Gatsby vs. WordPress – Which One Should You Prefer?

The world is shifting to online, and more and more people are inclined to use the internet for various reasons.

Be it for entertainment, information, or doing business, the online space has something to offer for everyone. This is why website development and management have become an important field.

There are many different options to choose from when it comes to website development. Two of the most popular options are Gatsby and WordPress.

You might be wondering what makes these two options different and which one is the best for you.

They both have their pros and cons. So, how do you decide which one is right for you?

In this blog, we’re going to explore the differences between Gatsby and WordPress so that you can make an informed decision about which platform is right for your next project.

Let’s get started!

What Is Gatsby?

Gatsby is a static site generator that uses React to create websites.

Static generators are growing in popularity because they allow you to create websites without worrying about the backend. You need to make your content in React, and Gatsby will take care of the rest.

Gatsby is a lightning-fast platform that restores the excitement of creating websites using any CMS, API, or database. Generate traffic, improve conversions, and increase income by developing and deploying headless websites with the help of Gatsby.

Pros/Cons

Pros

• Speed and Performance: Gatsby uses some out-of-the-box approaches to enhance performance. Some of these include image optimization, optimized code splitting and lazy loading. Furthermore, Gatsby just loads the most important bits of the page. Then it displays resources from other pages, making it easier to navigate your website. On top of that, Gatsby uses static files, which means that your visitors won’t need to load any additional scripts or stylesheets. From the standpoint of a marketer, this means that Gatsby’s websites will perform better in terms of speed and user experience as compared to WordPress.
• SEO-Friendly: Gatsby is built with SEO in mind. Your Gatsby site will be fully indexable by search engines, and you’ll be able to take advantage of all the SEO features that WordPress offers. Search engine crawlers, such as Googlebot, can crawl and index your pages faster and more efficiently if you use Gatsby.
• Data Sources: Gatsby offers you to load data from any source, which means you can grab data from APIs, CMSs, and databases using a variety of data source plugins. This allows deploying various integrations for marketing and development easier and faster.
• Accessibility: Web accessibility is all about ensuring that everyone, especially those with temporary or permanent disabilities, can access websites, tools, and technologies. Gatsby was declared the most accessible web framework by WebAIM (Web Accessibility in Mind), a non-profit organization.
• Future-Proofing: Because “every website is an app, and every app is a website,” adopting Gatsby ensures that your website or app will last. Consequently, for at least a few years, you won’t need to invest in new technologies.
• Modern: Gatsby uses the latest technologies, such as React and GraphQL. This means that your site will look modern and up-to-date.
• Learning Curve: Gatsby offers a shallow learning curve, and people who are new to React can also start working with Gatsby fairly easily.

Cons

• Inconvenient for non-technical people: Gatsby is not for the inexperienced Web developer. The fundamentals won’t help you much either. However, if you are willing to learn, you will have a fantastic time.
• Long build times on large websites: Gatsby would not be your first choice if you are building a website with numerous pages which takes too much data from the data sources as the build time is too long for such cases. However, a new feature called incremental builds has cleared this concern to some extent, but you will have to pay for it.
• Requires updating content more frequently: Because the updates take time to be visible.

Gatsby Integrations

Gatsby has several integrations that allow you to use the latest and most remarkable technologies. Some of these integrations include:

• Google Analytics
• PurgeCSS
• Drupal
• Sass
• WordPress
• DatoCMS
• Kontent
• Linaria

Who Is Gatsby For?

Gatsby is perfect for anyone who wants to create a modern, SEO-friendly website. If you’re familiar with React, Gatsby is an excellent option.

Gatsby is also ideal for developers looking for a fast, easy-to-use platform.

For example, if you’re a developer and want to create a website for your client, Gatsby is the perfect option.

You can easily create a custom theme for your client, and you won’t have to worry about the backend.

Pricing Structure Of Gatsby

This is a crucial point to consider when deciding whether or not to use a tool.

Gatsby is a free platform, but you will need to pay for hosting. This can be expensive, especially if you are hosting a high-traffic website.

