WordPress is free, but plenty of marketing teams end up paying for it in plugin updates, security patches and pages that wait for a developer. If that sounds familiar, there are good alternatives, and the right one depends on who will edit the site after launch. Here are seven, with prices checked on the official pages and honest notes on when WordPress is still the better home.
Goodspeed: the studio that moves you off WordPress, onto whichever platform fits
Goodspeed is a London website design and development studio and a Framer Enterprise Expert. We are not a platform; we are the team that picks the right one for whoever will edit the site, rebuilds it and moves your content and rankings across. We build on Framer by default, and on Astro or Next.js with a headless CMS when code is the right call. Best for funded SaaS and AI teams whose WordPress site has become slow, fragile or hard to edit, with a raise, launch or press date coming.
What you get
Senior people you meet on the first call do the work, with agents running research, first draft copy, motion and QA.
A real designed page on staging, on your content, by the end of week one.
Framer by default, or Astro or Next.js with a headless CMS when code is the right call. We pick the platform for the team that will edit it.
Migrations include the audit, a signed-off redirect map, on-page parity and 30 days of monitoring after launch.
Your team edits the site after launch. Bugs are fixed in two business days or that month is free.
Pricing
Builds and migrations from $10,000, fixed before work starts and paid 50% up front and 50% at launch.
Landing Page from $2,500, live in about five working days.
Tune-Up at $5,000 fixed, over two weeks, for a site that is close but needs fixing.
Embedded Team from $2,000 a month, rolling, if you want help after launch.
Every package is on our pricing page.
Proof you can check
Waste Logics moved from WordPress to Framer with no rankings lost, and organic search rose 44% within five weeks.
A Bubble-built marketing site moved to Framer with zero SEO regression. It rose from sixth to second position and loads 75% faster.
Zen Educate, a Series B team, migrated page by page with zero downtime, and now runs ten times more growth experiments without involving engineering.
Three clients that have each been acquired for over $1 billion.
“Their ability to turn a complex software offering into a clear, visually engaging website stood out. The custom imagery helped bring our product to life in a way that felt relevant to the waste and recycling industry.” Emma Kennedy, Head of Marketing, Waste Logics
Two ways to start: plan my migration free to get a first redirect pass and a scope, or book a call to get a date and a fixed price. If staying put is the better answer, we will say so.
WordPress alternatives head to head
How each option compares with staying on WordPress, on the things that usually decide it.
Alternative | What you gain over WordPress | What you trade off | Who edits |
|---|---|---|---|
Framer | Visual canvas, hosting included, no plugins to patch | Plan caps on CMS; not self-hosted | Marketers and designers |
Webflow | Visual builder with a structured CMS and hosting | Item caps by plan; higher seat costs for teams | Designers and marketers |
Wix | All in one, very little to maintain | Less design and content freedom; not portable | Owners and marketers |
Squarespace | Polished templates, simple editor | Limited custom content types and roles | Owners and marketers |
Ghost | Fast publishing with newsletters and memberships built in | Narrower for non-editorial marketing sites | Writers and editors |
Astro + headless CMS | Very fast pages, code ownership, no plugin layer | New layouts need a developer | Editors in the CMS, developers in code |
Next.js + headless CMS | Full control, shared code with your product | Engineering time for every template change | Editors in the CMS, engineers in code |
1. Framer
Framer is a hosted visual builder with a built-in CMS, aimed at design-led marketing teams that want to ship pages without a developer.
Key features
Design and publish on one canvas, with responsive breakpoints.
Built-in CMS with structured collections.
Hosting, SSL and a global CDN included.
Localisation, plugins and code components when you need them.
Pricing
Free plan; Basic $10 a month; Pro $30 a month billed yearly; Enterprise custom. Extra editors are $20 a month. Source: Framer pricing.
What you gain | What you trade off |
|---|---|
No plugin updates, faster editing and a site marketers run themselves. | CMS limits by plan, and you cannot self-host. |
Pick it when your marketing team wants to ship pages on a canvas. Read Framer vs WordPress or the WordPress to Framer route.
2. Webflow
Webflow is a hosted visual builder with a structured CMS, popular with design-led marketing teams.
Key features
Visual Designer with fine control over layout and interactions.
CMS collections with roles in the Editor.
Hosting and SSL included.
An Apps marketplace for common integrations.
Pricing
Starter free; Basic $15 a month and Premium, the first plan with the CMS, $25 a month billed yearly; Team $2,500 a month on an annual contract; Enterprise custom. Source: Webflow pricing.
What you gain | What you trade off |
|---|---|
A visual canvas and a CMS without a plugin stack. | Item and collection caps by plan, and seat costs as the team grows. |
Pick it when a design team wants fine visual control and the CMS model fits. Read Webflow vs WordPress.
3. Wix
Wix is an all-in-one hosted builder for small businesses and simpler marketing sites.
Key features
Guided editor with templates.
Built-in CMS for common collections.
App Market for bookings, forms and stores.
Hosting included.
Pricing
US plans billed yearly: Light $17, Core $29, Business $39 and Business Elite $159 a month; prices vary by location. Source: Wix plans.
What you gain | What you trade off |
|---|---|
One login and almost nothing to maintain. | Less freedom as you grow, and a site you cannot take with you. |
Pick it when the site is small and a guided editor is enough. Read Wix vs WordPress.
4. Squarespace
Squarespace is a hosted builder known for polished templates and a simple editor.
Key features
Designer templates.
Built-in blog, pages and commerce.
Hosting included.
Extensions for common add-ons.
