Migration

Leaving WordPress three destinations, honestly compared

Most WordPress sites do not need replacing. The ones that do usually share the same three problems: a content model nobody can maintain, a plugin stack nobody has audited, and a patching process that cannot keep up. Here is where to go instead — and when to stay.

Content auditURL preservationEN/AR
/01

WordPress vs the alternatives

Twelve criteria that actually decide a replatform, scored in both directions. WordPress wins several of them.

CriterionWordPress (today)Sanity + Next.jsLaravel FilamentUmbraco
Content modelPosts/pages + ACF bolt-onsTyped schemas, defined in codeEloquent models + migrationsDocument types
Editor experienceFamiliar, plugin-dependentStudio, real-time, customisableAdmin panel, developer-definedMature editor UI
Frontend freedomThemes; headless possibleAny framework; Next.js defaultBlade/Livewire or Inertia + ReactRazor or headless Delivery API
Public attack surfacePHP origin + plugin surfaceStatic/ISR at the edge; no public DBPHP origin, no plugin market.NET origin, curated packages
Who patches, how fastYou — core, plugins and themesVendor-run content layerYou, via Composer; small surfaceYou, on the LTS cadence
Supply chain~60k plugins, uneven qualityFew, mostly first-partyComposer, curatedNuGet, curated
EN/AR and RTLWPML or Polylang add-onField-level i18n built inLaravel localisation, custom buildNative language variants
Custom business logicHooks; fights the grainApp layer beside the CMSA full Laravel applicationA full .NET application
Hosting and opsCheap shared through to managedVercel + hosted content lakeApp server + database + queue.NET host + database
Licence and cost shapeGPL core; plugin licencesOpen Studio; usage-based SaaSMIT, freeOpen core; Cloud optional
Team skillsPHP/WordPress, widely availableTypeScript/ReactPHP/LaravelC#/.NET
Migration effort from WP—~4–10 weeks~6–14 weeks~8–16 weeks

Versions current at publication: WordPress 7.1.2, Sanity v6, Filament 5.x, Umbraco 17 LTS on .NET 10. Effort ranges are indicative for a 50–200 page marketing site and move with template count, integrations and content cleanliness.

/02

Which path fits you

The short version, if you only read one section.

Sanity + Next.js
Best for

Content-led marketing sites, multilingual EN/AR, and teams who want editorial independence and speed.

Not for

Sites whose core is complex transactional business logic.

Laravel Filament
Best for

Sites that are really applications — portals, bookings, dashboards, custom approval workflow.

Not for

Pure brochure sites, where an application framework is overkill and the editor experience suffers.

Umbraco
Best for

.NET estates, enterprise and public-sector governance, Microsoft-aligned IT and procurement.

Not for

Teams with no .NET capability and no plan to acquire it.

Still unsure? The deciding question is almost always whether your site is mostly content or mostly behaviour.

/04

WordPress migration — FAQs

Thinking about leaving WordPress?
Send us the URL. We will tell you honestly whether it is worth it.

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