Jamstack vs WordPress: Which is the Best Choice for Your Business?

When it comes to creating a modern website that requires a CMS, there are a few options available, but WordPress has long been a go-to option for many, accounting for more than 60% of overall CMS share and over 40% of websites built using WordPress. 

Even though it is an extremely strong tool, Jamstack is another popular development platform with headless architecture. It is currently on the rise and represents a new method of creating websites.

But, every company has distinct requirements about the target market, content management, etc., therefore it’s critical to select the appropriate platform that seamlessly adapts and helps you climb the ladder of success with ease. 

If you are here for it and would like to know about the basics and which platform to choose for your content management and development needs, then this blog has got you covered. 

In this post, I’ll cover the end-to-end differences for these platforms so you can make the right decision. 

So, without any further ado – let’s get started. 

What is WordPress? 

WordPress is one of the most widely used content management systems (CMS). Its ecosystem of plugins and themes enables users to develop a vast range of websites, from blogs and marketing websites to stores, forums, and more. It employs a LAMP stack approach to web development, which is based on the Linux operating system, Apache HTTP Server, MySQL database, and PHP.

WordPress powers over 40% of all websites on the internet and holds 64% of the market share for content management systems. Initially launched in 2004 as a blogging platform, this free and open-source platform has evolved into a multifunctional website developer backed by an extensive ecosystem of themes and plugins.

Its abundance of tools, robust community support, and SEO features make it an adaptable option for site building that empowers both novice and seasoned users.

Pros & Cons of WordPress! 

Pros

1. Quite Easy to Use: WordPress is simple to use, whether you’re a coding expert or someone with little technical experience. It has a straightforward user interface (also known as the “admin panel”) that allows users to install plugins and themes, update existing posts, create pages, and perform a lot more tasks all without the need for expert help.

2. Cost-EFficient: If you wish to create a WordPress site, you can either install the free software from WordPress.org, tweak the code to your liking, or pay a nominal cost for hosting. To develop your own WordPress website, you can also register with WordPress.com, pay a price, and use their prebuilt tools and designs. These two choices are less expensive when compared to alternative platforms.

3. Robust Community Support: One of the most popular website builders available online is WordPress. In actuality, WordPress powers around 43% of all websites on the internet, according to Kinsta. That is about 50% of all web pages! Because of its extensive use, WordPress has a vibrant user community that is here to help you along the way.

4. Flexibility at the core: WordPress is incredibly versatile and strong. It may be used for everything, from straightforward blogs, landing pages, and brochure sites to intricate e-commerce websites and online storefronts. As your website grows, you can add more pages as you begin with a few.

5. There are thousands of themes available: With thousands of themes to select from, WordPress offers the fantastic advantage of allowing you to find the ideal design for your website without requiring you to start from scratch. The best part is that a lot of WordPress themes are simple to install and free. 

6. Countless Plugin Choices: Similar to themes, many plugins are available for enhancing WordPress’s functionality. Plugins come in a variety of prices and cover anything from social media sharing to SEO. There are many free or lite plugins available in the plugin repository, and there are also premium choices available.

Cons 

1. Options Can Be Overwhelming: WordPress is user-friendly, but it also contains a lot of features that can be hard to grasp to fully utilize the platform, your development team is an expert in this, and they will help you.
   
2. Many updates to manage: WordPress.org requires you to perform the upgrades yourself (the development team will look into this). WordPress changes frequently and a lot of plugins and themes are updated frequently as well – which you need to manage.

What is JamStack? 

JAMstack, the abbreviation for JavaScript, APIs, and Markup, is a contemporary web development architecture. It is a technique for developing web apps and webpages by dividing the client-side and server-side parts. JAMstack creates quicker, more secure, and scalable web experiences by utilizing client-side rendering, pre-built HTML, and API-driven services.

This method offers benefits including increased speed, increased security, and simplicity of maintenance while streamlining the web-building process. JAMstack is gaining popularity because of its ability to provide high-performance web applications.

You might have heard the terms “headless CMS” or “static website”. These are components of the web framework known as Jamstack, used to create static web pages. The Jamstack isn’t about certain technology.

