Popular Doesn’t Always Mean Right: Rethinking WordPress

For years, WordPress was the automatic choice for organisations building a new website. It was flexible, widely supported and, at least on paper, free.

It remains enormously popular, powering around 40% of all websites. But popularity alone does not make it the right choice - and if we were advising an organisation on a new website today, WordPress would not be our default recommendation.

That does not mean every existing WordPress website should be replaced. A well-built and properly maintained site can continue to perform perfectly well. But if you are starting again, there are compelling reasons to consider other options.

WordPress is not really one product

WordPress provides the basic content management system, but most websites rely on a collection of additional themes, page builders and plugins. Each may come from a different developer, with its own subscription, support arrangements and update schedule. When WordPress itself is updated, there is no guarantee that everything else will continue working as expected.

WordPress’s own documentation acknowledges that plugins are of “varying quality”, are often works in progress and may have unknown compatibility with newer versions of the platform.  The result can be less like one coherent platform and more like a collection of products that happen to be working together today.

The maintenance never stops

WordPress itself must be updated. Plugins and themes must be monitored, security managed and backups maintained. Updates should ideally be tested before being applied to the live website.

WordPress’s official guidance recommends backing up a website before updating and includes separate instructions for failed and manual updates.  

A responsible developer will explain this and offer ongoing support. The problem arises when an organisation believes it has bought a completed website, only to discover that it has also taken on a permanent technical maintenance requirement. If the original developer disappears or a plugin stops being supported, someone else must work out how the site was assembled before they can safely maintain it.

Recent events exposed a governance problem

The dispute involving WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg, his company Automattic and hosting provider WP Engine has also raised questions about how the ecosystem is controlled.

In 2024, WP Engine was blocked from accessing services provided through WordPress.org during a commercial dispute. WordPress.org also took control of the listing for Advanced Custom Fields, a widely used plugin maintained by WP Engine, and moved some users to a new version called Secure Custom Fields. WordPress.org described this as a necessary security measure in an unusual situation. A US court subsequently granted WP Engine a preliminary injunction requiring access and control of the plugin listing to be restored while the wider case continued.

You do not need to take a side to recognise what this revealed: although WordPress is open-source software, many websites still depend on infrastructure and update services controlled through WordPress.org. Decisions taken at the centre can therefore affect website owners who have nothing to do with the original dispute.

“Free” does not necessarily mean cheaper

WordPress can be downloaded without a licence fee, but a professional site is rarely free to operate. Hosting, premium plugins, security, backups, subscriptions and developer maintenance can all add to the cost.

Over several years, WordPress may prove less economical than a managed platform with one predictable subscription—particularly if updates cause problems or important plugins are withdrawn.

There are now stronger options

Platforms such as Squarespace, Shopify and Webflow provide hosting, security, software updates and content management within a more closely managed environment.

They are not right for every project, but they remove much of the technical responsibility from the website owner. For many charities, social enterprises and small-to-medium-sized businesses, that is a better arrangement. WordPress can still be appropriate for complex websites requiring extensive custom development. But it should be chosen because the project genuinely needs it. not because it is what a developer has always used.

At TMD, we start with what a website needs to achieve, who will manage it and how it will be supported throughout its lifetime. Increasingly, that leads us towards platforms that are simpler, more predictable and easier for our clients to own. If you’re planning a new website or reviewing your digital tools, get in touch with our friendly team to discuss how we can help you find the right approach for your business.