Which to choose for your project — an honest comparison from an engineering studio
Both approaches have their place. WordPress is a mature CMS for sites and stores with moderate complexity. Next.js (React) suits SaaS, custom logic, and performance-first architecture. Below — a table by key criteria and when each makes sense.
| Criteria | WordPress | Next.js / Custom |
|---|---|---|
| Cost (starting) | €600–2,000 for corporate site or WooCommerce | €3,000+ for SaaS or complex product |
| Speed | Good after optimization; depends on themes/plugins | Excellent by default — SSG/SSR, minimal JS |
| SEO | Strong for blogs and content-heavy sites; Yoast/RankMath | Full control over metadata, schema, Core Web Vitals |
| Security | Requires hardening and regular plugin updates | Smaller attack surface; custom auth and API control |
| Maintenance | Monthly maintenance from ~€80 — updates, backups, monitoring | DevOps + CI/CD; higher upfront investment, more stable at scale |
| When to choose | Corporate site, blog, WooCommerce, fast go-live | SaaS, dashboards, complex integrations, unique UX |