15 Best WordPress Alternatives in 2026

WordPress powers 43% of the web, but it's not the right choice for everyone. Whether you're frustrated with maintenance, concerned about security, or simply want something modern, there are excellent alternatives.

This guide covers the 15 best WordPress alternatives across different categories, helping you find the perfect fit for your needs.

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Quick Comparison

Platform

Best For

Pricing

Difficulty

Next.js

Developers, performance

Free + hosting

Advanced

Astro

Content sites, blogs

Free + hosting

Intermediate

Ghost

Publishers, newsletters

$9-199/mo

Easy

Webflow

Designers

$14-212/mo

Intermediate

Squarespace

Small businesses

$16-52/mo

Easy

Wix

Beginners

$17-159/mo

Easy

Shopify

E-commerce

$39-399/mo

Easy

Framer

Designers, startups

$0-30/mo

Intermediate

Hugo

Developers, speed

Free + hosting

Advanced

11ty

Flexibility seekers

Free + hosting

Intermediate

Payload CMS

Custom applications

Free (self-hosted)

Advanced

Sanity

Headless CMS needs

$0-99/mo

Intermediate

Notion

Simple sites

Free

Easy

Carrd

Landing pages

$0-49/yr

Easy

Medium

Writers

Free

Easy

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For Developers

1. Next.js

The React framework for the web

Next.js is the most popular choice for developers migrating from WordPress. Built on React, it offers server-side rendering, static generation, and API routes.

Pros:

• Exceptional performance (ISR, SSG, SSR options)

• Massive ecosystem of React components

• Deployed for free on Vercel

• Full control over every aspect

• Image optimization built-in

Cons:

• Requires JavaScript/React knowledge

• No built-in CMS (pair with headless CMS)

• Initial learning curve

Best for: Performance-focused sites, web applications, blogs, marketing sites

Pricing: Free (+ hosting $0-20/mo)

Learn more: WordPress vs Next.js →

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2. Astro

The web framework for content-driven websites

Astro is specifically designed for content-heavy sites. It ships zero JavaScript by default and supports multiple frameworks (React, Vue, Svelte).

Pros:

• Ships minimal JavaScript = blazing fast

• Content Collections for organized content

• Use any UI framework

• Markdown/MDX native support

• Islands Architecture for interactivity

Cons:

• Smaller ecosystem than React

• Less suited for highly interactive apps

• Newer platform (2021)

Best for: Blogs, documentation, marketing sites, portfolios

Pricing: Free (+ hosting $0-20/mo)

Learn more: WordPress vs Astro →

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3. Hugo

The world's fastest static site generator

Hugo is written in Go and is renowned for build speed. Sites with thousands of pages build in seconds.

Pros:

• Fastest build times (< 1ms per page)

• Single binary, no dependencies

• 10+ years of maturity

• Great for large sites

Cons:

• Go templating has learning curve

• Less modern than JS-based options

• Smaller theme ecosystem than WordPress

Best for: Large blogs, documentation, sites with 1000+ pages

Pricing: Free (+ hosting $0/mo with GitHub Pages)

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4. 11ty (Eleventy)

A simpler static site generator

11ty is known for flexibility and simplicity. It works with multiple template languages and has minimal opinions.

Pros:

• Works with any template language

• No client-side JavaScript required

• Data cascade is powerful

• Mature and stable

Cons:

• Fewer themes than WordPress

• Less built-in functionality

• Documentation could be better

Best for: Developers who want flexibility without framework lock-in

Pricing: Free (+ hosting $0/mo)

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For Designers

5. Webflow

Visual web design platform

Webflow is the closest to "visual coding." You design in a visual interface but get clean, production-ready code.

Pros:

• True visual CSS control

• Professional-quality output

• Built-in hosting with CDN

• CMS for dynamic content

• Animations editor

Cons:

• Steep learning curve

• Monthly costs add up

• Limited e-commerce features

• CMS item limits

Best for: Design agencies, marketing sites, portfolios

Pricing: $14-212/mo (site plans)

Learn more: WordPress vs Webflow →

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6. Framer

Design and publish high-performance sites

Framer evolved from a prototyping tool to a full website builder, popular with startups.

Pros:

• Beautiful, modern designs

• AI-powered features

• Fast performance

• Great for landing pages

• Generous free tier

Cons:

• Limited CMS capabilities

• Not suited for large sites

• Learning curve for advanced features

Best for: Startups, landing pages, product sites, portfolios

Pricing: Free-$30/mo

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For Publishers & Bloggers

7. Ghost

Professional publishing platform

Ghost was created by former WordPress contributors who wanted a simpler, faster blogging experience.

Pros:

• Clean, focused writing experience

• Built-in newsletter/membership

• Native SEO features

• Excellent performance

• Modern, clean admin

Cons:

• Less flexible than WordPress

• Limited free themes

• Managed hosting is pricey

Best for: Professional bloggers, publishers, newsletter creators

Pricing: $9-199/mo (hosted) or free (self-hosted)

Learn more: WordPress vs Ghost →

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8. Medium

Writing platform with built-in audience

Medium is a platform, not a builder. You write; they handle everything else.

Pros:

• Zero setup required

• Built-in audience

• Clean reading experience

• Free to use

Cons:

• No custom domain (on free)

• Limited customization

• Medium owns the audience

• Paywall may frustrate readers

Best for: Writers who want reach over control

Pricing: Free (or $5/mo for Medium membership)

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For Small Business

9. Squarespace

Beautiful websites made simple

Squarespace is known for stunning templates and ease of use. Popular for portfolios, restaurants, and small businesses.

