Compare the actual implementation and support agreement. A platform name alone does not establish security, portability or editing quality.
Inventory dependencies
For WordPress, identify themes, plugins, licences and hosting responsibilities. For custom development, identify frameworks, build tools and external services. Both need updates and tested recovery. Ask which dependencies are essential and who responds when an update breaks a key function.
Verify what the business controls
Agree access to the domain, hosting, content and source or export files. Clarify licence restrictions and ownership of commissioned work in the project agreement. Demonstrate moving a backup into a test environment. Having an administrator login does not necessarily mean the site is fully portable.
Compare routine tasks
Ask staff to edit a service, replace a photograph and review a draft. Compare training needs and the cost of adding a new page type. Select using the expected workflow and support capacity. Avoid paying for complex custom features that duplicate a suitable maintained component.