10+ Best WordPress Alternatives in 2024 for Your Consideration

WordPress is undoubtedly a popular choice for building websites, known for its easy-to-use interface and blogging features. However, WordPress may not be the best fit for everyone. Those seeking an all-in-one website building and hosting solution or who want to reduce their site management responsibilities will likely prefer a WordPress alternative.

If that's your case, LitExtension – #1 eCommerce Migration Service, is here to help. Throughout this article, we will be going through the 10+ best WordPress alternatives, with their highlighted features, pricing, and target users:

• Joomla;
• Drupal;
• Medium;
• Ghost;
• Shopify;
• Magento Open Source;
• PrestaShop;
• Weebly;
• Wix;
• Squarespace;
• Webflow.

---

Best WordPress Alternatives for CMS

Since its release, WordPress has been widely recognized as a CMS platform with robust blogging features. Accordingly, users can easily create, edit, and publish content while maintaining proper control over their site's design, layout, and functionality.

If it's not your cup of tea, there are always other potential competitors. Based on our research and testing, here are the best WordPress alternatives for CMS, each suitable for different business types.

#1. Joomla

Rating: 4.6/5

Pricing: Free to install | Extra costs for web hosting and domain name

Best for: Social community or membership platform

Further reading: Joomla vs WordPress.

Joomla is the perfect balance between the user-friendly design of WordPress and the advanced flexibility of Drupal. This is one of the best WordPress alternatives utilized by plenty of developers, large businesses, non-profit organizations, etc.

Unlike WordPress, which often requires third-party plugins for additional functionality, Joomla comes equipped with a robust set of built-in features. From the backend, you can adjust various site settings, such as managing articles, banners, menus, media, redirects, and SEO options. This reliance on native features can enhance your website's stability, reduce the risk of compatibility issues, and ensure smoother updates over time.

In addition, Joomla has won over WordPress in terms of multilingual support. More specifically, you can easily create a website with content in various languages, thus expanding your customer reach base. Combined with robust content management features, Joomla is an excellent choice for building online communities, membership platforms, and social networks.

Highlight features:

• 70+ language translation functions;
• Access Control List (ACL) feature to control user actions and permission on the website;
• Banner management tool to create ad campaigns;
• 15 different field types to add to articles, users, and contacts;
• Built-in security tools, such as two-factor authentication, Google reCAPTCHA, etc.

#2. Drupal

Rating: 4.4/5

Pricing: Free to install | Extra costs for web hosting and domain name

Best for: Complex, high-security websites

Further reading: Drupal vs WordPress.

Drupal is also a powerful contender among WordPress CMS alternatives. However, its unwavering commitment to security truly sets it apart from the rest. Drupal is built with robust security measures baked into its core, including a rigorously maintained codebase, proactive security updates, and strict user control. These all make it exceptionally difficult for malicious actors to compromise a Drupal site.

In addition, Drupal also empowers users to create a highly structured and organized content ecosystem. For example, a news site could categorize articles by region, topic, and subtopic, allowing users to browse by continent, then country, and then specific news categories. WordPress, while offering categories and tags, lacks this multi-tiered approach, often leading to a flatter, less organized content structure, especially for content-heavy websites.

Moreover, Drupal's modular architecture allows developers to build highly configurable websites with more control over every element, from content types to user permissions. But, this customization flexibility comes with a steeper learning curve than WordPress. Thus, to make the most out of it, you should be familiar with web development concepts like HTML, PHP, and CSS or hire a developer to do the work for you.

Highlight features:

• Limitless customization capabilities via coding;
• Highly scalable as your website grows;
• Optimized website performance with more than 1 million checks a day;
• Built-in multilingual capabilities for 100+ languages;
• Diversity integration with other platforms, CRM software, and social media, etc.;
• Robust security features: database encryption, mitigation of DoS attacks, etc.;
• Active community support and users.

#3. Medium

Rating: 4.2/5

Pricing: Free of charge

Best for: Writers, publishers, and bloggers prioritizing content creation.

Medium stands out among WordPress alternatives by focusing solely on online publishing and community. Instead of building a website, you join an existing platform geared towards sharing writing, connecting with readers, and even earning money from your content.

Once your content is written, it's time to share it on social media to reach a wider audience. In this aspect, Medium encourages interaction with its “clap” system, allowing users to share articles with friends, followers and highlight specific text for targeted comments. Meanwhile, you will have to rely on third-party plugins on WordPress for a bit more power in social settings.

Furthermore, Medium's built-in audience and content distribution network mean your work has the potential to reach a wider readership than it might on a standalone WordPress website. If WordPress requires users to actively build their own readership, Medium provides access to an established audience interested in diverse topics.

