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WordPress Websites
Custom WordPress Plugin
The WordPress feature no plugin offers, built to your written specification and handed over with code you own.
Sometimes the feature your business needs is not in any plugin, or it takes several plugins stacked together to get close. Custom WordPress Plugin builds exactly what you need. We write a specification you approve, then code up to three functions with an admin settings page and one API connection. The code is security-reviewed, tested on staging and handed over to you.
- A written specification you approve before any code
- Up to three functions, a settings page and one API connection
- Code and readme in a Git repository you own
$3,775
20–30 working days
Care after launch by webcare24
What it is
Custom WordPress Plugin is a plugin built for your site to a written specification, following WordPress coding standards. It covers up to 3 functions, such as custom post types, blocks, shortcodes or scheduled tasks, an admin settings page and 1 API connection, tested on a staging copy and delivered in a Git repository you own.
Why businesses buy it
Stacking plugins to fake one feature slows a site and multiplies the updates to watch. A quick snippet from a freelancer can leave code nobody understands. This build takes a careful route. We agree what the plugin must do in writing, then build it to WordPress coding standards with a settings page your team can use. A security review and tests on a staging copy with your own theme and plugins come before anything goes live. You keep the code, a readme and a written walkthrough.
Problems this solves
No plugin does exactly what your business needs
We write a specification for your exact feature, then build up to three functions to it. Nothing is added that you did not ask for.
Several overlapping plugins slow the site and clash on updates
One plugin built to WordPress coding standards can replace them. A security review and staging tests with your theme and plugins come before it goes live.
Your team needs a developer to change simple settings
An admin settings page lets your team adjust the plugin without touching code. A written walkthrough shows how each setting works.
Data has to be copied by hand between WordPress and another tool
One API integration moves data between your site and a service such as HubSpot, Stripe or Google Sheets, using access you control.
A good fit if
Your WordPress site needs a feature that no off-the-shelf plugin covers properly.
You want to replace several overlapping plugins with one you control.
The feature fits in up to three functions and one connection to an outside service.
You can give admin and hosting access and approve a written specification.
Not the right fit if
The feature changes WooCommerce products, pricing, cart or checkout. See WooCommerce Custom Feature.
You only need your site connected to a CRM, payment or accounting tool. See Integration Pack.
You need a separate app with its own logins, database and screens. See Web App MVP Build.
You want existing plugins updated or the site sped up. That is handled by webcare24, our WordPress care brand.
How it works
- You describe what the plugin must do, with examples, and share admin, hosting and outside service access.
- We write a specification covering each function, the settings page and the API connection, and you approve it before coding starts.
- The plugin is built to WordPress coding standards, with up to three functions, an admin settings page and one API integration.
- A security review is run against WordPress coding standards, and the plugin is tested on a staging copy with your theme and plugins.
- After up to two rounds of revisions, the plugin is installed on your live site.
- You get the code and readme in your Git repository, a written walkthrough and 30 days of post-launch support.
What you provide within 72 hours
Your portal lists these the moment you order. Delivery starts the working day after everything is in and your access is checked.
- WordPress admin and hosting access by invite or a key you control.
- A staging copy of your site, or approval for us to create one.
- A description of what the plugin must do, with examples.
- Access to the outside service by invite or a key you control.
- One person who approves the specification.
The 72-hour rule. Send everything on your checklist, including access, within 72 hours of ordering so your build starts on time.
Timeline
Start
Order placed. Site and service access and your plugin description are due within 72 hours.
Week 1
Specification written and sent for your approval.
Weeks 1–3
Functions, settings page and API integration built.
Weeks 3–4
Security review and tests on the staging copy with your theme and plugins.
Week 4
Revisions, live install, Git handover and written walkthrough.
