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AWD CMS vs WordPress

WordPress runs a large share of the web and can do almost anything with a plugin. AWD does one thing — a site you keep true by clicking on it — without an admin area.

What WordPress is

WordPress is free, community-built software that runs a very large share of the world’s websites. You edit in an admin area, called wp-admin, with the block editor; you choose a theme; and you add plugins — small pieces of extra software — for almost anything. You can host it yourself or use WordPress.com. Its strength is that there is a plugin for everything. Its cost is that somebody has to look after the themes, the plugins and the updates.

What AWD CMS is

A website whose editor is the live page. You click the words and type; you drag sections; you add pages from the menu. A guide builds the first version one section at a time, and an AI copilot drafts and rewrites on the page. Every page checks itself for search and for readers with a disability, and says what to fix. It is built for the person who has to keep the site true, on whatever device they are holding.

Side by side

Where you edit
AWD CMSOn the live page
WordPressIn the admin area, with a preview
What you have to learn
AWD CMSClick the words and type
WordPressThe admin area, the block editor, your theme’s options
Who looks after it
AWD CMSNobody has to: hosting, updates and backups are included
WordPressYou, or your host: updates, plugins, security, backups
Extending it
AWD CMSBuilt in: enquiries, search, AI visibility, accessibility, AI help
WordPressTens of thousands of plugins
Editing on a phone
AWD CMSThe same editor, built for a thumb
WordPressThe admin area, or the mobile app
Bringing an old site
AWD CMSCopied exactly, page by page
WordPressImport tools and migration plugins
Blog and posts
AWD CMSPages under a page, listed on their own
WordPressPosts, categories, tags — the original blogging tool

When WordPress is the better choice

When you need something specific that a plugin already does — a membership system, a complex shop, a site in several languages — WordPress will have it. A developer who knows it will not be hard to find either, and if you have one, WordPress is hard to beat for range.

When AWD CMS is

When there is no developer and there will not be one. AWD has no admin area to learn, no plugins to update, and no theme to fall out of date. The person who knows the business changes the page, and the checks that WordPress leaves to plugins run on their own.

Prices for the other tool are on its own site and change; ours are on our Pricing page. Nothing on this page is a quote from a customer of either.

Decide with the editor in your hands

The sandbox needs no account. The demo builds a site in front of you.