Is WordPress Dying? The State of WordPress 2026 Edition

Every few years, a new rumor pops up claiming that WordPress is finally dying. If you are starting a new website, then this might make you worry about making a bad choice.

You might wonder if you are betting your business on the wrong technology. After all, the last thing you want to do is pour your time and money into a platform that is about to disappear.

I have managed websites for over a decade, and I can tell you these fears are completely wrong. In reality, WordPress is stronger than ever and continues to power the world’s biggest brands.

In this guide, let’s look at the real data behind the state of WordPress in 2026. Here is why it remains the safest investment for your future business.

Why Are There Rumors About WordPress Dying?

Some people spread rumors to discourage you from building a WordPress website. They make claims on social media platforms like X (Twitter) or Reddit that WordPress is dying or even write full blog posts about it.

It’s hard to know why. Maybe, when they see WordPress’s huge success, they wonder how long it can continue. Or maybe they are using an alternative to WordPress that they are convinced is about to take over the world.

Whatever their motives, when you look at the facts, these rumors are simply not true. There is absolutely no indication that WordPress is dying or that its loyal users are about to abandon it.

Now, let’s take a careful look at the state of WordPress to see if there is any reason to believe that WordPress is dying.

You can use the quick links below to jump to different parts of my article:

WordPress in Google Trends

Let’s start by looking at WordPress search volume. I’m starting here because these figures are often used as ‘evidence’ that interest in WordPress is declining.

Here is a graph from Google Trends showing search interest in WordPress since 2004.

This graph shows that while search interest peaked during the initial blogging boom around 2014, WordPress has maintained a massive, consistent level of interest for over a decade.

To see the full picture, let’s add some context. Here is the same graph, but this time, I’ve added some of the top WordPress alternatives.

You can see that there is more search interest in WordPress than in any other content management system (CMS).

Recently, you can see that searches for alternatives like Wix and Shopify have been increasing. These platforms may be easier for beginners to get started with.

However, over time, many users become frustrated with the lack of customization options. Others realize they want full ownership of their data, which isn’t possible when you can’t run the website on your own hosting account.

You can learn more in our comparisons of Wix vs. WordPress and Shopify vs. WooCommerce.

WordPress Market Share

Now that we have looked at search volume, you may be wondering how many websites are actually using WordPress and how that compares with other web platforms.

In short, WordPress dominates the market. No other platform comes close.

Currently, over 43% of all websites on the internet are using WordPress as their content management system. That is a massive portion of the web. In fact, WordPress holds over 60% of the global CMS market share, leaving all other competitors far behind.

Also, WordPress is being used by the most successful companies. 38% of the top 10,000 websites are powered by WordPress. WordPress powers websites for big-name brands, including Disney, Sony, Facebook, and more.

This graph from W3Techs shows WordPress’s huge market share.

Websites that don’t use a content management system have been steadily declining. Meanwhile, WordPress adoption has been steadily growing, and other content management systems are used on far fewer sites.

For example, Shopify is the second most popular, but it powers only about 5.0% of all sites, and Wix spends tens of millions on marketing but powers only 4.2%.

WordPress is alive and well, and it’s hard to believe that over 43% of website owners who have carefully chosen WordPress are all suddenly going to change their minds.

The Impact of AI on WordPress

One of the biggest rumors in 2026 is that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will replace the need for websites or content management systems. The reality is actually the opposite.

Because WordPress is open source, it acts as a universal connector for all major AI models. While closed platforms often lock you into their specific tools, WordPress gives you the freedom to use any technology you want.

This flexibility has allowed developers to integrate AI tools much faster than the competition.

Today, you can use AI directly inside WordPress to speed up your workflow:

• Instant Website Building: AI-powered builders like SeedProd allow you to generate complete, custom website structures and layouts in minutes, not days.
• Automated Content & Images: Instead of using stock photos, you can now use AI inside WordPress to generate unique, royalty-free images and write professional website copy instantly.
• AI Automations: Tools like Uncanny Automator let you connect AI services to WordPress so you can automatically summarize form submissions, generate AI-written content, or trigger actions based on AI-generated insights.

Far from killing WordPress, AI has made it easier than ever for beginners to build professional websites.

The State of WordPress Security

Because it has such a large market share, WordPress is a common target for hackers. This leads to rumors that the platform is not safe.

The good news is that the WordPress core software goes through strict security audits by hundreds of developers. Because it is open source, vulnerabilities are often found and fixed faster than on closed, proprietary platforms.

However, you cannot take website security for granted. Consistent historical data from Sucuri shows that the vast majority of hacks happen because owners do not follow basic security practices, specifically:

• Outdated Software: 39% of hacked sites were using an old version of WordPress. You must always use the latest version.
• Plugin and Theme Vulnerabilities: Nearly 50% of hacks are caused by poorly coded plugins or themes.
• Weak Passwords: Around 8% of sites are breached due to weak login credentials.

At WPBeginner, we take this seriously. We use Cloudflare as our firewall to block attacks before they even reach our server.

We also recommend using Duplicator to keep regular backups. If anything ever goes wrong, you can restore your site instantly.

To learn more, see our complete WordPress security guide for step-by-step instructions.

The State of WordPress Updates

WordPress has been around since 2004. However, the software is regularly updated to add new features and keep the user interface current.

WordPress is an open-source project and is driven by a global community of users. This means that anyone can contribute to the project in many different ways:

1. The WordPress translation community has fully translated the CMS into over 50 languages and partially translated more than 200.
2. WordPress communities around the world organize multiple WordCamps each year, as well as thousands of other meetups in various countries.
3. There are dozens of WordPress groups on Facebook, with WPBeginner Engage being the largest, with 98,000+ members.

The development team consistently releases 2-3 major updates every year. These updates ensure the platform remains modern, secure, and faster than ever.

