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Looking for WordPress alternatives? You’ve come to the right place.

It’s true. WordPress has the largest portion of market share with over 400 million websites currently running on its platform.

WordPress is easy enough to use that the less technically inclined can create their own websites, but it’s also got an excellent set of capabilities for developers and custom web designers.

It also has many options to help you do more with your website, including thousands of WordPress plugins, add-ons, widgets, and customizable themes- not to mention a robust content management system (CMS).

So what’s not to like?

Admittedly, we love WordPress. Our own site is built on it because of how easy it is to use.

But that doesn’t mean all of our clients feel the same way. As the increase in content, websites, and complexities start to increase, other CMS platforms are going to be better fitted.

So in this article, we wanted to share some competitive alternatives to WordPress. We have options for developers as well as no-code options. We have options for large enterprises and small businesses. We’ve also got options for eCommerce businesses and bloggers.

First, we’re going to dive a little deeper into why one might want to avoid the WordPress route for their business.

Why People Want WordPress Alternatives

• WordPress is Not User Friendly

While WordPress has been designed to be an all-encompassing do-it-yourself platform, for many webmasters and marketers, it’s not the most user-friendly nor has the highest ease of use. You’re responsible for building and maintaining your site, and that includes security protocols, backups, plugin updates, and upgrades.

In most cases, our clients hire web developers or managed hosting companies to do those things for them because they either don’t have the time, resources, or patience to understand all of the nuances of WordPress.

• WordPress Doesn’t Include a Native Drag-and-Drop Feature

While WordPress does integrate with many of the most popular drag-and-drop website builders like Elementor, Divi, and BeaverBuilder– it doesn’t come with this functionality out of the box. So again, you’re required to research and ultimately secure a third-party page builder for your site.

• WordPress Doesn’t Include Native eCommerce Functionality

WordPress integrates with most eCommerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce, but it doesn’t have eCommerce features or support out of the box. So once again, you’d most likely need a third party eCommerce tool to build that type of functionality.

• Realistically, You Need Some Coding Knowledge to Maximize WordPress

While WordPress doesn’t require coding to use, you will need at least some basic HTML and CSS knowledge to make customizations to your site, theme, and widget functionality. For some, this is an absolute deal-breaker.

Essentially, many folks who want a WordPress alternative, feel so because they want an all-in-one “what you see is what you get” (WYSIWYG) functionality out of the box without having to hire professionals or pay for third-party tools and services.

Additionally, a non-technical person might get irritated by the fact that they can’t customize their site as they wish without learning code or hiring a developer to assist. Then again, some developers also have their qualms with WordPress.

• There are limits to how WordPress scales

Sure, if you want your WordPress website to have thousands or millions of pages, then it will likely satisfy your needs. However, if you need to make changes to the design of a landing page template it can either be very easy or very hard depending on how the template has been built.

WordPress gets even more difficult to be successful when you’re managing multiple websites.

If you have a module or section of your website that you want to change across many of your websites, then you have to take a one to one approach to making these updates. That’s time-consuming and monotonous.

It would be MUCH easier if you could make the change in one place and have it update across all sites.

• Access and permissions vary

Whether you’re managing one or many multiple sites, giving you and the people who will build and maintain your website the right access is important.

While WordPress has a nice set of permissions on who can make updates to the site vs others, it’s limited in how it gives access to users’ permission around making layout, design, and/or copy changes.

If you’re a company that’s investing a lot of money and effort into building your brand, then this lack of admin control opens you and your business up to a lot of risks.

If any of these WordPress site pitfalls are making you think twice about investing long term into the publishing platform, here are 11 popular WordPress alternatives. We’re picking 11 instead of one because unfortunately, there isn’t a one size fits all. Rather, we have what we think are the best solutions for every issue mentioned above.

The 11 Best WordPress Alternatives

1. Brandcast

Brandcast is a code-free website building platform that combines sales enablement, content management, and design in one centralized platform.

