Craft CMS vs WordPress: Key differences explained
WordPress and Craft CMS. They're two of the biggest players in the content management system (CMS) game, and they're both popular with businesses of all sizes, from small startups to huge companies.
As you can imagine, each platform has its pros and cons that you need to consider before going all in. To save you a headache, we've put together a handy guide that lays out all the differences, so that you can make the choice that’s right for you.
This guide at a glance
What is WordPress?
So, what is WordPress? Simply put, it’s an open-source content management system that lets you build and manage a website without the need for extensive programming knowledge.
Here’s a fun fact for you: WordPress actually started life in 2003 as a blogging platform! It was only in 2010, when WordPress 3.0 was released with features like enhanced taxonomies and custom post types, that the platform really started to take off as the popular website builder we know today.
How popular? Well, WordPress powers over 43% of websites, which equates to over 500 million websites, according to data collected by WordPress themselves. It’s no wonder, then, that WordPress is the most widely recognised CMS currently available. Why is WordPress so popular? Its basic sites are free, so lots of people build sites with minimal cost investment.
Which companies use WordPress?
Unsurprisingly, given the popularity of WordPress, it’s used by some of the world’s most recognisable brands:
- Salesforce
- Samsung
- Etsy
- PlayStation
- Disney
What is Craft CMS?
Next up is Craft CMS. It was started in 2013 by our friends at Pixel & Tonic, and it’s a self-hosted platform built on PHP. The main reason it’s gained so much popularity already? It gives developers and site builders a huge amount of control and customisation, and is designed to make content editors' jobs easier.
Craft may be newer than WordPress, but it’s thriving. It already has a strong community behind it, a wealth of documentation, and a large ecosystem of plugins to handle pretty much any need you have.
Despite being smaller than WordPress, Craft is still a popular option. BuiltWith data shows that over 43,000 websites around the world are currently using Craft CMS, which isn’t exactly a small figure.
Which companies use Craft CMS?
Craft CMS might not have a user base as big as WordPress, so you won't see quite as many global household names using it, but it's still the platform of choice for some pretty big brands, including:
- A24
- Taylor’s of Harrogate
- Jet2
- Vodafone
- Interflora
Craft CMS vs WordPress: how do they compare?
Alright, now that we know where these two came from and who uses them, let's see how they stack up!
Security
When it comes to security, Craft CMS really shines, especially compared to rivals like WordPress. That's because it's built on a more modern, secure framework and isn’t overly reliant on plugins. Fewer third-party tools means fewer doors for hackers to potentially sneak into your data.
WordPress's popularity actually makes it a bigger target. For example, Wordfence (a popular WordPress security tool) reported blocking 55 billion (that’s right, a billion!) malicious attacks in 2024. They also found over 8,000 security flaws in various WordPress plugins, and they expect that number to keep growing throughout 2025.
Now, that doesn't mean WordPress is inherently insecure; otherwise, no one would use the platform, right? But because there are so many themes and plugins out there, you have to be careful about what you install and make sure you keep everything updated, which can be a challenge for businesses with smaller teams that may not be clued-up on what to look out for.
Craft, meanwhile, has its code checked regularly by its team and third-party researchers. They use private keys to make sure sensitive cookie data hasn't been messed with, and they automatically use special token validation to fight off Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attacks right out of the box.
Plugins
In case you weren’t aware, a plugin is a software add-on that provides extra functionality to an existing website. They’re extremely common among modern content management systems, and offer everything from SEO support to help with webforms and caching.
WordPress users certainly aren’t short of choice when it comes to plugins, with more than 60,000 available. But more isn’t always better. Craft CMS offers fewer than 1,000 plugins, yet this smaller collection is carefully curated and easier to navigate. Instead of wading through an overwhelming library, you get a focused set of high quality tools.
One benefit of working with a verified Craft CMS partner is that you can work together to develop a plugin that gives you bespoke functionalities. Plus, every single plugin that does get released for Craft is thoroughly checked out by the developer community, so you get an extra layer of confidence.
While custom plugins are available for WordPress, there’s no official verification process, which means a lot more homework if you need something bespoke. Craft, on the other hand, takes a more streamlined and reliable approach, giving you confidence that the plugins you choose will meet the standards you expect.
Speed
Search engines pay close attention to the speed of your website, so it’s essential that your CMS doesn’t have a negative impact on your Core Web Vitals.
