11+ Excellent WordPress Alternatives to Consider

11+ Excellent WordPress Alternatives to Consider

WordPress is one of the most popular platforms for websites and eCommerce shops. 

It powers over a third of the internet. 

But, although it’s the preferred option for millions of users across the world, it’s far from being the only reliable hosting platform available. 

There are instances where WordPress might not be the best option for you. 

In such a case, there are various other alternatives you can choose from. 

Below, I’ve listed 11 excellent WordPress alternatives to consider.

The list is divided into four parts to help you choose according to your needs: 

• Website Builders 
• Blogging Platforms
• eCommerce Platforms
• CMS Platforms

Website Builders

1 – Wix

A hosted website builder that is easy to use (Starts at FREE).

Wix is a user-friendly website builder that you can use to create various stunning designs – even with zero technical experience. 

It comes with a simple drag-and-drop editor that makes customisation a breeze. 

The website supports multiple languages but, compared to WordPress, lacks some flexibility, and it may not offer the best option for anyone running a large website.

Pricing: Wix offers a free plan, and pricing starts at $13/month if you want to remove ads on your site and get a free domain.

Who is Wix ideal for?

Wix is great for someone who wants a site builder that is easy to use and doesn’t require a long learning curve. 

2 – Squarespace

A hosted website builder with excellent customisation features (Starts from $12/month).

Squarespace is yet another famous hosted website builder designed to make it easy for beginners to create websites, blogs, portfolios, or eCommerce stores. 

The all-in-one platform offers award-winning designs and an intuitive visual page-building experience. 

Shopify and Squarespace are considered by many to be the top competitors to WordPress. 

However, unlike WordPress, Squarespace isn’t as flexible with plugins to extend your website’s functionality. 

Also, adding these in Squarespace may be a bit expensive. 

Ultimately, this may not be the best option for someone who requires an extensive CMS for their website.

Pricing: You can get started on Squarespace for free, and when you’re ready to upgrade, pricing starts at $12/month and includes a free domain.

Who is Squarespace ideal for?

Squarespace is perfect for a small website like this one that sells a HIPAA Guide with a requirement for a website builder that is easy to use – even for total beginners. 

3 – Jimdo

An all-in-one hosting solution and website builder (Starts at FREE).

This hosted website builder is unique in that it creates an essential website for you based on a simple questionnaire. 

If you want to use any of the predesigned templates, you can choose the “Creator” mode. You can then use the simple drag-and-drop editor to design your unique pages. 

This is an affordable, easy-to-use option that would make a great alternative to WordPress.

Pricing: There’s a free plan available, but search engines won’t index websites created using the free plan. 

You can upgrade to a premium option for just $5/month and get an ad-free experience, as well as a free domain.

Who is Jimdo ideal for?

Jimdo is an excellent option for freelancers and smaller businesses just starting in the online world. 

For instance, this site that sells a predictive dialer tool is a perfect candidate for this website builder. It doesn’t contain many large media files (such as videos or podcast audio). The site only has a few pages of written content and a blog. 

Blogging Platforms

4 – Jekyll

A reliable, open-source static website generator (Starts at FREE).

Jekyll is different from the other WordPress alternatives on our list because it’s a site generator where first you provide the content. Then Jekyll renders it to create a completely static website. 

Pricing: The software is free, and sites built with it are superfast, even under heavy loads – and even when compared to WordPress websites.

Who is Jekyll ideal for?

Jekyll is the right option for you if you know a little something about programming. 

If you are not a developer with at least a basic knowledge of tools like Markdown, Git, or SVN, you may find it a little challenging to use.

A site that focuses on the dark web might find this ideal WordPress alternative since Jekyll offers more robust security than other platforms. 

5 – Blogger

A popular hosted online publishing platform for new bloggers (Starts at FREE).

As suggested by the name, Blogger is for online content publishers. 

The platform is owned by Google, which means you can easily make money on your website with Google AdSense. 

Blogger has all the features required to run a successful blog. For instance, you can connect a custom domain and choose from a wide variety of beautiful templates.

But, it may not be the best solution for many websites.

Pricing: Blogger is free to use, even when you connect a custom domain.

Who is Blogger ideal for?

Blogger is great for new content publishers who want to test the waters before committing to a paid plan.

eCommerce Platforms

6 – Shopify

A popular, all-in-one eCommerce platform (Starts at $29/month).