Recent versions of WordPress have focused heavily on real-time Collaboration (similar to Google Docs) and Performance.

For example, the Block Editor has matured into a complete design system, allowing teams to collaborate on content much more easily.

Plus, performance improvements in WordPress Core have significantly increased loading speeds, making it much easier for websites to pass Google’s Core Web Vitals.

Every year, the platform becomes more powerful and user-friendly. If you take a look at our article on the evolution of the WordPress user interface, then you will see how modern the latest interface is.

Besides the new features in WordPress itself, you can also add new features using plugins.

The State of WordPress Plugins

The biggest reason for WordPress’s popularity is its extensive plugin ecosystem. No other web platform has as many tools to choose from.

Plugins are like apps for your website. There are over 60,000 free plugins in the official directory alone, allowing you to add custom functionality without the high cost of hiring a developer.

For example, instead of coding features from scratch, we rely on a standard stack of tools to grow our business. We use WPForms to handle all our contact forms and All in One SEO to ensure our content ranks high in Google.

There are also tools for specific design needs. We use SeedProd to build custom landing pages without writing any code. If we were using a different platform, these features would likely require expensive custom engineering.

Finally, we recommend that every site use WPCode. It is a utility plugin that lets you safely add code snippets to your site, giving you total control over your customizations.

The State of WordPress eCommerce

Another area where WordPress continues to dominate is eCommerce. While platforms like Shopify are popular, WooCommerce (which runs on WordPress) remains the most popular eCommerce platform in the world.

Why do store owners prefer WordPress in 2026? It comes down to fees and freedom.

Proprietary platforms often charge additional transaction fees on every sale you make, on top of monthly subscriptions. With WordPress, you have total control over your profits.

Plus, the ecosystem has tools for every type of business. You can use FunnelKit to build high-converting sales funnels that rival enterprise software.

If you are selling digital files like eBooks or software, Easy Digital Downloads is the industry standard. It is what we use to sell our own software.

For those who just need to accept a quick payment without a complex shopping cart, WP Simple Pay lets you accept credit cards securely in minutes.

The WordPress Economy

While WordPress itself is free, it has inspired a thriving, multi-billion-dollar ecosystem that creates thousands of jobs worldwide. These include freelancers, developers, and companies that sell WordPress-related products and services.

Thousands of WordPress jobs are currently open on many popular freelancing websites and job boards. The average hourly rate for WordPress experts (developers, implementers, marketers) ranges from $30 to $150 per hour, depending on their expertise and the job at hand.

For more details, see our article on WordPress career options.

There are hundreds of small and large businesses, agencies, and developers selling WordPress-related products. You can see our list of the most influential WordPress businesses and companies, and what they do.

These companies are highly invested in WordPress and strongly contribute to its success.

The State of WPBeginner and Awesome Motive

As you know, WPBeginner and our management company, Awesome Motive, completely rely on WordPress for our success. I have no doubt that WordPress is alive and well and is the best choice for you to build your website.

That’s why we create WPBeginner tutorials, YouTube videos, and premium WordPress video tutorials to help small businesses grow and compete with the big guys.

We also create many plugins and tools like All in One SEO, SeedProd, MonsterInsights, and WPForms so that you can create a successful website that does everything you need.

Thanks to our awesome community, WPBeginner and Awesome Motive have continued to grow year after year.

In 2022, we reached a huge milestone. We were featured on the NASDAQ billboard in Times Square for passing 20 million active installs of our products.

That was huge, but we didn’t stop there. By the end of 2024, we reached the goal of 30 million active installs for our products.

Today, in 2026, we continue to serve this massive community. Our confidence in WordPress is higher than ever.

We have continued to invest more resources in the WordPress ecosystem and hire new staff. We now have a team of over 330 experts working remotely from 50+ countries. We only see the success of WordPress growing and want to be part of it.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Future of WordPress

At WPBeginner, we hear from thousands of users who are worried about the future of their websites. Here are the answers to some of the most common questions we get asked about the future of WordPress.

1. Is WordPress actually dying in 2026?

No, WordPress is not dying. This rumor often spreads because competitors spend millions on advertising to convince you that their tools are better.

The data tells a different story. WordPress powers over 43% of the web, and its massive open-source community ensures it stays modern and relevant.

2. Will AI replace the need for WordPress?

Artificial Intelligence is not replacing WordPress. It is making it stronger. Think of WordPress as the operating system for AI tools.

Plugins like All in One SEO and SeedProd have already integrated AI to help you build sites faster. AI needs a platform to run on, and WordPress is that platform.

3. Is it better to use Wix or Squarespace instead of WordPress?

Using a platform like Wix or Squarespace is similar to renting a house. You can decorate it, but you do not own it, and the landlord can raise the price at any time. WordPress is like owning your home. You have full control over your data, your costs, and your future.

4. Is WordPress secure enough for online stores?

Yes, WordPress is secure enough for enterprise use and is trusted by brands like Disney and Sony. Security risks usually come from weak passwords or failing to keep the WordPress software updated. You can keep your WordPress site secure by using a security firewall like Cloudflare.

5. Why is WordPress free to use?

WordPress is free because it is an open-source project, not a corporate product. It is maintained by a global community of developers. This freedom ensures that no single company can force you to pay for the core software, though you will still need to pay for your own web hosting.

Additional Resources

I hope this article helped you understand the current state of WordPress.

You may also want to see our other guides to help you get started with your own website:

• How to Make a WordPress Website (Step-by-Step Guide)
• CMS Market Share Report – Latest Trends and Usage Stats
• Wix vs WordPress – Which One Do I Recommend? (Pros and Cons)
• The Ultimate WordPress Security Guide
• Why is WordPress Free? What are the Costs?

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.