WordPress is a flexible, open platform for those who prefer self-hosting. It's used by many websites and is very popular. If you need to host your own website, want full access to the CMS's source code, and are ok with regular software maintenance (or hiring someone to do it for you), then WordPress is a viable option.
However, if you're looking for a streamlined approach to building and managing sophisticated websites with core functionality built in and backed by excellent, accessible support, think Aptuitiv.
| Aptuitiv | WordPress | |
|---|---|---|
|
Software cost
|
Monthly; includes the hosting/platform, support, and automatic software updates. | No for the software, but you pay for hosting, support, maintenance, customizations, and updates. |
|
Development cost
|
Depends on the complexity of the site | Depends on the complexity of the site |
|
Automatic updates
|
Sometimes | |
|
Updates and maintenance
|
Only need to maintain templates | Must update CMS code, plugins, servers, and template code |
|
Security
|
Managed and monitored | Dependent on weakest plugin and continual security updates |
|
Built in SEO
|
Plugin required | |
|
Speed and Performance
|
Caching and CDN built in | Plugins required and often third-party paid services |
|
Custom fields for content
|
Plugin required | |
|
Forms
|
Plugin required | |
|
Support
|
Email, chat, and phone | No |
|
Skill required
|
Basic computer skills to maintain content. No more than a web developer when building the initial website. Everything server related is taken care of. | Often need experience with managing hosting/servers to have a well-performing site. |
|
Developer experience
|
Full access to all templates, HTML, CSS, Javascript. Everything is customizable. | PHP, template, HTML, CSS and Javascript access. Limited access to output from plugins, which can lead to code bloat and lower performance. |
|
Software consistency
|
Entire platform and apps built to work together. | Plugins by many different developers who may or may not continue support. |
|
User interface consistency
|
Cohesive design and a consistent UI. | Plugins are often a completely different UI and editing experience. |
Core Functionality
A fresh WordPress installation with no plugins is actually kind of limiting. You can create pages and blog posts, manage navigation, do basic theme customization, and manage admin users. But beyond that, you need plugins. For example, the following functionality requires a plugin:
- SEO
- Forms
- Image sliders
- Enhancing security
- Improving page speed and image optimization
- Custom fields and attributes
The WordPress plugin ecosystem is vast, and that's both a pro and a con. The pro is that you can often find a plugin for whatever you need. The con is that you rely on multiple third-party developers to maintain the plugins. You rely on them to fix bugs, address security issues, ensure compatibility with WordPress upgrades, and provide support. And the user interface is often inconsistent. It's fragmented.
Aptuitiv has better built-in functionality.
In contrast, Aptuitiv has a lot of the missing WordPress functionality built in. Because it's built in, the features are cohesive, work together, have a consistent UI, and are all backed by our support team.
Aptuitiv includes this functionality without any plugins:
- Advanced page editing with customizable blocks and fields.
- SEO features like page titles, meta descriptions, automatic site maps, image alt text, redirects, bulk SEO edits, URL customization, robots.txt management, canonical settings, and more.
- Powerful forms
- Full customization over the admin fields so that the administration supports your content needs.
- Custom blocks and theme editing.
- Security built in
- Caching, CDN, image optimization, and optimized servers to deliver fast pages and content.
Support
This is a big one.
Unless you pay for it, you're on your own with WordPress. You're in charge of:
- Core WordPress updates
- Plugin updates
- Making sure that plugins work with each update
- And in some cases, server upgrades
If your website was built by a designer or agency, you may have to pay an extra "maintenance fee" to have them handle the above maintenance for you.
Because WordPress is open-source, there isn't a single company you can contact for support. You have to rely on community forums, Google, or pay someone for support.
Support is a core feature of Aptuitiv.
We believe that helpful support is critical for a website platform. That's why support is included with all Aptuitiv plans at no extra charge. You never have to pay for "priority support".
That support includes unlimited help requests on using Aptuitiv. As long as we're not updating your website for you, there is no extra cost (although we have sometimes done small edits to be helpful 🙂).
You can reach our support team through the built-in chat widget in the administration, the same chat tool on our public websites, or via email.
Security
WordPress has many people working on it and doing great work to address security issues. But, because WordPress is so popular, it's also very popular with attackers. If you don't regularly update WordPress and all plugins, then your website can be easily hacked and exploited. WordPress can be secure, but it requires diligence and ongoing maintenance. You also have to make sure you're using a reputable, secure web host and that the website platform is regularly updated.
We take security seriously with Aptuitiv. Because we control the server infrastructure and the code, it's easier to provide a more secure environment. Learn more about our security practices.
Customization
WordPress can be used to build unique websites, whether you use themes or do a custom-built website.
However, there is more to customization than just the look. You should be able to customize the administration to match your content and have full template code access.
You can't customize the WordPress editing experience without plugins. And if you're using plugins or themes, then you often have limited code access. This can lead to code bloat and decreased website performance. It can also make it harder to adjust the look of your website without major changes.
Aptuitiv is very customizable
Editing content in Aptuitiv is done with Blocks or fields. A developer has full control over all Blocks, their fields, and functionality. Non-developers can also adjust the custom fields if they want.
You have full access to all templates, code, blocks, and custom fields. This allows you to create custom designs and edit existing designs. The custom fields allow you to edit all blocks and app fields to fit your design and content. You can build the administration to meet your needs rather than trying to adjust your content to the structure of the CMS or plugin. This creates an easier and more intuitive experience for your content editors.