Craft CMS has an advantage here. It's built on clean, modern code, and includes most of the features you need right out of the box. Even when you add plugins, Craft sites generally get great scores on speed tests because they're designed with performance in mind.
WordPress’ performance is more variable, and that’s because its functionalities are largely determined by plugins, as already mentioned. Too many plugins (especially if they aren’t well optimised) can hamper loading speeds on WordPress sites, meaning webmasters need to be conscious of striking the right balance between functionality and user experience when adding them.
Larger enterprises can opt for WordPress VIP to avoid compromising on functionality without impacting performance, but with prices starting at $25,000 (circa £18,500) per year, you’ll need to have deep pockets to access it.
Cost
Now it’s time to talk about a major point of consideration for anyone looking at a new CMS: the cost. Craft CMS and WordPress have very different pricing models, from startup to upkeep.
WordPress
The initial draw of WordPress is that it’s free to start, which is always appealing. However, that doesn't include necessary elements like web hosting or your domain name. If you want to produce the site yourself, then you’ll need to look at adding themes, a website builder (like Elementor), and plugins to your site to make it function correctly.
Here’s something to keep an eye on with WordPress; while most themes and plugins offer a free version that gives you decent basic features, they usually try to upsell you to a paid version with better features for a recurring fee. You can bet on those costs racking up if you aren’t careful.
If you’re a larger business with the budget to match, then you may look to hire a developer, who will be able to hardcode your templates and reduce your reliance on plugins and themes. We’ve seen entry-level developers starting anywhere from £20-40 an hour, with more experienced developers asking for over £150 an hour. You’ll also need to factor in a developer retainer to help you maintain the site once it’s published.
Craft CMS
Craft CMS has a free licence for individuals working alone, but for a fully fledged business site, you’re looking at $399 per project (roughly £295). You get one year of updates included, and then it’s $99 (about £73) annually to keep getting them after that.
The cost of developing a Craft CMS site entirely depends on your requirements, the size of your site, and what functionalities are needed to help you achieve your goals. If you’re wondering how much a Craft website would be for your business, then please get in touch for a quote.
One thing worth keeping in mind is that Craft has a list of verified partners, which WordPress doesn’t have. To obtain this, developers need to have racked up 2,000 hours working on Craft sites and have references from their clients. So, whilst you may be paying good money for the development of a Craft website, you know it’s being created by verified professionals who have guaranteed experience.
SEO
Driving the right people to your website is the key to success, both in the short and long term. That's why you should keep search engine optimisation (SEO) at the forefront of your mind when building your site.
To get your SEO up and running, you’ll need a dedicated plugin, whether you choose WordPress or Craft. For our Craft clients, we use a powerful plugin called SEOmatic, which basically handles everything right out of the box. It’s a firm favourite for several reasons, but don’t take our word for it, check out the reviews.
If you go with WordPress, you've got loads of great choices, but one of the most popular choices is Yoast SEO. It's been around since 2010 and is loaded with features to help you maximise the performance of your content. Its simple traffic light system is worth a shout-out because it gives clear, actionable tips to anyone optimising a page, regardless of their SEO skill level.
Putting plugins aside for a moment, Craft CMS gets a major point for its clean, modern code framework. This has several perks, but one big one is that it results in less code for browsers to load. This gives you those faster loading speeds that search engines reward.
Which CMS is best for you?
Both of these systems have great things going for them, that's why so many people use them.
Generally, WordPress is the way to go if you have a smaller budget, and you're prepared to handle most of the site design and publishing work yourself. It can be tricky to fully optimise if your team doesn't have a developer or SEO expert. But, for most small businesses, the huge library of plugins makes up for this. Larger organisations can overcome these issues with WordPress VIP or professional developers, but be prepared to increase your budget.
Craft CMS, on the other hand, is built for teams that want more from their website. It does require designers and developers to get the best from it, which makes it less suited to very tight budgets. But that investment pays off. Craft gives you a site that’s highly customisable, fast, secure and completely tailored to your needs. Instead of working around a theme or plugin’s limitations, you get the freedom to create exactly what you want, with a cleaner, more efficient foundation for long-term growth.
Looking for a flexible CMS that will scale with you? Take a closer look at Craft CMS and how we develop sites that help businesses achieve their goals.
