Website Migration Costs - What Does It Cost?
What does website migration cost? Overview of all costs: free options, paid services (€50-€200), hidden costs and money-saving tips.
Website Migration Costs: Complete Overview
Moving your website to a new hosting provider can be free, but can also cost several hundred euros. The costs depend on your website's complexity, whether you do it yourself or outsource, and which additional services you need. In this comprehensive guide, we give you a complete overview of all possible costs.
Quick Cost Overview
| Component | Free Option | Paid Option |
|---|---|---|
| Website migration | €0 (DIY or free service) | €50 - €500+ |
| Domain transfer | €0 - €15 | €15 - €30 |
| SSL certificate | €0 (Let's Encrypt) | €10 - €300/year |
| Email migration | €0 (DIY) | €50 - €200 |
| Downtime costs | €0 (well planned) | €100 - €1000+ |
Free Migration Options
Option 1: Self-Migration (DIY)
The cheapest option is to move your website yourself. This costs no money, but requires time and technical knowledge.
What you need:
- FTP client like FileZilla (free download)
- Access to phpMyAdmin or database manager
- Basic knowledge of WordPress or your CMS
- Time: 2-6 hours depending on website size
Suitable for:
- Simple WordPress sites
- Static HTML websites
- Small databases (< 500 MB)
- Technically savvy website owners
Not suitable for:
- Complex e-commerce sites
- Websites with lots of custom configuration
- Large databases (> 2 GB)
- Business websites where downtime costs money
Option 2: Free Migration by Your New Provider
Many hosting providers offer free migration when you become their customer. This is often the best deal.
Providers with free migration:
| Provider | Free Migration | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| TransIP | ✅ Yes | All packages |
| Antagonist | ✅ Yes | Manual migration by experts |
| Vimexx | ✅ Yes | Annual packages |
| Versio | ✅ Yes | WordPress sites |
| Hostnet | ✅ Yes | Premium packages |
| one.com | ❌ No | - |
| Strato | ⚠️ Limited | WordPress only |
Watch out with free migration:
- Often limited to 1-2 websites
- Some providers don't migrate email
- Complex sites may incur extra costs
- Wait time can be 3-7 business days
Option 3: Free Migration Tools
There are free tools you can use:
WordPress plugins:
- All-in-One WP Migration - Free up to 512 MB
- Duplicator - Free basic version
- UpdraftPlus - Free backup and restore
Limitations of free tools:
- File size limits
- No customer support
- Complex sites may have issues
Paid Migration Services
Prices by Website Type
Costs for professional migration vary greatly by website type:
Simple website (€50 - €100)
- Static HTML site
- Simple WordPress blog
- One database
- No e-commerce
- Completion: 1-2 business days
Standard WordPress site (€75 - €150)
- WordPress with plugins
- Contact forms
- Multiple pages
- Small media library
- Completion: 2-3 business days
Advanced website (€150 - €300)
- WordPress multisite
- Membership functionality
- Large media library (> 5 GB)
- Custom post types
- Completion: 3-5 business days
E-commerce / webshop (€200 - €500+)
- WooCommerce or Magento
- Product database
- Customer accounts
- Payment integrations
- Order history
- Completion: 5-10 business days
Enterprise website (€500 - €2,000+)
- Large database (> 10 GB)
- Multiple integrations
- Custom server configuration
- High availability requirements
- Completion: 1-4 weeks
What Are You Paying For?
With professional migration, you pay for:
- Expertise and experience - Migration specialists know the pitfalls
- Speed - Professional tools are faster
- Guarantee - Often 30-day guarantee on migration
- Support - Help with post-migration issues
- Minimal downtime - Experts plan the switch optimally
- Testing - Extensive tests before go-live
Hidden Costs in Website Migration
Domain Transfer
Your domain doesn't necessarily have to move, but if you want to:
| Cost Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Transfer to new registrar | €0 - €15 |
| Renewal at transfer | €10 - €15/year |
| WHOIS privacy | €0 - €10/year |
| Premium domains | Variable |
Tip: You can leave your domain with your current registrar and only adjust DNS. This avoids transfer costs.
