The verdict in three sentences
For a 120-page corporate site carrying 38 WordPress plugins, migrating to Next.js with a headless CMS costs 25,000 to 45,000 EUR with a Berlin agency in 2026, versus 14,000 to 28,000 EUR with a French or remote studio. It pays off as soon as you face more than one critical vulnerability a year or your marketing team needs fast, secure pages without calling a vendor for every update. The real risk is not technical: it is the 301 redirect plan, which decides whether you lose 3% or 30% of organic traffic.
Harden WordPress or migrate: the numbers
The IT director's question is simple: pay 3,500 EUR to secure what exists, or invest five to eight times more to change the foundation? The answer depends on the time horizon. Over three years, hardening does not remove the debt: every plugin remains an attack surface, and updates regularly break the theme.
| Criterion (2026 estimate) | WordPress hardening | Next.js + headless CMS migration |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | 3,500 EUR | 14,000 to 28,000 EUR (Berlin: 25,000 to 45,000) |
| Plugins kept | 25 to 30 of 38 | 0 (rebuilt or via API) |
| Estimated critical vulnerabilities per year | 1 to 2 | 0 to 0.2 |
| Mobile load time (LCP) | 2.8 to 4 s | 0.9 to 1.6 s |
| Annual maintenance | 2,400 to 4,800 EUR | 1,200 to 3,000 EUR |
| Monthly hosting | 30 to 80 EUR | 40 to 120 EUR |
| 3-year total cost | 11,000 to 18,000 EUR | 19,000 to 41,000 EUR |
Hardening remains the right call if the site will be rebuilt within 18 months anyway. Beyond that, migration pays off once you factor in the cost of an incident: cleaning a hacked site, ranking loss from spam injection, IT time. A single serious incident commonly costs 4,000 to 9,000 EUR in internal time and external fees.
What the budget covers
The spread from simple to double comes from content volume, the number of templates and integrations (CRM, careers portal, investor news feeds). Berlin agency day rates of 900 to 1,300 EUR explain the higher range there.
| Migration item | Share of budget | 2026 range (EUR, France or remote) |
|---|---|---|
| Audit and URL inventory | 8% | 1,100 to 2,200 |
| Headless CMS modelling (Sanity, Strapi) | 15% | 2,100 to 4,200 |
| Next.js template development (10 to 18) | 35% | 4,900 to 9,800 |
| Migration of 120 pages and media | 14% | 2,000 to 3,900 |
| 301 redirect plan and testing | 10% | 1,400 to 2,800 |
| Accessibility (BITV/WCAG) and performance | 10% | 1,400 to 2,800 |
| QA, editor training, go-live | 8% | 1,100 to 2,300 |
Allow 8 to 12 weeks. Successful companies freeze content two weeks before switchover and keep the old WordPress read-only for 30 days for comparison.
The real risks and how to neutralise them
The first risk is organic traffic loss. Done well, with an exhaustive mapping table (each old URL to its new URL, no redirect chains), the drop stays below 5% and recovers within 6 to 10 weeks. Without a plan, drops of 20 to 40% are common.
The second is marketing team autonomy. A poorly modelled headless CMS forces a developer call for every new page. Require reusable blocks (banner, key figures, testimonial, form) and live preview.
The third is vendor lock-in. Ask for the code in your own Git repository, deployment documentation and hosting accounts in your name from day one. In Germany, also check that the hosting and CMS data processing agreements meet GDPR requirements.
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Mini case study
Thomas, IT director of a 450-employee industrial company, runs a 120-page WordPress with 38 plugins. In 2025, two critical vulnerabilities cost 7,200 EUR (emergency contractor plus 30 internal hours at 55 EUR). He picks a 21,000 EUR migration with 70 EUR monthly hosting. Over three years: 21,000 + 2,520 + 6,000 maintenance = 29,520 EUR. The hardening scenario: 3,500 + 2,160 + 10,800 maintenance + an estimated 7,200 EUR incident per year, 21,600 over three years, total 38,060 EUR. The migration saves about 8,500 EUR and halves load time. The same project with a Berlin agency at 35,000 EUR would roughly break even.
FAQ
How long does a WordPress to Next.js migration take for 120 pages?
Allow 8 to 12 weeks from audit to go-live. Content migration alone takes 2 to 3 weeks when pages are media-heavy.
Will we lose our Google rankings?
With a page-by-page 301 plan and a new sitemap submission, the drop usually stays under 5% and recovers in 6 to 10 weeks. Without a full URL inventory, the risk rises to 20% or more.
Which headless CMS for a mid-sized company?
Sanity and Strapi cover most needs, with plans from 0 to 99 USD per month for 5 to 20 editors. The choice mainly depends on the approval workflow you need.
Is 3,500 EUR of hardening really enough?
It reduces short-term risk but leaves 25 to 30 plugins to monitor. It fits if a redesign is planned within 18 months.
What does Next.js hosting cost?
Between 40 and 120 EUR per month for a corporate site, CDN and backups included, close to quality managed WordPress hosting.
Let's scope your project. Send us your page count, plugins and integrations, and we will price the migration, the redirect plan and the switchover timeline. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
