When ordering a website, you'll run into this question quickly — and the answers you get often say more about what the vendor knows how to build than about what's best for you. So here's an honest comparison from someone who builds both.
What WordPress does well
WordPress powers a huge share of the web for good reason: many people already know its admin panel, there's a plugin for almost every need, and any future vendor will know how to work with it. If you plan to publish content yourself regularly — news, a blog, galleries — WordPress gives you an interface to do it without a developer.
The build cost is usually lower because part of the functionality comes ready-made. For websites that change often and grow through content, it's a rational choice.
Where WordPress has costs you don't see upfront
That convenience comes with obligations. WordPress and its plugins need regular security updates — a neglected installation is the most common reason small business websites get hacked. Every plugin slows the site down and adds a potential vulnerability, which is why sites with dozens of plugins often fail Google's speed measurements.
In other words: a WordPress site is not 'pay and forget'. You need either a maintenance plan or the discipline to run updates yourself.
What a custom (static) website does well
A custom-built website, especially a static one without a database, is nearly impossible to attack because there's nothing to attack — no admin panel, no plugins, no known vulnerabilities. It loads extremely fast, which Google directly rewards, and requires practically no technical maintenance.
The downside: content changes usually go through the vendor or require technical skill, and the initial price for complex functionality can be higher because everything is purpose-built.
A concrete recommendation
For presentation websites that change a few times a year — opening hours, prices, the occasional photo — a custom static site is usually the better choice: faster, more secure and cheaper in the long run.
For websites where you regularly publish content yourself, or for online stores, a content management system makes sense — WordPress or another platform, depending on your needs.
Most importantly: let the choice of technology follow from your needs, not from the vendor's habits. A good vendor can explain why they propose a particular solution — and if there's no explanation, treat that as a warning sign.