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Platform Comparison • • 13 min read

Why WordPress is Still the Best Platform in 2025

N
Nick
Founder, Vorgestern Agency

Let's address the elephant in the room: according to W3Techs' market analysis, 43% of all websites on the internet run on WordPress. That's not a typo. Nearly half the web—from personal blogs to Fortune 500 companies—trusts WordPress to power their online presence.

And yet, every year, someone declares "WordPress is dead" or pushes the latest headless CMS as the only modern solution. Here's the truth: WordPress isn't going anywhere. In fact, for most websites, it's still the smartest choice in 2025.

But that doesn't mean it's right for everyone. Let's break down why WordPress dominates—and when you should consider alternatives.

Understanding WordPress's Market Position

To put WordPress's dominance in perspective, consider this: according to BuiltWith's CMS usage statistics, the next closest competitor (Shopify) powers around 4% of all websites. That means WordPress has more than 10x the market share of any single competitor.

This market dominance isn't accidental. WordPress started as a simple blogging platform in 2003, created by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little as a fork of b2/cafelog. Today, it's a full-fledged content management system (CMS) powering everything from simple portfolios to enterprise e-commerce stores processing billions in revenue annually.

What sets it apart? Flexibility without complexity. You can launch a blog in 10 minutes or build a custom web application with complete control over every line of code. That versatility is why WordPress has remained relevant for over two decades while competitors have come and gone.

The Core Reasons WordPress Still Wins in 2025

1. Open Source Freedom (And What That Really Means)

WordPress is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL), making it 100% free and open source. This isn't just a philosophical stance—it has practical implications for your business:

  • No licensing fees — The software itself costs nothing, forever
  • No vendor lock-in — You can move hosts, change developers, or fork the code
  • No surprise pricing changes — Unlike VC-backed startups that may raise prices or pivot
  • Complete data portability — Export your content and take it anywhere
  • Code ownership — You can inspect, modify, or extend any functionality

Compare this to platforms like Wix or Squarespace: you're renting space on their platforms. If they change pricing, discontinue features, or shut down, your options are limited. With WordPress, you truly own your website.

2. An Ecosystem Unmatched By Any Competitor

According to the official WordPress plugin directory, there are over 60,000 free plugins available. Add premium plugins from marketplaces like CodeCanyon and the number is far higher.

This ecosystem covers virtually every feature you might need:

Real-World Example:

Want to add an online store to your website? Install WooCommerce (free), configure payments via Stripe or PayPal, and you're selling products within hours. According to Statista, WooCommerce is the most popular e-commerce platform globally. That's the power of WordPress's ecosystem.

Yes, plugin quality varies. But the ecosystem's depth means you're never stuck waiting for a feature request to be approved by a platform's roadmap committee.

3. Vast Developer Community And Support Resources

With millions of developers familiar with WordPress, finding help is straightforward. According to Upwork and Codeable, WordPress development is one of the most in-demand web skills globally.

This translates to practical benefits:

  • Abundant documentation: Official WordPress documentation covers every aspect
  • Active community: WordPress.org forums provide free peer support
  • Competitive developer pricing: High supply keeps rates reasonable
  • Local availability: WordPress developers exist in virtually every city
  • Abundant tutorials: YouTube, blogs, and courses cover every scenario

Compare that to a niche headless CMS with 50 certified developers globally. Good luck finding someone local—or affordable—when you need support.

4. Native SEO Advantages

WordPress was designed for content publishing, which means it's inherently SEO-friendly. According to Google's SEO starter guide, the foundational elements of good SEO include clean URLs, proper heading structure, and semantic HTML—all of which WordPress handles natively.

Built-in SEO features include:

  • Clean permalink structures — Customizable URLs without technical configuration
  • XML sitemaps — Native support in WordPress 5.5+ without plugins
  • Semantic HTML — The block editor generates proper markup
  • Responsive design support — Core themes are mobile-first
  • Fast loading potential — Clean core that can be optimized

Add plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math, and you get enterprise-level optimization including structured data, content analysis, and technical SEO management.

5. Proven Scalability At Enterprise Level

"But doesn't WordPress slow down with high traffic?" This is perhaps the most persistent myth about WordPress. Only poorly built WordPress sites struggle with scale.

