My New Preferred Website Software
As of early 2020 I have changed the content management system / CMS that I use from WordPress to a Laravel based CMS called Statamic.
Deciding to stop using WordPress wasn't an easy decision - I have used it since around 2011. WordPress is popular and so widely supported but has limitations.
The projects that I'm working on often need customisations which are made very difficult to achieve and maintain in WordPress. At the end of 2019 I went on the look-out for a better CMS.
After having just completed a project in Laravel, I knew that I wanted the CMS to be based on that PHP framework. Statamic version 3 was just about to be released into beta and I instantly took to it.
In summer 2020 I was approved as a certified Statamic freelancer.
Why am I leaving WordPress?
Security
WordPress has a lot of old code running it, and due to its popularity it gets targetted a lot by hackers. Statamic is built on top of the most popular and secure PHP framework - called Laravel.
Speed
Statamic uses files to store your data and in most cases that will make your site a lot faster! Because we are now using Laravel we have access to a lot of optmisations that WordPress doesn't.
Custom Features
If you need any custom features, such as a bespoke form that saves entries and fires off emails to users on submission, we can do that properly, quikcly and effecively using Laravel's underlying features.
Fewer Plugins Required
Statamic comes with features that in WordPress you would need a plugin for. Multi-language, custom form fields, user permissions, SEO fields, backups are all included.
Built-in Backups
Your site will be kept backed-up after any content updates are made. If you save some changes to the site, within 5 mins they will be backed up on the cloud.