The 10 best WordPress alternatives in 2026

Because I'm the kind of person who has way too much confidence and serious FOMO, I'm always volunteering to tackle projects that I have no business heading up. That's why, to date, I've built several websites (two for former employers, one for my sister-in-law's food blog, and one for my own freelance business)—even though I've never so much as taken an intro course in web design. And I used WordPress to build each of them.

WordPress is a powerhouse website building tool—so much so that it's made several of Zapier's best apps lists:

• The best blog sites

• The best CMS platforms

• The best website builders for small business

• The best Squarespace alternatives

But as a non-professional in the web design field, I can understand why many tech newbies prefer website builders that are easier to use. 

Zapier's testers have spent hundreds of cumulative hours rigorously testing all the website builders out there—and based on those results, here are ten of the best WordPress alternatives to consider for your next web design project.

The best WordPress alternatives

• Wix for overall website building

• Squarespace for ease of use

• Ghost for blogging

• Shopify for eCommerce

• Webflow for advanced designers

• Framer for AI-driven design

• Canva for a free website builder

• HubSpot CMS for growing businesses

• Zapier Forms for AI orchestration

• WordPress.com for WordPress without the fuss

What makes the best WordPress alternative?

WordPress is powerful, but let's face it—it can be a bit intimidating if you're not tech-savvy. Configuring themes, plugins, and settings can take some patience. If you're thinking about making the switch from WordPress, you probably have one of a few reasons: 

• You want something more user-friendly  

• You have a specific use case in mind (like blogging or eCommerce)

• You want a more affordable (read: free) option

• You're a power user who's ready to experiment with AI building features or advanced design freedom

In order to be considered as a viable alternative to WordPress, the website builder needs to offer an advantage in one of those areas—while still being comparable to WordPress in the basics. It should be affordable for most small businesses and creators who are just getting started, with bonus points for a free option. It should have reliable performance, be at least as intuitive and user-friendly as WordPress (but preferably more so), and offer at least one standout feature WordPress doesn't have, like an AI site builder or advanced collaboration tools.

The best WordPress alternatives at a glance

Best WordPress alternative for overall website building

Wix

Wix pros:

• Easy to set up and intuitive to use

• Hundreds of customizable design templates 

Wix cons:

• Common complaints of slow loading times and bandwidth limitations

• Expensive compared to the other options

Since I write blog posts for a living, I firmly believe a website builder is only as good as its blogging features. But to my dismay, most website builders don't share my perspective. They either hide the blog tools in some random corner or make the whole experience frustrating—or both. 

Wix is the exception. Not only is it incredibly user-friendly for building a website, but it also makes setting up and managing a blog a breeze. Wix starts by asking you what kind of site you want to create. Mention the word "blog," and the AI site builder will automatically include a blog for you. It's that straightforward. 

While I wouldn't recommend relying on the AI tool for all of your blog content, features like AI-generated headlines or SEO metadata suggestions can be genuinely helpful. Set the AI aside, and Wix's blog editor is solid—easy to use and capable of handling all the typical blogging tasks without any fuss.

Of course, there's a trade-off. WordPress can be much cheaper. You can launch a WordPress blog with a custom domain for just a few dollars a month, whereas Wix's plans with similar features start at $17/month. If you're running a business, that might not be a big deal, but for a personal blog, the cost can add up.

That said, if you're building more than just a blog—like an online store, booking system, or a robust business website—Wix really shines. It simplifies the process and spares you the learning curve of managed WordPress hosting. In the end, it's all about what matters most to you: simplicity and ease, or budget and flexibility. If the former sounds like your speed, Wix might be just the tool you need.

Wix also offers a healthy third-party app marketplace with hundreds of free and paid apps across categories like SEO, social media, and appointment scheduling. But you're not limited to just those apps. With Zapier, you can connect Wix to thousands of other apps. This way, you can do things like use AI to analyze form submissions, log enriched data in a spreadsheet or CRM, and add leads to your email nurture campaign. Learn more about how to automate Wix.

Wix pricing: Free plan available; paid plans start at $17/month (billed annually) for 2 site editors and a light marketing suite.

