Case Study

Statamic vs Wordpress

WordPress is a popular CMS for simple websites due to its ease of use, but it struggles with scalability and security as businesses grow.

Our Experience in CMS Development

We have developed or inherited numerous websites utilizing both Statamic and WordPress as content management systems (CMS). As our clients' needs have grown and the platforms have evolved, we’ve gained in-depth knowledge of the strengths and limitations of each CMS, helping us deliver tailored solutions that scale with business requirements.

WordPress: Where It Excels

WordPress, the world's most widely used CMS, is renowned for its simplicity and accessibility. For individuals or small businesses looking to quickly establish a web presence, WordPress offers an affordable and user-friendly solution with minimal technical expertise required. This ease of use is precisely why WordPress dominates the CMS landscape.

However, as businesses scale and seek more complex functionality, WordPress can struggle. Although it's well-suited for blogs and basic informational sites, extending WordPress beyond its intended use quickly reveals its inherent limitations.

Why Statamic Shines in Customization

At its core, Statamic functions similarly to WordPress when managing simple websites, offering an intuitive interface for non-technical users to create and manage content. However, Statamic’s true power lies in its flexibility and scalability for customized websites.

One of the biggest challenges with WordPress is deciding how to approach custom functionality. If you build a plugin, you need to dance your way around WordPress's legacy architecture in order to take advantage of the last 10 years of progress in the world of PHP.

Statamic Team

Built on Laravel, the leading PHP framework, Statamic allows developers to leverage the full capabilities of Laravel, making it ideal for bespoke web development. This means you can build highly customized features and easily integrate them within Statamic, allowing even non-developers to manage complex systems with ease.

Content Creation: A Streamlined Experience

WordPress’s evolution has resulted in a fragmented approach to content creation, with users forced to navigate between page builders, block editors, classic editors, and various third-party tools like ACF and React. This creates a steep learning curve for managing large websites.

In contrast, Statamic offers a streamlined content management experience. Its consistent and intuitive structure allows editors to create and organize content without the hassle of multiple editing tools. For sites of any significant size, this simplicity can transform content creation from a frustrating chore into an efficient and enjoyable process.

Security: A Critical Difference

In 2023, a staggering 95.5% of hacked CMS-based websites were running on WordPress, even though the platform holds only 62.8% of the market share (source). This vulnerability largely stems from WordPress’s reliance on plugins and frequent updates. Without a dedicated developer actively maintaining your site, you’re exposed to potential threats, including outdated or malicious plugins.

Statamic provides a more secure foundation for website development. Key security advantages of Statamic over WordPress include:

No Database by Default. Statamic eliminates one of the most common attack vectors—SQL injection—by not relying on a traditional database for most configurations. This makes automated attacks far less effective.
Trusted Core Developers. Statamic's core features are maintained by a dedicated, trusted development team, reducing the risk of vulnerabilities introduced by unvetted third-party plugins.
Laravel Security. Built on Laravel, Statamic inherits the security advantages of one of the most respected and well-maintained PHP frameworks available today.

Conclusion

WordPress remains an excellent option for small, blog-oriented, or informational websites due to its simplicity and accessibility. However, when your website requires customization, scalability, and complex integrations, a CMS designed to handle such demands is critical. Statamic, with its robust customization capabilities and security, is ideally suited for businesses that need a platform capable of evolving.

Choosing the right CMS early on can prevent costly redevelopment down the road, and understanding your long-term needs will help you make an informed decision from the outset.

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If you're evaluating content management systems, we would love to help.