Pros:

• Beautiful, professional templates

• All-in-one platform

• Good e-commerce features

• Excellent customer support

• Domain and email included

Cons:

• Less flexible than WordPress

• Higher pricing

• Limited third-party integrations

• Slower than static sites

Best for: Small businesses, restaurants, portfolios, creatives

Pricing: $16-52/mo

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10. Wix

Website builder for everyone

Wix is the most beginner-friendly option. Drag-and-drop editing makes it accessible to anyone.

Pros:

• Easiest to use

• Hundreds of templates

• Wix ADI for AI-built sites

• App market for features

• Generous free tier

Cons:

• Performance isn't great

• Lock-in (hard to migrate)

• Ads on free tier

• Less professional feel

Best for: Small local businesses, personal sites, quick projects

Pricing: $17-159/mo

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For E-commerce

11. Shopify

Leading e-commerce platform

If you're selling products, Shopify is often the better choice over WooCommerce for serious stores.

Pros:

• Purpose-built for selling

• Handles security, payments, shipping

• Thousands of apps

• Reliable during high traffic

• 24/7 support

Cons:

• Transaction fees (unless Shopify Payments)

• Monthly costs add up

• Customization requires Liquid knowledge

• Not great for content

Best for: Any serious e-commerce business

Pricing: $39-399/mo (+ transaction fees)

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For Headless/Custom

12. Payload CMS

The most powerful TypeScript headless CMS

Payload is an open-source, self-hosted CMS with a modern architecture.

Pros:

• Full code control

• Self-hosted (own your data)

• TypeScript-first

• Block-based page builder

• Extensible

Cons:

• Requires development resources

• Self-hosting complexity

• Newer platform

Best for: Custom applications, developers who want full control

Pricing: Free (self-hosted), cloud plans available

Learn more: WordPress vs Payload →

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13. Sanity

Content platform for structured content

Sanity is a headless CMS with real-time collaboration and extreme flexibility in content modeling.

Pros:

• Real-time collaboration

• Customizable studio

• Excellent for structured data

• GROQ query language is powerful

• Generous free tier

Cons:

• Learning curve

• Requires frontend separately

• Can get expensive at scale

Best for: Teams needing structured content, custom schemas

Pricing: Free tier, then $99/mo+

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For Simple Sites

14. Notion

Notes app turned website builder

Notion can publish public pages, making it a zero-effort website solution.

Pros:

• You already know how to use it

• Zero setup

• Collaborative editing

• Free to use

• Easy updates

Cons:

• Very limited design control

• Notion branding

• Not for serious businesses

• SEO limitations

Best for: Personal pages, documentation, simple portfolios

Pricing: Free

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15. Carrd

Simple, free, single-page sites

Carrd is perfect for landing pages, link-in-bio pages, and simple one-pagers.

Pros:

• Extremely simple

• Beautiful templates

• Very affordable

• Perfect for landing pages

• No coding needed

Cons:

• Single-page only

• Limited functionality

• Not for complex sites

Best for: Landing pages, link-in-bio, simple portfolios

Pricing: Free (limited), $19-49/year (Pro)

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Choosing the Right Alternative

By Use Case

If you need...

Choose...

Maximum performance

Next.js or Astro

Beautiful design without code

Webflow or Framer

Simple blogging

Ghost or Medium

E-commerce

Shopify

Local business site

Squarespace

Quick landing page

Carrd

Custom application

Payload CMS

Content collaboration

Sanity

By Technical Level

Your skill level

Best options

Non-technical

Wix, Squarespace, Carrd

Design-focused

Webflow, Framer, Squarespace

Some coding

Ghost, Astro, 11ty

Developer

Next.js, Hugo, Payload

By Budget

Budget

Options

Free	Next.js, Astro, Hugo, 11ty, Medium, Carrd (basic)

$10-50/mo

Ghost, Squarespace, Wix

$50-200/mo

Webflow, Shopify, Sanity

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Migration Considerations

When moving away from WordPress:

1. Export your content first - All platforms can do this

2. Preserve your URLs - Critical for SEO

3. Plan for features - How will you handle forms, comments, etc.?

4. Consider your workflow - Who updates the site and how?

5. Budget for transition - Time and potential costs

Use our free migration tool → to export your WordPress content to any platform.

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FAQ

Q: Which WordPress alternative is most similar?

Ghost is most similar in terms of being a CMS focused on publishing. For design flexibility, Webflow is closest. See our WordPress vs Ghost comparison →

Q: What's the cheapest WordPress alternative?

Static site generators (Next.js, Astro, Hugo, 11ty) are free and can be hosted for $0 on Vercel/Netlify. Learn about free hosting options →

Q: Which is best for SEO?

Static site generators (Next.js, Astro) typically have the best Core Web Vitals scores, which helps SEO. See our SEO migration checklist →

Q: Can I migrate my WordPress site to any of these?

Yes! Content can be exported from WordPress and imported to any platform. Our tool helps automate this process. Read our complete migration guide →

Q: Which is best for someone who knows nothing about code?

Wix or Squarespace are the most beginner-friendly options. Compare website builders for small business →

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Conclusion

The best WordPress alternative depends on your specific needs:

• Developers → Next.js or Astro

• Designers → Webflow or Framer

• Publishers → Ghost

• Small business → Squarespace

• E-commerce → Shopify

• Simple sites → Carrd or Notion

WordPress served the web well for 20 years, but modern alternatives offer better performance, security, and developer experience for many use cases.

Want to learn more? Explore our topic guides for in-depth coverage of each alternative.

Ready to migrate? Start your free WordPress export →