Next.js vs WordPress: Which Is Right for Your South African Business?

If you're building a website for your business in South Africa, you've probably heard of WordPress. It powers roughly 40% of all websites globally. But there's a newer contender that's changing the game: Next.js.

WordPress: The familiar choice

WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that's been around since 2003. It's plugin-rich, has thousands of themes, and almost any developer can work with it. For simple blogs and brochure sites, it gets the job done.

But WordPress has downsides: - Speed — WordPress sites are often slow, especially with multiple plugins. - Security — It's the most targeted CMS for hacking due to its popularity. - Maintenance — Plugins break, themes need updating, and hosting needs managing. - Performance scores — Most WordPress sites score poorly on Google PageSpeed.

Next.js: The performance-first alternative

Next.js is a React-based framework used by companies like Netflix, TikTok, and Vercel. It generates static pages at build time, meaning your site loads almost instantly.

Benefits for South African businesses: - Speed — Pages load in under 1 second, even on slower SA mobile connections. - SEO — Server-side rendering means Google can crawl your content perfectly. - Security — No database to hack, no plugins to exploit. - Scalability — Handles traffic spikes without crashing. - Modern UX — Smooth transitions, fast navigation, app-like feel.

Which should you choose?

If you need a simple blog and want to manage content yourself with minimal budget, WordPress can work. But if you want a fast, secure, conversion-optimized website that ranks well and impresses visitors, Next.js is the clear winner.

At Pixaloom, we build exclusively with Next.js and React because we believe your website should be your best salesperson — not your biggest headache.

Want to see the difference? Compare our portfolio sites' speed scores against any WordPress site. The results speak for themselves.