Basalt vs. Hiring a Developer to Move My Site: What Is the Difference?

A developer charges $3,000 to $10,000 to migrate a WordPress site to a new platform. They do roughly the same core work: move content, set up the new platform, handle DNS, and test everything. Basalt automates most of that work and offers it free. Here is an honest comparison of what each option gives you.

What does a developer do in a WordPress migration?

A developer who migrates your WordPress site will typically:

• Audit your current site and map the content
• Set up a new platform or hosting environment
• Move your pages, posts, and images
• Rebuild or configure your contact forms
• Set up URL redirects so no rankings are lost
• Test the new site before launch
• Handle the DNS switch
• Monitor the site after launch

This is real work. For a complex site it can take weeks. For a standard small business site, a competent developer can do it in several days of billable time.

What does Basalt do?

Basalt automates the same core steps:

• Scans your site and maps the content
• Converts your pages, posts, and images to the new platform
• Rebuilds your contact forms
• Sets up URL redirects automatically
• Presents the converted site for your review
• Handles the DNS switch after you approve
• Maintains the platform after launch

For a standard small business service site, the automation covers everything that matters.

What do you give up with Basalt?

Custom builds. A developer can build exactly what you specify, to any design, with any feature. A custom build can include unique interactive elements, custom integrations, or a completely bespoke design.

Basalt converts what you have. Your existing site is the starting point. The homepage gets a modern polish, but you are not getting a fully custom redesign from scratch.

If your vision requires custom features or a completely new design, a developer is the right choice, budget allowing.

What do you gain with Basalt?

No bill for the conversion. No timeline blocked on developer availability. No meetings to explain your site to someone who has never seen it. No invoices to approve.

You enter your URL. You review the result. You approve it. That is it.

For a standard small business site, the automation covers what matters: your content transfers, your rankings are protected, your forms work, your site is faster, and you have nothing to maintain.

What should you ask yourself?

Do you need something custom that does not exist on your current site? If yes, consider a developer.

Do you want your existing site moved to a platform with nothing to maintain, for free? That is what Basalt is for.

Most small business owners fall into the second category. Their site does what they need. They just want it to stop being a maintenance burden.

See is Basalt right for my website for a detailed self-selection guide.

Find out what is wrong in 60 seconds

Or skip all this. Enter your web address and we will tell you exactly what is wrong with your site. Free, 60 seconds, no account needed.