The best WordPress alternatives in 2026

WordPress has been at the forefront of website development and building for the last 20 or so years. So much so that 43.5% of websites around the world use WordPress. They have achieved this dominance by creating the ultimate content management system (CMS) for users. Despite that, even if the platform is so dominant today, it still has its flaws and downfalls. It’s not the perfect platform for all businesses. Thankfully, there are many WordPress alternatives available, which we will cover in this article.

What is WordPress?

WordPress is the most famous open-source content management system (CMS) used to create websites, blogs, and online stores. Known for its flexibility, it supports thousands of themes and plugins, making it ideal for both beginners and advanced users. It’s also used by large corporations or organizations like NASA, Salesforce, Samsung, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Conde Nast.

Why use WordPress alternatives?

There are multiple reasons why WordPress alternatives might be the better solution for you. Here are the main issues you can experience with WordPress.

1. It can be slow.

The platform generally works well, but websites running on WordPress can be slow at times. This is a serious issue in terms of SEO. Slow websites have lower SEO rankings. That means fewer visitors. And even if you do attract visitors, slow website speeds can harm your on-site conversion rate. No one wants to browse a slow website, and they want to purchase from you even less.

2. Limited hosting solutions.

You have two hosting solutions with WordPress. You can pay to have WordPress host your website, or you can use your own hosting solution. Their hosting solution is expensive and the performance is not the best. Especially when you consider that some other platforms have cheaper solutions that provide better performance. Self-hosting is a solution, but it can also be costly, depending on the option you choose.

3. Safety and security issues.

WordPress sometimes has some safety and security issues as the platform doesn’t have the tightest or most rigid system. This is not always an issue. It depends on your business and your priorities.

4. You need a developer to get the most out of it.

WordPress is not always as easy as people make it out to be. There are many features you need a web developer for. This can make it an even more expensive platform to use for you if you have not planned to hire one. Nonetheless, you can always use a WordPress freelance expert.

5. Plugins are not always the best solution.

On paper, plugins sound like the perfect solution to any issue you encounter in growing your business. But the truth is a bit different. Free plugins are great but limited. Even though they can help solve various problems, they are not the perfect solution and don’t generate the best results. Paid plugins are much more powerful. The problem is that once you subscribe or pay for some plugins, it can quickly become expensive.

Who should use WordPress alternatives?

This is a subjective question to answer. But if you’re not currently using WordPress, it’s better to start with a different platform so you don’t risk having issues in the future when your website or business grows. If you’re currently using WordPress but are not satisfied with the platform, you should change as soon as possible. Even if it’s time-consuming.

Many companies prefer a custom website when they don’t need one, and they don’t understand how much it costs because you need a developer to maintain it. What you need is a professional website optimized for search engine optimization (SEO) that loads quickly.

Nowadays, many web platforms provide SEO optimization, Quick loading speeds, and professional themes. You can easily find an alternative to WordPress that will cost you much less to maintain and use. Even in terms of SEO, many platforms offer better tools.

The best WordPress alternatives in 2026

1. Wix

One of the famous website builders, Wix has an easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor that enables you to create professional and attractive websites with no coding or design skills needed. It’s one of the best WordPress alternatives for people starting without much experience. They also include free hosting in their plans.

It’s easy and quick to launch a website with Wixm, and the platform has many tools to help you start. You will nonetheless have fewer customization options than WordPress enables you to.

Wix pros

No need for coding knowledge.
Many high-quality SEO tools.
Many website templates to choose from.
Free hosting is included in plans.
Perfect for beginners and flexible for developers.

Wix cons

It’s expensive, especially at the beginning.
Once the website is launched, you can’t change the template.
The free plan is limited as it includes a branded subdomain and Wix ads.

Wix pricing

There are four different paid plans with various features. The light plan works for simple websites. But you will need the Core, Business, or Business Elite plan to sell on your website.

Light: Starts at $17 per month.
Core: Starts at $29 per month.
Business: Starts at $36 per month.
Business Elite: For $159 per month.

2. Webflow

Founded in 2013, Webflow is a web-based platform for creating websites without the need for any code. It has all kinds of personalization features, making it one of the best WordPress alternatives for people who have some design knowledge. It has an advanced website editor, and there are many resources to help you learn how to leverage the platform to the best of your ability.

What’s great about Webflow is that the platform enables users to use the flexible website editor to personalize their website rapidly. They can change the page elements however they want, make responsive designs, and it’s even possible to insert custom code.

Wix pros

An advanced drag-and-drop editor to edit your website.
A useful resource base to help you learn how to leverage the tool.
Makes it easy to collaborate and work on the same project with multiple people.
You can have an unlimited amount of backups.
You can use logic flows to automate workflows with actions, conditions, and triggers.