Highlight features:

• Effortless publishing experience: easy embedding, basic formatting tools, automatic content saving, etc.;
• Clean interface and accessible through many mobile devices;
• Basic post-performance statistics: Total story views, estimated story reads, overall read ratio percentage;
• Direct, inline post commenting with Notes.

#4. Ghost

Rating: 4.2/5

Pricing: Starts from $11/month

Best for: Writers, bloggers, creators, or new businesses.

For those seeking a platform laser-focused on blogging and content creation, Ghost presents as one of the best WordPress alternatives. While WordPress caters to a wider range of website needs, Ghost strips away the complexity, offering a sleek and intuitive platform designed specifically for writers and publishers.

While both Medium and Ghost cater to writers, they approach content creation with distinct philosophies. Medium provides a streamlined, distraction-free writing environment within its platform. Ghost, however, takes it a step further by placing a powerful yet minimalist editor at the heart of your own website.

On top of that, you get the focused writing experience without sacrificing ownership or control over your content or brand on Medium. This means you can choose your domain, design, branding, and links, making every aspect of your site customizable. Each Ghost site is unique, reflecting the personality and vision of its creator, allowing for a truly personalized experience.

Highlight features:

• Markdown-powered editor for distraction-free writing;
• Intuitive content dashboard with scheduling and organization tools;
• Integrated SEO settings for optimizing posts and pages;
• Growing library of free and premium themes (over 60 and counting);
• Fast website performance and secure platform infrastructure.

---

Best WordPress Alternatives for Website Builders

Having explored the top WordPress alternatives for robust content management, let's shift our focus to those who crave a more streamlined website-building experience. Whether you're a design enthusiast seeking intuitive tools or a business owner prioritizing ease of use, these platforms offer potent alternatives to WordPress for bringing your website vision to life.

#1. Wix

Rating: 4.6/5

Pricing: Starts from $17/month | Free plan available

Best for: Beginners or small businesses/agencies.

With remarkable design flexibility, Wix consistently earns the top spot among WordPress alternatives for website builders. Its “pixel-perfect” editing allows you to freely move and resize elements anywhere on your page, empowering you to achieve truly unique and creative designs. Wix even has an AI-powered design tool called Wix ADI to help you automatically create stunning websites based on your unique needs and preferences.

Meanwhile, WordPress platform, in its native form, doesn't offer the same level of visual freedom. You can customize themes by choosing widget locations or making style changes, but achieving precise element placement often requires custom coding or page builder plugins. These plugins bridge the gap, introducing drag-and-drop interfaces within WordPress but adding another layer of complexity for beginners.

As for pricing, Wix is a much more affordable option than WordPress. With Wix, you can dive right into a world of creative freedom without spending a dime, thanks to their generous free plan. This lets you explore all the amazing customization features Wix offers before committing to a paid plan. Even though WordPress is open-source and free to use, achieving a similar level of customization often requires investing in third-party apps, which will incur extra costs.

Highlighted features:

• Intuitive drag-and-drop interface;
• Customized website generation with Wix ADI;
• Essential eCommerce features provided, including automated sales tax, currency converter, abandoned cart recovery, no transaction fee, etc.;
• 800+ available web apps for more store functionality;
• 900+ customizable templates;
• Automatically-responsive website designs.

#2. Squarespace

Rating: 4.5/5

Pricing: Starts from $25/month

Best for: Image-focus sites such as photographers’, visual artists’, etc.

Next, we have Squarespace, a leading website builder. This is one of the WordPress alternatives that offers the best drag-and-drop editor. You can seamlessly place elements without fear of breaking the template, ensuring a professional look even for beginners. For WordPress, you will have to rely on coding or plugins for similar customization flexibility.

Another advantage of Squarespace is its curated template library. All themes are professionally designed, allowing you to create a visually appealing website regardless of industry type. Even though WordPress provides thousands of themes, the quality is inconsistent, ranging from modern masterpieces to outdated designs. Thus, you might need to spend more time to pick a suitable theme and customize it to your need on WordPress.

Highlight features:

• 170+ pre-designed templates;
• Robust blogging features: scheduling blog posts, built-in SEO tools, podcast hosting, etc.;
• Diverse eCommerce features: unlimited amount of products, inventory management, multiple product types acceptance and abandoned cart recovery, etc.;
• Built-in marketing features: automated email campaigns, creative advertising creation, social media platform integrations, etc.;
• Professional website videos with Smart Voice: signature voiceovers, resizing videos, and uploading brand identity elements to video, etc.;
• Optimized mobile apps on both iOS and Android.

