WordPress vs Next.js
WordPress built a huge share of the small business web, and it earned that with a familiar editor and a plugin for almost anything. But every plugin is also something that can slow your site down, get out of date, or open a door for an attacker. Next.js takes a different approach: your pages are built ahead of time into fast, clean HTML, with far less left to maintain. Here is an honest look at where each one wins.
TL;DR
- Want a drag-and-drop editor and a huge plugin library: WordPress still wins there.
- Want real speed, security, and less to maintain: Next.js wins.
- Already have a WordPress site you like? We can move your content over, not just replace it. See how a move works.
Side by side: where each one wins.
| Feature | WordPress | Next.js (BuzFind) |
|---|---|---|
| What it actually is | A CMS: your content lives in a database, pages are built by PHP templates plus plugins | A modern framework that renders real HTML on the server, ahead of time, for every page |
| Page speed out of the box | Depends on hosting, theme, and plugins. Heavy sites often need a caching plugin to load at a normal speed | Pages are built ahead of time as plain HTML, so no speed plugin is needed |
| Security surface | Every plugin and theme is a possible entry point, and its popularity makes it a common target | No plugins to patch. The code is smaller, and we look after it when we host your site |
| Ongoing maintenance | Core, theme, and every plugin need regular updates, or the site can break or get hacked | No plugins to update. When we host your site, we keep it online with SSL and backups. Changes we make are billed by the hour |
| Editing content yourself | A familiar block editor and a huge plugin library for almost anything you want to add | You can change the words on your pages from your dashboard. New pages and photos go through a support ticket - no drag-and-drop editor like WordPress |
| Mobile page speed (Core Web Vitals) | Achievable, but often means running several performance plugins that fight each other | Built in from the start - fast on mobile without a plugin stack |
| AI search visibility (ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Overviews) | Possible with the right setup, but many WordPress themes add extra code that makes pages harder for AI tools to read | Clean, server-rendered HTML by default. Our AI Visibility Auditor agent can check it on any agent plan |
| Hosting cost and complexity | Ranges from a couple dollars a month to real managed-WordPress pricing as traffic grows | Hosting with us is $19/mo and we handle it, or you can take the code and host it yourself |
| Your existing content | It is already there. Nothing to move if you stay put | We move your text, photos, and pages into your new site by hand, at our hourly rate, quoted first |
WordPress: the familiar all-purpose CMS
WordPress got popular for real reasons: a block editor almost anyone can learn, and plugins for nearly anything you can imagine, forms, stores, bookings, memberships. If you want to rebuild your own pages often and touch every plugin yourself, that flexibility has real value.
Best fit: businesses that want full hands-on control of layout and content, and are comfortable keeping plugins and themes updated.
This page describes WordPress as a platform generally, not any specific host, theme, or plugin.
Next.js, built and hosted by BuzFind
Your pages are built ahead of time into fast, clean HTML. There are no plugins to patch or slow you down. When we host your site ($19 a month), we keep it online with SSL and backups. Changes are billed by the hour.
Best fit: businesses that want a fast, secure site without becoming their own IT department, whether that means building fresh or moving an existing WordPress site over.
See Site Builder pricing →Already on WordPress? Here is how a move actually works.
We pull everything out
We copy your posts, pages, and photos out of your WordPress site by hand. Moving a site is hourly work, so we look at yours first and send a written estimate.
Site Builder builds the new site
You pick a style for your new Next.js site, and we put your real content into it. Plugin features you still need, like a booking tool, are quoted as custom work.
We switch over when you say so
Your domain only points to the new site once you approve it. We set up permanent redirects from your old page addresses to help protect the search traffic you have. Your old site stays put until you are sure.
WordPress and migration questions answered.
Will I lose my Google rankings if I switch from WordPress?
We plan the move so that does not happen. Every page on your old site gets a permanent redirect to its new address, so Google and your visitors both land in the right place. That is the best way to protect the rankings you have, but no one can promise rankings after a move.
Can I still edit my own content after switching to Next.js?
Yes, for your words. If we host your site, you can change the text on your pages yourself, like your hours or a service description, with Edit my site in your dashboard. For new photos or new pages, you open a support ticket and we make the change at our hourly rate, with a written estimate first. There is no drag-and-drop editor like WordPress’s block editor, so if you want to rebuild whole pages yourself every week, WordPress may still be the better fit.
How long does a WordPress to Next.js migration take?
It depends on how much content you have. A small site with a handful of pages is quicker than a large blog, where every post and image has to be moved and checked. We look at your site first, then send a written quote with a real time estimate.
What happens to my WordPress plugins, like forms or a store?
Next.js does not use WordPress plugins, so any feature you need gets rebuilt in the new site. Every BuzFind site has tap-to-call and email buttons. A contact form is not part of the packages, but we can build one as a custom extra at our hourly rate. A store is available on our E-Commerce Website tier ($3,499), with 20 product pages, a shopping cart, Stripe checkout, stock, shipping and tax, and a Google Shopping feed. Other features, like bookings, are quoted as custom work.
Is a Next.js site more expensive than WordPress hosting?
Site Builder is a one-time cost ($599 to $3,499 depending on tier). Hosting with us is $19 a month, and it covers SSL and backups. Changes are billed by the hour. With WordPress you pay for hosting, and often for plugin licenses that renew every year. Add up what you pay now and compare.
Do I have to migrate, or can BuzFind just build me something new?
Both are possible. Either way, Site Builder builds your new site, starting at $599. If your current content is solid, we move your text, photos, and pages over by hand and set up redirects from your old addresses, at our hourly rate, with a written estimate first. If you are ready for a fresh start, you can skip the move and start with new text.
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Portland, Indiana
Our home base is in Jay County. We started in Reading, Pennsylvania (Berks County).
BuzFind has been in business since 2004, first serving Berks County small businesses out of Reading, Pennsylvania. The company moved to Portland, Indiana in Jay County, where it is registered today. BuzFind builds the Next.js sites described on this page and moves old content over by hand. More about BuzFind · Contact us
Ready to leave plugin updates behind for good?
Tell us about your current WordPress site and we will tell you honestly whether a migration makes sense, or whether starting fresh with Site Builder is the faster path.