It’s a revolutionary approach to developing apps and websites that offer enhanced developer experience, reduced scaling costs, increased security, and improved performance.

Pros & Cons of Jamstack 

• Enhanced Core Web Vitals and Page Load Time: Jamstack greatly improves page load time by relying on pre-rendered content and static files, such as static HTML files and external assets. Enhanced basic web vitals have a direct impact on user experience and search engine rankings.
• Improved SEO Capabilities: Search engine crawlers index Jamstack pages more quickly due to their static nature. For businesses wishing to create an online digital business card, this is helpful. Higher SEO ranks and more visibility are directly correlated with faster load times.
• Enhanced Security and Reliability: By delivering pre-made static pages, Jamstack lowers the possibility of server-side vulnerabilities. By limiting potential attack paths, this static method strengthens the security of websites and web apps against prevalent online threats.
• Scalability and Flexibility: Web development can be more scalable and flexible because of Jamstack’s decoupled architecture. It is perfect for managing many websites or landing pages because it makes scaling up or down dependent on traffic effortless.
• Improved Web Traffic Management: Jamstack’s usage of material Delivery Networks (CDNs) makes it possible to distribute material effectively, guaranteeing reliable management of unexpected spikes in traffic and preserving consistent site performance.
• Minimized Dependency on Backend Systems: Because Jamstack is static, it doesn’t rely as much on backend systems. Jamstack’s static approach reduces the possibility of outages and service disruptions, guaranteeing that the website is available even in the most difficult circumstances.

Cons 

• Coding might be necessary: How your website or landing pages were developed determines how easy it is to update them. If you don’t know how to code, you could need the help of a trained developer.
• Not entirely compatible with plugins: Plugin use is frequently sacrificed for a more enjoyable user experience and greater customization options. However, there is some incompatibility between Jamstack and the plugins, which may cause issues when adding new features.
• Unfit for dynamic settings: Static pages, sometimes referred to as Jamstack pages, are suitable for straightforward text and images. However, creating dynamic pages will be more complex, and you may need to put in more effort.
• Headless CMS Complexity: Especially when interacting with several APIs and services, operating a headless content management system can add complexity to the maintenance of the Jamstack website.
• Steep Learning Curve for Some Developers: Transitioning to a Jamstack architecture may require developers to learn new tools and technologies, especially if they are not already familiar with modern JavaScript frameworks, build tools, and serverless functions.

WordPress vs Jamstack: The Key Differences & Who Wins? 

1. WordPress vs Jamstack: Learning Curve & Ease of Use 

WordPress

WordPress has a less complicated learning curve and is very easy to use. Even if you don’t have any experience with development, WordPress makes it simple to build a website. For those who lack programming knowledge or do not wish to work with developers, WordPress is a fantastic option. WordPress is also quite easy to manage and scale as per your unique business requirements. 

Jamstack

On the other side, developers must be technically skilled to launch the website because Jamstack has a severe learning curve. However, developers highly value it because its entire architecture is built to make their jobs easier. The technologies that are employed are not constrained. Git manages all the complexity, which reduces it and makes development much more streamlined, dependable, and fast.

2. WordPress vs Jamstack: Security 

Another key distinction between WordPress and Jamstack is security.

Unfortunately, hackers now prefer to target WordPress websites. The Sucuri 2019 Threat Research Report website states that WordPress infections occurred marginally more frequently than in 2018. The infection rates went from 90% to 94%.

The increased reliance on third-party plugins and themes is the cause of these growing security issues. However, you can stop hackers from taking advantage of your WordPress website by using the proper security procedures and optimization methods.

On the other side, because Jamstack is a relatively recent platform and its websites are static and hosted on CDNs, they are inherently safe. Jamstack also distinguishes between a web project’s front end and back end. It just gives the end user access to the front end, but the back end is stored in APIs that are dispersed across multiple servers. These procedures make designs created with Jamstack secure.

3. WordPress vs Jamstack: Costing 

WordPress

WordPress is generally a free content management system. The setup and downloading the WordPress is free. However, you just need to spend on hosting. You can also download, install, and edit it at any moment, and it is far less expensive in the long run than Jamstack.

