This is meant to be funny, so take a deep breath and relax your trigger finger if you’re a die-hard WordPress fan. I’ll be honest: WordPress dominates the internet and, for the most part, it does a decent job at what it set out to do. But let’s stop pretending it’s the magical “one-size-fits-all” solution people make it out to be. Just because it runs half the web doesn’t mean it’s right for your project.
Let’s Start With the Man Himself
Matt Mullenweg and a bunch of talented devs originally set out to build an open-source blogging platform. The key phrase there is open source. It was built by developers for developers, and the idea was that plugins would let us expand it endlessly. The sky was the limit…
…until Matt decided to take legal action against WP Engine for selling WordPress hosting without giving him a slice. Open source literally means they don’t have to pay him a dime, yet here we are. That move shook developers everywhere and left many of us feeling like someone pulled the rug out from under the entire open-source philosophy. And honestly? It’s not a good look.
Security? Yeah, About That…
When something powers a massive portion of the internet, it becomes a playground for hackers. WordPress isn’t usually the culprit at the core level, but the plugin ecosystem? That’s a whole different story. A single outdated plugin can turn your site into a hacker’s amusement park. You can absolutely secure WordPress, but it usually takes extra work and constant vigilance.
The Database Structure Makes Me Cry
If you’ve ever peeked under the hood, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Everything goes into wp_posts. Everything. Custom post types? Pages? Products? Random plugin junk? Toss it all into the same bucket!
I’ve seen sites with millions of post IDs, yes, millions, and at that point, every query feels like digging through a landfill with a teaspoon. It works perfectly fine for small to medium sites, but if you’re trying to run a massive enterprise platform? Forget it. Pick a proper framework or platform built for scale.
So… What Should You Use Instead?
I’m so glad you asked.
Because despite everything I’ve just said, the answer isn’t “never use WordPress.” It’s all about choosing the right tool for the right job.
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Large enterprise eCommerce?
Go with Shopify or Magento: platforms built for serious transactional load. -
Large, custom, heavy-logic sites?
Laravel or another framework is going to treat you much better. -
Small to medium websites?
WordPress is perfectly fine. In fact, it’s great. It’s fast to build on, flexible, and cost-effective.
WordPress doesn’t suck because it’s bad. It sucks because people misuse it, abuse it, and expect it to scale into things it was never meant to be. Used correctly, it’s a fantastic tool. Used incorrectly, it will make you scream into the void.
And yes, I still use it. Because when the shoe fits… it fits.