Wix cons

There are fewer themes and extensions than WordPress.
The email support is slow to respond and only available during business days.

Wix pricing

Webflow has a free plan like some of its competitors. It comes with a branded subdomain as well as a branded badge on your website. Once you upgrade to a paid plan, you won’t have to deal with the Webflow branding anymore, and you will have access to different features. You’ll find a breakdown of the pricing below.

Basic: For $14 per month, this plan is for more static and simple websites.
CMS: For $23 per month, this plan is for more content-oriented websites and blogs.
Business: For $39 per month, this plan is for larger websites that need more flexibility. It supports up to 300 pages on a website.
Enterprise: You need to contact Webflow to get a quote. This plan is for businesses that need a scalable solution.

3. Squarespace

Launched in 2004, Squarespace is another great alternative to WordPress. The platform has high-quality and professional templates. It has many features to help creators and businesses build their online presence with high-quality visuals and images.

The platform is perfect for websites with many images and that use visual aesthetics for branding. The templates are sleek and minimalistic. Many photographers, designers, and artists use them to create their websites. You can find templates provided by Squarespace or buy some on different websites. But they are most of the time focused on visuals. So, if your website relies more on text, you might want to use another option.

Squarespace pros

High-quality in-house templates.
A high-quality website editor with responsive designs.
Blogging capabilities (including features to monetize, custom permissions, and post-programming).
Analytics breakdowns.
E-commerce capabilities.
A mobile app to manage your website wherever you are.
Video editing tool.
The customer service is responsive, with 24/7 chat and email options.
You can buy extensions for your website (although it can end up being costly)

Squarespace cons

Squarespace has an expensive starting price compared to many platforms.
There is no version history or backup feature. This is a huge pain point when you’re editing your website.
The drag-and-drop editor is not super intuitive.

Squarespace pricing

Squarespace does not have a free plan. But you can get a 14-day trial for free to try out the platform. Here’s a breakdown of the different paid plans.

Personal: For $16 per month paid annually ($25 per month paid monthly), you can get basic features. But you can’t access the e-commerce features with this plan.
Business: For $23 per month paid annually ($36 per month paid monthly), you can unlock e-commerce functionalities. But you will have to pay 3% of transaction fees.
Commerce Basic: For $28 per month paid annually ($40 per month paid monthly), you won’t have any transaction fees to cover.
Commerce Advanced: For $52 per month paid annually ($72 per month paid monthly), you will have additional e-commerce functionalities to grow your business.

4. Duda

Duda is slightly less famous than other platforms, as it has only begun gaining popularity recently. This website builder’s strengths are its attractive designs and reliable performance. They have an easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor and advanced e-commerce capabilities. You can leverage the platform to sell services and products or white-label a product you want to sell.

Duda can be used by all types of companies. However, they are more geared towards agencies and BtoB companies who want to create website hosting for their platforms.

Duda pros

The drag-and-drop editor is easy to use and user-friendly.
Designs are responsive and look attractive on all devices.
Collaboration features make it easy for users to collaborate and work on the same project.
There’s built-in AWS hosting, which ensures good speeds and reliability for great performance.
There’s a client management tool that’s perfect for agencies or freelancers who need to build multiple websites.

Duda cons

There aren’t many integrations or plugins compared to WordPress or Wix.
Duda is expensive compared to many competitors.
There’s no built-in email marketing.
The platform offers less flexibility compared to others.

Duda pricing

There are no free plans on Duda, but you can get a 14-day free trial, just like on Squarespace. Here’s a breakdown of the different plans. It’s also important to note that all prices are 50% off if billed annually, so the prices below double if you want to monthly billing.

Basic: For $12.50 per month, you get one website and basic features.
Team: For $19.50, you still have one website, but you get more features and can have three members on the plan.
Agency: For $34.50 per month, the Agency plan lets you create four websites, and you can have six members.
White label: For $99.50 per month, you can make your websites your own and unlock more features.
Custom: Duda’s most complete plan. You need to talk to the sales team for more pricing information.

5. Shopify

If you’re focused on creating an e-commerce website, Shopify is one of the best WordPress alternatives, as it specializes in e-commerce. The platform works for both small and larger businesses. What’s great is that it offers many tools for businesses to grow and generate more revenue. Nonetheless, because the platform is focused on e-commerce, it has many blogging limitations. In addition, if your business is in a country that does not support Shopify Payments, there are expensive payment fees.

Shopify pros

Has an app store with over 10,000 free and paid apps to help you grow your business.
There’s a huge library of paid and free themes available. And if you don’t find what you like, you can buy a third-party one.
Commerce tools to sell across channels. Shopify supports offline and online stores with all kinds of business models, including dropshipping and BtoB.
You can have staff accounts to collaborate between teams in the business easily.
Shopify Payments is Shopify’s powerful payment system, which includes fraud detection and nullifies payment processing fees.
Shopify enables you to use over 100 payment methods in addition to their solution.
You can have unlimited products, regardless of your plan.
Shopify has helpful 24/7 live chat, phone, and email support.

