Executive Summary
WordPress stands as the undisputed leader in the content management system (CMS) landscape, powering over 43.5% of all websites globally and commanding 62.7% of the CMS market share. This comprehensive intelligence report examines WordPress’s dominant position, technical capabilities, market trends, expert opinions, competitive landscape, and future prospects based on the latest 2024-2025 data.
Market Dominance & Statistics
Current Market Position
WordPress continues to be the most popular content management system, powering over 43.5% of all websites, making it the most widely used website builder in the world. When focusing specifically on websites that use a CMS, WordPress holds 62.7% market share, putting it far and away more popular than any other CMS platform.
Key Insight: WordPress market share is 3X larger than the usage of the other 9 popular website builders and blogging platforms combined
Growth Trajectory
The platform has demonstrated remarkable growth consistency:
- WordPress has grown its market share from 59.8% at the start of 2014 to a peak of 65.2% at the start of 2022
- At the start of 2017, WordPress powered 27.3% of all websites. By August 2024, WordPress had reached a market share of 43.5%
- Between 2012 and 2023, WordPress market share among websites with known content management systems grew from 54.3% to 63.7%
Website Volume
Current estimates indicate WordPress powers over 30 million active websites, with some sources suggesting the number of WordPress websites in 2024 is a staggering 861 million when including all historical installations.
Competitive Analysis
Primary Competitors
Shopify is the only other CMS platform with over 5% market share, holding 6.4% market share. The competitive landscape breaks down as follows:
| CMS Platform | Market Share | Primary Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress | 62.7% | General purpose, blogs, business sites |
| Shopify | 6.4% | E-commerce focused |
| Wix | 5.2% | Drag-and-drop website building |
| Squarespace | 3.3% | Design-focused websites |
| Joomla | 1.5% | Complex content management |
| Drupal | 0.8% | Enterprise-level applications |
WordPress vs. Traditional Competitors (Joomla & Drupal)
Expert Analysis: “WordPress often stands out as the most user-friendly CMS. Joomla provides a balance between flexibility and complexity, making it suitable for users who need more structure than WordPress offers but find Drupal too advanced”
WordPress Advantages:
- WordPress is arguably the easiest one to use. Expanding the functionality of your site and finding and customizing the designs is much more approachable
- There are thousands of themes available for WordPress. Both free and paid ones
- You’ll find more than 50,000 plugins for WordPress available in the official directory alone
Joomla Characteristics:
- Joomla offers a wide range of both built-in tools and customizable features — perfect for everyone from beginners to seasoned pros
- Powerful multilingual capabilities: Joomla offers robust multilingual support out of the box
Drupal Position:
- Drupal is renowned for its powerful capabilities and scalability, making it the go-to choice for complex, enterprise-level applications
- Drupal offers more extensive features than the other two CMS platforms and is best suited for building huge sites that are required to be fully bespoke
Expert Opinions & Industry Analysis
Technology Leadership Perspectives
Development Expert View: “WordPress development doesn’t completely ground to a halt. Since the last monthly update, contributors released both version 19.9 and 20.0 of the Gutenberg plugin”
Industry Recognition
“14.7% of the world’s top sites are powered by WordPress, counting the NFL, NBC, and CNN as just a few among the Fortune 500 companies that use WordPress as their preferred CMS”
AI Integration and Future Development
Innovation Insight: “Automattic’s acquisition of WPAI also meant that the year 2025 will bring exciting updates in terms of integrating AI into the WP platform”
The platform is actively embracing artificial intelligence:
- SeedProd is the overall best AI website builder for WordPress
- Elementor offers content generation, image creation, image enhancement, layout or container generation
Performance and User Experience
Expert Assessment: “WordPress simplifies the process of creating and launching a website. However, if you want the help of an expert, you can also hire WordPress development agencies to do this for you”
Technical Capabilities & Features
Plugin Ecosystem
The WordPress plugin ecosystem represents one of its greatest strengths:
- There are over 59,000 free WordPress plugins on the WordPress.org plugin directory alone
- Overall, 62 WordPress plugins have over 1 million active installations each
- 8 of those plugins are installed on 5 million+ websites
Theme Availability
WordPress offers unparalleled design flexibility:
- WordPress theme directory had about 13,400+ free WordPress themes available to install in April 2025
- There are 8k+ free WordPress themes on WordPress alone
E-commerce Capabilities
E-commerce Dominance: “1/3 of all online shops run on WordPress-powered WooCommerce”
WooCommerce, the most popular ecommerce plugin for WordPress, powers 17% of all the ecommerce sites on the Internet
Version Adoption
Roughly 87.8% of all websites using WordPress are running on the latest Version 6, indicating strong user adoption of updates and modern features.
