Is WordPress Still Good in 2026?

WordPress still runs 41.2% of all websites and 60.2% of the content management system market, according to W3Techs' August 2026 data, a lead roughly eight times the size of its nearest competitor. That share is also down from a peak of 65.2% in 2022, the first sustained decline in the platform's 20-plus year history. Both facts are true at once, and the second one is worth understanding before deciding whether WordPress still deserves a spot on a 2026 shortlist.

The numbers behind the decline

SaaS site builders account for the slide. Shopify now holds about 5.3% of all websites and Wix about 4.3%, and both have grown steadily by bundling hosting, security, and updates into one managed package. The share moved because a growing number of small businesses now prefer a subscription that handles all of that over a platform they have to assemble and maintain themselves.

Why the decline isn't about security

The plugin ecosystem draws the most criticism, and the 2025 numbers back some of that up. Researchers disclosed 11,334 new vulnerabilities across the WordPress ecosystem that year, a 42% jump from 7,966 in 2024. But 91% of those vulnerabilities were in plugins, not WordPress core, and 78% of WordPress sites hacked in 2025 were running at least one outdated plugin at the time. That points to a maintenance gap, not a flaw in the platform itself. A WordPress site with a small, current plugin stack and a real update schedule does not carry that risk.

When WordPress is still the right call

• Content-heavy sites and blogs that publish often and need a mature editorial workflow
• Stores that need WooCommerce's depth without Shopify-style transaction fees
• Businesses that want full ownership of their code and content, portable to any host
• Teams with a developer on staff or on retainer who can maintain the plugin stack

When it isn't

• Teams that want zero ongoing maintenance and are willing to pay a subscription for it
• Highly interactive or animation-heavy sites better suited to a design-first builder
• Ecommerce-first stores where checkout, shipping, and payments matter more than content

WordPress in 2026 is a smaller share of a bigger web, not a shrinking platform in absolute terms, and for a content-heavy or budget-conscious build it remains the strongest option available. For a small business weighing WordPress against a hosted alternative, our WordPress vs Webflow comparison walks through the specific tradeoffs. We build and maintain WordPress sites as part of our WordPress development work, with a plugin stack sized to stay maintainable.