How to choose a CMS for your website — WordPress, Next.js or something else

A CMS (Content Management System) is software that enables editing website content without coding knowledge. Choosing a CMS isn't just a technical decision — it directly affects development costs, speed of changes, the need for technical staff and long-term scaling possibilities. The mistake is choosing a CMS your team can't use (too complex) or that will become an obstacle when the business website needs to grow (too limited). Here is a pragmatic overview of the options relevant for companies in Serbia.

WordPress: 43% of all websites on the internet use WordPress, and for good reason. Advantages: huge ecosystem of themes and plugins, thousands of developers in Serbia who know WordPress, relatively easy content editing, and the Gutenberg editor which is suitable for non-technical users. Limitations: speed can be an issue without proper caching, security vulnerabilities require regular updates, and complex custom features often end up as a pile of plugins conflicting with each other. When WordPress: smaller companies, blogs, presentation sites, e-commerce with WooCommerce up to a certain size.

Next.js with headless CMS (Sanity, Contentful, Strapi): this is an approach where the front-end (Next.js) is separated from the back-end that stores content (headless CMS). Advantages: excellent performance (statically generated pages), unlimited scalability, modern developer experience, and each CMS can have a tailored editor for non-technical users. Limitations: higher initial development cost, smaller ecosystem of ready themes, and you need a developer for every change that isn't content-only. When Next.js: larger companies, complex custom features, applications that need high performance and scalability.

Webflow: a designer-oriented platform with a visual editor sitting between WordPress and custom development. Good for: marketing sites where the designer has complete control without compromise, landing pages, companies that don't want to spend on developers for every change. Limitation: monthly hosting fee ($24–$36/month for business plan), less flexible for complex e-commerce or custom features, and lock-in to the Webflow platform. Squarespace and Wix: suitable for individual entrepreneurs and portfolio sites, but limited for a more serious business site and SEO.

Five key questions for the decision: 1) Who will edit the content — technical or non-technical staff? 2) How complex are the features you need (e-commerce, booking, API integrations)? 3) What is the development budget and capacity for long-term technical maintenance? 4) How important is site speed for your business (e-commerce: every second = conversion)? 5) Are you planning dramatic content or feature growth in 2–3 years? For a typical Serbian company needing a presentation site with a blog — WordPress is the right decision. For applications and complex platforms — Next.js. Feather Studio builds sites on both, with a recommendation based on your specific needs.