Security & Maintenance
Security Framework
Security Expert Opinion: “WordPress guarantees site security through regular updates and background security releases. Moreover, a team of 50 security experts works together to ensure smooth operations”
Security Best Practices
WordPress security requires proactive management:
Security Recommendations: “Keep WordPress updated: Regularly update core, themes, and plugins. This enables you to address vulnerabilities and implement the latest security features”
Critical Security Statistics:
- There are at least 90k attacks on WordPress sites every minute, with the biggest threat with over 50% of hack entry points is plugins
Maintenance Requirements
Hosting and Maintenance: Unlike hosted builders, WordPress requires users to secure their web hosting and handle updates, backups, and security measures
Cost Analysis & Business Value
Cost Effectiveness
Cost Analysis: “WordPress has the most active developer community of the three we are discussing: that means that it also has the biggest library of plugins available… paired with the fact that WordPress talent is more readily available than especially Drupal developers, means it is a cost effective solution”
Development Economics
WordPress Advantages:
- WordPress is relatively cheap and the only real expenses you will face are premium extensions and some technical support
- You can host a WordPress site for as little as $60 per year, and get a domain name for $10 in total
Alternative Platform Costs:
- Drupal developers, similar to Joomla, are very expensive when compared to WordPress
- Drupal is open-source, but a Drupal website is far from free. Because it has a smaller network of developers, many of which are managing legacy projects, experts can charge more for their work
Scalability & Performance
Enterprise Capabilities
Enterprise Assessment: “WordPress remains one of the most popular and versatile website builders, powering millions of websites worldwide—from simple blogs to complex eCommerce stores and corporate sites”
High-Traffic Performance
WordPress is still the biggest player, with approximately 30% market share for each of these segments when examining top-tier websites by traffic volume.
Notable Enterprise Users
Major news outlets, such as TIME Magazine, The New York Times, Reuters, BBC America, and Wired, rely on WordPress to publish and manage content
Multilingual & Global Reach
Language Support
WordPress translation community has it fully translated into 208 languages and partially translated into dozens more
Global Community
The WordPress community demonstrates remarkable global engagement:
- In 2024, WordPress communities around the world organized 78 WordCamp events around the world
- As of June 2024, WordPress.org reported about 537,000 members across 762 Meetup groups globally
Future Outlook & Trends
Upcoming Developments
Future Planning: “WordPress 6.8 (April 15): Promises enhanced speed and block editor improvements. WordPress 6.9 (August 5): Expected to introduce groundbreaking e-commerce features. WordPress 7.0 (November 11): A milestone release to redefine the platform’s capabilities”
AI Integration Roadmap
Gutenberg Phase 4, which will launch in 2024 or 2025. It will start to add much-needed multilingual features to the WordPress core
Innovation Areas
Technology Trends: “We will witness better and more refined digital experiences through the integration of AI and bringing automation features related to content creation, website management and UX personalization”
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT)
Strengths
- Market Dominance: 43.5% of all websites globally
- Extensive Ecosystem: 59,000+ plugins and 13,400+ themes
- Cost Effectiveness: Large developer community keeps costs low
- User-Friendly: “WordPress often stands out as the most user-friendly CMS”
- Community Support: Active global community with regular events
Weaknesses
- Security Vulnerabilities: 90k attacks per minute targeting WordPress sites
- Maintenance Requirements: Requires active management and updates
- Performance Scaling: “Not easy to scale up your site and does lag behind Joomla and Drupal when it comes to performance metrics”
- Learning Curve: “Steep Learning Curve: WordPress has a steeper learning curve than drag-and-drop builders”
Opportunities
- AI Integration: Automattic’s acquisition of WPAI brings AI solutions
- E-commerce Growth: WooCommerce continues expanding market share
- Enterprise Adoption: Growing recognition for enterprise-level capabilities
- Global Expansion: Continued growth in emerging markets
Threats
- Hosted Competitors: Growth of Shopify, Wix, and Squarespace
- Security Concerns: Continuous targeting by malicious actors
- Complexity Management: Risk of feature bloat affecting usability
- Alternative Technologies: Headless CMS and JAMstack alternatives
Key Recommendations
For Businesses
- Small to Medium Enterprises: WordPress remains the optimal choice for cost-effectiveness and functionality
- E-commerce Ventures: Consider WooCommerce for comprehensive online selling capabilities
- Content-Heavy Sites: Leverage WordPress’s superior content management and SEO capabilities
For Developers
- Stay Updated: “Keep WordPress updated: Regularly update core, themes, and plugins”
- Security Focus: Implement robust security measures given the high attack frequency
- Performance Optimization: Address scalability concerns through proper optimization
For Organizations
- Enterprise Adoption: WordPress can handle enterprise-level requirements with proper architecture
- Community Engagement: Participate in the WordPress community for support and knowledge sharing
- Future Planning: Prepare for AI integration and enhanced multilingual capabilities
External Resources & Further Reading
- WordPress.org Official Site
- WordPress Developer Resources
- WordPress Community Events
- WooCommerce for E-commerce
- WordPress Security Handbook
- Gutenberg Development
Frequently Asked Questions
Is WordPress still the best CMS choice in 2024-2025?
