Myth
Ask any developer whether custom PHP is more secure than WordPress, and you'll hear a familiar argument. Custom PHP has fewer attack surfaces, isn't targeted by automated scans, and your unique codebase won't appear in vulnerability databases. It sounds plausible because WordPress IS heavily targeted. Automated bots scan millions of sites daily for known WordPress exploits. Custom code isn't in those scan databases.
The logic breaks down when you ask the follow-up question. Who maintains security updates when the developer leaves?
Custom PHP security assumes perfect ongoing maintenance by the same developer. Every dependency patched. Every PHP version upgraded. Every new vulnerability monitored and fixed. That works beautifully until the developer takes a new job, raises their rates beyond your budget, or gets hit by a bus.
WordPress breaches make headlines because the ecosystem has mature coordinated disclosure. Patchstack publishes weekly reports. Wordfence alerts 4 million users in real time. Security researchers disclose vulnerabilities responsibly through WPScan. Custom PHP breaches are silent because there's no ecosystem to detect or report them. Your site gets compromised, and you find out three months later when Google blacklists you.
I've seen both scenarios play out. The WordPress site with outdated plugins gets flagged by monitoring tools within 24 hours and patched the same day. The custom PHP site with a SQL injection vulnerability runs compromised for six months until a customer reports fraudulent charges.
Visibility is a feature, not a weakness.
Key Takeaway: Custom PHP's security advantage is a myth built on an assumption of perfect maintenance. WordPress breaches are visible and get patched fast. Custom PHP breaches are silent and discovered months later.
Why Developers Claim Custom PHP Is More Secure
Your developer prefers custom PHP because it creates sustainable recurring revenue. WordPress commoditizes development work. Any competent WordPress developer can maintain a WordPress site. You're not locked into the original developer. Custom code creates lock-in. Only the developer who built it can efficiently maintain it.
I'm not saying your developer is being dishonest. Most developers genuinely believe they build more secure systems. They control every line of code. They avoid third-party plugins with unknown quality. They don't trust the WordPress ecosystem. These are legitimate preferences.
But preference doesn't equal better security outcomes. It equals developer control and ongoing billable hours.
The Developer Sustainability Problem
Custom PHP projects get abandoned at a stunning rate. The developer builds the site, maintains it for two years, then moves to a different market segment or raises their retainer beyond your budget. You're left with a codebase you can't modify without paying another developer to audit and understand 10,000 lines of custom code first.
For the sites I manage, I've inherited at least eight custom PHP projects built by developers who are no longer available. Every single one had unpatched vulnerabilities. Five had hardcoded database credentials in version-controlled files. Three were running PHP 7.4 or earlier, which reached end-of-life years ago. None had documentation.
WordPress solves this through standardization. Any WordPress developer can take over a WordPress site in under two hours. Custom PHP requires weeks of code review before you trust the new developer to make changes safely.
Security Depends on Maintenance, Not the Platform
Is custom PHP more secure than WordPress if you can't maintain it? No. Security is a process, not a product. It requires consistent updates, proactive vulnerability monitoring, and coordinated incident response when breaches happen. The platform doesn't matter if you can't maintain it properly.
WordPress has a mature security ecosystem. Wordfence and Patchstack together coordinate disclosure for 52% of plugin vulnerabilities. WPScan maintains a database of 38,000+ known WordPress vulnerabilities with automated scanning tools. Managed WordPress hosts monitor for compromise 24/7 and isolate infected sites automatically. Security patches for popular plugins ship within 24 to 72 hours of disclosure.
Custom PHP requires you to build that entire ecosystem yourself. Vulnerability monitoring means hiring a security firm to run annual penetration tests at five figures per engagement. Updates depend on developer availability. Incident response is ad-hoc because there's no playbook or coordinated community response.
I've managed WordPress sites that detected and blocked zero-day exploits within four hours of public disclosure. The plugin developer shipped a patch, Wordfence pushed firewall rules to 4 million sites, and managed hosts auto-updated vulnerable plugins before most admins even checked their email.
