Moving WordPress to a static site: how and what it costs
What changes when WordPress goes static, three ways to move, free hosting fine print, form and search substitutes in dollars, and when not to move at all.
By Jeensuk Yang
PHPFree · Web security · Fix series 04
?Who this is for
- You've heard a "site without PHP" is safer, and want to know what that really means
- You run a small company website, about ten pages, on WordPress
- You want to know what it costs and what stops working before you decide
!What you'll learn
- What gets easier and what gets harder after the move
- Three ways to move, and where to host, with the fine print on free plans
- What to use instead for forms and search, and when not to move at all
It's not a better site. It's a site with less to guard.
After PHP2Shell, more owners are asking whether they need PHP at all. A static site can be a good answer, but not for every site. I checked each tool's documentation and each host's pricing page myself, so you can weigh it for your own business.
What changes when you move WordPress to a static site?
PHP disappears from your public server, so there's far less to patch. In exchange, features the server handled on the fly, like contact forms and comments, stop working, and you have to re-export every time you edit.1·2
A WordPress site is a shop where a clerk writes a fresh flyer for every customer who walks in. A static site (one that serves only HTML files made in advance) is a well-printed company brochure. A brochure has no clerk to trick. But to change it, you have to print it again.
- PHP updates and restarts on the public server
- Worrying about plugin holes
- Checking the public server for intruders
- Re-exporting after every edit
- Substitutes for forms and search
- Managing a new host and its plan
Weigh both sides together. This comparison is as of October 25, 2026.
Every time you make a change to your WordPress site, you will need to download a new ZIP file. — Cloudflare Pages docs, updated Apr 21, 2026
Jeensuk's takeA static site isn't a "better" site. It's a site with less to guard. Start by looking at what your site actually does.
What are the ways to move to a static site?
There are three: export your WordPress pages as files, rebuild the site with another tool, or keep WordPress only as a writing room.
| Method | How | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Export plugin | A plugin such as Simply Static turns your site into HTML files you upload elsewhere | The free version exports a ZIP. Search and automatic pushes to GitHub, S3 or SFTP come with Pro, "$99/year (1 site)"2·3 |
| Rebuild | Convert your posts to files and rebuild with a static site tool such as Astro | Astro's docs say to "start with our blog theme starter template." Edits happen in a code editor, not a dashboard4 |
| Headless | Keep WordPress just for writing; the public site pulls posts from it and builds static pages | WordPress (and PHP) still runs somewhere, so PHP upkeep doesn't go away |
Simply Static also offers Studio, which keeps WordPress on its side and publishes only the static version, at "$12/month (1 site)."3
Jeensuk's takeWhen you pick a tool, ask "Will this still be around next year?" before you compare features. A house built on an abandoned tool has to move again.
Where can you host it, and what does it cost?
If you're only serving static files, some hosts let you start free. But some free plans can't be used for a business site, so read the conditions. Here's what each official page said on October 25, 2026.
| Host | Free tier | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare Pages | "Requests to static assets are free and unlimited." 500 builds a month5·6 | The free build count is per month |
| Netlify | 300 credits a month; a production deploy costs 15 credits, so about 20 deploys if you use nothing else7 | Run out, and all your projects are paused "until the start of the next billing cycle"8 |
| Vercel | Hobby plan | "Our Hobby plan is for personal, non-commercial use." A business site needs Pro, $20/mo9 |
| GitHub Pages | Sites up to 1 GB, 100 GB a month soft bandwidth limit10 | Not allowed "as a free web-hosting service to run your online business"10 |
How does that compare with shared hosting? Hostinger's cheapest web hosting plan was listed at $2.49/mo, but that's for paying 48 months up front, and it "Renews at $10.99/mo."11
In my judgment, for a ten-page site the hosting bill alone doesn't drop much. Add Simply Static Pro or a paid form service and it can cost more than today. The real gain is that there's no PHP on your public server, so the next PHP2Shell isn't your emergency.
