WordPress or Next.js for a Small Business Website?
By Mudabbir Hasan, Co-founder · Published · Last updated
Choose WordPress if non-technical staff will edit the content and the site is mainly pages, a menu and a booking or order link. Choose a custom Next.js build if the site must do something specific, such as write leads straight to your database or share code with an app. The deciding questions are who maintains it and what it has to do.
Why is this question usually answered badly?
Most comparisons are written by agencies that build only one of the two. We build both, so we have no stake in the answer. What follows is based on what each platform's own documentation says, plus what we have shipped for clients.
What is each one, in its own words?
WordPress.org describes WordPress as a publishing platform that began in 2003, runs on PHP and MariaDB, and is licensed under the GPL version 2 or later. It says WordPress is designed for everyone, so people with limited technical experience can use it out of the box while advanced users can customise it extensively. The page also says WordPress is the platform of choice for over 43 percent of all sites on the web, but gives no source for that figure, so do not rely on it.
Next.js is a React framework. Its documentation says layouts and pages are Server Components by default, which lets you fetch data and render on the server, reduce the JavaScript sent to the browser and improve first contentful paint. Interactive parts are Client Components, and the server and client output together prerender HTML. In practice, a Next.js site is code written and maintained by developers.
In each platform's own words
WordPress
- A publishing platform on PHP and MariaDB
- Licensed GPL v2 or later
- Designed so non-technical people can manage content out of the box
Next.js
- A React framework
- Pages are Server Components by default
- Server output prerenders HTML
- A content system is something developers add
Who will edit the site?
This is the question that decides most cases. WordPress is built so non-technical people can manage content out of the box. A Next.js site can be given a content system too, but it is something developers add and maintain, so if staff expect to change pages and menus on their own every week, WordPress usually has the advantage.
Decide in this order
- 1
Who edits the content, and how often?
- 2
What must the site do beyond pages and links?
- 3
Who maintains the platform and its updates?
- 4
Can you export everything if you leave?
What does the site need to do?
- Mostly pages, a menu and links out to an ordering or booking tool: WordPress is usually enough.
- A custom workflow, such as a quote form that writes directly to your own database, service-area pages generated from data, or code shared with a web or mobile app: a custom build gives you full control.
- Heavy interactivity: Next.js lets you add Client Components only where they are needed and keep the rest as server-rendered pages.
What have we built on each?
The Tooting Fish & Kebab website is a full WordPress build using Elementor, with an online-ordering call to action, a full menu and a same-night booking path, and the shop's own photography. Honestly Contracting and Danny Denman Painting are Next.js builds. Danny Denman's estimate form writes directly to a Postgres database through Prisma, with no third-party form service in between. Honestly Contracting has service pages, a gallery, quote forms, service-area pages and a blog. This website, metabufsol.com, is Next.js as well.
Built on both
WordPress + Elementor
Tooting Fish & Kebab website
Next.js + Postgres (Prisma)
Danny Denman Painting
Next.js
Honestly Contracting
Next.js
metabufsol.com
What should you ask whichever you choose?
- Who will update it, how often, and what do they need to be able to do without a developer?
- Who is responsible for keeping the platform and any plugins or dependencies up to date, and what does that cost each month?
- Where does the content live, and can you export all of it if you move?
- Does the page content arrive in the HTML the server sends, so search engines and AI crawlers can read it?
- Who owns the code and the accounts, in writing?
What should you do next?
- Write down the three things the site must do and the people who will change it.
- If every item is pages and links, price a WordPress build first.
- If a workflow or an app connection is on the list, price a custom build and compare the five-year cost, including maintenance.
Sources
- About WordPress, WordPress.org (accessed 2026-10-10)
- Server and Client Components, Next.js documentation (accessed 2026-10-10)
Related guides
Talk to an engineer about your project
Start with a free project call. We learn what you are building and recommend the right next step, with no pitch.
Book a call