Read more: Wix vs. WordPress

Best WordPress alternative for ease of use

Squarespace

Squarespace pros:

• Lightning fast website setup

• Comes with pre-designed templates and built-in editing tools

Squarespace cons:

• More expensive to get started than other tools

• Limited customization options

If you're looking for a simple, stress-free way to build a website, Squarespace is hard to beat—especially compared to WordPress. Squarespace is designed for people who want a polished site without the hassle of learning to code or tinkering with plugins. It's an all-in-one platform that lets you get up and running in no time.

Setting up a site on Squarespace is almost unbelievably fast: you pick your website's category, choose a template, and name your site. Within minutes, you'll have a professional-looking website that's ready to customize. The interface is intuitive, and if you ever feel stuck, Squarespace's built-in tutorial bot walks you through the features step by step.

Compared to WordPress, which requires setting up hosting, managing installations, and sorting through plugins just to get started, Squarespace feels like cheating. Squarespace also uses its Blueprint AI onboarding to tailor layouts, features, fonts, and color schemes based on your answers, helping you land on a strong first version of your site with minimal effort.

Customization on Squarespace is also dead simple. Instead of starting from scratch, you can select from a variety of pre-designed templates and layouts, making it easy to create something that looks great. Want to add an image? Upload it, and Squarespace even offers built-in editing tools for adjusting brightness, contrast, or adding filters. On WordPress, these tasks often require plugins or extra steps, which can slow down your progress.

Squarespace also has plenty of useful built-in features. Marketing tools, analytics, and eCommerce functionality are already integrated, saving you the trouble of hunting for and configuring third-party plugins. While WordPress offers similar capabilities through plugins like WooCommerce and Google Analytics, getting them set up often requires more time and know-how.

Plus, Squarespace integrates with Zapier, which makes it easy to orchestrate workflows across your entire tech stack. For example, you can use AI to automatically review and categorize incoming form submissions, update records in your CRM, and assign follow-up tasks in your team's project management tool. Discover more ways to automate Squarespace.

Squarespace pricing: 14-day free trial available; paid plans start at $16/month (billed annually) for a custom domain, Squarespace AI, and basic website design features.

Read more: Squarespace vs. WordPress

Best WordPress alternative for blogging

Ghost

Ghost pros:

• Great for blogging and building an audience

• Lots of built-in features, like memberships and newsletter subscriptions  

Ghost cons:

• Less customizable compared to WordPress

• Not suitable for non-content business models

Ghost was created by John O'Nolan, a former WordPress developer who wanted a simpler, more focused platform for publishing online. Unlike WordPress, which can feel bloated with features designed for every possible use case, Ghost is built specifically for content creators who want to focus on publishing and growing an audience.

One of Ghost's biggest strengths is how naturally it supports modern blogging workflows. Publishing posts, sending newsletters, and managing email subscribers all happen inside the same platform, without relying on plugins or third-party tools. Ghost also makes it easy to monetize your content by gating posts for free members, paid members, or custom membership tiers. It's ideal for bloggers who want to experiment with subscriptions, premium content, or paid newsletters.

Getting started with Ghost is refreshingly straightforward. The editor is clean and distraction-free, and the theme marketplace (with both free and paid options) offers polished layouts that work especially well for long-form writing and publications. While Ghost isn't designed for complex landing pages or highly custom site layouts, it excels at what it's meant to do: publish content quickly and beautifully.

The platform is free and open source, so if you have the technical know-how, you can set it up on your own server for free. But if you'd prefer a hassle-free experience, Ghost offers a hosted version starting at $15/month. 

Ghost also integrates with Zapier, allowing you to build sophisticated, end-to-end blogging workflows. For example, when a new post goes live, you can use AI to write platform-specific captions to promote it, share those posts to Facebook and LinkedIn, and analyze reader engagement. 

Ghost pricing: Free for self-hosted; paid plans start at $15/month (billed annually) for a custom domain, 1,000 subscribers, and unlimited email sends. 

Best WordPress alternative for eCommerce

Shopify

Shopify pros:

• Built for eCommerce

• Easy to set up and get started

Shopify cons:

• Not a great choice if you don't need an online store

• No free plan

WordPress is versatile and can power all kinds of websites, but that flexibility comes with complexity—especially when you're trying to set up a store. Shopify, on the other hand, is built from the ground up to make selling online as easy as possible. If you want to build an online store without a steep learning curve, you can't go wrong with Shopify. 

