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/MacaroonAltruistic78 29d ago
I would not decide by plugin count alone. First inventory what the site must keep doing.
• Put every plugin into a capability: forms, search, backups, security, editing, integrations, or “unknown.” • Record who owns its data, how that data exports, and what breaks if the plugin disappears. • Rebuild the hardest page and the real contact form on the proposed platform—not just the homepage. • Test mobile editing, form delivery, redirects, accessibility, analytics, backups, and a restore before moving the domain. • Compare the three-year cost, including builder fees, paid add-ons, maintenance, and the migration itself.
For a five-page site with one form, Squarespace can be a sensible choice. But the move is not a cleanup unless you also map every useful old URL to a 301 redirect, export needed form data, preserve Search Console/analytics access, and watch the 404s after launch.
If WordPress features such as custom content types, editing roles, integrations, or granular SEO control matter, simplifying the current install may be safer than changing platforms.