Let's get one thing out of the way: WordPress isn't going anywhere. While the tech world chases every new no-code tool and website builder that pops up, WordPress keeps doing what it's done for over 20 years — powering businesses, reliably, at scale. Over 40% of the web still runs on it. That's not a fluke. That's stability.
Every few months, a new "WordPress killer" shows up. Wix, Webflow, Framer — they all promise faster, prettier, easier. And sure, they look great in a demo. But here's what nobody talks about: most of these tools lock you into their ecosystem. Your data, your design, your content — it all lives on their servers, on their terms. WordPress gives you ownership. You host it where you want, you customize it how you want, and you're never one pricing change away from losing everything.
That said, we're not WordPress purists. When clients come to us asking for a website, we always present two options: WordPress and Next.js. Why? Because different projects have different needs, and pretending one tool fits all is how agencies lose their clients' trust. Here's how we break it down:
WordPress is the right call when you need a content-heavy site that non-technical people will manage daily — blogs, news portals, e-commerce with WooCommerce, or any project where the client wants to update content themselves without calling a developer. The plugin ecosystem is massive, the learning curve for content editors is minimal, and the total cost of ownership is hard to beat.
Next.js makes more sense when performance is critical, when you need custom functionality that goes beyond what plugins can handle, or when the project is more of a web application than a traditional website. It's faster, more flexible for developers, and scales beautifully — but it requires technical knowledge to maintain, which means higher ongoing costs if the client doesn't have a dev team.
| Feature | WordPress | Next.js |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of content editing | ✅ Built-in editor, no code needed | ⚠️ Needs a headless CMS or dev support |
| Performance out of the box | ⚠️ Depends on hosting and plugins | ✅ Static generation, blazing fast |
| Customization ceiling | ⚠️ Limited by themes/plugins | ✅ Unlimited, code-level control |
| Cost to build | ✅ Lower initial cost | ⚠️ Higher, needs experienced devs |
| Cost to maintain | ✅ Client can self-manage | ⚠️ May need dev involvement |
| SEO | ✅ Mature tools like Yoast | ✅ Excellent with proper setup |
| Ecosystem maturity | ✅ 20+ years, huge community | ✅ Backed by Vercel, rapidly growing |
The bottom line? WordPress is still a smart choice in 2026 — especially for businesses that need a reliable, manageable website without a dedicated dev team. But if you're building something more ambitious, or if performance and custom UX are top priorities, Next.js might be the better investment.
Not sure which one fits your project? That's literally what we do — we help you pick the right approach and build it fast, without overcomplicating things. Drop us a line and we'll give you an honest recommendation.