Next.js or WordPress for a small business website?
Both can power a good business website. Here is an honest comparison of speed, cost, editing, security and maintenance, so you can choose what fits.
If you are planning a website, someone will probably ask whether you want WordPress or something more custom. I build with Next.js, so I have a preference, and I will say so upfront. This is an honest comparison, because the right answer depends on your business.
What they are
WordPress is a content management system. You log in, edit pages in a visual editor and add features through plugins and themes. A very large share of the web uses it.
Next.js is a framework for building websites and web apps with React. Developers write the site as code, and it can connect to any content source or database.
Where WordPress is a good choice
- You want to edit the site yourself. The editor is familiar and there is a huge community.
- You need a standard site quickly. Themes and plugins cover many common needs.
- Your budget is tight and your needs are simple. A well-chosen theme can be a sensible, affordable start.
Where Next.js is a good choice
- Speed matters. Pages can be prepared in advance and served quickly, which helps on slow mobile connections.
- You need something custom. Booking flows, dashboards, customer accounts or integrations are easier to build cleanly in code.
- You want fewer moving parts to patch. A custom site has no plugin ecosystem to keep updating, although it still needs care.
- You plan to grow it into an app. A website can become a web or mobile product without starting from scratch.
The trade-offs people forget
Maintenance
WordPress needs regular updates to the core, themes and plugins. Out-of-date plugins are a common way sites get hacked. A custom Next.js site has a smaller surface to patch, but it needs a developer for changes unless I build you an admin area.
Editing
On WordPress you can change text yourself on day one. On a custom site, editing depends on how it was built. A good build includes a simple admin panel so you are not calling your developer to fix a typo.
Cost over time
WordPress can be cheaper to launch. Custom work costs more upfront, and for the right project it saves money later through fewer plugins, less fixing and better performance. Compare the total cost over a year or two, as I describe in what a website costs in Sierra Leone.
Security
Both can be secure and both can be careless. What matters is who builds it, how it is updated and who has access.
A simple way to decide
- A small brochure site you will edit yourself: WordPress is often enough.
- A site where speed, custom features or growth matter: consider Next.js.
- Not sure: describe what the site must do, and let the developer recommend the smallest tool that does it.
My view
I would never push a custom build on a business that only needs a simple page. I would also not recommend a pile of plugins for a business that depends on its website to take bookings or payments. Ask any developer why they recommend what they recommend.
You can see what I build on the portfolio page, or tell me about your project and I will give you an honest recommendation.