Custom PHP can't match that response speed without dedicating an internal security team.
| Dimension | WordPress | Custom PHP |
|---|---|---|
| Vulnerability Discovery | Automated via Wordfence, Patchstack, WPScan | Manual pen testing; often found post-breach |
| Update Cadence | Weekly core, daily plugins, coordinated disclosure | Depends on dev availability; no standard process |
| Team Required | 1 competent WP developer | Dedicated security engineer + ongoing dev support |
| Monitoring Tools | Wordfence, Patchstack, Sucuri (real-time alerts) | Custom SIEM required; not standardized |
| Incident Response | Coordinated ecosystem; 24-72hr typical | Ad-hoc; can take weeks; risk of reinfection |
| 5-Year TCO (SMB) | $30,000-73,000 | $280,000-750,000+ |
| Tooling Ecosystem | 65,000+ plugins, managed hosting, backup services | Whatever you build; limited third-party support |
| Best For | SMBs, agencies, and most businesses | Enterprises with dedicated security teams |
That table isn't theoretical. Those numbers come from real client engagements over the past five years.
Where Do WordPress Breaches Actually Come From?
So is custom PHP more secure than WordPress when it comes to actual breach data? The numbers tell a clear story. When WordPress sites get compromised, 96% of the time the vulnerability is in a plugin, not WordPress core (Patchstack, 2025). Abandoned plugins are the number one culprit. A developer builds a contact form plugin, maintains it for three years, then stops updating it. The plugin stays active on 50,000 sites. A security researcher finds a SQL injection vulnerability. There's no developer to patch it. Automated bots start exploiting it within hours.
WordPress core had fewer than 50 disclosed vulnerabilities in 2025. Most were low-severity issues patched within a week. Core updates are automatic by default as of WordPress 5.6. If you're running WordPress with auto-updates enabled and avoiding abandoned plugins, your attack surface is remarkably small.
Custom PHP breaches follow different patterns. The most common issues I find during audits are undiscovered SQL injection vulnerabilities, developer dependency when maintenance stops, legacy frameworks that haven't been patched in years, and hardcoded credentials in configuration files. None of these show up in public CVE databases because there's no ecosystem to detect and disclose them.
The difference is visibility. WordPress breaches make the news because Patchstack publishes weekly reports, Wordfence sends real-time alerts, and WPScan coordinates disclosure. Custom PHP breaches are silent. Your site runs compromised until a customer reports fraud, Google blacklists you, or your hosting provider suspends your account for sending spam.
Key Takeaway: WordPress breaches dominate the headlines because the ecosystem detects them. Custom PHP breaches stay hidden because there's no ecosystem looking. I prefer visible breaches with coordinated response over silent compromises discovered months later. For insights on how the WordPress ecosystem handles vulnerability disclosure at scale, see what 333 weekly plugin exploits mean for your sites.
Total Cost of Ownership: What 5 Years Actually Costs
Security has a price tag. You're either paying in advance for mature tooling and ecosystem support, or paying later in incident response and technical debt.
WordPress five-year TCO for a typical SMB breaks down like this: managed hosting at $50 to $150 per month, premium plugins at $200 to $800 annually, annual security audits at $2,000 to $5,000, and maintenance retainer at $300 to $800 per month. Total over five years: $30,000 to $73,000. That includes monitoring, updates, backups, and incident response.
Custom PHP five-year TCO starts higher and escalates. Initial build at $40,000 to $120,000, developer retainer at $2,000 to $5,000 per month, annual penetration testing at $8,000 to $15,000, VPS or dedicated hosting at $200 to $800 per month, and security patches billed hourly at $150 to $250 per hour. Total over five years: $280,000 to $750,000. That assumes the original developer stays available and doesn't raise rates.
For 95% of SMBs, WordPress wins on both economics and security outcomes. You get better tooling, faster incident response, and lower total cost.
I've seen SMBs pay $80,000 over three years to maintain custom PHP built by a developer who left. The same functionality built on WordPress would have cost $15,000 total, with better uptime and faster updates.
The economics only flip if you're an enterprise with an internal security team and dedicated development staff. At that scale, custom infrastructure makes sense. For everyone else, it's paying premium prices for worse outcomes.
Key Takeaway: WordPress TCO over 5 years is $30,000-73,000. Custom PHP is $280,000-750,000+. For 95% of SMBs, WordPress wins on both cost and security outcomes.
When Is Custom PHP Actually More Secure Than WordPress?
Custom PHP isn't always the wrong answer. There are scenarios where custom code is genuinely more secure than WordPress. But the criteria are narrower than most developers admit.
You're an enterprise with a dedicated security team, in-house developers on salary, and a five-year runway to maintain and evolve the codebase. You have specialized requirements that WordPress can't handle: real-time data processing at scale, custom payment flows that can't use third-party gateways, or compliance requirements in banking and healthcare that demand full control over every layer of the stack.
If you're asking whether custom PHP is more secure, you probably don't meet those criteria. Enterprises with those capabilities don't ask. They have security architects who make that decision based on threat models and risk assessments.
