Craft CMS or WordPress, an honest comparison
Craft CMS vs WordPress: a practical comparison
This Craft CMS vs WordPress guide compares two platforms that each power millions of sites. Which one is right depends on who manages the site, what it needs to do and how much a good editing experience matters to your team.
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- Choose Craft CMS for complex, structured content
- Choose Craft CMS for a clean editing screen
- Choose WordPress for simple sites and tight budgets
- Choose WordPress for online shops, with WooCommerce
- Already on one? Fixing it is almost always cheaper than moving
Should I use Craft CMS or WordPress?
Use Craft CMS if your site has a lot of structured content that editors update every day. Use WordPress if the site is simpler, the budget is tight or you rely on plugins and WooCommerce for selling online. If your site already runs on one of them, staying put and fixing it is almost always cheaper than moving.
Two mature platforms, different strengths
Craft CMS and WordPress are both mature, well-supported platforms. Neither is better in every case. The right choice depends on your content, what your team already knows and what the site needs to do.
WordPress powers a large share of the web, because it is easy to start with, flexible and has a huge choice of plugins. Craft CMS aims at a smaller market. It suits projects where the structure of the content matters, editing needs to be clean and the code needs to last.
I have built and looked after business sites on both platforms. This comparison comes from that experience, not loyalty to either one.
How they compare
Content modelling
This means how each type of page and its fields are set up. Craft's entry types and Matrix fields handle complex, structured content better than WordPress. Matrix lets editors stack blocks in any order. WordPress is simpler for plain pages and posts.
Editor experience
Craft's control panel is cleaner and focused on writing. WordPress is more familiar, but plugins tend to clutter its admin screens over time.
Plugin ecosystem
WordPress has tens of thousands of plugins for almost every need. Craft has far fewer, but their quality is steadier.
Performance
Craft is faster out of the box on the same hosting. WordPress can match it with good caching, which saves ready-made copies of pages. But it takes more set-up to get there.
Cost
WordPress itself is free. Craft has a free Solo licence for personal use. Teams and business sites need Craft Pro, so budget for that licence fee.
Talent availability
WordPress developers are far easier to find than Craft experts. This affects cost, and how easy it is to hand the work to someone new.
When to choose Craft CMS
Choose Craft when your content is complex. Say content has to be split across several types, linked to other entries and shown in different ways in different places. Craft handles that better than WordPress.
Craft also suits editors who want a clean control panel. Its screens are built for the people writing content, not for admins. No plugin clutter gets in the way.
Pick Craft when the site has to last. Craft pushes developers towards cleaner code than WordPress does, and that pays off in long-term care.
Choose Craft when your agency or developer knows the platform well. Craft rewards skill. A badly built Craft site is worse than a well built WordPress site.
When to stay with WordPress
Stay with WordPress when your budget is tight and you need lots of plugins. WordPress plugins cover most needs without custom code. That range has real value.
WordPress also makes sense when your team already knows it. Knowing the tool cuts training costs. It also means your team can make changes without a developer.
For selling online, WordPress is the safer bet. WooCommerce is a mature shop plugin with a large developer community. Craft has Craft Commerce, but its community and range of add-ons are much smaller.
Stay with WordPress when the content is simple and a page builder suits your editors. A page builder lets editors lay out pages from ready-made blocks. If your site is mostly pages made of blocks, WordPress with a good page builder does the job.
Common questions
Is Craft CMS better than WordPress?
Not in every case. Craft CMS is better for complex, structured content and a clean editing screen. WordPress is better for simple sites, tight budgets, online shops and teams who already know it. The right platform is the one that fits your content and your team.
Is Craft CMS faster than WordPress?
Usually, yes, on the same hosting with default settings. WordPress can match or beat Craft with good caching and tuning, but it takes more set-up to get there. For most sites, speed is not what decides between them.
Can you migrate from WordPress to Craft CMS?
Yes, it can be done. It means exporting the WordPress content and planning new Craft sections and fields to match it. Templates get rebuilt and old web addresses are redirected to the new ones. In practice it is a rebuild, so it needs careful planning, most of all for custom fields and page builder blocks.
Is Craft CMS harder to use for non-technical editors?
No. Craft is made for editors, and its control panel is cleaner than most WordPress set-ups. How easy it feels depends on how well the sections and fields were planned. A well planned Craft site is easier to edit than a badly set up WordPress one.
Which is better for SEO?
Both can do everything good search results need. WordPress has more mature SEO plugins. Craft gives developers more control over the page code, which helps on sites with complex structured data. Neither platform has a built-in edge for SEO.
What does a Craft CMS site cost compared to WordPress?
A Craft site usually costs more to build than a WordPress one. It needs extra custom work, and there are fewer ready-made parts. The Craft Pro licence also adds a yearly cost. In return you get cleaner code and a nicer editing screen, which is worth it when those matter.
Already running Craft CMS or WordPress?
I fix, upgrade and look after Craft CMS and WordPress sites that other people built. You get a look first, then a fixed price in writing. See Craft CMS support and maintenance, WordPress support and fixes or all services. Comparing Craft with Statamic instead? Read Statamic vs Craft CMS.
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