demand monthly terms + your-data-out guarantee. annual lock-ins with vague inclusions are the plan world's dark pattern. ## plan vs hourly calculator (your numbers) | input | your value | |---|---| | plan cost/year | | | hourly rate x likely incidents | | | revenue at risk per outage day | | | acceptable downtime | | plans win for revenue-critical + update-heavy sites; DIY wins for brochure sites with backups + evenings. checked october 2026, EUR ~0.92x USD. update cadence: [how often up

maintenance plans: audit, math, vetting the seller

business · 2026-10-13 · 7 min

care-plan pages are written by plan sellers; independence is missing. the math: plan cost vs expected breakage cost + your hourly value + risk tolerance. plans win for revenue-critical sites and update-fearful owners; self-care wins for simple sites with willing evenings. decide by numbers, not fear.

what plans actually contain (audit yours)

updates (core/plugins/themes — tested, not blind). backups (automated, off-site, RESTORE-TESTED — untested backups are wishes). monitoring (uptime, security scans, broken links — with alerting). small changes (included hours/month — defined, rollover rules stated). support channel (response SLA — hours vs days matters at checkout-o'clock). reports (readable: what changed, what's healthy — not green-arrow theater). missing three of six: overpriced hosting with a newsletter.

the math (your numbers, not theirs)

plan €50-150/month = €600-1,800/year. self-care: 2-6h/month × your hourly + backup tool costs (~€50-150/year). breakage without care: emergency rebuilds €500-3,000 + downtime losses (shop/bookings: hourly revenue × hours dark). decide: revenue-critical (shop, bookings, lead machine) → plan unless in-house skill exists. brochure + willing evenings → self-care with the ritual (update routine). update-fearful (never updating = the top vulnerability) → plan forcibly, any plan.

vetting the seller (plans are people)

restore proof (last test date + time-to-restore — ask, watch reaction). scope boundaries (what's included vs billable — staging? malware cleanup? content?). exit terms (your accounts, your backups, handover docs — hostage plans exist). references (two clients post-incident — calm stories, not slogans). red flags: rip-off signs. retainer mechanics: hourly vs fixed vs retainer.

FAQ

plan vs pay-per-fix?

pay-per-fix for stable simple sites (rare incidents, cheap each). plan for complex/revenue sites (incidents costlier than premiums). insurance logic, not loyalty logic.

cancel anytime?

demand monthly terms + your-data-out guarantee. annual lock-ins with vague inclusions are the plan world's dark pattern.

plan vs hourly calculator (your numbers)

input	your value
plan cost/year
hourly rate x likely incidents
revenue at risk per outage day
acceptable downtime

plans win for revenue-critical + update-heavy sites; DIY wins for brochure sites with backups + evenings. checked october 2026, EUR ~0.92x USD. update cadence: how often update. pricing: hourly or fixed.