Wordpress review 2024: A comprehensive guide

Our Verdict

Our Verdict

WordPress stands out as a top website builder and content management system (CMS). It's a free, open-source platform that offers extensive customization options, providing users with significant control over their site's design and features. If you're aiming to create a highly customized website with unique functions, WordPress could be the right choice.

Pros

• Offers high levels of flexibility and customization
• Allows the addition of almost any feature through third-party plugins
• A content management system (CMS) that is free and open-source
• Provides a wide selection of themes, including both free and premium options

Cons

• Requires a significant investment of time and effort to learn
• Possible conflicts between plugins can lead to sites breaking easily
• Expenses can accumulate with the purchase of hosting, premium themes, and plugins

4.8

Our ratings take into account a product's cost, features, ease of use, customer service and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Cost

free to $45 per month when billed annually

SSL certificate

No

Allow plugins

Only for Business and eCommerce plans

That sounds like a well-rounded overview of WordPress! It’s a powerful platform with a lot of flexibility but can indeed be challenging for beginners due to its learning curve. Are you considering using WordPress for a project?

WordPress.org overview in brief

WordPress is a widely-used content management system (CMS) globally for website creation and management. It's free but requires hosting. WordPress offers customizable themes for full design control. Although not as beginner-friendly as some CMSs, it's highly customizable with coding knowledge. It's a top choice for website creation in 2024.

WordPress.org vs. WordPress.com

There are two versions: WordPress.org (self-hosted, free, with a learning curve) and WordPress.com (hosted with a fee, less customizable).

WordPress security

Around 50 security experts work tirelessly to improve WordPress' security measures. They collaborate with trusted security teams, researchers, and hosting companies to address vulnerabilities, like the recent PHP XML parser issue. Hosting providers play a crucial role in securing websites since WordPress itself doesn't host sites. It's essential to choose a reliable hosting service that prioritizes server security against potential threats.

WordPress usability

Creating a WordPress website can be challenging, especially compared to user-friendly drag-and-drop builders. If you want a platform for building a site from scratch easily, WordPress may not be suitable. Customizing and fixing issues requires coding skills, making it less beginner-friendly.

WordPress versatility

WordPress stands out as an incredibly flexible website builder currently available. Its open-source nature empowers users to tailor code to their site, crafting tools or features as needed. This flexibility extends to plugin creation, leading to WordPress boasting one of the largest plugin collections globally, exceeding 59,000 plugins and expanding daily.

WordPress pricing breakdown

WordPress itself is free, but users typically incur expenses for domain names, web hosting, upgraded themes, and premium plugins. These extras can range from a few dollars to hundreds monthly.

• Domain name: Usually $10 to $20 yearly from leading registrars, sometimes included in hosting plans.
• Web hosting: Costs range from $3 to $25 per month based on hosting needs and provider.
• Premium themes: Prices vary from $20 to over $200 for enhanced design options.
• Professional assistance: Costs may arise for design or development help beyond tech support.
• Premium plugins: Offer additional features, with costs varying; many are free, but premium ones can be pricier.

Having a budget set aside for potential professional assistance or premium tools can be wise, given WordPress's flexibility and customization options.

WordPress support options

Given its free, open-source nature, WordPress lacks a dedicated customer service team. However, it boasts a robust support community with abundant online tutorials for learning. Users can utilize the WordPress community forum for queries and solutions.

For more comprehensive assistance, WordPress hosting providers like Bluehost offer 24/7 WordPress-specific support on their plans, and freelance developers are available for solving complex issues.

Comparing 3 alternative website builders to WordPress

WordPress versus Weebly

Weebly is highly affordable and user-friendly, similar to Wix. Its drag-and-drop editor makes it great for quickly building professional websites or online stores. However, users aiming for more extensive customization are better off with WordPress, which offers thousands of themes compared to Weebly's 50 or so free themes.

For deeper insights, explore our side-by-side comparison of Weebly and WordPress.

Comparing WordPress with Wix, Weebly, and Squarespace

WordPress is free, but you need to pay for both the website builder and hosting. On the other hand, Wix offers a limited free plan and starts at $16 per month for its beginner plan, including hosting. WordPress suits those requiring advanced customization and coding skills (or hiring a developer). Wix is preferable for users seeking a basic, user-friendly website.

For a detailed comparison, refer to our comprehensive review of Wix versus WordPress.

WordPress versus Squarespace

Squarespace is known for its attractive themes but comes at a cost. While it lacks a free plan, its monthly subscription includes hosting, templates, site management, and plugins. If SEO is a priority, WordPress is preferable.

Although Squarespace offers SEO tools like sitemaps and clean URLs, WordPress provides greater control over SEO through plugins. The Yoast plugin, for instance, is essential for improving search engine rankings on WordPress.