Astro vs WordPress.
A free framework for content sites against the most used CMS on the web: how each is edited, secured, hosted and paid for.
Astro
WordPressFeature by feature.
Content & Editing
| Feature | Astro | WordPress |
|---|---|---|
| Editor | Markdown, or your choice of CMS | Block editor |
| Themes | Built in code | Thousands of free themes |
| Plugins | Integrations, added in code | Over 78,000 free plugins |
| Headless use | Can read WordPress content | REST API for other apps |
| XML sitemap | Official integration | Built in since version 5.5 |
Speed & Hosting
| Feature | Astro | WordPress |
|---|---|---|
| Default output | Static HTML, prerendered | Pages built by PHP on request |
| JavaScript in the browser | None unless you opt in | Set by your theme and plugins |
| Server needs | Static files, or Node with an adapter | PHP 8.3+ and MySQL or MariaDB |
| Where it runs | Netlify, Vercel, Cloudflare or Node | Any PHP host |
Cost & Versions
| Feature | Astro | WordPress |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | MIT | GPLv2 or later |
| Software cost | Both Free | |
| Managed option | Vercel Pro $20/month | WordPress.com from $4/month billed yearly |
| Current version | Astro 7 | WordPress 7.1 |
Plans & pricing.
| Plan | Astro | WordPress |
|---|---|---|
| Software | Free (MIT) | Free (GPLv2 or later) |
| Managed hosting | Vercel: Hobby $0 (personal use), Pro $20/month | WordPress.com: Personal $4/month billed yearly |
| Business tier | Vercel Enterprise: custom | WordPress.com Business: $25/month billed yearly |
US dollars as of November 2026, from vercel.com/pricing and wordpress.com/pricing. Astro also deploys to Netlify, Cloudflare and Node hosts. Self-hosted WordPress costs whatever your host charges, plus any paid themes or plugins.
Our conclusion.
Pick WordPress when non-developers run the site and want themes and plugins to add features without code. Pick Astro when developers run it and you want prerendered pages with little to patch; it can still use WordPress for its content.
WordPress is free software that runs about 39% of all websites, with a block editor, more than 78,000 free plugins and thousands of free themes. Plugins are also where most of its security problems sit: Patchstack counted 11,334 new WordPress vulnerabilities in 2025, about 91% of them in plugins.
Astro has no editor of its own. Developers build the site, and the content comes from Markdown in the project or from a headless CMS, which can be WordPress through its REST API. If you are moving off WordPress, we plan the move so your content and redirects come with you.
Other comparisons.
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See Astro vs Next.jsWebflow vs Astro
Compare Webflow and Astro on editing, SEO, hosting, cost and code ownership.
Compare With AstroAstro vs Gatsby
Compare Astro and Gatsby on speed, data, plugins, upkeep and where each is heading.
See Astro vs Gatsby
Next.js
Webflow
GatsbyFAQ
Questions,
answered.
Both can rank well. Astro prerenders pages to HTML with no JavaScript by default and has an official sitemap integration. WordPress has published a sitemap since version 5.5, and SEO plugins add more controls. What ranks is the content, and how fast and clean each page is.
Yes. The WordPress REST API lets Astro read your posts and pages, so editors keep WordPress and visitors get the Astro front end.
Yes, to build it and to change its layout. Once it is built, editors can write in a headless CMS without touching the code.
It can be, with regular updates. Patchstack counted 11,334 new WordPress vulnerabilities in 2025, about 91% in plugins and 9% in themes, so fewer, well kept plugins mean less to patch.
Yes. Astro is open source under the MIT licence. You pay for hosting and for the people who build and look after the site.
Export the content or read it through the REST API, rebuild the templates in Astro, then send every old address to its new one with 301 redirects so search engines follow. Our Website Migration service plans and runs that move.
