The WordPress situation: More than just growing pains

The conflict runs deeper than trademark disputes. On September 25, 2024, Automattic blocked WP Engine from accessing the WordPress.org plugin and theme repository, forcing thousands of WP Engine customers to update their plugins and themes manually or seek alternative solutions. For many developers and site owners, this sudden disruption to their workflow highlighted just how quickly essential functionality could be impacted by corporate decisions.

What's particularly troubling is how this dispute highlights WordPress's evolution from a community-driven platform to one increasingly shaped by corporate interests. When a hosting provider as established as WP Engine – which manages over 1.5 million WordPress sites – can face such restrictions, it raises serious questions about platform independence.

Why Craft CMS deserves your attention now

At Liquid, we've switched several client projects to Craft CMS over the past year, and the difference has been striking. While WordPress feels like a Swiss Army knife trying to be everything to everyone, Craft is more like a high-end chef's knife – purpose-built for content-first websites that prioritize performance and security.

To give an example, a company recently contacted us because their WordPress site is overloaded and crashes constantly. It’s a fairly complex website with memberships, events, product sales, multiple languages, and more. To enable all this functionality, they have 53 plugins installed, which makes updating the site impossible due to incompatibility issues between them. When one is updated, another breaks. Does that sound familiar?

Here's what stands out in real-world usage:

Content management that actually makes sense

Instead of wrestling with page builders or Advanced Custom Fields configurations, Craft lets you model content exactly as you need it. Recently, we built a multi-language product catalog for a premium Japanese pastry in Barcelona. With Craft's native Matrix fields, we created complex product layouts that marketing could update without touching code – try doing that cleanly in WordPress without installing five different plugins.

Security without the plugin anxiety

Remember the critical WooCommerce vulnerability from last fall that affected millions of stores? That's the kind of nightmare Craft users rarely face. Since Craft's core handles most functionality you'd need plugins for in WordPress, there are fewer potential security holes. When one of our clients needed an e-commerce solution, Craft Commerce provided everything out of the box, with regular security updates directly from the Craft team.

Developer experience that respects your time

Craft's templating system, built on Twig, feels like a breath of fresh air compared to WordPress's template hierarchy. At Liquid, we specialize in implementing bespoke designs in Craft, and the development process is remarkably efficient. Rather than fighting against preset structures and templates, Twig lets us build exactly what our clients need. The clean, logical syntax and Craft's flexible approach to content structuring means we can focus on crafting the perfect solution instead of working around platform limitations.

A community that's actually independent

The biggest difference? Craft's development isn't driven by competing corporate interests. Pixel & Tonic, the company behind Craft, has maintained a consistent vision focused on empowering developers and content creators. Their business model is refreshingly straightforward: sell a great CMS, provide excellent support, and keep improving the product.

For a broader overview of how these two platforms compare beyond the recent ecosystem changes, you might find our comprehensive comparison between Craft CMS and WordPress helpful.

Making the switch: Practical considerations

If you're considering moving away from WordPress, here's what you need to know about Craft:

  • Licensing: Yes, Craft costs money ($279 for a Team license). But compare that to what you're probably spending on premium WordPress plugins and themes annually.
  • Learning Curve: PHP developers will feel at home, but you'll need to learn Twig and Craft's content modeling approach. Give yourself about two weeks to get comfortable.
  • Migration: While moving content from WordPress isn't automatic, Craft's import tools make it manageable. We typically budget 3-5 days for a medium-sized site migration.

Looking ahead

The WordPress ecosystem isn't going to collapse overnight, but its recent turbulence should make us all think carefully about where we build our digital foundations. Craft CMS offers a compelling alternative that prioritizes stability, security, and developer satisfaction over market dominance.

If you're feeling uncertain about WordPress's direction, we'd encourage you to spin up a Craft demo project. The clarity of its approach to content management might just convince you that there's a better way to build websites.

Need help evaluating if Craft CMS is right for your project? Our team at Liquid has vast experience with Craft CMS and can help with your WordPress-to-Craft migration. Let's talk about your specific needs.