Why We Don't Build on WordPress

WordPress changed the internet. We're grateful for that. But in 2026, we believe our clients deserve platforms built for where the web is going — not where it's been.

WordPress powers roughly 40% of the websites on the internet. For over two decades, it made publishing accessible to anyone with a domain name. That legacy is real and worth acknowledging.

But legacy is exactly the problem. When we evaluate the tools we build on for our clients, we're asking one question: will this platform help your business grow over the next five years, or will you be fighting it?

For WordPress, we keep arriving at the same answer.

The Technical Reality

WordPress was built as a blogging engine in 2003. Everything it's become since then — e-commerce platform, membership site, learning management system, app backend — has been bolted on through plugins. That architecture has consequences.

Performance — Plugin dependency creates drag

The average WordPress site runs 20-30 plugins. Each one adds database queries, HTTP requests, and potential conflicts. Sites with large content libraries or custom functionality slow down in ways that are expensive to fix and constant to maintain.

Security — The biggest target on the internet

Powering 40% of the web makes WordPress the #1 target for automated attacks. Every plugin is an attack surface. Every delayed update is a vulnerability. Sites with user accounts and sensitive business data carry real liability.

Flexibility — Content modeling hits a ceiling

WordPress thinks in posts and pages. If your business needs content organized by profession, product type, and client segment — with video, documents, and event registrations all interconnected — you're fighting the system instead of building with it.

Maintenance — Ongoing cost that compounds

Core updates, plugin updates, theme updates, PHP version updates, hosting optimization — WordPress requires constant attention just to keep running. That's time and money spent standing still, not moving forward.

The Governance Problem

In September 2024, WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg — who controls both WordPress.org and the for-profit company Automattic — publicly attacked WP Engine, one of the largest WordPress hosting providers, calling them "a cancer to WordPress."

What followed shook the entire ecosystem.

• 1M+ sites disrupted when WP Engine was blocked from WordPress.org

• 159 Automattic employees quit — 8.4% of the company walked out

• 3 active lawsuits including a class action, with litigation still ongoing in 2026

Mullenweg blocked WP Engine from accessing WordPress.org — meaning their customers couldn't receive plugin updates or security patches. He took over a popular plugin without the developer's consent. He added a loyalty checkbox to WordPress.org requiring users to declare they weren't affiliated with WP Engine.

A court issued a preliminary injunction ordering Automattic to stop. A class action lawsuit followed. The litigation is still ongoing in 2026.

The WordPress ecosystem is controlled by a single individual with demonstrated willingness to weaponize platform access during a business dispute. That's not a technical problem — it's a business risk.

What We Build On Instead

We use modern frameworks and headless content management systems that give our clients three things WordPress can't reliably deliver:

Speed. Static generation and edge delivery mean pages load in milliseconds, not seconds. No plugin bloat, no database queries on every page load. Better user experience, better SEO.

Flexibility. A headless CMS lets us model your content around your business logic — not around a blogging engine's assumptions. Your content feeds your website, your app, your email campaigns — wherever it needs to go.

Independence. No single person controls the infrastructure your business depends on. No plugin ecosystem that can be disrupted overnight. Your content and your code are yours.

We're Not Here to Argue

WordPress works for simple sites that need a visual editor and straightforward content. We won't pretend otherwise.

But when a business has complex content, needs custom user experiences, depends on performance and security, and is investing real money in its digital presence — we believe they deserve a foundation that will scale with them, not one they'll outgrow.

That's not an opinion about a tool. It's a commitment to our clients' long-term success.