Websites
WordPress vs a custom-built website: which to choose
WordPress is a good choice if you want to edit pages often yourself and someone keeps it updated. A custom-built site, for example in Next.js, is faster and has far fewer parts that can break or be attacked, but changes are usually made by a developer. The 2025 data shows the trade-off: on mobile, only 45% of WordPress sites passed Google's speed tests, and 11,334 new vulnerabilities appeared in the WordPress ecosystem, 91% of them in plugins.
Contents
Key points
- WordPress runs 40.1% of all websites and 58.6% of those with a known content management system, according to W3Techs (October 2026).
- On mobile, 45% of WordPress sites passed all Core Web Vitals in 2025, compared with 74% of Wix sites, according to the Web Almanac.
- Patchstack counted 11,334 new vulnerabilities in the WordPress ecosystem in 2025; 91% were in plugins and core had just six.
- The deciding question: who edits the content, and how often?
One of the first questions when you get a website is what it's built on. The three usual options are WordPress, an online builder such as Wix or Squarespace, and a site coded by a developer. Each suits something different, and the biggest difference isn't technical: it's who changes the site after launch.
At a glance
| WordPress | Builder (Wix, Squarespace) | Custom-built site (Next.js) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who edits content | You, from the admin panel | You, in the visual editor | Usually the developer on request, or you through a separate CMS |
| Mobile speed | Varies; 45% pass Google's tests | Good; 74% pass at Wix | Very good, if built well |
| Security and updates | Theme and plugins need frequent updates | Handled by the platform | Few parts to update, no public admin panel |
| Design | Adapted or custom theme | Adapted templates | Designed from scratch |
| Cost | Hosting, licences, updates | Monthly subscription | The build, then little |
| Can you move the site | Yes | No, it stays on the platform | Yes |
What each one is
WordPress is a free content management system (CMS): you install it on hosting, pick a theme for the look and add plugins for forms, SEO, galleries or a store. You change everything from an admin panel.
An online builder (Wix, Squarespace, Shopify for stores) gives you hosting, an editor and templates in one subscription. AI site builders have their own article: AI website builder vs agency.
A custom-built site is written by a developer with a framework such as Next.js, React or Astro. There's no pre-made theme or plugins: it has exactly the pages and features it needs. Pages can be generated ahead of time as HTML, ready-made files the server simply sends.
How widely WordPress is used
Very. According to W3Techs, in October 2026 WordPress ran 40.1% of all websites and 58.6% of those whose content management system can be identified. That's a real advantage: it's easy to find people who work with it, themes for every industry and plugins for almost any feature. The downside comes from the same place: every plugin adds code written by someone else.
Speed
The Web Almanac, HTTP Archive's yearly report, measured in 2025 how many sites pass all three of Google's speed tests (Core Web Vitals) on mobile. WordPress was among the weakest platforms at 45%, while Wix had reached 74%, after jumping from 55% in a year.
WordPress can be fast, but it takes discipline: a simple theme, few plugins, optimised images, caching. A page builder installed on top of WordPress (Elementor, Divi) plus ten plugins added over the years almost always leads to a slow site. A custom site with pages generated ahead of time starts with the advantage of loading nothing beyond what's on the page.
Security and updates
Patchstack, a company that specialises in WordPress security, counted 11,334 new vulnerabilities in the WordPress ecosystem in 2025, 42% more than in 2024. 91% were in plugins and 9% in themes, while WordPress core had only six, all low risk. 46% had no fix available when they were made public.
The lesson isn't that WordPress is insecure, but that a WordPress site has to be maintained: regular updates, a few well-known plugins, backups and a check after each update. What that means in time and money is in website maintenance: what it includes and what it costs. A custom site with no public admin panel and no plugins has far fewer parts that can be attacked. If it happens anyway: website hacked: what to do.
The deciding question: who edits the content?
| Your situation | What fits |
|---|---|
| You publish new articles or products every week | WordPress or a CMS |
| You change the menu daily | WordPress, a builder, or a custom site with a panel just for the menu |
| You change prices, hours and a few photos a few times a year | A custom site, with changes on request |
| You want to do everything yourself, with no developer | An online builder |
| You need features no plugin offers (booking with your own rules, price calculators) | A custom site or web app |
Many owners choose WordPress "so they can edit it themselves" and then never log in. If you know you'll edit rarely, speed and having nothing to update matter more.
Cost over time
- WordPress: the software is free, but you pay for hosting, yearly licences for premium themes and plugins, and update time or a maintenance plan.
- Builder: a monthly or yearly subscription for as long as the site exists; if you cancel, the site goes.
- Custom site: the cost is mostly in the build. After launch, you pay for the domain, hosting (often minimal for static pages) and content changes.
For a small business site kept for five years, the differences add up mainly from maintenance, not the starting price.
When to choose each
- WordPress, if you publish content often, want to manage it yourself and have someone handling updates, or need a WooCommerce store.
- A builder, if you want to do everything yourself on a small budget and accept the subscription and the platform's limits.
- A custom-built site, if you want a fast site with its own design, little maintenance and features made for your business, and the content changes now and then.
We build both. Coded sites we build in Next.js, with pages generated ahead of time, and when a price, your hours or a photo changes, you send us a message and we update it. If you want to publish yourself every day, we build your site on WordPress, and your store on WooCommerce or Shopify. The details are on our web design page.
Questions
Is WordPress still a good choice in 2026?
Yes, for sites where the owner edits content often, for large blogs and for stores built on WooCommerce. It does need regular updates and a small set of well-chosen plugins, or it becomes slow and vulnerable.
What is a custom-built website?
A site written by a developer with a framework such as Next.js, without a pre-made theme and plugins. Pages can be generated ahead of time as HTML, so they load fast and there's no public admin panel to attack.
Can I edit a custom-built site myself?
It depends on how it's built. It can have a separate admin panel (a CMS) for the blog or menu, or the developer makes changes on request. For a small business site where a few prices or photos change occasionally, the second option is usually simpler.
Is Wix better than WordPress?
On speed, the 2025 data puts it ahead: 74% of Wix sites passed Google's mobile tests, compared with 45% for WordPress. On the other hand, you pay a subscription for as long as you have the site and can't move it to another host.
Which is cheapest over time?
It depends on what you count. WordPress starts cheap but adds up hosting, yearly licences for premium themes and plugins, and update time. A builder has a monthly subscription. A custom site costs more to build and little afterwards, because there's little to maintain.
Sources
- Usage statistics and market share of WordPress, W3Techs
- Web Almanac 2025: CMS, HTTP Archive
- State of WordPress Security in 2026, Patchstack
- Understanding Core Web Vitals and Google search results, Google Search Central