Enterprise sites running on WordPress include:

These sites handle millions of visitors per month. The difference? Proper hosting from providers like WP Engine or Kinsta, smart caching strategies, CDN integration, and professional architecture. WordPress scales fine—bad developers don't.

6. Content Management That Non-Developers Can Actually Use

The WordPress admin dashboard has evolved significantly since the introduction of the Gutenberg block editor in 2018. Marketing teams can now:

  • Create complex page layouts visually
  • Manage media libraries intuitively
  • Schedule content in advance
  • Set up user roles and permissions
  • Preview changes before publishing

This is a massive advantage for businesses that don't want to pay developers every time they need to change a headline. According to HubSpot's marketing statistics, content marketing requires consistent publishing—a workflow WordPress enables without technical barriers.

Headless CMSs promise similar flexibility, but they often require technical knowledge to connect front-end frameworks. WordPress? Just click "Publish."

7. Modern WordPress Is Actually Modern

WordPress's reputation as "outdated" comes from developers who haven't used it in five years. The reality? Modern WordPress supports cutting-edge development patterns:

You can use WordPress as a traditional CMS, as a headless backend feeding a Next.js frontend, or anywhere in between. The WordPress of 2025 is fast, flexible, and capable of competing with any modern stack.

When WordPress Isn't The Right Choice

Let's be honest: WordPress isn't perfect for every project. Here's when you should consider alternatives:

You're Building a Complex Web Application

If your product requires real-time collaboration, complex user interactions, or custom backend logic beyond content management, frameworks like Django, Laravel, Ruby on Rails, or Next.js may be better suited. WordPress is a CMS, not a general-purpose application framework.

You Need Maximum Static Site Performance

Static site generators like Gatsby, Next.js, or Astro can deliver faster load times for content-heavy sites. But you'll sacrifice ease of content management and typically pay more for development and hosting infrastructure.

You Want True Zero Maintenance

WordPress requires updates to core, themes, and plugins. While managed hosting handles much of this, if you want a truly "set it and forget it" solution, platforms like Webflow or Squarespace may be easier—though you'll sacrifice flexibility and own nothing.

You're Building a Pure E-commerce Store

While WooCommerce is excellent, dedicated platforms like Shopify offer more streamlined e-commerce-specific features. If commerce is your only need and you don't require content marketing capabilities, Shopify's simplicity may be worth the platform fees.

For 90% of websites—blogs, business sites, portfolios, hybrid e-commerce stores, membership platforms, news sites—WordPress remains the best choice.

WordPress Security: Addressing The Concerns

You may have heard that WordPress sites get hacked frequently. According to Wordfence's threat intelligence reports, WordPress sites are indeed targeted—but primarily because of market share, not inherent vulnerability.

Most WordPress security issues stem from:

  • Outdated software — Not updating core, themes, or plugins
  • Poor-quality plugins — Using abandoned or poorly coded plugins
  • Weak credentials — Using "admin" as a username with simple passwords
  • Cheap hosting — Hosts without proper security measures

WordPress core itself is regularly audited and quickly patched when vulnerabilities are discovered. With proper maintenance—automatic updates, quality hosting, security plugins, and strong passwords—WordPress is as secure as any platform.

Making The Decision: A Practical Framework

Use this framework to decide if WordPress is right for your project:

  • Is content management a primary need? → WordPress excels here
  • Do non-technical users need to edit the site? → WordPress's interface is intuitive
  • Is SEO important? → WordPress has the best SEO ecosystem
  • Is budget constrained? → WordPress's open-source nature reduces costs
  • Do you need flexibility for future features? → 60,000+ plugins have you covered
  • Is long-term ownership important? → No vendor lock-in

The Bottom Line

WordPress has survived two decades of competition because it delivers what most websites actually need: flexibility, control, and accessibility.

Is it trendy? No. Will it win you points at a developer conference? Probably not. But will it power a fast, secure, SEO-optimized website that your team can manage without constant developer intervention? Absolutely.

The real question isn't "Should I use WordPress?" It's "Do I have a specific reason NOT to use WordPress?" If you don't have a compelling reason to choose something else, WordPress is still the smartest platform for most websites in 2025.

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