Is WordPress still the top CMS for freelancers in 2025?

In the rapidly evolving world of digital content management systems, WordPress has always been the go-to resource for freelancers who want to streamline and simplify website development. 

WordPress became popular because of its intuitive interface, powerful plugin architecture, and large user community. Through constant expansion backed up by the global developer community, WordPress remains at the cutting edge of web development. 

So how does WordPress stay on top with so many content management system options available to freelancers in 2025? 

WordPress has evolved from a simple blogging platform into the most versatile content management systems (CMS) platform worldwide. 

Initially, the CMS platform was primarily focused on bloggers who needed a platform for their content. Third-party developers added plugins and themes, and WordPress became suitable for anything from small business sites to complex e-commerce platforms. 

This adaptability, combined with its open-source nature, made it easier for web design agency professionals and freelancers to create customized websites that met their clients’ demands.

The growth of freelancing in the digital era further increased WordPress’s visibility. Today, WordPress powers more than 40% of all websites on the internet. For freelancers, it remains a must-have tool. It seems likely that WordPress will continue to be the CMS platform of choice for freelancers who want a scalable and flexible solution for web development.

What makes this great CMS the best platform for freelancers?

WordPress being open source provides significant benefits to freelancers in the digital industry. 

First, unrestricted access to its source code means that you can modify and extend it according to individual client requirements without any licensing fees paid. This allows you to create custom designs that distinguish you from the competition.

There’s also an enormous and active community around WordPress, so you can find plenty of support, advice, and even collaboration. It helps to create an environment where new ideas emerge continuously by sharing knowledge about ongoing trends and innovations among users.

Additionally, being open source promotes transparency and security. You can conduct code reviews yourself or rely on the wider community framework. 

Essentially, the open-source ecosystem that encompasses WordPress not only encourages creativity among developers but also offers invaluable support. Freelance developers and designers can deliver high-quality contemporary and personalized digital products efficiently.

WordPress earned its reputation for user-friendliness. It has a user interface and easy-to-use dashboard that lets anyone perform content management tasks easily. This simplicity allows novices to develop and maintain professional sites without having in-depth coding skills.

Another great thing about WordPress is that it provides a lot of flexibility. Thousands of themes and plugins allow users to easily personalize websites according to their specific design and functionality requirements. Whether you use it for simple blogging purposes, portfolios, or online stores, the platform can help you style a website to individual tastes or business specifics.

WordPress evolves with technological advancements, ensuring compatibility with new devices, browsers, and web standards. Its responsive design capabilities enable websites to adapt seamlessly across desktops, tablets, and smartphones.

The platform offers powerful SEO features to improve online visibility and attract organic traffic. 

Some key reasons why WordPress is good in terms of SEO include:

WordPress has advanced features that are best suited for users who want to follow SEO guidelines with ease and improve their website’s ability to rank on search engines to increase organic traffic.

WordPress can be downloaded and installed for free. The core system is relatively easy to use—it can be installed on any web server that meets its minimum requirements.

However, there are costs associated with certain features and functionalities of WordPress. Premium themes usually have more advanced designs and customization options, but they come at a price. Plugins and extensions that add functions like e-commerce or security enhancements often have free versions with limited functionality but require a fee to access their full features.

The platform’s modularity means users only pay for what they need. Freelancers can start with basic capabilities before investing in premium themes or plugins. Many plugins have alternatives that are available for free, giving users another option to keep the overall cost low while still getting crucial functionality.

Users can upload a wide range of media formats easily through the beginner-friendly dashboard, without any coding knowledge.

Handling images in WordPress is seamless. Users can upload photos, illustrations, or graphics in common file formats like JPEG, PNG, GIF, or SVG. Built-in tools automatically resize pictures while cropping them into suitable dimensions for fast display on web pages, improving load times and ensuring sharper images.

WordPress allows users to embed videos from popular platforms like YouTube or Vimeo and even supports self-hosted videos. This means bloggers, vloggers, and businesses can integrate multimedia content into their posts and pages to enhance engagement.

WordPress allows users to upload podcasts, music tracks, or even recordings to create an immersive audio experience on their site.

Being able to handle different media types is another reason WordPress is so popular among creators and marketers who want to create appealing content online.

It might be the best choice, but nobody’s perfect! Here are some of the disadvantages of using WordPress.

WordPress websites have to be updated regularly to function properly and securely. The core itself, including themes and plugins, needs regular updates to remain compatible with web technologies. Fixing errors and patching up security holes is a continuous process.

New features get added in every update of the WordPress core system. The updates are meant to resolve all the problems experienced in previous versions to make WordPress a more stable and reliable platform.

Redesigning themes is a necessity for maintaining design consistency and ensuring compatibility with the WordPress ecosystem. Themes often feature new attributes, better responsiveness, bug fixes, and support for the latest browser versions.

Plugin updates are essential. Plugin authors frequently update their software to enhance its functionality, fix security vulnerabilities, and ensure it works properly with the recent core releases of WordPress.

Routine updates on WordPress are compulsory if site optimization is any priority at all. 

The open-source aspect of WordPress makes it susceptible to cyber-attackers and con artists. With its source code available for all to see, malevolent actors can analyze it for loopholes or weak points.

Sites built on WP platforms that fail to get promptly updated when core software changes happen are particularly prone to attacks. Exploiting such vulnerabilities can allow hackers into your database, where they can steal sensitive information about your clients or even inject malicious code into your site.

