In our CMS comparison series, we’ve already weighed WordPress against Prismic, Webflow, and Hubspot. Today, we’ll look at the differences between WordPress and Sitecore. We’ll start with a quick overview, and then get into the details to help you make the best choice for your B2B website.
At a Glance
Founded in 2003, WordPress is the most popular content management system (CMS) on the market. It’s used by everyone from sole proprietors to the Fortune 100. As an open-source platform, WordPress is designed to enable endless customization, which is supported by a large developer community and a library of thousands of plugins and themes.
Sitecore’s aim is to provide enterprise-level companies with advanced, built-in CMS capabilities. Its proprietary systems support complex team workflows and global operations that focus more on marketing personalization and automation than hands-on publishing and website development.
| WordPress | Sitecore | |
| Year founded | 2003 | 2001 |
| CMS marketshare | 62.5% | <0.1% |
| Company size | 1,500 | 1,700 |
| Number of customers | 500 million+ | 3,000+ |
| Country of origin | USA | Denmark |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Annual Cost | $2,000 for hosting and plugins for a website getting approximately 75,000 visitors per month. | Custom pricing meant for enterprise-level customers, which can range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. |
| Hosting | Free to choose | Free to choose |
| Free plugins | 60,000 | Integrates with 1,000+ business applications |
| Free themes | 13,000+ | None |
| Customization | Yes | Yes |
| SEO capabilities | Yes, particularly with a plugin like Yoast SEO | Yes |
| Multilingual | Yes with a plugin like WPML | Yes |
| Scalable | Yes | Yes |
| Headless | Optional | Hybrid Platform |
Key Differences Between WordPress vs. SiteCore
Cost
Sitecore markets itself as an enterprise suite of solutions, and its license-based pricing reflects that. In fact, you won’t find a pricing guide on the Sitecore website. Rather, you can reach out for a personalized demo, then receive a custom quote based on your company’s size, CMS needs, etc. If this reminds you of restaurants that don’t show prices on the menu, you’re on the right track. The annual cost of Sitecore’s CMS can range from high five-figures to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Maintenance can also be expensive for companies using Sitecore. Because the CMS has such a small marketshare, there are fewer developers that have specialized in managing Sitecore websites. You may need to rely on additional paid Sitecore support, or hire an in-house expert to ensure your CMS remains in good health.
In contrast, WordPress is free for anyone to use. Of course, you’ll need to pay for hosting to actually have a live website. If you choose WP Engine, one of the most popular hosting providers, you can get started with a plan that’s just $25 per month. There are enterprise options for hosting as well, but they are still significantly lower in price than Sitecore licensing.
Because WordPress is an open-source platform, it has garnered a huge community of users and developers. This means that website design and maintenance services are readily available across a broad range of budgets.
Scalability
There’s no denying that Sitecore can manage enormous amounts of traffic and intricate website structures. The CMS comes with plenty of out-of-the-box features and built-in functionality, which you’ll need plugins to achieve in WordPress.
The issue is that Sitecore has a very high bar to entry. Its pricing is geared towards enterprise clients with massive online presences. Therefore, smaller businesses that choose to invest in Sitecore may find themselves overpaying for features they hope to grow into later on.
WordPress was originally created as a platform for bloggers and publishers. In those niches, scalability is critical to success. Most web hosting companies that work with WordPress offer prices based on traffic, which makes it easier to increase your investment as your business grows. But when it comes down to it, if WordPress can handle customers like Meta and NBC, it can definitely offer you a high-performing B2B website.
Ease of Use
WordPress can be simple to use or it can be complex depending on your website design, chosen plugins, and other factors. That said, the overall interface is user-friendly, with tools like a Microsoft Word-like blog post editor (the Classic Editor) and block-style page builders (the Block Editor). This makes it easy for marketers to add and edit website content and make basic changes without developer support.
Many WordPress plugins are also simple to manage. For example, Yoast SEO offers easy-to-understand menus with settings that can be toggled on and off. It also has a large number of guides and videos to help beginners get started.
Understandably, Sitecore has a steeper learning curve. The system is highly sophisticated, and is best suited to companies with significant in-house technology expertise. There is a free developer knowledge base that covers many topics, but again, this assumes a base level of technological know-how.
Sitecore’s complex data architecture requires a greater time investment upfront, with lengthy implementations and a lot of back-and-forth on configuration. The architecture can also make migration away from Sitecore more difficult if you ever decide to switch CMSs. But in return for a lack of control and a high price tag, you can enjoy advanced content management functionality that supports complicated review processes, large team structures, and layered website development.
Customization
WordPress leads the way in customization, thanks to its open-source code and vast array of plugins. Customers can start with one of 13,000 free themes, but with the help of plugins and B2B web design experts, it’s possible to create the website of your dreams.
Want to host an eCommerce storefront on your website? You can. Want to create a visually stunning blog? No problem. Want to serve content in different languages based on your customers’ locations and preferences? WordPress plugins and integrations can do it all. Plus, if there isn’t a plugin for what you need, you can easily insert custom code to create a truly unique website.
With Sitecore, customization is both a pro and con. On the one hand, the company’s focus on personalization extends to its customers. In addition to personalized quotes and pricing, Sitecore clients can implement powerful websites tailored to their target audience–with the help of specialized professionals. Plus, the platform’s tools for content personalization are purpose-built to create an exceptional user experience.
On the other hand, Sitecore’s proprietary platform prevents even license holders from making certain code-level changes. As a result, your design options are far less flexible than with WordPress.
Conclusion
If you are running an enterprise organization with complicated content marketing processes and need to prioritize personalization, Sitecore may be worth the investment. But for most B2B businesses, WordPress offers all the CMS features Sitecore does at a fraction of the cost.
And with that, we conclude our series comparing WordPress to other CMS platforms! At Bop Design, we are huge fans of WordPress CMS. Its customization capabilities, scalability, and integrated applications are unmatched, and the open-source design allows our experts to cater to each brand’s unique B2B website needs.
If you’re interested in upgrading your current website or designing a new one, reach out to us today!
