We build everything in Next.js. We don't use WordPress. That's a deliberate choice, not a default — and it's worth explaining, because the decision affects you more than it affects us.
This isn't advocacy. It's a breakdown of what each choice actually means for a business.
What WordPress is genuinely good at
WordPress does one thing well: it lets non-technical people control their content without involving a developer. Publish blog posts, update team pages, change copy — all without touching code or calling anyone. For content-heavy sites run by non-technical teams, that matters.
It's also cheap to get started. Thousands of themes, a plugin for everything, hosting from $10/month. The low floor is real and it's a legitimate reason to choose it.
Where WordPress becomes a liability
Performance. A default WordPress install with a few plugins loads in 4–8 seconds on mobile. Getting it under 2 seconds requires real effort — caching plugins, image optimization, CDN configuration, database cleanup. It's all solvable, but you're fighting the architecture the entire time.
Security. WordPress is the most attacked platform on the internet. Not because it's uniquely insecure, but because its ubiquity makes it a target. Plugins are the main attack surface. A plugin that hasn't been updated in six months is an open door.
Technical debt. WordPress sites accumulate complexity. Plugins conflict. Theme updates break things. The more customized the site, the harder it becomes to maintain. We've seen sites that cost more to maintain annually than they would have cost to rebuild from scratch.
AI integration. Adding a real AI feature — a custom chatbot, a dynamic content system, a personalized experience — to WordPress requires significant workarounds. The architecture wasn't built for it.
What Next.js actually gives you
Next.js is a React framework used by companies like Vercel, Notion, and many others running high-traffic web properties.
Performance is the default. Static generation, edge delivery, automatic image optimization — these are built in. A Next.js site doesn't need to fight its architecture to be fast. Lighthouse 95+ on mobile is the expected outcome, not an achievement.
You own the code. No plugin ecosystem creating dependency risk. The codebase is yours, readable, and any competent developer can maintain it.
Integrations are clean. Stripe, HubSpot, Supabase, any AI API — these integrate properly. No plugins, no workarounds, no compatibility issues six months after launch.
It scales without surprises. A Next.js site on Vercel handles traffic spikes without configuration. WordPress on shared hosting does not.
The honest tradeoffs
Next.js requires a developer to make content changes — unless you add a headless CMS like Sanity or Contentful, which we do for clients who need it. That's a real constraint worth acknowledging.
The upfront cost is higher. A custom Next.js build costs more than buying a WordPress theme. That's also true.
If your primary need is a site you can update yourself and performance isn't a business priority, WordPress is the pragmatic choice. We'll say that directly if you ask us.
If you're building something that needs to last, integrate with other systems, perform well on mobile, and not require constant maintenance — the math favors Next.js over a two to three year horizon.
The questions that actually make the decision
Not "which is better" — that's the wrong frame. Ask:
- Who will maintain this and what are their technical skills?
- How important is page speed for my conversion rate?
- Will I need AI features or custom integrations in the next two years?
- What's the total cost of ownership, not just the build cost?
The answers usually make the choice obvious before you've talked to anyone.
If you want a direct opinion on your specific situation, book a free call. We'll tell you honestly which makes more sense — even if it's not us building it.