Understanding care plan pricing

A care plan is a monthly subscription that keeps your website healthy, secure, and up to date. Chykalophia's care plan is The Boring Stuff. This guide explains how care plan pricing works, what drives the cost, and how to choose the right level for your needs.

What is a care plan?

A care plan (sometimes called a maintenance plan or website retainer) is an ongoing monthly service that keeps your site running safely. At a minimum, it covers:

Software updatesWordPress core, themes, and plugins updated on a regular schedule
BackupsAutomated backups taken frequently, stored securely
Uptime monitoringAutomated alerts if your site goes down
Security monitoringWatching for signs of compromise or intrusion

Higher tiers layer in strategy: a quarterly Positioning Gap audit, roadmap input and, at the top tier, strategy, design and engineering from a fractional executive and our team.

See What our care plan covers for a full breakdown of what each tier includes.

Why does maintenance cost money every month?

This is one of the most common questions we hear. The honest answer: a website is not a one-time product. It's a living piece of software that requires ongoing attention.

Here's what's happening behind the scenes on even a "simple" website every month:

WordPress, themes, and plugins release updates: some for security patches, some for compatibility, some for new features. Each needs to be tested before applying.
Hosting, SSL certificates, and domain names renew on a schedule and need to stay current.
Backups need to run, be verified, and be stored somewhere accessible in an emergency.
If something goes wrong (a plugin conflict, a hacked form, a hosting outage), someone needs to respond.

Some of this is automated, but none of it should be left unchecked. A care plan means that human attention is ours, not yours.

The cost of not having a care plan

Sites that nobody maintains fall behind on updates, and outdated software is one of the most common ways websites get attacked. Recovering from a hack or a broken site is expensive and time-consuming. Prevention is far cheaper.

What drives care plan pricing?

Platform and complexity

A WordPress site with 30 plugins requires more update management than a Webflow site with no plugins to maintain. A WooCommerce store that processes real payments carries higher security stakes than a simple brochure site.

Pricing reflects this: more complex sites need more active attention.

Level of service

Care plans range from light (updates + backups + monitoring only) to active (planned improvements included). The difference is whether you're paying for a site to stay safe, or a site to stay safe and improve over time.

Our care plan has three tiers, each with a 3-month minimum:

Tier	What it adds
The Boring Stuff	Senior oversight of security, speed, uptime and integrations. All updates, patches and tested backups, handled.
The Interesting Stuff	Everything in The Boring Stuff, plus a quarterly Positioning Gap audit, technical governance and roadmap input, and a monthly strategy sync.
The Whole Damn Thing	Everything above, plus strategy, design and engineering on tap, with a fractional CTO, CMO or CBO. This is our Fractional Plus engagement.

Current prices for each tier are on Services and pricing. Your exact tier and price will be on your proposal. See The Boring Stuff on our main site for the current details.

How to choose the right care plan level

Help me choose

Which care plan tier fits?

What do you want from us each month?

Ask yourself these questions:

How often does my site content change? If it's mostly static, The Boring Stuff is probably enough. If you're making changes monthly, ask us how those changes would be handled.
How much does my site earn for my business? A site that generates leads or processes orders warrants more protection than a simple contact-us page.
Do I want to improve my site over time, or just maintain it? If you want to keep making it better (adding pages, improving performance, updating SEO), a higher tier makes sense.
How quickly do I need a response if something breaks? Faster response times come with higher-tier plans.

If you're not sure, ask us on a call. It's easier to step up than to discover your site was under-protected after something goes wrong.

Care plans vs project work

A care plan covers routine maintenance and small included changes. It does not cover:

New pages or major content additions
Redesigns or visual changes to existing pages
New features or integrations
Any work that would normally require a project quote

Work that falls outside your care plan scope is quoted separately. We'll always flag this before doing anything that isn't included. See How to request new work or changes for how that process works.

Common questions

Can I cancel a care plan at any time?

After the minimum term, yes. Care plans are billed monthly with a 3-month minimum. Check your specific agreement for the terms. If you need to cancel after the minimum, give us notice before your next billing date.

Do I need a care plan if my site doesn't change much?

Yes, because even a static site needs software updates, security monitoring, and backups. The amount your content changes doesn't reduce the underlying technical maintenance required to keep the site safe and online.

Can I pause my care plan?

This depends on your agreement. Some clients pause during slow seasons. Contact us to discuss. There may be options.

What if I need work my care plan doesn't cover?

We quote it separately as a fixed-scope project, never by the hour. We'll always tell you before starting anything that isn't included, so there are no surprises.