Pricing
Basic, Core, Plus and Advanced plans. On the UK page we checked, Basic was £144 a year (about £12 a month) or £16 month to month, up to £948 a year for Advanced; US visitors see dollar prices. Source: Squarespace pricing.
What you gain | What you trade off |
|---|---|
Beautiful templates with very little upkeep. | Custom content types, roles and design beyond the template. |
Pick it when a polished template is enough. Read Squarespace vs WordPress.
5. Ghost
Ghost is an open source publishing platform, with a hosted Ghost(Pro) service, built for writers, newsletters and memberships.
Key features
Fast, clean editor for long form writing.
Newsletters and paid memberships built in.
Themes and an API for custom front ends.
Open source, so you can self-host.
Pricing
Ghost(Pro) Starter $18, Publisher $29 and Business $199 a month, billed yearly. Source: Ghost pricing.
What you gain | What you trade off |
|---|---|
A focused publishing tool without the plugin sprawl. | Narrower than WordPress for complex marketing sites. |
Pick it when your site is mainly a publication or newsletter.
6. Astro with a headless CMS
Astro is a free, open source web framework that ships very little JavaScript, usually paired with a headless CMS such as Sanity.
Key features
Very fast pages by default.
Any CMS you like, with no item caps from the framework.
Code and content you own outright.
Changes reviewed in pull requests, including from approved AI workflows.
Pricing
Astro is free. You pay for hosting, such as Vercel Pro at $20 a month, and a CMS, such as Sanity, which has a free plan and Growth at $15 per seat a month. Sources: Vercel pricing, Sanity pricing.
What you gain | What you trade off |
|---|---|
Speed, security and no plugin layer. | The canvas: new layouts need a developer. |
Pick it when speed and code ownership matter most. Read Astro vs WordPress or the WordPress to Astro route.
7. Next.js with a headless CMS
Next.js is a free, open source React framework, usually paired with a headless CMS when the marketing site sits close to the product.
Key features
Custom routes, server rendering and logged-in areas.
Shared components and data with your app.
Any headless CMS for editors.
Hosting on Vercel or any Node.js host.
Pricing
Next.js is free. Vercel Pro is $20 a month, priced further by usage, plus your CMS plan. Source: Vercel pricing.
What you gain | What you trade off |
|---|---|
Full control and one codebase with the product. | Every template change needs engineering time. |
Pick it when engineers own the site and it is app-adjacent. Read the WordPress to Next.js route or WordPress to a headless CMS.
How to leave WordPress without losing rankings
Export posts, pages, media and custom fields, and list every URL from the sitemap and analytics.
Decide which URLs keep their path and which change.
Build a signed-off 301 redirect map for every URL that ranks, converts or carries backlinks.
Carry over titles, meta descriptions, alt text and structured data.
Launch, submit the new sitemap and watch Search Console for 30 days.
Our Leaving WordPress guide covers each step in detail, and the migration planner gives you a first redirect pass for free.
How a project with us runs
Day one. One shared channel, and you meet the people doing the work.
Every day. A written update. Every few days, a Loom walking through what changed.
End of week one. A real page on staging, on your content, that you can forward to anyone.
Week two. The system behind it, so page nine takes an hour instead of a day.
Sources
Framer pricing, Webflow pricing, Wix plans, Squarespace pricing (UK prices), Ghost pricing, Vercel pricing, Sanity pricing and WordPress.com pricing, all checked 15 November 2026.
Goodspeed pricing, for every Goodspeed price.
Case studies: Waste Logics, Zen Educate.
When WordPress is still the better choice
Your editors are fast in WordPress and the site is stable: stay, or book a $5,000 Tune-Up to fix what is broken.
You publish at high volume with roles, workflows and plugins your team relies on.
You run WooCommerce and the store is the business.
You need a specific plugin with no equivalent elsewhere.
Recommendations by buyer
If you are | Best WordPress alternative |
|---|---|
A funded SaaS marketing team shipping campaigns weekly | Framer |
A design team that wants pixel-level control and interactions | Webflow |
A small business owner editing the site yourself | Wix or Squarespace |
A publisher or newsletter business | Ghost |
A content-heavy team with slow pages | Astro with a headless CMS |
A product-led team whose site shares code with the app | Next.js with a headless CMS |
Anyone with a launch date and no time to plan the move | Goodspeed |
Which WordPress alternative should you choose?
Pick the platform for the person who will edit the site every week. If that is a marketer on a canvas, start with Framer or Webflow. If it is an editor in a CMS with engineers behind them, start with Astro or Next.js. If the site is small, Wix or Squarespace will do. And if WordPress is still working, keep it.
Ready to move? plan my migration free to get a first redirect pass and a scope, or book a call to get a date and a fixed price. If staying put is the better answer, we will say so.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to WordPress?
Is there a cheaper alternative to WordPress?
Which WordPress alternative has the most integrations?
Can I move my WordPress blog to another platform?
Will I lose SEO if I leave WordPress?
How long does a WordPress migration take?
How much does it cost to move off WordPress?
Should I use a headless CMS instead of WordPress?
Harish Malhi
Founder of Goodspeed
Harish Malhi is the founder of Goodspeed. He left Google in 2019 to build his own product, and started Goodspeed to give other founders the same head start. Today the studio designs and builds websites and the whole digital experience around them for funded tech companies, at the moments that matter: a raise, a launch, a press cycle. Goodspeed is a Framer Enterprise Expert, was Bubble’s Agency of the Year in 2024, and has shipped 300+ products, including launch pages for an NVIDIA-backed AI lab and a Webby-nominated site for a Boeing-backed aviation company. It holds a 5.0 rating from 46 reviews on Clutch.
