“Use fewer plugins” is common WordPress advice, but plugin count by itself is not a useful quality metric. A well-maintained plugin that solves a complex problem can be much safer than custom code that nobody maintains.
Good candidates for custom code
I consider replacing a plugin when the required functionality is small, stable, and well understood. Examples include a simple theme filter, a small content adjustment, or a project-specific shortcode that does not need an administrative interface.
When a plugin is the better choice
Payments, security, backups, complex forms, ecommerce, multilingual content, and integrations generally benefit from mature plugins with established update and testing processes.
Custom code should reduce complexity, not simply move complexity somewhere else.
Think about ownership
Before writing custom functionality, I ask who will maintain it after launch. A short code snippet can become a long-term dependency, especially when it interacts with external APIs or evolving WordPress behavior.
The right decision is usually based on scope, maintenance, security, and future requirements—not an arbitrary target for the number of installed plugins.