What Is WordPress?

WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) that allows you to create and manage your website without learning HTML or CSS.

WordPress is free and open-source, and it powers millions of websites around the world.

One of the benefits of using WordPress is that there are many different plugins and themes available, which allows you to customize your site however you want.

However, because WordPress is so popular, it can also target hackers. WordPress sites are also slower than Gatsby sites, requiring more maintenance.

Pros/Cons

Pros

• Ease of Use: One of the most compelling features of WordPress is that it allows people with no technical background to construct a website without writing a single line of code. To top it off, an accessible and somewhat straightforward admin area with simple create/edit content choices contributed significantly to its popularity. Furthermore, most marketers are already familiar with WordPress and have worked with it, so there is no need for additional training.
• Theme Options: You can choose from a large variety of themes for your website in WordPress. Whether it is a blog, e-commerce website, or a corporate website, you will always be able to find a professional theme according to your liking.
• Customizability and Plugin Ecosystem: WordPress is highly customizable. You can change the look and feel of your site, as well as additional features and plugins. If your WordPress website requires extra functionality or integration, there is a good possibility that a free or premium plugin that answers your needs already exists.
• Scalability: WordPress is scalable, which means that it can handle large amounts of traffic. For example, if your website becomes popular, WordPress can scale to meet the demand.
• Custom domains: WordPress allows you to use your custom domain name, which can help improve your website’s SEO.

Cons

• Security: WordPress is secure, but it’s not hacker-proof. It uses MySQL as a database, so it is vulnerable to attacks like SQL injection. Therefore, you’ll need to take steps to secure your WordPress site.
• Speed and Performance: The high level of customization options and availability of a large number of plugins have a drawback. The inclusion of unnecessary third-party plugins may impact the speed of your website. Furthermore, while non-technical users may simply add plugins, it’s worth mentioning that each plugin slows down the loading time even further. Furthermore, multiple plugins can frequently conflict with one another, causing your website’s speed to suffer.

WordPress Integrations

Although WordPress doesn’t have as many integrations as Gatsby, there are still a number of options available. Some of these integrations include:

• Yoast SEO
• Google Analytics
• Jetpack
• W3 Total Cache
• Webhooks by Zapier
• Mailchimp
• Facebook

Who is WordPress for?

Yeah, it is a valid question, and it might be hard to give a definite answer.

WordPress is an open-source content management system that anyone can use, regardless of their technical abilities. Personal blogs to large businesses use WordPress, so if you want to start a blog or create a website for your business.

Pricing Plans For WordPress

Many people think that WordPress is only meant for bloggers, but that’s not the case. Anyone can use WordPress, regardless of their skillset or niche.

That being said, there are four pricing plans that are worth mentioning.

Gatsby vs. WordPress – The Differences Between Gatsby & WordPress:

Now, you might be thinking, “Which one is right for me?” The answer to that question depends on your needs and preferences.

Framework

Gatsby is a React-based open-source framework that allows you to create static websites. These websites are faster and more secure than traditional WordPress websites.

Maintenance

WordPress websites require more maintenance than Gatsby websites. You’ll need to update your WordPress site regularly and install security patches to protect your site from hackers.

Customizability

Gatsby is not as customizable as WordPress. For example, I once worked on a website that needed to be updated daily with new content. WordPress was the better option because I could easily upload new content without touching the code.

Plugin Options

WordPress has a broader range of plugins than Gatsby. So what? If you need a specific plugin that isn’t available for Gatsby, you’ll have to find a workaround or use a different platform.

Wrap Up

In the end, WordPress is an excellent platform for businesses and bloggers who need more flexibility and options.

On the other hand, Gatsby is perfect for those who want a fast, secure, and scalable website. So, which is better? The answer is: it depends.

If I am being honest, then WordPress would be my recommendation for people who are not technically sound and need more hand-holding.

Plus, there are a lot of plugins and themes to make your site look exactly how you want it without having to write any code.

But if you are a more experienced developer, then Gatsby would be a better option as it is faster.