comparisonsNext.jsWordPressPerformance
Next.js vs WordPress: Real Performance Comparison [2026]
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Asad Ali
Founder & Lead Developer · Former WordPress Core Contributor
January 25, 202610 min read
Next.js vs WordPress: Real Performance Comparison [2026]
Everyone says "Next.js is faster than WordPress" but by how much? We ran comprehensive benchmarks to find out.
Test Setup
We created identical sites on both platforms:
- 50 blog posts
- 10 pages
- Similar design/layout
- Same hosting region
WordPress: WP Engine (managed, optimized)
Next.js: Vercel (free tier)
Core Web Vitals Results
| Metric | WordPress | Next.js | Winner |
| LCP | 2.1s | 0.8s | Next.js ✅ |
| FID | 45ms | 12ms | Next.js ✅ |
| CLS | 0.12 | 0.02 | Next.js ✅ |
| TTFB | 650ms | 85ms | Next.js ✅ |
Next.js was 2-8x faster across all metrics.
Lighthouse Scores
| Metric | WordPress | Next.js |
| Performance | 58 | 100 |
| Accessibility | 92 | 100 |
| Best Practices | 83 | 100 |
| SEO | 91 | 100 |
Hosting Costs
| Platform | Monthly Cost | Traffic Included |
| WordPress (WP Engine) | $25 | 25,000 visits |
| WordPress (Budget hosts) | $5-15 | Variable |
| Next.js (Vercel) | $0-20 | 100GB bandwidth |
For equivalent performance, Next.js costs 50-90% less.
Conclusion
Next.js outperformed WordPress in every single metric we tested. The difference wasn't marginal—it was significant.
If performance matters to your site (and it should for SEO), consider migrating.