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WordPress Guide → Vs → Craft
Craft CMS vs WordPress: Which CMS is right for you?
Craft CMS and WordPress are two of the most popular content management systems available today, but they serve very different types of users. If you’re wondering which one is better for your project, you’re in the right place.
Let’s break down the differences in customization, content modeling, plugins, security, pricing, and more to help you make the best choice.
What is Craft CMS?
Craft CMS is a developer-first content management system built by Pixel & Tonic. It’s designed to give designers and developers full control over every part of a website, from content modeling to front-end markup.
Instead of working with pre-made templates or themes, you start from a blank slate and create the exact experience you want. Craft is especially popular with agencies and organizations building complex or highly customized websites.
There’s a free Solo license for single-user personal sites, but most commercial projects use the $299 Pro license. Craft CMS also offers enterprise licensing and official support options.
What is WordPress?
WordPress powers more than 40% of all websites, and for good reason: it’s fast to set up, easy to use, and endlessly extendable. Originally built for blogging, it has evolved into a full-fledged CMS with themes, plugins, ecommerce, and REST APIs.
You can use WordPress in two ways:
- WordPress.com offers a hosted service with built-in infrastructure and support.
- WordPress.org provides open-source software you can install on your own server.
WordPress is free to use and has a huge ecosystem of themes, plugins, and tutorials. It’s ideal for beginners, solo creators, and small businesses.
Craft CMS vs WordPress: quick comparison
Here’s how the two platforms stack up across core categories:
| Feature | Craft CMS | WordPress |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | Requires developer setup | Beginner-friendly, easy admin interface |
| Customization | Total control with Twig and templates | Theme- and plugin-based customization |
| Content modeling | Granular, flexible with fields/sections | Limited without plugins or custom code |
| Themes | No themes, fully custom front-end | Thousands of pre-built themes available |
| Plugins | Smaller, premium ecosystem | 59,000+ plugins, many free |
| Performance | Lean and fast by default | Depends on hosting and plugin load |
| Security | Strong with limited external code | Frequent updates needed, plugin risk |
| SEO tools | SEOmatic and manual optimization | Plugins like Yoast or RankMath |
| Price | $299/site (Pro), plus hosting | Free software, but premium plugins/themes |
| Best for | Agencies, custom projects, enterprises | Blogs, small business, general websites |
Flexibility and customization
Craft CMS is a blank canvas. You get full control over the front-end with Twig templates and can define every content field and relationship exactly how you want. This makes it perfect for unique, brand-specific designs.
WordPress is also customizable, but it relies heavily on themes and plugins. You can override templates or use a page builder like Elementor, but the customization often happens within a structured system.
Content modeling and structure
Craft CMS lets you create custom sections, fields, entry types, and Matrix blocks right from the admin dashboard. You can structure your content types exactly the way your project needs.
In contrast, WordPress has posts, pages, and custom post types. Adding custom fields or relationships typically requires plugins like Advanced Custom Fields or writing code. It works, but it’s not as intuitive for complex data relationships.
Ease of use and learning curve
WordPress is known for its simplicity. Most users can get a site up and running in minutes, and the admin interface is intuitive even for non-technical users.
Craft CMS requires more technical setup. You’ll need to install it using Composer, configure environment variables, and build your templates manually. Once built, content editors find the control panel clean and easy to use, but getting there takes developer help.
Plugin ecosystems
WordPress wins in terms of size. With tens of thousands of free and premium plugins, you can add almost any feature imaginable without writing code.
Craft CMS has a much smaller plugin store, but it’s more curated. Most plugins are developed by professionals and sold through the Craft Plugin Store. You’ll often find fewer conflicts, better support, and more predictable performance.
Themes and design options
WordPress gives you thousands of free and premium themes, plus tools like page builders to tweak the look and feel without touching code.
Craft CMS does not use themes at all. Every site is built from scratch using templates and custom CSS/JS. This gives designers total control but requires time and coding knowledge.
Performance and security
Craft CMS tends to be faster out of the box, because there’s no theme or plugin bloat. It also avoids common vulnerabilities by limiting third-party code and enforcing strong development practices.
WordPress sites can be fast and secure too, but only with regular updates, well-vetted plugins, and performance tuning. Because of its popularity, WordPress is a frequent target for malware and brute-force attacks.
Pricing and licensing
WordPress is free to download and use. You’ll still need to pay for hosting, premium themes, and premium plugins—but there’s no license fee for the core software.
Craft CMS has a free Solo tier for personal use, but the Pro license costs $299 per project. Most commercial projects also pay for premium plugins. It’s not expensive in the agency world, but it’s something to factor into the budget.
Scalability and enterprise use
Craft CMS is built for complex, scalable projects. It includes native support for multisite setups, localization, and headless CMS use cases. Many large agencies and brands use Craft for performance and content control.
WordPress can scale as well, especially with custom development and managed hosting. However, scaling a large WordPress site often involves caching, database tuning, and plugin auditing to avoid slowdowns.
SEO and marketing tools
WordPress has the upper hand here. Plugins like Yoast, RankMath, and All in One SEO make optimization easy—even for non-technical users. Plus, marketing automation tools integrate easily.
Craft CMS uses SEOmatic (a powerful premium plugin) and gives you full control over metadata, schema, and robots. It’s less plug-and-play, but very effective for teams that know what they’re doing.
Support and community
WordPress has a global community with thousands of tutorials, forums, meetups, and experts. You’re never far from a solution or plugin.
Craft CMS has a smaller but professional community, mostly made up of agencies and developers. The official Discord and Stack Exchange channels are active, and Pro licenses include direct support from Pixel & Tonic.
Developer workflow and version control
Craft CMS supports modern development workflows. You can install via Composer, manage plugins as dependencies, and use Git for version control. It’s designed for staging environments, CI/CD, and deployment pipelines.
WordPress supports development workflows too, but often requires manual setup or extra tooling (like WP-CLI, Git hooks, or build scripts). Many changes happen via the admin UI, which can make syncing between environments harder.
When to choose Craft CMS vs WordPress
Use Craft CMS if:
- You need total control over layout, content types, and front-end performance.
- You have developers or are working with an agency.
- Your project involves complex relationships, multilingual support, or API integrations.
Use WordPress if:
- You want to build a site quickly without touching code.
- You’re on a tight budget.
- You need blogging, ecommerce, or basic business website functionality.
WordPress cloning FAQs
Next steps for choosing between Craft CMS and WordPress
Craft CMS and WordPress are both powerful platforms, but they serve very different needs. The best choice depends on your goals, budget, and technical capabilities.
If you’re looking for rapid deployment, a huge community, and budget-friendly flexibility, WordPress is the go-to. If you need a highly customized, performant CMS with developer-driven architecture, Craft CMS may be the better fit.
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Additional resources
How to build a WordPress site →
A complete beginner’s guide that covers 9 key steps to a successful launch
Google Sites vs WordPress: Which is Better for Your Website →
Compare WordPress and Google Sites to understand which platform offers better flexibility, features, and scalability for your website needs.
Intro to WordPress caching →
Types of caching, plugins that can help, and more