From the moment you sign up, the platform guides you through creating products, managing inventory, and tracking orders. It even has built-in tools for selling on social media or through marketplaces like Amazon and eBay. It doesn't try to be a jack-of-all-trades—it's all about helping you sell, and it does that really well.

Shopify also includes integrated AI features—called Shopify Magic and Sidekick—that can help generate product descriptions, edit images, respond to customer messages, and guide you through setup or reporting, all without changing the core Shopify experience.

While WordPress requires choosing a hosting provider, installing plugins like WooCommerce, and learning how to configure your site, Shopify lets you dive right in. With a few clicks, you can have a fully functional store ready to go. And if you hit any snags, Shopify's 24/7 chat support is there to help—a stark contrast to WordPress, where support often involves searching forums or hiring developers.

Yes, Shopify is more expensive than WordPress, starting at $29/month compared to WordPress's lower hosting costs. But what you're paying for is convenience and a platform designed specifically for eCommerce.

Shopify also has a Zapier integration, which lets you orchestrate end-to-end eCommerce workflows across thousands of apps. For example, when a new order comes in through your site, AI can automatically analyze order details, update inventory and accounting systems, and notify operations or support teams to handle fulfillment and follow-up. Learn more about how to automate Shopify.

Shopify pricing: 3-day free trial; paid plans for individuals start at $29/month (billed annually) for basic eCommerce features; Shopify for small teams starts at $79/month for reduced credit card fees, shipping discounts, and more staff accounts.

Read more: Shopify vs. WordPress

Best WordPress alternative for advanced designers

Webflow

Webflow pros:

• Advanced no-code design settings

• Animation options for micro-interactions

Webflow cons: 

• Complicated interface with a steep learning curve

• Complex pricing structure

Webflow offers something that's hard to find anywhere else: complete design freedom, without the need for heavy coding. If you're an advanced designer (or just serious about creative freedom), Webflow is an excellent alternative to WordPress. Just keep in mind that it's not an easy website builder for newbies. But if you're familiar with how WordPress works, you should be fine switching to Webflow.

The tool is built for visual thinkers who want to create highly customized websites without being limited by templates or relying on a developer. Its drag-and-drop interface uses "containers" and "classes" that make designing intuitive while still giving you full control over layout, typography, and spacing. Need to tweak a specific style across your site? Just update the class, and it applies automatically everywhere. It's as close as you can get to coding without actually writing the code—and if you want to dig into the code, Webflow gives you access to that, too.

Webflow also includes AI tools that can do everything you'd expect from a WordPress alternative: answer questions about using the AI site builder, help rewrite or translate text, and suggest SEO improvements. 

Another great thing about Webflow is how seamlessly it supports collaboration with external designers or agencies. You can invite freelancers or agencies to work on your site with full access—without paying for additional seats—and even allow clients and teammates to leave comments directly on the design. 

When you connect Webflow with Zapier, you can orchestrate multi-step workflows that turn website activity into coordinated action across teams. For example, when a high-value form submission comes in, AI can automatically analyze and categorize the request, update lead and campaign data for marketing, sync qualified details to sales systems, and log the interaction for reporting and forecasting. Learn more about how to automate Webflow.

Webflow pricing: Free plan available with a webflow.io domain; paid plans start at $14/month (billed annually) for a custom domain, 150 pages, and unlimited form submissions.

Read more: Webflow vs. WordPress

Best WordPress alternative for AI

Framer 

Framer pros:

• Powerful CMS and localization features

• Ideal for building landing pages and prototypes

Framer cons:

• No eCommerce features

• Basic SEO and analytics

Most AI website builders promise they can generate a complete website from a prompt, but most still fall laughably short—with one notable exception. Framer stands out for how naturally it fits into professional design workflows, offering AI tools that actually help you move faster without locking you into a rigid layout.

Start by giving a detailed prompt, and Framer will generate a structured layout with sensible sections and placeholder copy. For example, you could ask it to design a portfolio site for a dog portrait photographer, and it'll create a clean, logical foundation with galleries and content blocks already in place. Sure, it's not a perfect, ready-to-launch site—links and visuals still need refinement—but it's impressive how far it takes your idea right out of the gate.

Once the wireframe is ready, Framer's robust site builder takes over, giving you precise control over layout, typography, and interactions. You can also use Framer to generate custom components—like interactive sliders or animated elements—that would normally require custom code.

Compared to tools like Webflow, Framer places a bit more emphasis on fast iteration, animations, and reusable components, which makes it especially appealing for landing pages, prototypes, and MVPs.

If AI isn't your preferred starting point, Framer also offers more than 3,000 free and paid templates you can jump into right away. While Framer won't replace thoughtful design decisions, it's one of the few website builders where AI feels genuinely useful rather than gimmicky—and a compelling option if you want to see where AI-driven web design is headed.

Framer pricing: Free plan available; paid plans from $10 (billed annually) for 2 users, a custom domain, and 30 pages.

Read more: Framer vs. Webflow

Best free WordPress alternative 

Canva

Canva pros

• Easy, drag-and-drop design options

• Surprisingly flexible, with just a few tricks

Canva cons

• Limited functionality compared to WordPress

• SEO is sub-par

If you want a truly free alternative to WordPress—and your needs are simple—Canva is one of the easiest ways to get a good-looking website online fast. Unlike WordPress, which requires hosting, setup, and ongoing maintenance, Canva removes almost all technical friction. You sign up, choose a website template, and start designing right away.

Canva also includes built-in AI tools like Magic Write and design assistants that can help you generate layouts, text, and visual elements from simple prompts to get your site started faster.

Canva's website builder is best suited for static sites like personal pages, portfolios, link in bios, event pages, or small informational websites. Pages are built using pre-sized sections, which keeps layouts clean and consistent without requiring any design or coding experience. Navigation is handled automatically, and previewing your site on mobile is built right into the editor.

That simplicity is also Canva's biggest limitation. Compared to WordPress, you won't get advanced functionality like plugins, deep SEO controls, or dynamic content. But if your goal is a polished, one-to-few-page website—and you don't want to deal with hosting, themes, or updates—Canva delivers a surprisingly strong free option.

Canva also integrates with Zapier, so you can coordinate sophisticated, multi-step workflows across the rest of your tech stack. For example, you can automatically add campaign ideas from a meeting transcript to your team's project management tool. From there, AI can interpret the ideas, generate the design assets in Canva, and upload assets to your cloud storage app. Learn more about how to automate Canva.

Canva pricing: Free plan available for individual users; paid plans start at $10/month (billed annually) for premium tools, 5 Brand Kits, and 100 GB of cloud storage. 

Best WordPress alternative for growing businesses

HubSpot CMS Hub

HubSpot pros:

• Quick, easy-to-use AI builder

• Focus on SEO and business growth

HubSpot cons:

• The free subdomain is relatively unusable

• Must pay to access some of the winning features

HubSpot is known for its business tools, and its website builder (HubSpot CMS) follows the same playbook: streamlined, smart, and built with business goals in mind.

One of the best things about HubSpot CMS is how easy it makes the website-building process. From the start, it guides you step-by-step, showing your progress with percentages (so satisfying). You can choose a theme from HubSpot's marketplace—there are hundreds of free and premium options—or use the AI builder to generate a site draft based on your design preferences, like "modern" or "minimalistic." Either way, you'll end up with a site that looks professional and fits your brand.

Customization is straightforward, too. You can tweak the theme's settings—adjust colors, fonts, layouts—and then start building your core pages (home, about, contact) using the drag-and-drop editor. With 45+ modules, including CTAs, accordions, and image blocks, you have plenty of flexibility to create a polished, functional site. Plus, HubSpot provides tutorials to help you make the most of these features, so there's no need to stress if you're not a web design pro.

Where HubSpot really shines, though, is its focus on growth and SEO. It walks you through setting up a blog, optimizing your pages for search engines, and even gives you real-time SEO recommendations as you add content. For businesses focused on inbound marketing, HubSpot feels like a natural fit—it's designed to help you attract and engage your audience right from the start. Just make sure to upgrade to a custom domain to ditch the default "hubspotpagebuilder.com" URL.

And if you use HubSpot for more than just website-building, you can connect HubSpot with Zapier to orchestrate all of your workflows and put more resources back into your business. For example, when someone submits a form, AI can summarize their message, route it to the right team, and generate a follow-up task in your project management app so nothing gets lost between systems. Learn more about how to automate HubSpot.

HubSpot CMS pricing: Free plan available; paid plans start at $9/user/month (billed annually) to remove HubSpot branding and add a custom domain name.

Best WordPress alternative for AI orchestration

Zapier Forms

Zapier Forms pros:

• Integrates with 8,000+ apps and AI tools

• Built-in AI chatbots, forms, and logic—no plugins required

Zapier Forms cons:

• Less control over fine-grained design compared to a traditional CMS

If you're using sites primarily to capture leads, run campaigns, or connect landing pages to the rest of your business, Zapier Forms is a compelling WordPress alternative. Instead of managing themes, plugins, and integrations, Zapier Forms, which is also a lightweight landing page builder, is built around automation and AI from the start—so every page is already wired into your workflows.

With Zapier Copilot, you can vibe code a landing page or form in minutes just by describing what you want. Pages support familiar blocks like text and buttons, but also interactive elements like forms, checklists, Kanban boards, and chatbots. You can even accept payments via Stripe, making it easy to go from visitor to customer in one flow.

What sets Zapier Forms apart from WordPress is what happens after someone interacts with your page. Submissions can immediately trigger multi-step workflows: routing leads to the right systems, enriching data with AI, drafting follow-ups, updating CRMs, and notifying teams—all without plugins or custom code. Zapier Forms isn't a general-purpose CMS, but if your priority is orchestrating AI-powered workflows from your landing pages, it's one of the most direct alternatives to WordPress available.

Zapier Forms pricing: Free plan available; paid plans from $19.99/month (billed annually). 

Read more: The best landing page builders

Best WordPress alternative without the fuss

WordPress.com

WordPress.com pros:

• A fast and simple way to launch a great blog

• Takes some of the hassle out of the WordPress experience  

WordPress.com cons:

• More expensive and less customizable than hosting your own WordPress site

I have a love-hate relationship with WordPress—but that doesn't mean you do. Maybe you love using WordPress, but you just don't want the hassle of self-hosting. In that case, WordPress.com is just what the doctor ordered: it offers the powerful blogging and content management features WordPress is known for, combined with a simpler, hosted setup. You don't need to worry about finding a hosting provider, downloading WordPress, or handling updates and security—it's all taken care of.  

Getting started with WordPress.com couldn't be easier. You can sign up for a free account, pick a theme, and have a basic website live in minutes. WordPress.com also includes an AI website builder that can generate a site layout, pages, and starter content based on a few prompts—helpful if you want to get from idea to publish even faster without making a lot of upfront decisions. While the free plan is limited (you'll have a wordpress.com domain, ads, and fewer design options), it's a great way to test the waters.

Once you're ready to scale up, paid plans like the $4/month (billed annually) Personal plan let you use your own domain and remove ads. For even more customization, the $8/month Premium plan opens the door to premium themes and custom colors. If you're familiar with self-hosted WordPress, you'll notice that WordPress.com has fewer customization options out of the box. But for many businesses, that trade-off is worth it: it's a much faster, lower-maintenance way to get a professional-looking site online.

WordPress.com pricing: Free plan available; paid plans start at $4/month (billed annually) for unlimited pages, a custom domain, and no ads.

Which WordPress alternative should you choose?

There's a reason WordPress is king in the web design space—but like any other app, it comes with strengths and weaknesses. If WordPress's learning curve is too steep for you, try Wix or Squarespace. If it doesn't have enough of an eCommerce focus for you, try Shopify. Or if you want to see where the future of AI website builders is heading, go with Framer. And if your focus is turning website leads into action, go with Zapier Forms. It's all about finding your key pain point and choosing the WordPress alternative that solves it.

Related reading:

• How to build a website on Notion

• The best WordPress form plugins

• The best WordPress SEO plugins

This article was originally published in January 2025. The most recent update, with contributions from Jessica Lau, was in January 2026.