PHP vs WordPress: Which is the best one for Your Website?

PHP vs WordPress is one of the best-debated topics in the modern web development world. Several new web technologies have brought many recent changes to this domain. But as we all know “Old is Gold”. 

Yes, you are thinking right! 

Even having various new web ruler technologies, businesses are still relying on some old yet strong web technologies. Here, I am talking about two master web technologies, i.e. PHP and WordPress. 

People had discussed a lot about them. You can find many articles discussing PHP pros and cons, advantages of PHP, PHP vs NodeJS, WordPress vs Joomla, PHP vs WordPress war, etc. But this is not the answer to all your queries. 

Choosing the best between PHP and WordPress would consume your time, money, and your manual efforts too. In this fast-paced world, you can save these things by considering a well-formed piece like this. 

Here, we will look at some pointers profoundly and develop the desired result of the war between “PHP and WordPress”. Let’s begin the discussion with a small brief on both web technologies. 

PHP & its frameworks:

Let’s first understand “what a PHP framework is?”. You will surely need a good knowledge of coding for website development. PHP itself is a web programming language that helps you in developing awesome websites, web applications, and other tools with ease. It is the language that empowers WordPress, so it’s more than adequate for building your website.

RELATED: PHP VS. NODE.JS : WHICH IS BETTER FOR BACKEND DEVELOPMENT?

As for a “PHP web framework”, you can think of this web development language as a flexible template. You will often find that certain powerful functions are involved within a framework, based on the various philosophies and goals of the creator, although that is not a prerequisite.

PHP web development frameworks provide you with the necessary elements and act as the bare-bones foundation to build a website. But this is not a complete solution for a full-fledged website. You may require to hire PHP developers to accomplish this task as they will use their web development skills. 

This difference can help you in making a decision between PHP and WordPress. 

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Note: A WordPress CMS does not require much technical knowledge for developing and maintaining a website. On the other hand, PHP requires great knowledge for developing a great website. 

Have a look at some popular PHP web development frameworks below:

Symfony: It is a popular PHP framework that offers an extensive range of components and provides a huge community as well. 

 Laravel: It is the most demanded PHP web framework for building complex web applications.  

Cake PHP: It is considered a user-friendly PHP framework that you can use to create custom web applications. 

CodeIgniter: If you are looking for high-level flexibility and great quality & performance, then, CodeIgniter is a good choice. 

ALSO READ: SYMFONY VS LARAVEL : WHICH PHP FRAMEWORK TO CHOOSE?

PHP vs WordPress War: Based on Chosen Parameters

 1) Great User Experience

Question: Which will offer a great user experience between PHP and WordPress?

A user experience (UX) is an important concern for all website owners, especially those who develop sites in-house. The ease of use of the chosen platform will play an important role in its efficiency and the effectiveness of the final product.

Since a PHP framework is basically designed for developers, dealing with a level-programming language low, the UI/UX is usually pretty basic for them. On the other hand, a CMS like WordPress serves as a low technical entry point for developing a website, attaining an attractive graphical user interface (GUI) is key. Hence, a CMS like WordPress will be ideal if you need clarity during development and use.

Answer: WordPress is the winner in the war of PHP vs WordPress. 

2) High Security

Question: Which platform between WordPress and PHP will provide great security to apps?

Security, being the primary concern of all website owners, represents a huge difference between PHP and the WordPress CMS. In case, it fails to secure your site properly, regardless of your goals, it can result in sensitive data leaks into the wrong hands.

Hence, this could lead to all kinds of financial and legal issues. This makes choosing the best between a PHP or CMS framework more than a matter of preference as it will directly affect the success of your brand or business.

On the other hand, a WordPress CMS could be considered more secure, as the inherent security can be built into the platform itself. However, a PHP framework is considered a lower-level solution in terms of security. Here, you can essentially add the security features you need into the basic functionality of your site.

Answer: PHP is the winner in the war of PHP vs WordPress.

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Also Read Top Advanced PHP Tips and Tricks: Your PHP Developers Should Know  

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3) Constant Upgrades

Question: Which provides quick and constant upgrades in the war of WordPress vs PHP?

As we know that the Internet is a constantly evolving technology. And, we are keen to get constant updates and bug fixes that keep the wheel spinning efficiently and also help website visitors stay safe.

You will often find that a CMS like WordPress will receive near-perpetual updates to add new features, bug fixings, improve security, and work on the user feedback. For instance, WordPress maintains a roadmap that describes the platform’s main release history, which is very active.

On the other hand, a PHP framework does not usually update as consistently as WordPress does. This is because of the responsibility for improving various functionalities and security features with the help of a developer who works directly with the language. However, this does not make it less stable in theory.

Answer: WordPress is the winner in the war of PHP vs WordPress.

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4) More Flexible 

Question: Which one between WordPress and PHP offers more flexibility and custom development options?

People often argue that flexibility is not always a primary concern, especially when you have a clear idea of what you are trying to achieve with the site you are developing. In those cases, choosing a niche-specific solution would be more suitable.

But consider many third-party services you can use, especially if you are running an e-commerce website. For instance, order processing, marketing platforms, and many other tools and features should be seamlessly integrated into your chosen site-building solution.

A CMS generally offers many options, and this is particularly true when it comes to the WordPress platform. However, the adaptability for those with specific requirements is usually less than that provided by a PHP framework. As with security, a PHP framework offers a broader scope for what it can accomplish, a great thanks to its low-level architecture.

Answer: WordPress is the winner in the war of WordPress vs PHP.

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ALSO CHECK: CODEIGNITER VS CAKEPHP VS YII VS LARAVEL : WHICH FRAMEWORK WOULD YOU CHOOSE IN 2021?

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5) SEO Friendly

Question: Which is more SEO friendly between WordPress and PHP?

SEO(Search engine optimization) plays an important role when you develop a website as it directly influences your site’s rank in the search result of Google. To rank better in Google, your website content should be refined and fresh, which affects the overall quality of your website. 

Here, WordPress is preferred more over PHP because it comes with several built-in features and extensions that can improve your technical SEO. It includes SEO plugins, XML sitemaps, and permalinks.  

However, there are some other SEO concerns to be taken care of viz. Good keyword research, quality content and rank methodologies, etc. 

Answer: WordPress is the winner in the war of PHP vs WordPress.

Conclusion: 

So, there you have it- your take on the PHP vs WordPress debate. I think that both frameworks have their pros and cons, but ultimately I believe that PHP is the better option for web development projects. The main reasons are its high-security standards, flexible codebase, SEO friendliness and great user experience.

If you’re still not sure which framework to choose for your next PHP web development project, get in touch with us – we’d be happy to help. You may also hire PHP programmers or hire WordPress developers to implement the best one from ValueCoders.

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