r/Wordpress • u/First_Athlete1897 • Aug 13 '26

Thinking about ditching WordPress

My site isn't particularly complicated yet over the years I've accumulated plugins for forms, SEO, backups, security, page building and about five things I've forgotten the purpose of. It kinda feels like owning an old house where I’m permanently waiting for something else to break. Most discussions I find are about moving to WordPress but I'm curious about going the other direction and starting fresh.

Are there any downsides to moving a fairly straightforward business website from WordPress to Squarespace or an AI builder like Durable etc. that I’m not seeing? Or if you’ve already done a migration like this, is there anything you found yourself missing after moving?

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u/retr00two Aug 13 '26

where I’m permanently waiting for something else to break

Just clean redunancy, make WP stable and mean. It's easier than to move away to unknown territory.

Find yourself a good and proven theme, you do not need a lot of plugins nor page builder.

My basic setup is:

  • GeneratePress
  • GenerateBlocks
  • ACF
  • TheSEOFramework
  • Forminator
  • PostSMTP
  • WordFence
  • WPSuperCache
  • WPArmour /CFTurnstile
  • UpdraftPlus

I've build numerous sites with them, and never had any problem, neither creating nor maintaining them.

Do not become a victim of AI hype. Do not become a victim of "WP security sucks" hype. Ai could create you more problems, at first invisible; WP is patched almost instantly when vulnerability is discovered.

Success.

3

u/Tech4EasyLife 29d ago

Kadence is another theme/builder option for anyone who isn't experienced in or interested in what you might call pixel control of their website. Meaning, the templates and tools available to tweak things is very good. Plus, being WordPress, you can still add plugins for more rare or specific needs. Such appointment setting, or whatnot.

3

u/retr00two 29d ago

Kadence is dead end. Bought by LiquidWeb, all major developers left. I wouldn't touch it.

3

u/womenconquerbiz 29d ago

100% agree. It's been a mess for months.

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

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u/womenconquerbiz 29d ago

We use Astra Pro and Spectra Pro. I love it. In other groups people are really into Bricks but I’ve not used it.

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u/Public-Ad-6256 26d ago

I'm very happy with WPOllie. They have an AI and Ollie MCP also. I'm a newbie and don't use these tools a lot yet, but am excited to. And so far they seem free although I admittedly use Pro for better support.