Shopify cons

The blogging potential is extremely limited.
The transaction fees can be high for payments made through third-party processors.
Some countries can’t leverage Shopify Payments.
While it’s great to have access to many apps to grow your business, it can end up costing a lot.

Shopify pricing

Shopify’s pricing is high compared to many WordPress alternatives. In addition to a monthly fee, you have to pay transaction fees. Here’s a full breakdown of the different plans:

Starter: For $5 per month, this limited plan also has 5% plus 30 cents transaction fees on all transactions.
Retail: From $29 per month (paid annually. $39 paid monthly), this plan includes more features, and transaction fees are 2.9% plus 30 cents.
Retail: From $79 per month (paid annually. $89 paid monthly), this plan has more features, and transaction fees are 2.9% plus 30 cents.
Shopify: For $105 per month (paid annually. $79 paid monthly), this plan has more features, and transaction fees are 2.7% plus 30 cents.
Advanced: For $105 per month (paid annually. $79 paid monthly), the most complete plan. The transaction fees are 2.5% plus 30 cents.

As you can imagine, Shopify’s transaction fees can cost you a lot of money. If you’re looking for a Shopify alternative, here are the six best.

6. Hostinger Website Builder

Hostinger Website Builder is another high-quality WordPress alternative. The platform has a powerful drag-and-drop editor, a wide selection of templates, and AI tools to help you. It’s the perfect platform for newcomers and people with less technical experience to create an attractive and professional website.

The platform is one of the best WordPress alternatives for people with less experience who want to create an attractive website quickly. You can build a website on the platform in no time.

Hostinger pros

High-quality templates.
Built-in marketing tools like Google ads and SEO tools.
It’s possible to easily create an e-commerce website that supports popular payment methods like PayPal and Stripe.
Robust AI tools to help you build your website.
Super easy to use and requires no experience or technical knowledge.
There’s 24/7 live support.
The website builder is included in all hosting plans. You can even get a free domain for one year.

Hostinger cons

There’s no multi-level access for users.
The builder requires a Hostinger hosting plan.
This solution is limited in the long term as it’s not optimal for growth.

Hostinger pricing

There are two plans offered by Hostinger for the website builder. It’s important to note that Hostinger offers reasonably priced plans. Especially at the beginning, as they include 3 months for free. But this affordable plan is for a specific term. After that, the plan renews at a higher price.

Premium Website Builder: For $2.99 per month for 48 months (+3 months free).
Business Website Builder: For $3.99 per month for 48 months (+3 months free).

The main difference between the two plans is that the Business Website Builder unlocks e-commerce features you can use to start your online shop.

7. Drupal

Probably the most famous CMS platform after WordPress, Drupal is responsible for creating over 1.7 million websites. Many renowned websites are using the platform, like Nokia, Tesla, The Oxford Institute, and many more.

Drupal is a great WordPress alternative for users who have lots of experience and some coding knowledge. Both platforms are flexible and can be used in various ways. But Drupal is harder to use if you don’t have much coding knowledge or no coder in your team.

Drupal pros

A huge range of themes is available for use.
High-level security features.
Flexible access management for users.
Multilingual system to smoothly translate your website.
It’s easy to manage a significant quantity of content.

Drupal cons

It’s very difficult to use.
You need coding skills to maintain and optimize your website.

Drupal pricing

Drupal is a free, open-source platform, so it’s free to use it. But you may need to hire a developer. If you don’t want to hire someone full-time, you can also hire a freelancer. Of course, you will still need to buy a domain name and hosting.

8. Joomla

Joomla is one of the best CMS platforms because of all the features it offers. It’s flexible like WordPress, as you can create various sites like a social network or a niche blog. It’s similar to Dupral in the sense that you need technical skills to leverage it. Also, the setup can be intimidating as there are many settings to configure and admin pages. It’s not the best platform for newcomers or beginners.

Nonetheless, Joomla offers a lot of control over how you manage your website, making it one of the best WordPress alternatives for users with skills and experience.

Joomla pros

Super-flexible design. You can mix multiple templates and create a unique website.
There are many extensions available to help you grow your business and add functionalities.
Joomla takes security very seriously, with a security team that releases updates to consolidate security regularly.
A flexible user management system so you can manage what each user has access to.
There’s also a robust multilingual function that enables you to translate your website into multiple languages.
It’s free to download Joomla.

Joomla cons

There is no support team. Instead, you need to use the forum and community portal to find help.
You need technical skills and knowledge to manage and grow your website.

