Verdict: Take a plan if your business depends on the site or it runs on a CMS — the arithmetic turns on one number, that a compromised WordPress cleanup in India typically costs ₹20,000–50,000 or more. For a genuinely static site you never touch, the free version below is enough.
The side-by-side
| No maintenance | AMC at ₹1,000–2,500/mo | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cost | ₹0 | ₹12,000–30,000 |
| Backups | Only if you take them | Automatic, stored off-server |
| Software updates (CMS) | Your job, monthly | Included |
| Someone notices the site is down | You, eventually — often via a customer | Uptime monitoring |
| Small content edits | Per-change fee, if anyone answers | A stated monthly allowance |
| Response time when broken | Whoever you can find | A committed time, in writing |
| Renewal dates tracked | Your calendar | Usually handled |
| Compromise risk | Rises with every skipped update | Much lower |
| Cost when something does break | ₹20,000–50,000+ for a hack cleanup | Covered or reduced |
| Best for | Static site, no CMS, you keep your own backup | Any site your business depends on |
The number that decides it
Cleaning up a compromised WordPress site in India typically runs ₹20,000–50,000 or more — frequently exceeding what the site cost to build. Most compromises follow from software left un-updated for months.
So the comparison isn’t ₹18,000 a year against zero. It’s ₹18,000 a year against an uncertain but expensive event whose probability rises with every skipped update.
Second number: a missed domain renewal takes down your website and your business email together. Recovery is cheapest inside the grace period, considerably costlier in redemption, and eventually impossible once the name is released. Whoever tracks that date is doing something worth paying for — or you are.
Third: ad-hoc edits are expensive per unit. Two ₹500 changes a month is ₹12,000 a year with no backups, no monitoring and no response commitment attached.
The six things a plan must list
A quote that says only “maintenance — ₹X” isn’t assessable. Ask for these:
- Backups — automatic, stored off-server, restorable. Ask where they’re kept and how old the newest is.
- Software and plugin updates, done regularly.
- Uptime monitoring, so someone knows before you do.
- A stated number of content edits — as a monthly allowance or hours.
- A response time. “Within one working day” is a commitment; “we’ll look into it” isn’t.
- SSL renewal and technical hygiene. Note free certificates are standard with most hosting, so a separate recurring SSL charge deserves a question.
Six items present → the number is judgeable. Two items → you’re paying to be answered.
Choose no maintenance if…
Genuinely reasonable in three cases, and we’d rather say so than sell a plan:
- A truly static site you never touch — five pages, no CMS, no forms storing data, hosting that backs up automatically
- You’ll do the updates yourself — take a backup, click update, once a month. That’s the substance of a plan for free, and many owners can manage it
- The quote is padding — “maintenance” with no list, on a site nobody has touched in two years. Ask what was actually done in the last twelve months; the answer is often nothing
Choose a plan if…
- Your site runs on WordPress or another CMS with plugins
- Your business depends on the site — enquiries, bookings, orders
- You’d have no idea who to call at 9pm on a Saturday
- You make content changes more than a couple of times a year
- You’d rather not own the renewal dates yourself
The free version, done properly
If you decline a plan, do these five. They cover most of the risk:
- Download your own backup and keep it off the server. This is the single item that turns a disaster into an afternoon.
- Put both domain and hosting expiry dates in your calendar with 30-day reminders, auto-renew on, card current.
- Do CMS updates monthly, after taking a backup.
- Set a quarterly reminder to open your own site on your phone and read it as a customer would — ten minutes, four times a year.
- Agree a per-change rate in advance with one developer, so you’re not negotiating during an emergency.
That’s a legitimate alternative rather than a compromise — provided you actually do it. The usual failure point is item 3.
What a plan doesn’t cover
So you’re not surprised twice:
- New pages or features — that’s a project, quoted separately
- A redesign
- Content writing beyond the edit allowance
- Recovery from something you deleted, unless a backup exists
- Traffic or marketing — an entirely different purchase
The three questions that settle any quote
What’s included monthly — backups, updates, monitoring, number of edits, response time?
What was actually done on my site in the last twelve months?
Where are the backups stored, and how old is the newest one?
A provider doing real work answers all three easily. The second question is the one that exposes a renewal dressed up as maintenance.
What to do this week
- Ask for the six-item list against any maintenance quote.
- Ask what was actually done on your site in the past twelve months.
- Total last year’s ad-hoc change charges and compare against a plan.
- Download a backup and store it off the server, either way.
- Put both renewal dates in your calendar with auto-renew on.
If you want it done the certain way
We price maintenance against the six-item list with a stated response time — and if your site genuinely doesn’t need a plan, we’ll say so and charge per change instead. Backup, both renewal dates and all logins handed to you at launch regardless. WhatsApp us; we reply in about five minutes between 9am and 7pm.
Related reading
- Website maintenance in India: what AMC should cost and cover
- What is website AMC and do you actually need it?
- Is a website “finished forever” once it’s made?
- Does a backup of your website exist?
- Renewal-lapse blackout: how a ₹1,200 miss kills your site and email
FAQ
Is a website maintenance plan worth it?
If your site runs on a CMS or your business depends on it, yes — a compromised WordPress cleanup in India typically costs ₹20,000–50,000 or more, and most compromises follow from skipped updates. For a truly static site you never touch, the free version is enough.
What should website AMC include?
Backups stored off-server, regular software updates, uptime monitoring, a stated number of content edits, a committed response time, and SSL renewal. A price with no list against it isn’t a plan.
Can I maintain my website myself?
For a static site, largely yes: keep your own off-server backup, set both renewal reminders with auto-renew on, do monthly CMS updates after a backup, and check the site quarterly on your phone. Agree a per-change rate with a developer in advance for anything else.
How much should website maintenance cost per month in India?
₹1,000–2,500 for a static brochure site and ₹2,500–5,000 for one edited regularly. Annual contracts for small business sites commonly run ₹15,000–30,000.
