# DXP vs WordPress TCO Calculator *Published:* 2026-10-08 *Author:* Himanshu Bhatia > Use our free DXP TCO calculator to see what AEM, Sitecore, Kentico, Arc XP or Drupal costs you each year, side by side with WordPress. Turn on JavaScript in your browser to answer the questions and see your results. Step 1 of 14 Your estimate · ## Here’s what your platform is actually costing you. Estimated -year cost on — That’s per year, including license, hosting, maintenance, and internal overhead. Owned WordPress infrastructure for the same setup: over years. That’s **savings**. Based on your inputs, your current platform cost is competitive at this scale. A platform audit would confirm where the real cost risk sits. You asked to understand your current costs first, so here’s where the spend is going. When you’re ready to compare, a platform audit maps this against owned WordPress infrastructure. **Forced upgrade ahead.** AEM 6.5 extended support ended in 2025. Factor in a near-full reimplementation, typically $200K–$600K. **Forced upgrade ahead.** Kentico Xperience 13 is end-of-life. Upgrade cost approaches a full migration, typically $150K–$400K. **Forced upgrade ahead.** Sitecore XM Cloud migration is architecturally a replatform, typically $200K–$500K. **Forced upgrade ahead.** Drupal end-of-life cycles force periodic full rebuilds, typically $80K–$400K. **Forced upgrade ahead.** Platforms past 5 years usually face a forced upgrade, typically $100K–$500K. ### -year cost breakdown Cost categoryYour platformWordPress (rtCamp)-Year SavingAnnual platform license$0Hosting & infrastructureMaintenance & upgradesUnused modules (bundling tax)$0Consultant dependencyScoped per engagement—Internal editorial overheadMarketing publishes independently—Migration (one-time)——WordPress consultant dependency and editorial overhead are not charged the way they are on a DXP. WordPress doesn’t require certified implementation partners, and marketing publishes without developer tickets. Managed Site Maintenance starts at $10,000/year for a single site; multi-site retainers are scoped per engagement. Migration and hosting figures use rtCamp comparables and published partner pricing. A platform audit replaces all estimates with figures from your actual architecture. Cost categoryYour platformAnnual platform licenseHosting & infrastructureMaintenance & upgradesUnused modules (bundling tax)Consultant dependencyInternal editorial overheadTotal ### Platform Tax Score ### The Platform Tax · the cost of staying — of your platform actively used — vendor lock-in level — unused-module spend over years You pay a year for your DXP and use roughly of it. That gap costs you over years, before counting upgrades, consultants, or developer-gated publishing. Benchmark data based on publicly available pricing and analyst research for AEM, Sitecore, Kentico Xperience, Arc XP, and Drupal (April 2026). Most enterprise DXP vendors do not publish list prices and negotiate custom contracts. Calculator outputs are directional estimates, not binding quotes. Actual costs vary by contract structure, customization scope, and team size. WordPress hosting estimates based on published pricing from Kinsta (kinsta.com/pricing), Pagely (pagely.com/pricing-signup), and WordPress VIP (wpvip.com/pricing), verified June 2026. Editorial overhead rate: BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 11-2000 ($74.89/hr median). WordPress Managed Site Maintenance from $10,000/year for a single site; multi-site retainers are scoped per engagement. ### Why owned WordPress infrastructure ![No vendor lock-in](https://rtcamp.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/no-vendor-lock.svg)**You own it.** No vendor lock-in, no keys held hostage. ![Lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)](https://rtcamp.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/Lower-Total-Cost-of-Ownership-TCO.svg)**$0 platform licensing.** Pay for what you actually use. ![Invester Portal](https://rtcamp.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/Design.svg)**Modular by design.** Swap tools without re-architecting. ![Media-publishing-groups](https://rtcamp.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Media-publishing-groups.svg)**Marketing publishes** without developer tickets. ### Next step ### Save your -year cost breakdown. We'll email it to you. Share it with your team, or walk through it with us. ## Enterprise migrations we’ve delivered [![VinSolutions](https://rtcamp.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/VinSolutions.webp?w=720&resize=720%2C405&quality=100&strip=all)](https://rtcamp.com/case-studies/migrating-vinsolutions-kentico-cms-to-wordpress-vip/)case study ### [VinSolutions: Kentico to WordPress](https://rtcamp.com/case-studies/migrating-vinsolutions-kentico-cms-to-wordpress-vip/) [![VideoJet_31ca1d](https://rtcamp.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/VideoJet_31ca1d.webp?w=720&resize=720%2C405&quality=100&strip=all)](https://rtcamp.com/case-studies/videojet-adobe-cq5-wordpress/)case study ### [Videojet: Adobe CQ5 to WordPress](https://rtcamp.com/case-studies/videojet-adobe-cq5-wordpress/) [SEE ALL CASE STUDIES](https://rtcamp.com/case-studies/) ## Want to try a different scenario? Start over with different numbers Start over? Everything you entered will be cleared. ### Categories and Taxonomies #### Service [DXP](https://rtcamp.com/blog/service/dxp-consultative-solutions.md) #### Solutions [Consultative Solutions](https://rtcamp.com/blog/solution/consultative-solutions.md) #### Topics [DXP](https://rtcamp.com/topics/dxp.md) ### Related Posts - [Staff Augmentation Business Inquiry](https://rtcamp.com/staff-augmentation/contact.md) - [Platform Migration Business Inquiry](https://rtcamp.com/migration-to-wordpress/contact.md) - [Enterprise CMS to WordPress Migration Services](https://rtcamp.com/lp/cms-to-wordpress-migration.md) - [Arc XP to WordPress Migration](https://rtcamp.com/lp/arc-xp-to-wordpress-migration.md) - [Kentico to WordPress Migration](https://rtcamp.com/lp/kentico-to-wordpress-migration.md)