MDX vs WordPress: Why Developers Prefer Writing in Markdown

If you've ever written documentation, you've used Markdown. It's the lingua franca of developer content.

MDX takes Markdown to the next level by letting you embed React components. And for developers, it's a game-changer compared to WordPress.

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What is MDX?

MDX = Markdown + JSX

You write normal Markdown, but can include React components:

My Blog Post

Here's some regular markdown content.


  This is a React component inside my post!


And back to regular markdown...

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MDX vs Gutenberg: The Developer Perspective

Feature

WordPress Gutenberg

MDX

Editing

Visual block editor

Plain text

Version Control

Not really

Git-friendly

Components

PHP blocks

React components

Portability

WordPress-only

Universal

Typing

Mouse-heavy

Keyboard-focused

Collaboration

Difficult

Git PRs

1. Version Control

WordPress:

How do you track content changes?
Database snapshots?
Revision history (limited)?
Copy-paste to Google Docs?

MDX:

git diff content/blog/my-post.mdx

See exactly what changed, when, and who did it
Roll back to any point in history
Review changes before publishing

For teams, this is huge. Content becomes as reviewable as code.

2. Writing Speed

Gutenberg requires:

1. Click "Add Block"

2. Search for block type

3. Configure block

4. Type content

5. Repeat

MDX:

Just type. Use # for headings. bold for bold.
> Quotes are easy.
Lists
just
work

Developers type 60-120 WPM. We don't want to stop typing to click buttons.

3. Custom Components

WordPress blocks require:

• PHP registration

• JavaScript editor code

• Separate save/edit functions

• Block.json configuration

• Understanding Block API

MDX components are just React:

// components/CodeDemo.tsx
export function CodeDemo({ code, language }) {
  return (
    

      

        {code}
      

    

  );
}

Then use anywhere:

4. Portability

Gutenberg content is stored as:

My content with weird HTML comments

Migrating this content = nightmare.

MDX content:

My content with plain text.

Move it anywhere: Astro, Gatsby, Hugo, Next.js, Docusaurus...

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When WordPress Still Wins

Let's be fair—MDX isn't for everyone:

Use Case

Winner

Developer writing

MDX ✅

Non-technical editor

WordPress ✅

Visual content design

WordPress ✅

Documentation

MDX ✅

Blog with images

Both work

Marketing landing pages

WordPress/Webflow ✅

If your content team doesn't code, WordPress (or a visual CMS like Sanity) makes more sense.

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Setting Up MDX with Next.js

Install dependencies
npm install @next/mdx @mdx-js/loader @mdx-js/react

Create content directory
mkdir content/blog

Create next.config.mjs:

import createMDX from '@next/mdx';

const nextConfig = {
  pageExtensions: ['js', 'jsx', 'mdx', 'ts', 'tsx'],
};

const withMDX = createMDX({});

export default withMDX(nextConfig);

Create a post:

---
title: "My First MDX Post"
date: "2026-01-30"


Hello MDX

This is so much better than Gutenberg.

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Content Workflow Comparison

WordPress Workflow

1. Log into WordPress admin

2. Navigate to Posts

3. Click "Add New"

4. Write in browser

5. Click Save Draft

6. Preview

7. Click Publish

8. Hope nothing breaks

MDX Workflow

1. Open VS Code

2. Create /content/blog/new-post.mdx

3. Write normally

4. git commit -m "Add new post"

5. git push

6. Automatic deployment

7. Done

For developers, workflow #2 is infinitely better.

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Making the Switch

Ready to switch from WordPress to MDX?

1. Export your content - Use our migration tool

2. Set up Next.js - Takes 10 minutes

3. Configure MDX - One-time setup

4. Import content - Automatic conversion

5. Deploy - Push to Vercel

Try the free migration →

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FAQ

Q: Can non-developers write MDX?

Yes, but there's a learning curve. Markdown is simple enough for most people to learn in an afternoon. For completely non-technical users, consider a visual CMS like Sanity or Contentful on top of MDX.

Q: What about images?

MDX handles images well:

!Alt text

Or use Next.js Image component for optimization. Learn more about image optimization →

Q: Can I preview content locally?

Yes! Run npm run dev and see changes instantly with hot reload.

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Conclusion

For developers, the choice is clear:

• Version control ✅

• Keyboard-first editing ✅

• React components ✅

• Portability ✅

• Performance ✅

MDX isn't just a WordPress alternative—it's a fundamentally better way for developers to create content.

Related guides:

• MDX Beginner's Guide

• Build a Blog with Next.js and MDX

• Markdown Guide for Developers

Start your MDX blog →