WordPress vs Headless CMS: When Do You Need What?

The agency says you need a headless CMS. The developer wants to build in Next.js. And you've heard that WordPress is outdated.

They're probably right. For the vast majority of new projects, headless is the correct choice. Sanity + Next.js delivers faster websites, lower maintenance costs and a better developer experience than WordPress. MedusaJS replaces WooCommerce for modern e-commerce.

But "the vast majority" isn't everyone. Some projects have legitimate reasons to choose WordPress. We build both and know when each one is right.

In a traditional CMS, content management and presentation are coupled together. You write content in wp-admin, and WordPress generates the HTML visitors see.

In a headless CMS, they're separated. Content is stored as structured data and delivered via API. A separate frontend (typically React with Next.js) fetches the content and builds the website. The CMS has no opinion about how the content should look.

WordPress can technically be used headless via its REST API or WPGraphQL. But it's like buying a station wagon and removing the seats to use it as a van. It works, but you're better off with a van from the start.

Sanity is a Norwegian-built headless CMS with a real-time database and a customizable editor interface built in React. Content is stored as structured data and delivered via GROQ or GraphQL.

Combined with Next.js, this gives you:

• Response times under 100ms with static generation and ISR
• Structured content that can be reused across channels
• No plugin dependencies, no security vulnerabilities from third-party code
• Live preview with Visual Editing directly in the website
• TypeScript end-to-end, from CMS to frontend
• Simpler to develop, test and maintain

For a business website with 5–50 pages, a blog and some landing pages, Sanity + Next.js is what we recommend. Faster to build, cheaper to maintain, simpler to understand. We build Sanity websites from NOK 15,000 with maintenance from NOK 2,500/month.

And yes, editors manage just fine. Sanity Studio is intuitive and can be customized to fit your needs. It's no harder than WordPress for content production.

For online stores, we recommend MedusaJS over WooCommerce. MedusaJS is an open source headless commerce framework built in Node.js with a modular architecture.

The advantage over WooCommerce:

• No PHP, no WordPress, no plugin dependencies
• Modular architecture where you use only what you need
• API-first, built for headless from the start
• Vipps, Klarna and Nordic payment solutions via dedicated modules
• Better performance under traffic spikes (Node.js vs PHP)

MedusaJS is right for new online stores where you're starting from scratch. Combined with Sanity for content and Next.js for the frontend, you get a complete e-commerce platform without technical debt from day one.

WordPress isn't wrong for everyone. There are concrete situations where it's the right choice:

Existing WordPress sites. Do you have a working WordPress website with established content, integrations and a team that knows the tool? Then it's rarely worth migrating to headless just because it's trendy. Modernizing with WPFluent and FrankenPHP often delivers more value for money.

Tight budgets. A WordPress website with a custom theme can be built from NOK 50,000. An equivalent Sanity + Next.js solution starts at NOK 15,000 for simpler sites, but complex solutions with many integrations can cost more.

Clients who insist. Some customers want WordPress. They know it, they like it, and they don't want to learn something new. That's a legitimate reason.

WooCommerce with specific plugins. Some niche WooCommerce plugins (specific shipping solutions, inventory management, B2B functionality) don't have equivalents in MedusaJS yet. The WooCommerce ecosystem is still broader.

With the right architecture, WordPress is neither slow nor insecure. We build WordPress with FrankenPHP Worker Mode delivering response times under 200ms, CI/CD pipelines and proactive security. But it requires more maintenance than Sanity. We documented the full recipe in how we took WordPress from 4 seconds to 180ms.

Some projects need WordPress's admin interface (editors know it, WooCommerce integrations are in place) but want a faster, more flexible frontend.

The hybrid architecture uses WordPress as backend with a React/Next.js frontend. You keep wp-admin for content management and order processing, but customers experience a modern web app.

We only recommend this when it's genuinely necessary. The hybrid costs more to build and maintain than a pure Sanity solution. Most projects do fine with either Sanity + Next.js or straight WordPress.

Some Norwegian requirements affect the choice:

Payment solutions. Vipps and Klarna work with both platforms. WooCommerce has mature plugins. MedusaJS has dedicated modules. Both work.

BankID. Can be integrated in both ecosystems. Neither has it out of the box.

GDPR and data storage. Sanity stores data in the EU (Google Cloud, Frankfurt). WordPress is stored wherever you host it. With PXL: both in the EU.

Tripletex and Power Office. WordPress has ready-made plugins. In headless you build the API integrations. For projects with heavy accounting integrations, WordPress can be simpler, but that's a development question, not a platform choice.

Three rules we follow:

1. New project without special requirements? Sanity + Next.js. Faster, cheaper, easier to maintain.
2. New online store? MedusaJS + Sanity + Next.js. Modern commerce without WordPress baggage.
3. Existing WordPress that works? Modernize it. WPFluent, FrankenPHP, CI/CD. Don't migrate for migration's sake.

We have no agenda. We charge the same regardless of platform. The recommendation is about what gives you the most value over time. Who should build the solution is a separate question – read our honest guide to a WordPress agency or a developer team.

Not sure? Get in touch for a no-obligation assessment of which platform fits your project.