Brandcast allows companies the version control of having content and design separate as well as the ability to ditch development costs. It’s geared towards companies who want to maximize their marketing and sales efforts through beautiful, dynamic webified content.

It’s best for enterprises with a large portfolio of marketing or sales sites who want to create digital content without relying on a developer. It’s a fantastic tool for companies who are managing multiple websites, value brand equity more than others, and/or want to improve Sale’s account-based selling strategy with personalized digital content.

Brandcast Key Features

• Content Management
• Drag & Drop
• Landing Page/Form/Site Builder
• Pre-made Templates
• SEO Management
• Video Editing
• Collaboration
• Sales Enablement
• Content Management
• Content Marketing
• Mobile Content Management System

Brandcast does not publish its pricing.

2. Squarespace

Squarespace is an all-in-one platform for new entrepreneurs or established brands. Also, Squarespace offers rich merchandising tools out of the box to help you sell products, subscriptions, content, gift cards, and more.

It’s best for eCommerce store owners, entrepreneurs, photographers, musicians, designers, and others who want an easy-to-use drag and drop website builder.

Squarespace Key Features

• CRM & Analytics
• Data Security
• Email Marketing
• Forms/Landing Pages
• Inventory Management
• Mobile Access
• Multi-Channel Marketing
• Multi-store Management
• SEO Management
• Reviews Management
• Pre-Made Templates
• Online Booking Tools

Squarespace pricing starts at $16 per month. 

3. Wix

Wix is a website builder for both first-timers and pros. Wix offers an ad-supported free plan, options to have a professionally built site, a complete do-it-yourself, drag-and-drop site, or from code. You must upgrade to a premium plan from the free version to provide site visitors with an ad-free experience.

According to Wix, their platform is good for everyone. No matter what you need a website for – or how techy you are – you can create a professional, elegant site with Wix.

Wix Key Features

• Email Marketing
• Pre-Made Templates
• Data Security
• Inventory Management
• Multi-store Management
• SEO Management
• Comment Moderation
• Drag-and-Drop Builder
• Analytics
• Survey Builder
• Online Booking Tools
• Landing Page/Form Builder

Wix pricing starts at $13 per month.

4. Drupal

Drupal is similar to WordPress in that it’s an open-source CMS with tons of customization options tailored to developers or folks that understand HTML, CSS, and PHP. Drupal offers over 40,000 modules that enable optimization and over 1000 free themes to help you customize your site design.

Drupal is best for enterprise organizations, government agencies, and educational institutions that have developers on hand to manage a large portfolio of sites with heavy traffic and data loads.

Drupal Key Features

• Customizable Modules
• Audio Content
• E-forms
• Full-Text Search
• Pre-made templates
• Text Editor
• Video Content

Drupal is a free-to-use, open-source platform.

5. Joomla

Joomla is a content management system and website builder with loads of out-of-the-box features via the backend for developers including over 7,000 extensions that add functionality and control to your site.

Joomla has a steep learning curve, so it’s best for developers with experience in web development tasked with building a social network, community, or membership site that will support hundreds of users, custom post types, and multiple languages.

Joomla Key Features

• Version Control
• Document Indexing
• Full-Text Built-in Search Engines
• Text Editor
• Asset Sharing
• Asset Library
• Search Filters

Joomla’s paid plans are not published online.

6. Shopify

Shopify is an eCommerce platform that offers store owners the ability to create their website with a professional online storefront complete with a POS system.

Shopify currently powers over 160,000 eCommerce sites in 100+ countries. Customers include Tesla Motors, Gatorade, Formes, and Maxim Magazine.

Shopify is best for small business owners as well as large corporations that need an eCommerce site to support their business.

Shopify Key Features

• CRM
• Email Marketing
• Multi-Channel Marketing
• Inventory Management
• Multi-Store Management
• Returns/Refund Management
• SEO Management
• Shopping Cart
• Inventory Control
• Catalog Management
• Discount/Coupons Management
• Customer Accounts
• Mobile Commerce

Shopify pricing starts at $29 per month.