SSL Certificate
SSL is essential for every website. Costs vary:
| SSL Type | Cost | Suitable For |
|---|---|---|
| Let's Encrypt | Free | All websites |
| Domain Validation (DV) | €10-50/year | Small businesses |
| Organization Validation (OV) | €50-150/year | Businesses |
| Extended Validation (EV) | €100-300/year | E-commerce, banks |
| Wildcard SSL | €50-200/year | Subdomains |
Note: Most providers offer free Let's Encrypt. Only pay for premium SSL if you need organization validation.
Email Migration
Email migration is often forgotten in cost calculations:
| Method | Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|
| DIY with Thunderbird | €0 | 2-4 hours |
| Provider migration service | €0 - €50 | 1-3 days |
| Professional migration | €50 - €150 | 1-2 days |
| Large mailboxes (> 10 GB) | €100 - €300 | 3-5 days |
Downtime Costs
The costs of downtime are often underestimated:
Example webshop:
- Average revenue: €500/day
- Downtime: 4 hours = €83 loss
- With poor migration: 24 hours = €500 loss
Example business site:
- Leads per day: 10
- Conversion value per lead: €50
- Downtime 4 hours: 1-2 leads = €50-100 loss
Example SaaS/application:
- Active users: 1,000
- SLA penalty clause: 0.1% per hour downtime
- Monthly revenue: €10,000
- Downtime 4 hours: €400 penalty
Post-Migration Costs
After migration, additional costs may arise:
| Cost Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Broken link fixes | €50 - €200 |
| Performance optimization | €100 - €500 |
| Security hardening | €50 - €200 |
| SEO recovery (if things go wrong) | €200 - €1,000 |
| Email deliverability fixes | €50 - €200 |
Costs by Website Type - Detailed
Static HTML Website
Total costs: €0 - €75
| Component | DIY | Professional |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer files | €0 | €50 |
| DNS configuration | €0 | €25 |
| SSL installation | €0 | Included |
| Total | €0 | €75 |
DIY time investment: 1-2 hours
WordPress Blog
Total costs: €0 - €150
| Component | DIY | Professional |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress migration | €0 | €75 |
| Database transfer | €0 | €25 |
| Plugin check/update | €0 | €25 |
| SSL + redirect | €0 | €25 |
| Total | €0 | €150 |
DIY time investment: 2-4 hours Recommended: Free provider migration or DIY with plugin
Business WordPress Site
Total costs: €0 - €250
| Component | DIY | Professional |
|---|---|---|
| Website migration | €0 | €125 |
| Form testing | €0 | €25 |
| Email migration | €0 | €50 |
| SEO check | €0 | €50 |
| Total | €0 | €250 |
DIY time investment: 4-8 hours Recommended: Free provider migration with email
WooCommerce Webshop
Total costs: €0 - €400
| Component | DIY (not recommended) | Professional |
|---|---|---|
| Shop migration | €0 | €200 |
| Payment integration | €0 | €75 |
| Order history | €0 | €50 |
| Email/notifications | €0 | €50 |
| Testing | €0 | €25 |
| Total | €0 | €400 |
DIY time investment: 8-16 hours (high risk) Recommended: Professional migration for payment integrations
Magento Webshop
Total costs: €300 - €1,500+
| Component | Minimum | Complex |
|---|---|---|
| Magento migration | €300 | €800 |
| Extensions check | €100 | €300 |
| Theme adjustments | €0 | €200 |
| Performance tuning | €100 | €200 |
| Total | €500 | €1,500 |
Note: Magento migration requires expertise. DIY not recommended.
Saving Costs: Practical Tips
1. Choose a Provider with Free Migration
The best way to save is choosing a provider that offers free migration. Compare providers on migration service.