After launch
30 days of post-launch support for anything not working as agreed.
| Option | Delivery time | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 20–30 working days | $3,775 |
What you receive at handover
- A written specification you approved
- A custom plugin with up to three functions and an admin settings page
- One API integration with an outside service
- A security review against WordPress coding standards and staging test results
- Code and readme in a Git repository you own
- A written walkthrough and 30 days of post-launch support
Expected benefits and how to measure them
- Gives your site the exact feature it was missing
- Can cut the number of plugins you have to update
- Helps your team manage the feature without a developer
- Active plugins
- Count the plugins installed before and after the new plugin replaces some of them.
- Manual work
- Track the hours each week spent copying data or doing the job by hand.
- Developer requests
- Count how often your team asks a developer to change this feature each month.
Before you start: List the plugins and manual steps you use for this job today, and roughly how many hours a week they take.
These are things to track, not promised results. Outcomes depend on your data, your team and your market.
Running costs
There are no running costs unless the connected service charges, billed by its maker. The plugin itself has no licence fee, because you own the code. If the outside service needs a paid plan for API access, that account stays in your name.
Ask about running costsCustom requirements
Need more than three functions, a second API integration or WooCommerce checkout logic? Add a Custom requirements note at checkout for a written Change Quote.
Request a custom versionKeep it running
WordPress, PHP and the service you connect to all change over time, so a custom plugin needs watching. After the support period, plugin care and updates are handled by webcare24, our WordPress care brand. There is no Upmark maintenance fee. The readme and Git history help any developer pick up the code later.
See webcare24 care plansHow this compares
| Do it yourself | Hire a traditional agency | Upmark Labs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Several premium plugin licences, renewed every year | An hourly rate with an open-ended estimate | A fixed price for three functions and one API connection |
| Fit | Close to your need, with features you never use | Built to the brief | Built to a specification you approve in writing |
| Code | Closed to changes by you | Sometimes kept on the agency's systems | In a Git repository you own, with a readme |
| Safety | Updates can clash with other plugins | Varies by developer | A security review and staging tests before going live |
Questions about this product
What counts as one function in a custom WordPress plugin?
One distinct job the plugin does, such as a custom post type, a block, a shortcode or a scheduled task. A custom post type for events and a block that lists them would be two functions. We list each function in the specification, so you know exactly what is covered before any code is written.
Should I order a custom plugin or the WooCommerce Custom Feature?
Choose by what the feature touches. If it changes WooCommerce products, pricing, cart or checkout, order WooCommerce Custom Feature, which is proven with test orders. For everything else on WordPress, such as custom content types, blocks, scheduled jobs or a connection to an outside service, this plugin build is the right one.
Will my custom plugin keep working after WordPress updates?
It is built to give it the best chance. The code follows WordPress coding standards, never edits WordPress itself and is tested on a staging copy with your theme and plugins. No developer can promise how future WordPress, PHP or service changes will behave, so updates after the support period are handled by webcare24, our WordPress care brand.
Do I own the code of the custom plugin?
Yes. The code and a readme are delivered in a Git repository you own, and the plugin runs on your site with no licence fee. Any developer can change it later. We work through access you grant, which you can remove as soon as the plugin is handed over.
Can you publish my custom plugin on WordPress.org?
No. Publishing to the WordPress.org plugin directory involves a review process, public support and ongoing updates for other people's sites, which is outside this build. The plugin is built for your own site. If you later want to release it publicly, the code in your repository is a starting point for that work.
Can a custom plugin connect WordPress to HubSpot, Stripe or Google Sheets?
Yes, one connection is included. The plugin can send or pull data through the service's API, for example adding form entries to HubSpot or writing rows to Google Sheets. Access is given by invite or a key you control. A second connection is quoted through a Change Quote, and any paid service plan is billed by its maker.
Do I need a staging site before ordering a custom plugin?
No. If you do not have a staging copy, approve us to create one. Every function is tested there with your own theme and plugins before going live, so a problem shows up on the copy, not on the site your customers use. Creating the staging copy is part of this build.
Guides on this topic
All guides Get the feature your WordPress site is missing
Order the Custom WordPress Plugin and get one specified, security-reviewed and staging-tested plugin, with the code and readme in a repository you own.
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