WordPress vs Statamic: why I increasingly choose the latter

6 June 2025 in Web Development

When I talk to new clients about their website, they often assume it will be a WordPress site. I understand that: WordPress powers more than a third of all websites on the internet. It’s what everyone knows.

But increasingly, I suggest using Statamic instead of WordPress. Not because WordPress is bad, but because for many projects it’s simply not the best choice.

Popular doesn’t always mean better. And as a developer, I notice that WordPress projects often become more complicated than they should be. Too many plugins, security issues, performance problems. That’s why I prefer working with alternatives like Statamic.

However, there are certainly still situations where WordPress is the better choice. Here are the key considerations.

What kind of website do you need?

What’s suitable for your situation depends heavily on the type of website you want. A simple blog has very different requirements than an extensive business website.

The simple blog or personal website

Do you just want a place to share a story occasionally? Some photos of your hobby? A simple ‘about me’ page? Then you really don’t need much. WordPress is perfect for this: it started as blogging software after all.

The business website

This is where it gets more interesting. You probably want more than just blog posts. Think of:

• A portfolio with your projects
• Team members with their own profile pages
• Different types of services
• Maybe a newsletter signup
• Contact forms

With these types of websites, WordPress quickly starts to crack. You immediately need plugins to turn your “blog posts” into “projects” or “team members.”

The webshop

Do you want to sell products? Then the choice becomes even more important. WordPress with WooCommerce is an option, but honestly not a good one. WooCommerce is essentially blogging software pretending to be a webshop. That doesn’t go well.

How much do you want to do yourself?

This is perhaps the most important question. WordPress has the reputation of being easy to work with yourself, but is that actually true?

You do everything yourself

If you want to do everything yourself (from installation to design to content) and you’re not a developer, then WordPress is probably your best option. There are thousands of free themes, countless tutorials on YouTube, and almost every question you have has already been asked on a forum.

But be careful: as soon as you want something different, you’re quickly forced to install plugins. And before you know it, you have 20-30 running. That makes your website slow and vulnerable.

You work with a designer and developer

Do you have a designer who creates a beautiful design and are you going to work with a developer? Or are you working with a developer who also does design themselves? Then Statamic is often the better choice.

With WordPress, you can of course also create a website that looks exactly like the design, but the path there is much more difficult for the developer. Page builders are clunky and slow, and developing everything yourself in WordPress doesn’t give a nice developer experience. With Statamic, you have to jump through fewer hoops and do fewer ‘hacks’. Moreover, you can configure most content types directly in the CMS without plugins or custom code.

Regarding content management: Statamic and WordPress actually work quite similarly. Statamic even has fewer distracting options in the admin by default, making management more focused. There are fewer tutorials available online, but a good developer always delivers a clear manual.

Security: an important difference

This is perhaps the most important point where WordPress and Statamic differ: security.

WordPress: a popular target

WordPress is by far the most hacked CMS in the world. The problem isn’t so much in WordPress itself, but in the many plugins you need. 93% of all WordPress vulnerabilities come from plugins. And since you quickly need plugins with WordPress, the risks stack up.

Statamic: safer by design

Statamic works fundamentally differently from WordPress: it stores everything by default in files instead of in a database. This makes the most common hacking attempts simply impossible. Moreover, with Statamic you often need fewer plugins, which means there are fewer vulnerable spots.

The costs: “free” vs paid

This is where it gets interesting, because WordPress seems free but often isn’t really.

WordPress: “free” but not really

WordPress itself indeed costs nothing. But as soon as you want something more than a basic blog, you start paying:

• Premium theme: €50-150
• Page builder: €50-90/year
• Advanced Custom Fields: €99/year (essentially indispensable)
• Premium backup plugin: €50+/year
• Security plugin: €80+/year

Before you know it, you’re spending €200-400 per year on plugins. And we haven’t even talked about hosting yet, which is often more expensive because WordPress needs more server resources.

Statamic: initially more expensive, ultimately comparable

Statamic costs $275 for the first year. Each year after that costs $65. That seems like a lot, but you need far fewer plugins. Most functionalities that you have to solve with plugins in WordPress are already built-in.

The real costs: development time

This is often where the biggest difference lies. As a developer I can often build a Statamic website faster because:

• More control over the HTML output means fewer workarounds
• Fewer plugins necessary means fewer things that can go wrong

That saves development time.

Future: how big will your website become?

The WordPress trap

WordPress starts simple, but quickly becomes complex. You start with a basic website, then you want another feature… and another… and another. Before you know it, you have 30 plugins and your website has become slow and unreliable.

Statamic: built to grow

Statamic is built from the beginning to handle more complex websites. As your website grows, you don’t have to keep installing more plugins. You can simply add new content types and build new functionalities.

The Matt Mullenweg situation

And then there’s something else important: there’s currently quite a bit of drama at WordPress. Matt Mullenweg (the boss of WordPress) has started a war with several major companies in the WordPress ecosystem. For example, he has taken over the Advanced Custom Fields plugin: exactly that plugin that almost every professional WordPress website needs.

This kind of instability makes WordPress a risky choice for businesses.

My concrete recommendation for different situations

Choose WordPress if:

• You want a simple blog and nothing else
• You want to do everything yourself and are technically inclined
• Your budget is very limited (and stays that way)
• You’re satisfied with standard templates
• Your website will most likely remain small and simple

Choose Statamic if:

• You want a business website that looks professional
• You work with a designer and/or developer
• You want different types of content (not just blog posts)
• Performance and speed are important
• Security is a priority for your website
• Your website will likely grow and expand
• Stability is important for your business

For webshops: use specialized software

Honestly, for webshops I wouldn’t choose WordPress or Statamic at all. The fundamental problem with WooCommerce is that it’s an e-commerce plugin running on top of blog software.

Much better is to use a platform that’s built from the ground up for e-commerce:

• Shopify: Perfect for most webshops, everything is already included (payments, inventory, shipping)
• Magento/Adobe Commerce: For more complex webshops with advanced B2B functions

You can then connect these to a beautiful website (built in Statamic) for your content. That gives you the best of both worlds: a professional e-commerce foundation and full control over your content and design.

The conclusion

WordPress seems like the safe, familiar choice. And for many people, it is. But if you want a website that looks good, is fast, and grows with your business, then Statamic is often the better investment.

Yes, Statamic costs more money upfront. But you also get more in return: a more stable website, better performance, and less headache in the long term.

The question ultimately is: do you see your website as a cost item that should be as cheap as possible, or as an investment in your business? Your answer determines which choice you should make.

Personal note

As a developer, I clearly have a preference for Statamic, but I always first have a conversation with my clients to see what fits their situation best. Because I mainly work with clients who want me to do a custom design, Statamic usually emerges as the best option. But every project is different, and the choice always depends on your specific needs, budget, and future plans.

Do you have questions about which CMS is best for your project? Send me a message and we’ll discuss the possibilities.