7. Weebly

Weebly is a great website builder for first time eCommerce online store owners. It offers curated templates and robust features like a drag-and-drop editor and integrated marketing features.

It’s also worth noting that Weebly was rated one of the most popular CMS platforms and website builders in the Apple and Google Play mobile app markets.

Weebly is ideal for creative entrepreneurs who want to build content-rich sites and unique online stores with an all-inclusive, easy-to-use platform that doesn’t require advanced features

Weebly Key Features

• CRM & Analytics
• Email Marketing
• Multi-Channel Marketing
• Promotions Management
• Reviews Management
• Pre-Made Templates
• Multi-Store Management
• Returns Management
• SEO Management
• Guest Posting
• File Sharing
• Drag-and-Drop Editor
• Online Booking Tools
• Landing Pages/Forms Builder

Weebly pricing starts at $6 per month.

8. Ghost

Ghost is an open-source, content management system, and blogging platform for bloggers who want to monetize their publications in a simple, easy-to-use platform.

Ghost is best for writers who prefer a more simplified solution to WordPress where they can control the design, content, and experience for their readers.

Ghost Key Features

• Content Publishing
• Membership and Subscription Management
• 100’s of Integrations
• Pre-made Templates
• Collaboration

Ghost pricing starts at $29 per month.

9. Webflow

Webflow is a web design tool, CMS, and hosting platform all-in-one that empowers designers to build professional, custom websites in a completely visual canvas.

Webflow is best for designers, developers, and UX designers because the interface is very similar to most design tools. Of course, anyone can learn to use it, but there may be a bit of a learning curve for anyone who’s never used a design tool before.

Webflow Key Features

• Shared/VPS/Reseller/Dedicated Hosting
• Colocation Services
• Storage Limits
• Email Hosting
• CMS Support
• E-Commerce Integration
• Database Support
• Bandwidth Allowance
• Control Panel Integration
• Web Framework Support
• File Management
• Security Tools

Webflow’s pricing is not published online.

10. BigCommerce

BigCommerce is the leading cloud eCommerce platform designed to help established retail businesses scale their offering. It offers enterprise functionality, open architecture, and an app ecosystem that provide award-winning performance.

BigCommerce is best for retail businesses that want to build an eCommerce website using customizable features and sales management through a centralized dashboard.

BigCommerce Key Features

• CRM/Reporting/Analytics
• Email Marketing
• Multi-Channel Marketing
• Promotions Management
• Reviews Management
• Pre-Made Templates
• Data Security
• Inventory Management
• Multi-Store Management
• Returns Management
• SEO Management
• Bulk Ordering
• Data Synchronization
• Mobile Commerce
• Shopping Cart
• Customer Accounts

BigCommerce pricing starts $29.95 per month.

11. WordPress.com

WordPress.com, as opposed to WordPress.org where everything is self-managed, WordPress.com offers an all-in-one web hosting and building platform and content management system.

With WordPress, you can build a powerful website and publish new content anywhere, anytime with help available when you need it.

Like WordPress.org, WordPress.com is for everyone but offers a much easier-to-use, done-for-you service.

WordPress.com Key Features

• Pre-Made Templates
• Data Security
• SEO Management
• Custom domain names
• Customizable, WordPress Themes
• Mobile Website Management
• Customer Support
• Content Management
• Drag-and-Drop Editor

WordPress.com’s pricing starts $4 per month.

So there you have it- 11 great alternatives to using WordPress. If you’re looking to build a new site, or are thinking about migrating your current WordPress website to one of the aforementioned solutions, make sure that you get buy-in from other company stakeholders.

Once that’s in place, also make sure to have a realistic project plan. New website builds and website migration projects consistently take longer than people plan for because they underestimate how long it takes to complete all of the different stages of building a website. If you put a plan together and then get feedback from your team, then you should be in a much better position to not only be successful with your website but also hit your deadline.

Topics: B2B Marketing, Digital Marketing, Marketing Tools, Web Design