For nearly two decades, WordPress has been the go-to content management system (CMS) for businesses of all sizes. In 2025, it still powers over 40% of the web. But suppose you’re a medium or large organisation. In that case, the digital landscape has shifted: customer expectations are higher, your marketing stack is more complex, and you’re under pressure to do more with fewer resources.
So, is WordPress still your safest bet? Or are there alternatives that better fit today’s needs? Let’s explore the state of website platforms in 2025 and how you can make the smartest choice for your business.
WordPress in 2025: Still the safe choice, but not always the best
WordPress remains popular because it’s familiar, flexible, and backed by a vast ecosystem of plugins, themes, and developers. For many organisations, this means:
- Rapid deployment of marketing or campaign sites
- Large talent pool — easy to find agencies and freelancers
- A mature ecosystem of hosting, security, and performance tools
But WordPress’s very strengths can also be its weaknesses:
- Regular updates, plugin conflicts, and security patches add maintenance overhead
- Performance can lag without careful tuning
- Complex integrations often require custom development
If your digital presence is straightforward, WordPress is still a strong contender. However, for more complex needs, such as multi-channel content, heavy integrations, or global performance, it’s worth exploring other options.
Traditional self-hosted alternatives
If you like the control of hosting your own CMS but want something leaner or more modern, many platforms have matured:
- Craft CMS, Drupal, TYPO3, Grav, and others offer robust content management with different trade-offs (security, speed, editor experience).
- Flat-file or static CMSs, such as Hugo, Jekyll, or Kirby, can deliver faster sites with lower attack surfaces, but often require developer involvement.
For larger organisations, these alternatives can mean more predictable performance and tighter security, but they may lack WordPress’s “one-click” ecosystem. On the other hand, do you really need the WordPress ecosystem?
No-code site builders: a different mindset
Tools like Webflow, Framer, Squarespace, and Duda have evolved far beyond “drag and drop.” They combine visual design, content management, and hosting in one package.
The advantages for a marketing team:
- Launch new pages or microsites without waiting on developers
- Hosting and performance are handled automatically
- Visual control and branding consistency
The trade-off, of course, is vendor lock-in and limited customization for complex integrations. But for campaign-driven, fast-moving marketing teams, no-code can be a powerful ally.
Is headless WordPress the best of both worlds?
“Headless” simply means separating the content management (backend) from the public-facing website (frontend). With headless WordPress, your team still uses WordPress to create and manage content, but your website is built with modern frameworks like React or Next.js for speed and flexibility.
Benefits include:
- Faster, more flexible frontends optimised for global audiences
- Multi-channel publishing (web, apps, kiosks, etc.) from one content source
- Modern developer workflows
Drawbacks:
- More complexity in setup and maintenance
- Some plugins may not work as expected
- Higher developer skill required
For medium and large businesses with multiple websites or apps, headless can be a forward-looking solution, but it’s rarely a plug-and-play upgrade.
API-first & headless CMS contenders
If you like the headless idea but don’t want WordPress at all, a new generation of API-first CMSs has emerged. Platforms like Contentful, Sanity, Strapi, Storyblok, Hygraph, and Directus are built from the ground up for decoupled content delivery.
Why organisations choose them:
- Omnichannel content delivery (websites, mobile apps, digital signage, email)
- Faster performance at scale
- Enterprise-grade security and compliance
- Developer-friendly APIs and integrations
These systems often operate as SaaS (subscription-based) rather than self-hosted, which reduces maintenance but changes your cost model. For complex global websites or multi-market teams, they’re worth serious consideration.
How to choose in 2025
When evaluating your next CMS or website platform, consider:
- Team skills & workflows: Who will maintain it? How technical are your editors?
- Integration needs: CRM, marketing automation, e-commerce, personalisation?
- Performance & scale: Will you need to serve millions of users or multiple regions?
- Time to market: Do you launch frequent campaigns or content updates?
- Total cost of ownership: Hosting, maintenance, licensing, and developer time.
There is no one-size-fits-all answer. In many cases, a hybrid approach works best — for example, using WordPress or a headless CMS for your main content hub, while deploying a no-code tool for campaign microsites. Additionally, it is worth considering potential future needs. It’s not easy to think many years ahead, but it can help you make informed decisions when considering what your team or company will look like 5 years from now.
The bottom line
In 2025, WordPress remains the dominant CMS, but the world around it has undergone significant changes. Your choice is no longer just “WordPress or nothing.” You can:
- Stay with WordPress for its ecosystem and familiarity
- Go headless for flexibility and performance
- Adopt a modern API-first CMS for multi-channel content
- Use no-code builders for speed and autonomy
The right platform will depend on your goals, your team, and your future plans. A thoughtful decision today will give you a faster, safer, more adaptable website tomorrow.
Also read:
The Strategic Role of Websites in Marketing as a Service (MaaS)