Jeensuk's takeRead the small print next to "free." If a business site on a personal free plan gets shut off, that loss is bigger than any hosting bill.
What stops working after the move, and what can replace it?
Contact forms, on-site search and comments. You can replace each with an outside service, but each has its own free limits and conditions.
Simply Static says forms and search won't work on the free version,2 and Cloudflare's guide says WordPress forms and comments aren't supported.1
| Feature | Substitute | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Contact form | Formspree | Free is "limited to 50 submissions/mo." The Personal plan is $15/month billed monthly, for 200 submissions12 |
| Contact form | Netlify Forms | Only for sites hosted on Netlify. Form submissions don't use credits7 |
| Contact form | Google Forms | More → Embed HTML, then paste the code into your page13 |
| Site search | Pagefind | "A fully static search library," and an independent open source project14 |
Comments are the hardest to replace. For most company websites, my advice is simply to turn them off and point people to the contact form.
Jeensuk's takeYour contact form is your front doorbell. On moving day, ring it yourself once and make sure the email arrives.
When is it better not to move to a static site?
Online stores, member sites, and sites several people edit often. And if your host patches PHP for you and you use few plugins, steady updates may come first.
- Online stores and member logins: in my view, checkout and accounts need a live server, so a static site isn't the right fit.
- Sites several people edit often: every change means a new export.1 If you post daily, that gets old fast.
- Sites built around bookings or forums: swapping each feature for an outside service adds cost and more places to manage.
- Sites your host already looks after: if your host patched PHP for you, you have few plugins and you keep them updated, there's less reason to rush.
On the other hand, a company website of about ten pages, updated a few times a month, that needs little more than a contact form is a good fit. The "PHP vulnerability fix guide" in this series uses the same test (English edition coming soon).
Jeensuk's takeNot moving is a perfectly good decision too. What matters isn't whether you move. It's deciding who looks after your site, and when.
Frequently asked questions about moving WordPress to a static site
Will moving to a static site cut my hosting bill a lot?
Not much. Shared hosting is already a few dollars to about ten dollars a month, so the gain is less to look after, not less to pay.
Can I keep writing in WordPress after the move?
Yes, with the export method. Edit in WordPress and export again; paid features can automate that step.
What do I do about my contact form?
Switch to an outside service such as Formspree, Netlify Forms or Google Forms. Send a test message after the move and make sure the email arrives.
SOURCES
- Cloudflare Pages docs, "Deploy a static WordPress site" (updated Apr 21, 2026) developers.cloudflare.com
- WordPress.org Plugins, "Simply Static" (updated Oct 24, 2026) wordpress.org
- Simply Static, "Pricing" (checked Oct 25, 2026) simplystatic.com
- Astro Docs, "Migrating from WordPress" docs.astro.build
- Cloudflare, "Pricing · Cloudflare Workers docs" developers.cloudflare.com
- Cloudflare, "Limits · Cloudflare Pages docs" developers.cloudflare.com
- Netlify Docs, "Credit-based pricing plans" docs.netlify.com
- Netlify Docs, "Resume paused projects" docs.netlify.com
- Vercel, "Pricing" (checked Oct 25, 2026) vercel.com
- GitHub Docs, "GitHub Pages limits" docs.github.com
- Hostinger, "Web Hosting" (checked Oct 25, 2026) hostinger.com
- Formspree, "Plans" (checked Oct 25, 2026) formspree.io
- Google Docs Editors Help, "Send your form" support.google.com
- Pagefind pagefind.app
The fix guide covers the whole order; each article goes into one step. More English editions are on the way.
- PHP vulnerability fix guide: from checking to moving off PHP (coming soon)
- White screen after a PHP upgrade? How to fix and roll back (coming soon)
- Where to check and change your PHP version, host by host (coming soon)
- A back door left on your site? A web shell self-check (coming soon)
- Moving WordPress to a static site: how and what it costs (this article)
To understand what went wrong, start with risk series part 1, "What is PHP2Shell?" More articles on the ATATAKAI Digital blog.
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Updated Oct 26, 2026