For SMBs and agencies managing fewer than 50 sites, WordPress delivers better security outcomes at a fraction of the cost. The ecosystem does the heavy lifting. You focus on content and business logic. For a broader comparison of when WordPress makes sense versus alternatives, see evaluating WordPress alternatives.
What to Ask Your Developer
If your developer recommends custom PHP for security reasons, ask these seven questions before making a decision:
- What specific WordPress limitations does custom PHP solve? If the answer is vague or focuses only on "more secure," that's a red flag.
- What's the 5-year maintenance plan if you leave? Will they document the codebase, provide training, and commit to handoff if they're unavailable?
- Will you put the codebase under version control and give us access? You should own the repository, not the developer.
- What security audits will you provide annually? Penetration testing should be part of the contract, not an upsell.
- What's the total cost: build plus 5 years of maintenance? Get a written estimate that includes hosting, updates, monitoring, and incident response.
- What's the backup and disaster recovery plan? Custom systems need custom backup strategies. Who manages that?
- Can any developer audit and maintain this code? If the answer is no, you're locked in.
Red flags include vague "it's more secure" claims without specifics, resistance to version control or code ownership, and refusal to commit to handoff documentation. Green flags are specific WordPress limitations cited with examples, clear TCO breakdown in writing, and upfront commitment to documentation and knowledge transfer.
I've seen developers respond to these questions with detailed written proposals that included threat models, maintenance schedules, and disaster recovery plans. Those are the developers who genuinely believe custom PHP is the right fit. I've also seen developers dodge the questions or provide verbal commitments with no written follow-up. Those are the developers selling lock-in, not security.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is custom PHP really more secure than WordPress?
No, not for most organizations. WordPress wins for more than 90% of businesses because the ecosystem provides mature vulnerability management, coordinated disclosure, and automated monitoring that most businesses can't replicate in-house. Custom PHP can match WordPress security only if built by dedicated security experts and maintained meticulously with ongoing resources. For foundational security practices, see WordPress security best practices for 2026.
What's the biggest security risk of custom PHP?
Developer dependency is the biggest security risk in custom PHP. When the original developer leaves or becomes unavailable, the codebase becomes a black box. New developers need weeks to audit and understand it before making safe changes. WordPress eliminates this through standardization.
Can WordPress be as secure as a well-built custom solution?
Yes. A well-maintained WordPress site with mature plugins, managed hosting, professional monitoring, and regular security audits matches or exceeds most custom systems. The WordPress ecosystem provides security capabilities that would cost six figures to replicate for custom PHP.
How often do WordPress security updates come out?
Core releases minor security patches weekly and major versions quarterly. Plugins update daily depending on developer activity. Popular plugins with dedicated teams ship security patches within 24 to 72 hours of vulnerability disclosure. Managed hosts can push emergency updates automatically.
What should I ask my developer about security?
Ask for specific WordPress limitations that custom PHP solves, a written 5-year TCO estimate including maintenance and monitoring, a handoff plan with documentation and version control access, and a commitment to annual security audits. If they can't answer those questions with specifics, reconsider the recommendation.
Make the Decision With Data, Not Developer Preference
Is custom PHP more secure than WordPress? Only if you have the team and budget to maintain it like enterprise software. For everyone else, security is a maintenance question, not a platform question. The platform you choose matters far less than whether you can maintain it properly over five years. WordPress delivers better security outcomes for most organizations because the ecosystem handles vulnerability monitoring, coordinated disclosure, and incident response automatically.
Your developer isn't wrong to prioritize security. They just didn't tell you the whole story. Custom PHP can be secure if you have the budget and infrastructure to maintain it like an enterprise. For everyone else, it's paying premium prices for worse outcomes and vendor lock-in.
The data is clear. WordPress core had fewer than 50 disclosed vulnerabilities in 2025. The WordPress security ecosystem coordinates responses to thousands of plugin vulnerabilities annually with average patch times under 72 hours. Custom PHP has no equivalent ecosystem. You're building it yourself or going without.
For most SMBs, the decision is straightforward. WordPress with proper maintenance delivers enterprise-grade security at a fraction of the cost. You get mature tooling, faster incident response, and no developer lock-in. If keeping up with WordPress security feels overwhelming, that's exactly what a maintenance plan handles for you. See WordPress security best practices for 2026, what 333 weekly plugin exploits mean for your sites, and evaluating WordPress alternatives for deeper context on making platform decisions based on data rather than preference.