Let’s be real. WordPress has been around forever, and for good reason — it’s easy to set up, has a massive plugin ecosystem, and powers a huge chunk of the internet. But despite all that, WordPress kinda sucks. And while we still use it for certain clients or quick one-off projects, as an agency, we prefer Next.js by a long shot. Here’s why.
Too Much Bloat, Right Out the Box
WordPress starts off heavy. Even before you add themes or plugins, the base install includes code you probably won’t use. Then add a theme, a couple of plugins, and suddenly your site is slow, clunky, and full of unnecessary scripts and styles. You end up spending more time trying to undo things than actually building features.
With Next.js, we start lean. Every line of code is there because we wrote it. No surprises. No bloat.
Plugin Hell Is Real
WordPress plugins are convenient — until they’re not. One plugin update breaks another. A third one slows your site to a crawl. A fourth one hasn’t been updated since 2017 but is somehow still critical to your workflow.
Next.js apps don’t rely on a mess of third-party plugins for basic functionality. If we need something, we build it or choose a modern, well-maintained package — and we stay in control.
Security Is a Constant Headache
Because WordPress is so widely used, it’s a huge target for hackers. Many vulnerabilities come from outdated plugins, themes, or even WordPress core. Unless you’re super disciplined with updates and security practices, you’re risking downtime or worse.
With a custom-built Next.js site, especially one deployed to platforms like Vercel, security is tighter by default. Static generation, serverless functions, and a minimal backend footprint means fewer attack surfaces.
You Don’t Really Own the Experience
Even with pre-built WordPress templates, you’re often stuck working within the theme’s limitations. Sure, there’s a visual editor, but try going beyond the defaults — and suddenly you’re knee-deep in PHP, theme files, and hook documentation.
With Next.js, even when we use pre-built UI kits or components, we still have full agency. Want a complex animation, a headless CMS, or a fully custom checkout experience? No problem. You’re not locked in.
Speed Matters — and WordPress Struggles
In 2025, nobody waits around for a website to load. WordPress can be optimized, yes — but it’s not fast out of the gate. You’ll need caching plugins, CDNs, image optimization hacks, and even then, results are inconsistent.
Next.js? Lightning fast from the start. Between static site generation (SSG), incremental static regeneration (ISR), and edge functions, we can deliver performance that WordPress simply can’t match.
Poor Developer Experience
WordPress development is mostly PHP-based, often mixed with jQuery and outdated tooling. That’s not fun — or efficient. Debugging is slow. Modern practices like hot reloading or type safety? Forget it.
Compare that to working in Next.js with TypeScript, ES6 modules, and frameworks like Tailwind CSS — development is faster, cleaner, and way more enjoyable.
It’s 2025 — Time to Move On
WordPress had its time. And yes, it still works in some cases — like blog-heavy sites or super budget-constrained clients. But for modern businesses that want speed, flexibility, scalability, and great user experience, WordPress feels like a step back.
So Why Do We Still Use It Sometimes?
Some clients just need something simple and cheap, fast. WordPress is great for that. It’s also familiar to many non-tech users. If someone insists on being able to log in and tweak things with a page builder, and their needs are basic, we’ll deliver a clean WordPress site with as little bloat as possible.
But when we’re building something that actually matters — a brand’s main site, a product, a custom dashboard, or an AI integration — it’s Next.js every time.