2. Combine with Annual Subscription
Many providers give discounts for annual payment:
- Monthly: €10/month = €120/year
- Annually: €84/year (€7/month)
- Savings: €36/year
Free migration is often only with annual subscriptions.
3. Migrate Yourself with Free Tools
For simple WordPress sites:
- Duplicator Free - Complete migration
- All-in-One WP Migration - Free up to 512 MB
- UpdraftPlus - Backup + restore
4. Leave Domain with Current Registrar
You don't have to transfer your domain:
- Only change nameservers or A-record
- Saves €10-15 transfer costs
- Less complex process
5. Use Let's Encrypt SSL
Don't pay for SSL unless you need OV/EV:
- Let's Encrypt is free and secure
- Automatic renewal
- Accepted by all browsers
6. Plan Migration During Off-Hours
For business sites:
- Migrate on weekends or at night
- Avoid peak periods (Black Friday, etc.)
- Minimize revenue loss
7. Test Thoroughly Before DNS Switch
Prevent post-migration costs:
- Test via hosts file
- Check all functionality
- Prevent broken links and SEO damage
Return on Investment (ROI) Calculation
When Does Paid Migration Pay Off?
Scenario 1: Hobby Blog
- Current hosting: €5/month
- New hosting: €3/month
- Savings: €24/year
- Migration costs: €0 (DIY)
- ROI: Immediately positive
Scenario 2: Business Website
- Current hosting: €15/month (slow server)
- New hosting: €25/month (faster)
- Revenue increase from speed: €50/month
- Migration costs: €150
- Payback period: 3 months
Scenario 3: Webshop
- Current hosting: €30/month
- New hosting: €50/month (better uptime)
- Prevented revenue loss from uptime: €200/month
- Migration costs: €400
- Payback period: 2 months
Break-even Analysis
| Situation | Savings/year | Max Migration Costs |
|---|---|---|
| €2/month cheaper | €24 | €24 |
| €5/month cheaper | €60 | €60 |
| €10/month cheaper | €120 | €120 |
| Better performance | Variable | Depends on revenue |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does WordPress migration cost?
€0 to €150 depending on method:
- Free: DIY with plugin or free provider migration
- €50-75: Simple professional migration
- €100-150: More complex WordPress site
- €150-300: WooCommerce webshop
Is free migration really free?
Yes, with most providers. Watch out for:
- Sometimes only with annual subscription
- Complex sites may incur extra costs
- Email migration sometimes not included
- Wait time can be 3-7 business days
What are hidden costs when moving a website?
Often forgotten costs:
- Domain transfer: €10-15 (optional)
- Premium SSL: €10-300/year (often not needed)
- Email migration: €50-150 (if separate)
- Downtime: Variable (plan well!)
- Post-migration fixes: €50-200
Can I migrate myself to save money?
Yes, with the right tools and knowledge:
- Suitable for: WordPress blogs, small sites
- Not suitable for: Webshops, complex sites
- Tools: Duplicator, All-in-One WP Migration, FileZilla
- Time needed: 2-8 hours
What's the cheapest way for a webshop?
Choose a provider with free WooCommerce migration:
- Vimexx: Free migration, WordPress optimized
- Antagonist: Free expert migration
- Alternative: Duplicator Pro (€49 one-time)
How much does professional migration cost?
Average prices:
- Simple site: €50-100
- WordPress site: €75-150
- WooCommerce: €150-400
- Magento: €300-1,500
- Enterprise: €500-5,000
Conclusion
Website migration costs vary from €0 to thousands of euros. For most websites, free migration is possible via:
- Provider free service - Best option for most situations
- DIY with plugins - Good for simple WordPress sites
- Paid migration - Needed for complex or business sites
Our recommendation:
- Small blog: DIY or free provider migration
- Business site: Free provider migration with guarantee
- Webshop: Professional migration (€150-400)
- Enterprise: Hire specialist (€500+)
Compare providers on our comparison page to see which offer free migration with their hosting packages.
Need more help? Check our other migration guides: