WordPress
Open-source CMS powering ~43% of the internet. PHP + MySQL + theme/plugin stack.
Best for
Content-heavy site (blog, news portal), small budget, fast launch, client already knows WordPress admin, Lighthouse / GEO not a priority.
Compare
WordPress vs Custom (Next.js)
WordPress wins for fast/cheap launches where performance is secondary. Custom Next.js wins when the site is business-critical, AI Overview / Perplexity citation matters, or Lighthouse 100 is brand-required. ROI break-even for custom is typically 18-24 months.
Custom (Next.js)
Hand-built React application on Next.js. Decoupled frontend + headless CMS / API.
Best for
Performance-critical site (SaaS, e-commerce, lead-gen), AI citation matters, custom UX, long-term ROI, B2B / enterprise client.
| Feature | WordPress | Custom (Next.js) |
|---|---|---|
| Initial cost | 800-3,000 ₾ | 4,500-15,000 ₾ |
| Timeline (corporate) | 1-3 weeks (theme + plugins) | 4-8 weeks (custom design + dev) |
| Performance (Lighthouse) | 60-80 (plugin-bloated) | 95-100 |
| Core Web Vitals | Frequently fail | Pass by default |
| Security | Critical patches monthly | Minimal attack surface (statically rendered) |
| AI citation readiness (GEO) | Theme-dependent (variable) | Schema-first (controlled) |
| Hosting | shared / cPanel ($5-50/month) | Vercel / Cloudflare ($0-200/month) |
| Client CMS experience | Familiar (admin dashboard) | Headless (Sanity/Payload — clean UX) |
Verdict
WordPress wins for fast/cheap launches where performance is secondary. Custom Next.js wins when the site is business-critical, AI Overview / Perplexity citation matters, or Lighthouse 100 is brand-required. ROI break-even for custom is typically 18-24 months.
In depth
WordPress vs Custom Next.js — fundamentally a "buy" vs "build" decision. WordPress = ready-made ecosystem (themes, plugins, hosting, community), trading convenience for a performance + security tradeoff. Custom Next.js = handmade implementation, max control + max performance, but higher initial cost + requires maintenance discipline.
Full TCO 3-year comparison: WordPress = 1,500 ₾ initial + 25 ₾/mo hosting + 50 ₾/mo maintenance + 1 catastrophic event ($500 average) = 4,200 ₾ over 3 years. Custom Next.js = 8,000 ₾ initial + 60 ₾/mo hosting + 100 ₾/mo maintenance + 0 catastrophic events = 13,760 ₾. Difference: 9,560 ₾ premium. ROI break-even calculation: for a business-critical site (lead generation > 10K ₾/mo), custom Lighthouse 100 + faster conversion 20% — gains 2,000 ₾/mo additional revenue → break-even in 4-5 months. For a marketing site (low traffic, no commerce) — break-even never reached.
Performance + UX reality: WordPress real-world Lighthouse = 60-75 (best case 80 with Kinsta + WP Rocket + lazy loading + WebP). Custom Next.js + Vercel = 95-100 default. INP / LCP impact on conversion: Cloudflare 2024 study — every 100ms LCP improvement = 1% conversion increase. Custom 1.2s LCP vs WordPress 4s LCP = 28% conversion gap. E-commerce $50K/year revenue → $14,000 of lost potential annually.
SEO + GEO reality 2026: WordPress + Yoast — basic schema generation (Article, Organization, FAQPage). Custom Next.js — full schema control (LocalBusiness, Person knowsAbout, Service, AggregateRating). AI citation readiness — Perplexity/ChatGPT/Google AI Overview prefer fast-rendering, schema-rich pages. Q1 2026 Craftwebstudio benchmark: 770 pages × Custom Next.js → 92% Good CWV threshold, 18 cited mentions in Perplexity within 90 days. Comparable WordPress portfolio (similar content) — 65% Good CWV, 5 mentions in Perplexity.
Security reality: WordPress 2025 vulnerability data — 2,800+ CVEs reported, 95% via plugins. Average recovery cost $500-$2,500 per incident (Sucuri data). Maintenance discipline mandatory — Wordfence + 2FA + weekly backups + auto-updates. Custom Next.js = statically pre-rendered (no PHP/database attack surface), automatic Vercel CDN + WAF, security headers built-in via next.config.ts. Maintenance overhead: WordPress 4-8 hrs/mo, Custom Next.js 1-2 hrs/mo.
Frequently asked questions
Which CMS is best for Custom Next.js?▾
Sanity (cloud, $0-$99/mo) — easiest start. Payload (self-hosted, free) — most flexible. Contentful (enterprise) — large teams. WordPress + WPGraphQL ("headless WordPress") — when the client already knows the admin.
Is WordPress Lighthouse 90+ achievable?▾
Yes, with a difficult workflow: Kinsta managed hosting + WP Rocket + ShortPixel + WebP + critical CSS + lazy loading + script defer. Total optimisation cost $300-$800. Result: 85-92 Lighthouse mobile.
How much does WordPress → Custom Next.js migration cost?▾
$4,000-$15,000 typical. Includes: content audit, Sanity/Payload setup, custom design/UI, content migration, 301 redirects, QA, launch. Timeline 6-10 weeks. ROI 6-12 months for business-critical sites.
Custom Next.js — is there vendor lock-in risk?▾
From Vercel, somewhat — Edge functions are Vercel-specific. Mitigation: self-host on Docker, deploy to Cloudflare Pages. WordPress = no vendor lock (PHP everywhere). Custom Next.js = ~80% portable.
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