Furthermore, WordPress offers a variety of free themes and plugins, which lowers the cost of website upkeep. However, you will need to pay for hosting as well as premium themes and plugins. 

Jamstack

Having said that, setting up and maintaining a Jam stack can be somewhat costly. The initial setup expenses are higher, and Jam stack still requires some effort to build up the front end, headless CMS, and configure. 

Furthermore, the vendor’s selection and the specifications of the website have an impact on the price of developing a Jamstack website. But there isn’t a lot of hosting on Jamstack.

4. Performance and Speed

With blazingly quick loading times, JAMstack excels in both performance and speed. This is accomplished using pre-built markup and minimal server-side processing, resulting in nearly rapid page loading. However, Jamstack also employs headless architecture, which improves performance and speed.

On the other hand, because of its server-based architecture, WordPress can occasionally lag behind JAMstack, even though it is likewise capable of great performance with appropriate optimization.

5. Flexibility and Customization

WordPress

This popular CMS is known for its flexibility through the use of themes and plugins. While themes provide a range of visual customizations, plugins extend functionality. However, customization may be somewhat constrained by the capabilities of available themes and plugins.

Jamstack

It Offers unparalleled flexibility, allowing developers to choose their preferred tools and frameworks for both frontend and backend. Development teams can leverage modern JavaScript libraries like React or Vue, and select the most suitable backend services for their specific needs.

6. WordPress vs Jamstack: Content Management

WordPress

WordPress is renowned for its integrated CMS, providing a user-friendly dashboard for content creation and organization. The all-in-one solution simplifies the content workflow, making it accessible to users with varying technical expertise. WordPress wins in content management, providing an integrated and user-friendly CMS that streamlines the content workflow. 

Jamstack

Jamstack typically involves using a separate headless CMS for content authoring and management, allowing a clean separation between content creation and presentation. This approach is advantageous for projects that prioritize modular content workflows, but with Jamstack it is not always easier to manage. It requires a lot of work and technical proficiency. 

7. WordPress vs Jamstack: SEO

WordPress

WordPress has a strong reputation for SEO-friendly practices, with dedicated tools and plugins providing comprehensive options for optimizing content for search engines. Plus, WordPress has a clean and valid HTML markup, which is essential for search engine crawlers. 

Jamstack

Jamstack is generally considered SEO-friendly due to the pre-rendering of static files, contributing to improved search rankings. However, handling dynamic or personalized content may require additional SEO considerations.

8. WordPress vs Jamstack: Ecosystem and Community

WordPress

WordPress has been among the most well-established and popular CMS platforms for over 20 years now. Due to this, WordPress boasts a mature and extensive ecosystem with a vast repository of themes and plugins. The well-established community provides robust support, resources, and a wealth of documentation. 

Jamstack

Jamstack on the other hand is a relatively new framework and didn’t have a huge community and support. However, it is a growing ecosystem with a variety of tools and services. The community is dynamic, embracing modern web development practices, and actively contributes to the expansion and enhancement of the Jamstack approach.

To Conclude 

Here’s a complete wrap on everything you need to know about the two popular platforms: WordPress and Jamstack. In conclusion, the choice between WordPress and Jamstack depends on the specific needs and goals of your project. We hope this ultimate guide has helped you in making the right decision. 

Choose WordPress When:

• Rapid development and quick setup are priorities.
• User-friendly content management is crucial.
• A vast ecosystem of themes and plugins is desired.
• You prefer a traditional CMS approach.
• Community support and extensive documentation are essential.

Choose Jamstack When:

• Performance, scalability, and fast loading times are critical.
• Static content, blogs, and content-focused applications are the focus.
• You value decoupled architecture and modular development.
• Flexibility in choosing tools and services is a priority.
• Pre-built content and CDN-based content delivery align with project goals.

If you are looking for a leading website development company – that can assist you in determining the right technology stack and helping you with the web development, then reach out to KrishaWeb. Our team of professionals understands your unique business requirements and offers targeted solutions.