An Overview of WordPress’ Competition

wordpress laptopWordPress (WP) is a platform which stands out from the rest of the content management systems (CMSs). It is estimated that around one-fourth of internet content is managed via this solution, which is already enough to strike awe. The driving force behind this stellar success is certainly WP’s user-friendliness. You do not have to possess coding or web design skills in order to get the digital show on the road. Also, there is a myriad of available themes and plugins. So, is WP simply the best or are there other systems out there that are worth our while?

A good many

WP gets a whole lot of love from the online community. It is hailed for its unparalleled ease of use, as well as its versatility and power. Users see it as a key to owning a prime digital real estate, an SEO and user-friendly website. The learning curve is not as steep as with most of the competition and it is powerful enough that some of the biggest websites mount it. Then again, WP’s nimbleness allows it to accommodate smaller blogs and websites as well. On top of all that, there is a searchable database, constant updates, and a dedicated community – everything a user needs to get started now.

You may think that WP is a one-size-fits-all solution, but still, no CMS is perfect. Moreover, WP is not the only publishing platform with a wide array of features and a large following.  For example, Medium is not a full-fledged CMS, instead, it has blogging aspect working to its advantage. There are no themes and plugins to mess around with: What you receive is clutter-free writing area for publishers and flawless reading area for visitors. It is a hosted platform and ideal for beginners in the blogosphere. There are some other excellent pieces of software like Ghost that focus on seamless blogging experience.

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As we can see, even the heartland around which WP’s success was built, the blogging landscape, is not safe from the competition. Furthermore, well-liked platforms such as Drupal and Joomla have their advantages. The latter is a multi-purpose, open-source CMS with a large community of users and developers. Basically, it can do all the things WP is able to, with some additional features. Drupal is also open-source software with modules and themes similar to WP and pretty much the same software requirements. Now, although it seems that these two solutions are on par with WP, if we measure ease of use, they do not hold up.

An alternative approach

So, let us take a look at some other alternatives, like Ucraft. This one is a website builder that has much of the functionalities of WP, but it is even more suitable for not-particularly-tech-savvy newcomers and people without code tweaking mastery. It is one of the most user-friendly solutions I have come across and thus quite capable of at least challenging the WP’s supreme reign.  What is more, some other specialized solutions, like Shopify, target a specific type of users, in this case, owners of online stores, and attract some of those that would otherwise opt for WP.

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The appeal of simple, automated builders is linked to the fact that WP can sometimes give you a hard time. If you want to make regular content updates, it plays out nice and easy. However, implementing advanced graphic alternations or functionalities requires coding skills. Namely, to make the most of WP, you do have some learning to do, and the learning curve gets steeper. Either that or you hire a developer and solve your problems. Alas, lack of money and time could undermine your attempt to maximize WP’s potential, and it turns out that WP could be overkill for some users.

Hence, we have to note that WP has become a victim of its own success. The competition is trying to mimic or surpass it, and some have managed to do it. They simply add some value that WP cannot: Ease of use, customer support, absence of coding requirements, DIY approach, etc. We have not even mentioned Wix, which is a great all-around CMS, or Weebly, a drag-and-drop platform as simple as ABC. So, do not hesitate to explore options beyond WP. Yes, it may have many great advantages going for it, but you could easily find a CMS that best suits your specific needs, the level of tech expertise, and industry or niche requirements.

Rule(r)s of the game

WP is still the most used platform in the online world and its simplicity is hard to match. While competitors are many, WordPress was and remains the sovereign leader in the world of ready-made CMS solutions.

Dan Radak

Dan Radak

Dan Radak is a marketing professional with eleven years of experience. He is currently working with a number of companies in the field of digital marketing, closely collaborating with a couple of e-commerce companies. He is also a coauthor on several technology websites and regular contributor to Technivorz.