WordPress isn’t just for building websites and blogs. Nearly 28% of all eCommerce websites online are powered by WooCommerce. 

If you are looking for an alternative for WooCommerce, Shopify is a great option to consider.

Shopify offers a free trial for 14 days with no credit card required so you can test out the software.

Who is Shopify ideal for? 

Anyone who wants to keep up with the latest eCommerce trends. 

Shopify is the optimal choice for you if: 

• You want an option for showcasing an unlimited number of products
• You want to integrate PayPal and other marketing tools easily
• You want to use Shopify POS for easy a payment transaction
• You want advanced reporting, discount codes option, and real-time shipping options

7 – Magento

A popular WordPress alternative for building eCommerce websites (Pricing available from the website).

Magento has a flexible modular design for building user-friendly, SEO-optimised websites and online stores. 

Setting up Magento is a lot more complex than WordPress, but it does support all major payment gateways, and it’s fully responsive on any device.

Pricing: Available from the website. 

Who is Magento ideal for?

Magento is perfect for big companies that want to create an eCommerce site. 

It’s mainly designed for larger eCommerce websites like this lingerie store with thousands of products to showcase.  

8 – BigCommerce

A hosted eCommerce solution for setting up an online store (starts at $29.95/month).

This is yet another famous name with regards to eCommerce platforms. 

It’s a hosted solution that lets users set up their own online business for selling products and services. 

According to eCommerce statistics, BigCommerce has over 60,000 online stores across 120 countries.  

The platform is designed to make it easy for everyone (beginners and experts alike) to build their website and create an effective sales funnel. 

Pricing: BigCommerce offers a free 15-day trial, so you can see which plan is right for you.

Who is BigCommerce ideal for?

BigCommerce is perfect for anyone who wants to boost SEO, drive more traffic, convert more sales, and take the guesswork out of running the online store.

CMS (Content Management System)

9 – Ghost

Open-source, hosted online solution for content publishers (Starts from FREE).

Ghost CMS is targeted toward online content publishers. 

This lightweight, open-source platform is also available in a fully hosted version for those who prefer an all-in-one solution. 

Compared to WordPress, it doesn’t offer the same level of customisation. However, it may still be the best choice for professional bloggers who prefer a fully-hosted alternative.

Pricing: You can download Ghost for free, but you have to secure hosting on your own. Prices start at $29/month for the hosted option.

Who is Ghost ideal for?

Ghost is an excellent choice for a simple website like this one that sells a sales enablement tool that requires a lighter, faster way to publish content for better SEO performance.

10 – Drupal 

A popular, open-source CMS for bloggers and content publishers (FREE).

Drupal has been steadily gaining popularity over the years, and many people consider it to be the ideal open-source CMS alternative to WordPress. 

The platform comes with many modules to help extend its functionality and various themes to choose from. 

A significant advantage of Drupal is that it can handle large amounts of data, and the software offers greater user control compared to WordPress. 

However, it’s not as user-friendly, which means that beginners face a steep learning curve.

Pricing: The software is free to download and use.

Who is Drupal ideal for?

Drupal is an excellent choice for large enterprises and experienced developers who require advanced functionality and a high level of flexibility to build custom solutions.

11 – Joomla

Open-source CMS for enterprise-level websites (FREE).

Joomla is the second most downloaded open-source CMS (after WordPress). 

It comes with dozens of plugins, much like the eCommerce WordPress plugins and extensions designed to extend your website’s core functionality. 

For instance, you’ll be able to find a similar tool like this WordPress guest blogging plugin on Joomla with all the same functionalities. 

It also has a page builder that you can use to create your website easily. 

Joomla also comes with a lot of valuable functions straight out of the box. This includes robust access management features, as well as a multilingual system.

However, compared to WordPress, Joomla has a steeper learning curve, especially for total beginners who have never created a website before. 

Pricing: Joomla is free to download and use.

Who is Joomla ideal for?

Joomla! is the perfect option for enterprise-level websites.

Conclusion

WordPress may be the favourite tool of millions of web creators worldwide, but it’s not perfect for every site. 

If you want a reliable alternative for WordPress, choose from the list above to find the platform that meets your needs. 

Are there other WordPress alternatives you might recommend? Share your thoughts in the comments below!