#3. Webflow

Rating: 4.3/5

Pricing: Starts from $18/month | Free plan available

Best for: Designers or businesses focusing on advanced storefront design

Further reading: Webflow vs WordPress.

Having explored various WordPress alternatives for website builders, we arrive at Webflow, a compelling option that stands out for its user-friendliness. Its drag-and-drop interface, pre-built templates, and intuitive design tools empower users of all skill levels to create stunning, professional websites without needing to learn code. Even beginners can effortlessly customize their website's layout, style, and functionality, making the process significantly less daunting than WordPress's complex setup.

In contrast to WordPress, where security often requires additional plugins and manual configurations, Webflow's built-in features ensure a secure environment from the outset. The platform uses a content delivery network (CDN) for enhanced security, speed and includes SSL certificates to ensure encrypted data transmission. This means beginners don't have to worry about setting up security systems – Webflow handles it all, allowing them to focus on creating their website.

Highlight features:

• 1500+ HTML website templates for your consideration;
• Fully customizable page structure with drag-and-drop interface;
• Complex animations design: scroll-based, multi-step interaction, etc.;
• Easily create and manage dynamic content types;
• Built-in SEO elements: metadata, image alt text, URLs, etc.;
• Powerful headless CMS APIs for composability;
• Fast page loads powered by Fastly CDN.

---

Best WordPress Alternatives for eCommerce

We've covered the top contenders for content management and website building, but what if your website ambitions extend beyond blogging and into the world of online selling? These powerful WordPress alternatives are purpose-built for eCommerce, providing all the tools you need to launch and grow a successful online store.

When it comes to eCommerce, WordPress users typically rely on the popular WooCommerce plugin to transform their websites into fully functional online stores. Therefore, this section focuses on evaluating the best WordPress alternatives by directly comparing their eCommerce capabilities to those offered by WooCommerce.

#1. Shopify

Rating: 4.8/5

Pricing: Starts from $39/month

Best for: Online businesses of all sizes

Further reading: Shopify vs WordPress.

In contrast to the previous WordPress alternatives, Shopify presents a refreshingly different approach: a fully hosted, all-in-one eCommerce solution. While WordPress requires users to navigate hosting, security, and updates, Shopify takes care of all the technical complexities behind the scenes, allowing you to focus on what truly matters: building your brand and selling your products.

Shopify's intuitive interface makes navigating the platform and managing your store a seamless experience. Everything is designed with user-friendliness in mind, from the well-organized dashboard to the clearly labeled menus. Furthermore, you only have to drag and drop the elements to customize the storefront, a feature often requiring plugins or coding knowledge on WordPress.

But Shopify doesn't stop at ease of use – it delivers on all fronts. From its vast library of professionally designed themes and powerful apps to its comprehensive eCommerce features, Shopify provides everything you need to thrive in the competitive online marketplace. Whether you need to manage inventory, process secure payments, or implement sophisticated marketing campaigns, Shopify is designed to fulfill your needs.

Highlight features:

• Awesome eCommerce features: abandoned checkout recovery, automatic shipping rates, fraud analysis, etc.;
• 8,000+ free and paid apps available;
• 200+ free and paid themes available;
• Built-in marketing tools: social media marketing, search engine optimization, custom and automated email campaigns, etc.;
• Real-time business insights with advanced reports;
• 100+ payment methods with well-known names such as PayPal and Stripe;
• Built-in mobile commerce shopping cart.

#2. Magento Open Source

Rating: 4.5/5

Pricing: Free to install | Starts from $1,000/year

Best for: Large businesses needing advanced eCommerce functionality

Further reading: Magento vs WordPress.

Some people describe Magento as an eCommerce version of WordPress. It is built from the ground up for online selling, with outstanding features like product management, shipping and payment configurations, built-in marketing tools, etc.

The platform also allows you to manage multiple stores from a single dashboard, seamlessly integrating your operations as your business expands. Whether you're shipping products worldwide through various providers or reaching new customers across languages and currencies, Magento provides the flexibility to scale your business internationally. This centralized control and inherent scalability make it one of the ideal WordPress alternatives for companies with ambitious long-term visions.

While WooCommerce is a popular eCommerce platform, its internationalization features often require third-party plugins, which can introduce compatibility issues and security vulnerabilities. This can be a significant drawback for businesses aiming to reach global audiences.

Highlight features:

• Multi-store management in a single dashboard;
• Flexible product catalog structure with various product types;
• Creation of various coupon and discount types;
• Automated marketing campaigns;
• Mobile-responsive design using Progressive Web Applications (PWA);
• Website protection via malicious injection, HTTP protocol violations, and top 10 threats of OWASP, etc.