WordPress is absolutely a good website builder, even now in 2025. It remains one of the most popular and versatile website builders, powering millions of websites worldwide. With its dominant market position and continuous innovation, WordPress remains the top choice for most website projects.
How secure is WordPress compared to other CMS platforms?
WordPress guarantees site security through regular updates and background security releases. Moreover, a team of 50 security experts works together to ensure smooth operations. However, there are at least 90k attacks on WordPress sites every minute, making security management crucial for WordPress site owners.
What makes WordPress more popular than Joomla and Drupal?
WordPress is arguably the easiest one to use. Expanding the functionality of your site and finding and customizing the designs is much more approachable. Additionally, WordPress has the most active developer community… means it is a cost effective solution.
Is WordPress suitable for large enterprise websites?
Yes, Major news outlets, such as TIME Magazine, The New York Times, Reuters, BBC America, and Wired, rely on WordPress to publish and manage content. WordPress can handle enterprise-level requirements with proper architecture and optimization.
How does WordPress perform in e-commerce compared to specialized platforms?
1/3 of all online shops run on WordPress-powered WooCommerce, and WooCommerce powers 17% of all the ecommerce sites on the Internet. This makes WordPress a viable alternative to specialized e-commerce platforms like Shopify.
What are the main costs associated with WordPress?
You can host a WordPress site for as little as $60 per year, and get a domain name for $10 in total. WordPress is relatively cheap and the only real expenses you will face are premium extensions and some technical support.
How does WordPress handle multilingual websites?
WordPress translation community has it fully translated into 208 languages, and Gutenberg Phase 4, which will launch in 2024 or 2025, will start to add much-needed multilingual features to the WordPress core.
What’s the future outlook for WordPress?
The future looks promising with WordPress 7.0 (November 11): A milestone release to redefine the platform’s capabilities and exciting updates in terms of integrating AI into the WP platform following Automattic’s acquisition of AI companies.
How often should WordPress be updated?
Roughly 87.8% of all websites using WordPress are running on the latest Version 6, indicating that most users stay current. Keep WordPress updated: Regularly update core, themes, and plugins. This enables you to address vulnerabilities and implement the latest security features.
Is WordPress good for SEO?
Yes, WordPress is a great SEO platform. It offers clean code, easy customization, and a wide range of SEO plugins, such as Yoast SEO and Rank Math, to optimize your content for search engines.
Report Compiled: September 2025
Data Sources: W3Techs, Kinsta, WPBeginner, WordPress.org, Industry Expert Analysis
Next Review: March 2026
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⚖️ CMS Feature Comparison
| Platform | Ease of Use | Plugins/Modules | Themes | Cost Effectiveness | Security Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 59,000+ | 13,400+ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Joomla | ⭐⭐⭐ | 6,000+ | 800+ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Drupal | ⭐⭐ | 48,000+ | 300+ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
WordPress
Joomla
Drupal
🛡️ WordPress Security Analysis
WordPress faces approximately 90,000 attacks per minute, making security a critical consideration for any WordPress site.
Security Threat Statistics
- 90,000 attacks per minute on WordPress sites
- 50% of vulnerabilities come from plugins
- 16.1% from brute force attacks
- 8% from WordPress core issues
- 8% from theme vulnerabilities
Security Best Practices
- Keep WordPress core updated regularly
- Update plugins and themes promptly
- Use strong passwords & 2FA
- Install reputable security plugins
- Perform regular backups
- Monitor for suspicious activity
WordPress Security Team
WordPress has 50 dedicated security experts working on core security, with regular updates and background security releases to protect millions of websites worldwide.
