Burnswright vs. WordPress.
WordPress runs 40% of the internet for a reason. We don't build on it for a different reason. Both are right answers to different operator situations.
Most studio sites would tell you their tech stack is better than WordPress. That's mostly marketing — WordPress is a perfectly good tool for a specific kind of operator, and pretending otherwise wastes everyone's time.
Here's our honest read: WordPress is the right call when you need a CMS your staff can edit daily without a developer, you have a content-publishing operation (blog, news, recipes, articles) running through it, and you're comfortable with a stack that requires regular plugin updates and security patches.
Our Next.js + Vercel builds are the right call when you want a fast, secure marketing site that you don't have to babysit; when you need custom integrations (Stripe, Twilio, Hostaway, Dropbox Sign, custom databases); when performance matters for SEO; and when you don't want the ongoing patching and plugin-conflict overhead WordPress carries.
How the two compare
| Dimension | WordPress | Burnswright |
|---|---|---|
| Typical page-load speed (mobile) | 2-5 seconds (theme + plugin overhead) | Under 1 second (static generation + edge cache) |
| Ongoing maintenance | Monthly plugin + WP core updates required | Push updates only when we change the code |
| Custom integrations | Plugin-dependent, varies in quality | First-party code, full control |
| Staff content editing | Native — admin panel built for editors | Possible (we wire in a CMS like Sanity or Notion) but not the default |
| Typical hosting cost | $10-50/month | $20/month Vercel + $25/month if database needed |
| Total project cost | $2-8k (template shops) or $20-50k (agencies) | $8-22k fixed fee per tier |
| Timeline to launch | 4-12 weeks typical | 4-6 weeks fixed |
Where WordPress is the better tool
- Daily content publishing — your team writes a blog post every Tuesday
- Plugin ecosystem — there's a WordPress plugin for almost everything
- Existing in-house WordPress skill — your IT person already knows the admin panel
- Cheap hosting — $5-10/month shared hosting works for basic sites
- Templates and themes — fast prototyping without design budget
Where we're the better tool
- Performance — Next.js + Vercel sites typically load 3-5× faster than WordPress on the same content
- Security — no plugin updates to manage, no admin panel to harden against bot attacks
- Custom integrations — Stripe deposit flows, Twilio SMS, Hostaway booking, custom databases all easier to wire correctly
- Brand-grade design — we ship custom design, not theme-customization, so the site doesn't look like every other WordPress site
- Code ownership — you get the GitHub repo, no Wix/Squarespace-style lock-in, but also no WordPress plugin-update treadmill
- Operator software — when the marketing site needs to talk to a custom admin panel or operator dashboard, the architecture is one project, not two
Who should pick what
If your business model is content publishing (media, news, content marketing) and you'll write hundreds of posts a year, WordPress is probably the right tool. Find a good WordPress developer and run with it.
If your business model is a marketing site for an operator (service business, hospitality, healthcare, real estate, trades) that publishes content monthly at most, plus integrations and a polished brand, Next.js + Vercel is the better fit. That's where we live.
If you're already on WordPress and it's working, don't rebuild for the sake of rebuilding. The win has to be worth the cutover work.
What buyers ask after reading this
Could you build a WordPress site if I really wanted one?
We could, but we wouldn't. We don't ship WordPress and would recommend a builder who specializes — happy to suggest one.
Can I migrate from WordPress to your stack?
Yes. We pull your existing content, map URLs for 301 redirects, and rebuild on Next.js. Migration mechanics are standard. The win is performance, security, and ownership — but only worth it if the WordPress site has real pain points.
Send us the WordPress quote.
We'll come back within 24 hours with our own proposal and an honest read on which one's the better fit for your operation. No discovery decks, no paid scopes.