#3. PrestaShop

Rating: 4.4/5

Pricing: Starts from $300/month

Best for: Small to medium-sized businesses.

Another name introduced in this WordPress alternatives article is PrestaShop. When comparing PrestaShop vs WooCommerce, the first offers a more streamlined and internationally focused eCommerce solution.

The built-in multi-currency feature allows you to display prices and process transactions in your customers' local currencies. Furthermore, PrestaShop also excels with its integrated checkout experience. From guest checkout and a one-page checkout process to support for various payment gateways, PrestaShop simplifies the customer journey, potentially leading to higher conversion rates.

This focused approach provides a distinct advantage over WooCommerce, where achieving similar functionality often requires relying on a patchwork of third-party plugins. This can lead to compatibility issues, security vulnerabilities, and slower website performance – all are detrimental to a smooth customer experience and your bottom line.

Highlight features:

• Built-in eCommerce functions, including stock updates, smart restock, search engine optimization, automatic location setup in tax, etc.;
• Product customization support by allowing customers to upload their designs;
• Active partner program to connect with other experts and developers worldwide;
• Multilingual system with 75+ languages supported;
• Simple checkout process to lower the cart abandonment rate.

#4. Weebly

Rating: 4.3/5

Pricing: Starts from $10/month | Free plan available

Best for: Beginners and small businesses

Further reading: Weebly vs WordPress.

WooCommerce might be known for its flexibility, but that often comes with a learning curve. Weebly, in contrast, prioritizes ease of use from the start, making it a refreshing alternative for those seeking a more straightforward website-building experience. The drag-and-drop editor helps users easily customize headers/footers and build pages or blog posts with videos, images, galleries, forms, etc.

Plus, since Square's acquisition, Weebly has transformed into a full-fledged eCommerce builder. This means there are tons of built-in sales features for you to explore: inventory management, search engine optimization, payment gateway integration, and marketing tools. These all require third-party app installation on your WooCommerce site.

While WooCommerce boasts a free platform, the true cost of building a website with it can be surprisingly high due to the need for additional services like hosting, themes, and plugins. Conversely, Weebly offers transparent and affordable pricing plans, ranging from $0 to $26/month (billed annually). This provides clear and predictable costs for website owners, making it a more budget-friendly option for those seeking a reliable and affordable website solution.

Highlight features:

• Free 50+ templates for website design;
• Built-in SEO features: URLs, title tags, meta descriptions, 301 redirects, etc.;
• Attractive marketing features: email marketing campaign, social media integration, site analytics;
• Straightforward shipping setup: real-time shipping rates, major carriers integration, etc.;
• Secure payment gateways by integrating with Stripe, Paypal, etc.

---

Evaluating WordPress Alternatives: Our Criteria and Scoring System

Choosing the best WordPress alternatives from a sea of options can feel overwhelming. To help you navigate this decision, we took a rigorous approach to identifying the most suitable option, focusing on factors that matter to users like you.

Our evaluation process involved hands-on testing and meticulous scoring across these key areas:

• Ease of use (20%): We explored the platform's interface, setup process, and overall intuitiveness for both beginners and experienced users.
• Customization options (20%): We evaluated the flexibility to customize designs, templates, and functionalities to match unique brand needs.
• eCommerce features (20%): We assessed the availability of essential features for content management, SEO, eCommerce, and more.
• CMS tools (20%): We explored the robustness and usability of content management tools, including post creation, editing, organization, and publishing.
• Themes and apps (10%): We explored the breadth and quality of available themes and apps (or plugins), considering both free and paid options.
• Pricing and value (10%): We compared pricing plans and assessed the overall value offered with features and performance.

By thoroughly evaluating each platform against these criteria, we identified the top WordPress alternatives that excel in key areas, providing a reliable framework for your own decision-making process.

Further Reading: 

• WordPress Review: Is WordPress Worth It?
• WordPress Tutorial for Beginners 
• WordPress Pricing Plans in 2024
• Top 10 WordPress Features you can't miss

---

WordPress Alternatives: FAQs

---

Conclusion

In short, the 10+ platforms above are the best WordPress alternatives based on strictly set criteria of features, pricing, and suitability. Shopify and Joomla stood out as the best options based on our scoring.

With its user-friendly interface and powerful eCommerce features, Shopify is a perfect fit for entrepreneurs and businesses looking to launch and grow online stores. On the other hand, Joomla caters to those needing greater flexibility and customization options, particularly developers and web agencies building complex websites and web applications.

If you have any questions about any other platforms, don’t hesitate to refer to our LitExtension blog on eCommerce platforms or join our Facebook Community.