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WordPress alternatives: 7 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 25, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave WordPress: plugin-heavy sites get slow and hard to maintain, and frequent target for attacks, so updates can't be ignored. We ranked 7 alternatives by how directly each one replaces WordPress, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Drupal currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Drupal logoDrupalOpen sourceYesSelf-hosted, Web3 of 366.5
2Craft CMS logoCraft CMSFree plan + paidNoSelf-hosted, Web4 of 462.6
3Statamic logoStatamicFree plan + paidNoSelf-hosted, Web4 of 459.6
4Joomla logoJoomlaOpen sourceYesSelf-hosted, Web3 of 357.2
5Strapi logoStrapiOpen sourceYesSelf-hosted, Web3 of 355.3
6Payload logoPayloadOpen sourceYesSelf-hosted, Web4 of 453.6
7WordPress.com logoWordPress.comFree plan + paidNoWeb, iOS, Android5 of 538.6
  1. Drupal logo

    1. DrupalTop pick

    Best for: Organisations with complex content, many editors and in-house or agency developers

    Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Web

    66.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from WordPress

    Another mature open-source PHP CMS, better suited to complex content models and strict permissions.

    Pros

    • Strong content modelling, permissions and multilingual support in core
    • Thousands of contributed modules and a large professional community
    • Works as a traditional CMS or a headless API backend

    Cons

    • Steeper learning curve than WordPress for site builders
    • Major upgrades and custom modules need experienced developers
    • Overkill for small brochure sites
    Visit Drupal Compare with WordPressDetails and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Drupal a good WordPress alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    License
    GPL
    Checked Oct 25, 2026drupal.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Open source
    Yes
    Checked Oct 25, 2026drupal.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Price
    Free
    Checked Oct 25, 2026drupal.org(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Craft CMS logo

    2. Craft CMS

    Best for: Agencies and developers building custom sites that editors will actually enjoy using

    Free plan + paidSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Web

    62.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from WordPress

    Cleaner custom fields and far fewer plugins needed, for developer-built sites.

    Pros

    • Very flexible content modelling with custom fields
    • Clean control panel with live preview and drafts
    • One-off project licences instead of monthly fees

    Cons

    • Needs a developer to build templates; no drag-and-drop themes
    • Smaller plugin ecosystem than WordPress
    • Paid editions required once you need more than one user
    Visit Craft CMS Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.387
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Craft CMS a good WordPress alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free edition
    Solo, free forever
    Checked Oct 25, 2026craftcms.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Team edition
    $279 per project
    Checked Oct 25, 2026craftcms.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Pro edition
    $399 per project
    Checked Oct 25, 2026craftcms.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Templating
    Twig and GraphQL
    Checked Oct 25, 2026craftcms.com(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Statamic logo

    3. Statamic

    Best for: Laravel developers and agencies who like Git-versioned, flat-file content

    Free plan + paidSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Web

    59.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from WordPress

    Laravel-based flat-file CMS that avoids the database and plugin sprawl.

    Pros

    • Flat-file content that can be versioned in Git
    • Fits naturally into existing Laravel applications
    • Free Core edition for personal sites

    Cons

    • Pro licence needed for multiple users and APIs
    • Smaller addon ecosystem than WordPress or Craft
    • Requires Laravel and PHP skills to customise
    Visit Statamic Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.377
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Statamic a good WordPress alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free edition
    Core, free forever
    Checked Oct 25, 2026statamic.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Pro price
    $349 per site
    Checked Oct 25, 2026statamic.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Framework
    Laravel
    Checked Oct 25, 2026statamic.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Storage
    Flat file or database
    Checked Oct 25, 2026statamic.com(opens source in a new tab)
  4. Joomla logo

    4. Joomla

    Best for: Site owners who want multilingual and access control in core without Drupal's complexity

    Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Web

    57.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from WordPress

    Open-source PHP CMS with multilingual and access controls built into the core.

    Pros

    • Multilingual content and access levels work out of the box
    • Thousands of extensions, many free
    • Fully community-owned project with no vendor lock-in

    Cons

    • Smaller ecosystem and talent pool than WordPress
    • Admin interface takes time to learn
    • Fewer modern, well-maintained templates
    Visit Joomla Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Joomla a good WordPress alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    License
    GPL
    Checked Oct 25, 2026joomla.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Extensions
    Thousands, mostly free under the GPL
    Checked Oct 25, 2026joomla.org(opens source in a new tab)
    First release
    2005
    Checked Oct 25, 2026joomla.org(opens source in a new tab)
  5. Strapi logo

    5. Strapi

    Best for: JavaScript teams that want a self-hostable headless CMS they can customise in code

    Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Web

    55.3

    score / 100

    Why switch from WordPress

    Open-source headless CMS if you are moving the front end to a JavaScript framework.

