WordPress in 2025: It's time to move on

“Just use WordPress” - these three words make me wince every time I hear them in a client meeting. With WordPress powering over 40% of websites, it’s often seen as the safe choice. But after a decade of building WordPress sites, I’ve learned that popularity doesn’t equal superiority. In fact, it often means dealing with limitations that can turn simple projects into ongoing nightmares.
When more becomes less
Every WordPress project starts the same way. You begin with a fresh installation, feeling optimistic about the possibilities. Then reality hits: your empty site already ranging from 50MB to 200MB in size. This isn’t just a number - it’s a preview of the performance challenges to come.
Before adding any content, you’re already managing a complex system of core files, theme assets, and essential plugins. Yes, essential plugins - because in the WordPress world, even basic functionality often requires additional installations. Want to add custom fields? There’s a plugin for that. Need better SEO? Another plugin. Security features? You guessed it - more plugins.
The security tightrope
Speaking of security, here’s a concerning fact: 42% of WordPress sites are currently vulnerable to known security issues. Security has always been one of my top priorities, carefully setting up protection layers and following best practices. Yet even with “all the right security plugins” installed, WordPress sites remain vulnerable to new threats constantly.
The problem isn’t just WordPress core - it’s the entire ecosystem. Each plugin you add is potentially another door for attackers to walk through. Even premium plugins from reputable developers can introduce vulnerabilities. You’re not just maintaining a website; you’re constantly patching holes in a ship while trying to keep it afloat.
Customization: the expensive illusion
WordPress promises endless customization possibilities, but the reality is far less appealing. You essentially have three paths, and none of them are ideal:
- Using free themes, which often means settling for a generic design and questionable code quality.
- Buying premium themes, which come loaded with features you’ll never use but still have to maintain.
- Building custom themes, which requires deep WordPress knowledge and significant development time.
The situation gets even worse with page builders like Elementor, WPBakery, or Divi. While they promise drag-and-drop simplicity, they create their own set of problems. These builders generate bloated, non-standard code that violates basic web development principles. The result? Inconsistent user experiences, poor performance, and sites that become increasingly difficult to maintain as updates roll out.
What starts as a simple customization request often ends in a nightmare of nested divs, excessive CSS classes, and performance bottlenecks. I’ve seen projects where clients spent hundreds on premium themes and page builder licenses, only to end up with a site that loads in seconds rather than milliseconds. And when it’s time to make changes or upgrade? You’re often locked into that specific builder’s ecosystem, making future modifications both expensive and complicated.
The promise of “code-free” customization comes at a heavy cost - not just in terms of money, but in site performance, maintainability, and future flexibility. These tools might make initial development feel easier, but they’re creating technical debt from day one.
The hidden infrastructure burden
One aspect that rarely gets discussed in initial project meetings is the ongoing infrastructure management. WordPress isn’t just a website - it’s an entire ecosystem that needs constant attention. You’re managing PHP versions, maintaining MySQL databases, configuring caching systems, and setting up backup solutions.
I recently calculated the true cost of running a WordPress site. Between managed hosting, premium plugins, and regular maintenance, the costs add up to three times more than running a modern static site. And that’s not counting the time spent on updates and troubleshooting.
Breaking free from plugin dependency
The WordPress plugin ecosystem is often praised as its greatest strength. In reality, it’s become its biggest weakness. A typical WordPress site needs plugins for everything from basic SEO to performance optimization. Each one adds more code, more potential conflicts, and more maintenance overhead.
It’s common to see WordPress sites running 15 or more plugins just to achieve functionality that comes standard in most modern frameworks. The worst part? Each plugin impacts performance and creates new security vulnerabilities.
Embracing modern alternatives
The good news is that we’re not stuck with WordPress anymore. Modern web development offers better solutions for every type of project. Static site generators like Astro deliver blazing-fast performance without the database overhead. Modern CMSs like Sanity provide better content modeling without the plugin dependency. For those who prefer visual development, no-code platforms like Webflow and Framer offer professional-grade solutions with clean code output and built-in hosting.
These alternatives aren’t just technically superior - they’re often more cost-effective in the long run. Whether you choose a developer-focused framework or a visual builder, you’re getting tools built for today’s web, not carrying two decades of technical debt.
Making the switch
Moving away from WordPress isn’t just about choosing different tools - it’s about embracing a better way of building websites. It’s about delivering faster, more secure sites that don’t require constant maintenance. It’s about spending time on creating value rather than managing plugins and updates.
I’ve experienced this evolution firsthand. My journey started with WordPress, moved to Webflow, and finally landed on Astro. Each step reduced costs and improved performance. The most dramatic change came with the switch to Astro - my hosting costs dropped to zero (except for the domain), site speed improved dramatically, and I haven’t had to think about security updates since. That’s what modern web development should be like.
Looking ahead
WordPress served its purpose well, but web development has evolved. We now have tools that deliver better performance out of the box, stronger security by default, and cleaner development experiences. They might require learning new approaches, but isn’t that what makes our field exciting?
The next time you’re starting a new project, resist the urge to default to WordPress just because it’s familiar. Your future self will thank you for making a more informed choice. After all, the web is evolving - shouldn’t our tools evolve too?