I have built websites on both WordPress and Next.js for over a decade. I have migrated clients from WordPress to Next.js. I have also told clients to stay on WordPress when it made more sense. This is not a fanboy article. This is what I have seen work and fail in real businesses.
The short answer: WordPress is not dead, but it is no longer the default.
The honest comparison
Let me lay out the differences that actually matter to your business. Not the ones developers argue about on Reddit.
| Factor | WordPress | Next.js | |--------|----------|---------| | Build time | 1-2 weeks (theme + plugins) | 2-4 weeks (custom build) | | Upfront cost | 5,000-25,000 DKK | 15,000-60,000 DKK | | Monthly cost | 200-800 DKK (hosting + plugins) | 0-200 DKK (static hosting) | | Page speed | 2-6 seconds typical | Under 1 second typical | | SEO ceiling | Good with effort | Excellent by default | | Maintenance | Weekly updates required | Minimal, deploy-and-forget | | Content editing | Built-in editor, familiar | Headless CMS or MDX files | | Plugin ecosystem | 60,000+ plugins | npm packages + custom code | | Security | Constant patching needed | Minimal attack surface | | Scalability | Struggles past 50k visits/month | Handles millions on CDN |
Numbers do not lie. But numbers without context are useless. Let me explain when each one actually matters.
When WordPress wins
WordPress powers 43% of the internet for a reason. It solves real problems for real businesses.
You need to launch this week
If your timeline is measured in days, not weeks, WordPress wins. Pick a theme, install WooCommerce, add your content, done. You are live by Friday. Next.js requires a developer. WordPress requires clicking.
Your team needs to edit content daily
WordPress has the most intuitive content editor in the industry. Your marketing team can update pages, publish blog posts, and swap images without touching code or calling a developer. If your business produces a lot of content and your team is non-technical, that editor is worth real money.
You need very specific functionality fast
Need a booking system? Plugin. Need a membership area? Plugin. Need multilingual support? Plugin. The WordPress ecosystem has a solution for almost everything, and most of them work well enough.
I built SYDDK.dk on WordPress because the client needed a content-heavy site with frequent updates, multilingual support, and a tight budget. WordPress was the right call.
Your budget is under 15,000 DKK
At this price point, you are choosing between a WordPress site with a premium theme or a Squarespace site. Next.js is not in the conversation because the development time alone would eat that budget.
When Next.js wins
Next.js is a React framework built by Vercel. It is what we use for Build444.com and most of our client projects.
You care about page speed
And this is not a marginal difference. WordPress sites with a few plugins typically load in 3-5 seconds. A well-built Next.js site loads in under a second. Google has been clear: Core Web Vitals affect rankings. A one-second improvement in load time can increase conversions by 7%.
Build444.com scores 98-100 on Lighthouse performance. We did not do anything special. We just used Next.js the way it was designed to be used. Try getting those numbers on WordPress without spending weeks optimizing.
You want SEO that works out of the box
Next.js gives you server-side rendering, automatic code splitting, built-in image optimization, and a metadata API that generates perfect Open Graph tags and structured data. With WordPress, you need Yoast, a caching plugin, an image optimizer, and a CDN just to get to the starting line.
I wrote more about this in why Next.js websites rank better.
You need a custom user experience
WordPress themes are templates. You can customize them, but you always hit a ceiling. With Next.js, you are building from scratch with React components. Every interaction, every animation, every piece of logic is exactly what you designed. No fighting with theme limitations.
We built Hattemanden.dk on Shopify with a custom frontend for this exact reason. The client needed a specific product browsing experience that no template could deliver.
You want lower long-term costs
WordPress looks cheaper upfront. It is not cheaper over 3 years.
- Premium themes: 400-1,500 DKK/year
- Plugin licenses: 500-3,000 DKK/year
- Managed hosting: 200-800 DKK/month
- Security monitoring: 200-500 DKK/month
- Developer hours for updates: 2-4 hours/month
A Next.js site on Netlify or Vercel costs 0-200 DKK/month for hosting. No plugins to renew. No security patches. No PHP version conflicts. The total cost of ownership is lower by year two in most cases.
Your site needs to scale
WordPress runs on a server. When traffic spikes, that server struggles. You can add caching, CDNs, and load balancers, but you are duct-taping a fundamentally server-dependent architecture.
Next.js can be deployed as static files on a global CDN. Your site in Tokyo loads just as fast as your site in Copenhagen. No server to overload.
The headless middle ground
What most comparison articles miss: you do not have to choose one or the other.
Headless WordPress means you use WordPress as your content management system and Next.js as your frontend. Your content team keeps the WordPress editor they know. Your visitors get the speed and SEO benefits of Next.js.
This approach works well when:
- You have an existing WordPress site with years of content
- Your team is deeply trained on WordPress workflows
- You want modern performance without retraining everyone
The tradeoff is complexity. You are running two systems instead of one. That means higher initial development cost and more moving parts to maintain.
What about React vs WordPress?
React is the library. Next.js is the framework built on React. When people search "React vs WordPress," they usually mean Next.js vs WordPress. Raw React without a framework is a bad choice for a business website because you lose server-side rendering, routing, and image optimization. Always use the framework.
How to decide in 5 minutes
Answer these questions honestly:
- Is your budget under 15,000 DKK? Go WordPress.
- Do you need to launch in under a week? Go WordPress.
- Is page speed a competitive advantage for you? Go Next.js.
- Do you need custom functionality beyond what plugins offer? Go Next.js.
- Will non-technical people edit content daily? Lean WordPress, or go headless.
- Are you planning to scale past 10,000 monthly visitors? Go Next.js.
If you answered "Next.js" to three or more, that is your answer.
What we do at Build444
We build on whatever makes sense for the client. Build444.com runs on Next.js because we needed perfect SEO, blazing speed, and full design control. We have built WordPress sites for clients who needed fast launches with tight budgets.
The worst thing you can do is pick a platform based on what your developer prefers. Pick based on what your business needs. If you are not sure, our full guide on choosing the right web developer covers how to evaluate whether a developer is recommending technology for your benefit or theirs.
Need help deciding? Check out our web development services or grab a free SEO report to see where your current site stands before making any changes.