    Pros

    • MIT-licensed core that's free to self-host
    • Generates REST and GraphQL APIs from your content types
    • Extensible with custom code and plugins in Node.js

    Cons

    • Major version upgrades can be painful
    • SSO, audit logs and review workflows are paid
    • You run and scale the server yourself unless you pay for Cloud
    Visit Strapi Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.363
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Strapi a good WordPress alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    License
    MIT
    Checked Oct 25, 2026strapi.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud starting price
    $35 per project/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026strapi.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud Pro
    $90 per project/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026strapi.io(opens source in a new tab)
  6. Payload logo

    6. Payload

    Best for: TypeScript and Next.js developers who want the CMS inside their own codebase

    Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Web

    53.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from WordPress

    Code-first open-source CMS that lives inside a Next.js app.

    Pros

    • MIT-licensed and fully self-hostable
    • Lives inside your Next.js app with a type-safe local API
    • Auth, uploads, drafts and access control built in

    Cons

    • Content model changes require code and deploys
    • You manage the database and hosting yourself
    • SSO and some workflow features are enterprise-only
    Visit Payload Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.357
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Payload a good WordPress alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    MIT
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Framework
    Next.js
    Checked Oct 25, 2026payloadcms.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Codebase
    Open-source TypeScript
    Checked Oct 25, 2026payloadcms.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Enterprise features
    SSO, publishing workflows, visual editor
    Checked Oct 25, 2026payloadcms.com(opens source in a new tab)
  7. WordPress.com logo

    7. WordPress.com

    Best for: Bloggers and businesses who want managed WordPress without running their own server

    Free plan + paidWeb, iOS, Android

    38.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from WordPress

    Managed WordPress hosting from Automattic, so you skip servers, updates and backups.

    Pros

    • Plugins and themes from the WordPress ecosystem on higher plans
    • Sites can be exported to any WordPress host
    • Free plan for simple blogs

    Cons

    • Plugin access requires a higher-tier plan
    • Block editor takes longer to learn than drag-and-drop builders
    • Free plan shows ads and a WordPress.com address
    Visit WordPress.com Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.37
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is WordPress.com a good WordPress alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    Free plan
    Yes
    Checked Oct 25, 2026wordpress.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Personal plan
    US$9 monthly or US$4/month billed yearly
    Checked Oct 25, 2026wordpress.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Plugins
    60,000+ available
    Checked Oct 25, 2026wordpress.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Money-back guarantee
    14 days
    Checked Oct 25, 2026wordpress.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Enterprise
    From $25,000/year
    Checked Oct 25, 2026wordpress.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best WordPress alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Drupal logo

Best WordPress alternative for most people

Drupal

Another mature open-source PHP CMS, better suited to complex content models and strict permissions.

Joomla logo

Best WordPress alternative for a free option

Joomla

Open-source PHP CMS with multilingual and access controls built into the core.

Craft CMS logo

Best WordPress alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Craft CMS

Cleaner custom fields and far fewer plugins needed, for developer-built sites.

Strapi logo

Best WordPress alternative for open source

Strapi

Open-source headless CMS if you are moving the front end to a JavaScript framework.

Statamic logo

Best WordPress alternative for self-hosting

Statamic

Laravel-based flat-file CMS that avoids the database and plugin sprawl.

WordPress.com logo

Best WordPress alternative for iPhone and Android

WordPress.com

Managed WordPress hosting from Automattic, so you skip servers, updates and backups.

Payload logo

Best WordPress alternative for working in the browser

Payload

Code-first open-source CMS that lives inside a Next.js app.

WordPress alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to WordPress?

Drupal ranks first right now. Another mature open-source PHP CMS, better suited to complex content models and strict permissions. Craft CMS and Statamic follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to WordPress?

Yes. Drupal (open source), Craft CMS (free plan + paid), Statamic (free plan + paid) and Joomla (open source) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to WordPress?

Yes: Drupal, Joomla, Strapi and Payload. Drupal, Joomla and Strapi can also be self-hosted.

Why do people switch from WordPress?

The complaints we hear most: plugin-heavy sites get slow and hard to maintain; frequent target for attacks, so updates can't be ignored; quality of third-party plugins varies widely.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces WordPress, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.