Joomla pricing

Joomla is free to use. But you still need to buy a domain name and hosting. In addition, what can end up costing you some money are the different extensions you use.

9. BigCommerce

Similarly to Shopify, BigCommerce is a platform with a website builder that specializes in e-commerce. It has built-in features to build and grow a multi-channel e-commerce website. The platform is more oriented towards medium to large businesses.

BigCommerce is a strong alternative to WordPress for larger companies looking to grow their online sales. There’s also a WordPress integration to combine the best of both worlds into one. Nonetheless, BigCommerce is a pricey alternative.

BigCommerce pros

A WordPress integration to leverage BigCommerce for your back end and WordPress for your front end. This solution helps you leverage the best of each platform.
Marketing tools are available to create coupons, accept payments in multiple currencies, and promotions.
With BigCommerce, you can manage different brands from one account, synchronize offline and online payments and inventory, and promote your products on social media and other channels.
You can create precise customer segments and personalize their experience on your site to increase your conversion rate.
You can have as many staff accounts as you want.
There are no transaction fees, which is a big plus compared to Shopify.
There’s a 24/7 customer service team available by call, chat, and email.
You can get precise and detailed analytics.

BigCommerce cons

BigCommerce is expensive and becomes even more costly as you grow your business.
The blogging and templates are limited.

BigCommerce pricing

BigCommerce does not have a free plan. Four different plans evolve as your business grows. You can also get a lower card rate if you subscribe to a more expensive plan. Here’s a breakdown of the different plans.

Standard: For individuals and small brands, this plan is for $29 per month (billed annually). The payment processing fees are 2.89% plus 29 cents.
Plus: For ambitious small businesses, this plan costs $79 per month (billed annually. The payment processing fees are 2.35% plus 49 cents.
Pro: For ambitious small businesses, this plan costs $299 per month (billed annually. The payment processing fees are 2.35% plus 49 cents.
Custom: For established businesses, contact them to get a quote.

10. Weebly

Launched in 2007, Weebly is a practical website builder with easy-to-use features. The drag-and-drop editor and reasonably priced plans make Weebly one of the most powerful WordPress alternatives for people with less technical skills and small businesses with limited resources.

Nonetheless, Weebly has fewer personalization features than WordPress. Since the platform does not specialize in blogging, the publishing capabilities are simple but limited.

Weebly pros

The free plan enables you to launch a simple e-commerce website.
Reasonable pricing.
Weebly has powerful e-commerce functionalities and enables you to accept Stripe, PayPal, and Square payments.
The blogging features support a simple and functional blog with tags, categories, commenting, and Facebook integrations.
There are SEO tools and features to enable you to optimize your website.
There’s a mobile app so you can edit your website and check your analytics wherever you are.

Weebly cons

You need the more expensive plan to access the abandoned cart recovery feature.
Personalization possibilities are limited. More advanced changes require code.
The free version, while functional, has Weebly’s branding and ads.

Weebly pricing

Weebly has a free plan and paid plans with additional features. The free plan is limited, as you will have Weebly branding and ads on your website. But it works for basic websites. Here’s a breakdown of the two paid plans.

Professional: For $14 per month (billed annually), you won’t have any more ads, and you can access more features.
Performance: This plan is the best for E-commerce, with many additional features and priority support. The plan costs $25 per month (billed annually).

ComeUp: Get a better website with freelance experts

Building a website can feel challenging and stressful when you feel like you have much to do and you’re not sure where to start. It can also feel overwhelming to choose a platform, given all the different options you have. But it doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. Now you have lots of helpful information to make an informed decision. You can also ask professionals for advice, as they can point you in the right direction.

ComeUp is a freelance marketplace platform that connects freelance experts with small to medium-sized businesses. You can find many skilled developers on the platform who can help you create and set up your website using WordPress or WordPress alternatives. Browse the platform or use the search bar to find the freelance expert you need. You can contact them before placing an order to get more information about their services.

ComeUp is one of the best freelance marketplace platforms to help you complete your projects. When you place an order on the platform, you pay for it upfront, but the freelancer is only paid once they have completed the order and you have approved it. You’re sure to get what you order. In addition, the platform has a super helpful customer service team. It’s one of the main reasons why it is rated 4.3 stars out of 5 on Trustpilot (as of June 2025).

Conclusion: The best WordPress alternatives in 2026

Now you know the best WordPress alternatives, you can make a confident decision and start creating your website. You can always ask development experts for advice and try some platforms to get a feel for how they work. In the end, your decision will depend on what your main concerns are and which platform offers the best solution for you. If you need help to launch your website more quickly or get better results, you can hire a freelance professional to make the perfect website for you. ComeUp has many skilled freelancers ready to help. Try ComeUp today!