Phishing scams are a common problem in the WordPress environment. Scammers use fake login pages or email campaigns to trick unsuspecting users into giving away their login credentials or other sensitive data.

WordPress is an open-source platform with limitless opportunities for expansion and adaptability. Users must remain alert to possible risks to protect their resources and personal data from hackers.

Having too many plugins or an oversaturated database can lead to slow loading times on a WordPress site, which will affect user experience and SEO. Plugins add functionality to WordPress sites, but each plugin typically introduces additional code and database queries, which can increase page load times.

When there are too many plugins installed on a site, performance bottlenecks may occur. A plugin might have memory or processing power requirements that lead to slower response times and page load speeds.

The performance of a website might be negatively affected by a saturated database containing excess information such as outdated content or duplicate details. As the size of the database grows, WordPress executes relevant queries more slowly. This is especially true when indexes are not optimized.

Website owners must periodically purge plugins they no longer use and keep their databases clean. Identifying lightweight plugins, optimizing web images and media files, and using content delivery networks (CDNs) can improve the speed and responsiveness of your site. 

Wix is a popular website builder with advantages and disadvantages for people who want to create and manage online projects.

On the positive side, Wix comes with a drag-and-drop interface which is easy to use even for people who do not have any technical skills. Wix has templates for all industries and styles which can be customized as needed. Hosting websites in Wix makes publishing easier. Users don’t have to deal with a separate hosting provider.

Wix has numerous built-in features and apps for e-commerce, blogging, social media integration, and more. Users can find the tools they need to address a wide range of different business requirements. An app market offers even more functionality through third-party integrations.

Compared to platforms like WordPress that offer full access to the source code, the options for customization in Wix are limited. It can be hard to improve SEO when you have limited flexibility in optimizing meta tags, URLs, and other important SEO elements.

The service offers subscription plans where costs increase as more advanced features are required or Wix branding is removed. Such a model may become pricey, especially when you need to scale your online presence. 

Although Wix provides an easy way to create websites quickly, you should evaluate how much you value simplicity over customization and SEO flexibility before making a decision about it.

Squarespace is known for its eye-catching designs. This makes it ideal for those looking for a visually attractive web presence that they can manage effortlessly.

One strength of Squarespace is that it allows you to easily customize your designs. The platform boasts professionally designed templates that are fully responsive. There’s no need to adjust them manually so that they appear perfect on various devices. 

You can also edit these customizable templates using Squarespace’s simple drag-and-drop tool, making them accessible to beginners and advanced users alike.

Squarespace works as an all-in-one platform. The system comes with hosting, domain registration, and e-commerce solutions that simplify website setup and management. The blogging tools, analytics, and SEO settings are already built in, making it easy to run a site.

However, Squarespace has its limitations. Customization options are extensive, but they don’t come close to what you can achieve on platforms that offer full access to the source code. You may encounter difficulties when adding highly specialized functionalities or particular design elements beyond the limits of the given templates.

On Squarespace, costs increase with more advanced features or storage because of its subscription model. Such pricing might not be cost-effective for users who prefer more scalable solutions.

The platform is perfect for people who want good-looking interfaces, easy-to-use design tools, or integrated functions. Keep in mind, however, that it doesn’t offer opportunities for customization and commands a high price.

Medium is a blog-like platform where authors can publish their work online.

One major advantage of Medium is that it’s fairly simple to use. It has a clean, minimalist interface, creating an easy reading experience for users.

Medium has the advantage of a built-in audience and discovery features. By writing for Medium, you can reach more people through the platform’s network. This audience is much more likely to see and engage with the content you’ve written. The algorithm helps freelancers showcase what they write.

However, simplicity may also work against Medium. You get some formatting options that allow for basic customization of the site layout, but nowhere near as much brand control or design options as when you have your own website.

Medium follows the freemium model, where some analytics and features are available only after paying for a monthly subscription. If you don’t pay, you may not have access to the advanced metrics or customization tools you need to increase your audience base or monetize your content.

WordPress remains the most popular Content Management System (CMS) among creative professionals in 2025. This is mainly due to the features and benefits of its open-source software and how well they match up with the demands of freelancing.

Nothing compares with the versatility of WordPress. In the beginning, it was just a simple blogging platform, but it has evolved into a powerful CMS capable of supporting any kind of website. This allows creative agencies and freelancers to effectively meet different clients’ requirements, whether they need a simple informational site or want a more sophisticated online presence.

There’s an extensive ecosystem that makes WordPress highly adaptable. Thousands of free and premium themes and extensions are available to help you create beautiful websites quickly. 

Plugins help you extend a site’s functionality in endless ways, from SEO improvements and security enhancement to creating e-commerce solutions and membership sites. 

Freelancers with this ecosystem can build custom feature-rich websites without reinventing the wheel every time. To recap, here are some of the key reasons to keep using WordPress:

User-friendly: it’s easy for a freelancer who has little experience in technology to design websites without getting tangled up in the complex technical issues they would find on other CMS platforms.

Secure, reliable, and aligned with industry standards: continuous updates, patches for security, and enhancements come from a global developer community that benefits freelancers. 

Scale indefinitely without compromising performance or features: this makes it ideal for freelancers managing projects of various scopes. It allows someone to start small but grow a big website portfolio while maintaining optimum performance.

Learn more about WordPress by checking out these WordPress optimization tips or our roundup of 10 free tutorials to help you learn WordPress. Or explore Envato‘s huge library of website templates and CMS templates!