Ask David!
I’m thinking about switching from WordPress to another platform.
It’s not a complicated website, but over the years, I’ve had to add many plugins, for SEO, security, backups, forms, page building, etc. It feels like my website is living in an old house, and we’re just waiting for the roof to leak, or something to break. I’ve been googling for discussions about migrating away from WordPress and found UltimateWB. Most other discussions I’ve found are the opposite, and not very helpful at all.Can you tell me, are there any downsides to moving a pretty straightforward business website from WordPress to another platform that I’m not seeing? I’m considering UltimateWB, Wix, Squarespace, or an AI builder like Durable.
Have you done WordPress migrations like this yourself? Is there anything you found yourself missing after moving?
Thanks David!
p.s. love your Ask David posts!
Yes, I have done WordPress migrations like this myself. And thanks for the compliments on my Ask David! posts.
Based on what you’ve described, I would move away from WordPress and rebuild the site with UltimateWB.
Your “old house” analogy makes sense. The problem isn’t necessarily that the website itself has become complicated. It’s that, over the years, you’ve kept adding things around it until maintaining the whole system has become complicated.
That is exactly when I think it makes sense to step back and reconsider the foundation.
But there is something important I would caution you about:
Don’t assume that every alternative to WordPress gives you the same freedom to rebuild and migrate.
First, Figure Out What You Actually Need to Keep
Before moving anything, I would first evaluate the existing website and what it actually does.
Look at the important parts of the site – the pages and URLs, forms, images, blog, email, SEO settings, schema, analytics, redirects, integrations, custom code, and any other functionality the business depends on.
Then look at the WordPress plugins and ask what each one is actually doing.
You may find that some of the plugins provide functionality you genuinely need. Others may have been added years ago for something that is no longer necessary. If you’re moving to the UltimateWB platform, chances are that all the functionality you need is already built in.
It’s like spring cleaning, but for your website. That’s one of the advantages of doing a migration properly.
You’re not trying to reproduce your old WordPress installation. You’re rebuilding the website you actually need today.
But Be Careful About What You Move To
This is where I think your list of WordPress alternatives needs some careful consideration.
You mentioned UltimateWB, Wix, Squarespace, and an AI builder such as Durable.
Those aren’t four versions of the same thing.
They give you very different degrees of control over your website.
UltimateWB – Your Most Powerful Option, IMHO
This is what I would choose – and it’s actually what I choose and use for my own websites.
UltimateWB is a downloadable website builder software that you can install on the hosting of your choice. I consider it the most powerful website builder on the market, with more built-in functionality than any other website builder I’ve come across.
You can see why I say that by checking out the UltimateWB features page.
The important part is that these aren’t a collection of plugins that you have to find, install, configure, update, and hope continue working together. You also don’t have to pay for each feature separately. You just choose the software version that has the list of features you want, with the Full version having all the features.
All the software versions include the core tools needed to build and manage a website – a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) CMS, WebP image converter, Styles Manager, SEO tools, Responsive app, customizable contact form, Page History tool, Ad(d)s app for easily adding Google ads or custom code, and more. You can decide which version is right for you with the Compare Features guide.
Having functionality built into the software isn’t just about reducing maintenance and reliance on third-party plugins.
It can also make the website builder faster and easier to use.
For example, UltimateWB has features designed specifically to eliminate repetitive work when you’re managing a website.
One example is the ability to update the same website content on multiple pages at once. That’s the kind of feature that may not sound particularly exciting until you’ve had to manually make the same change on dozens of pages. You can do this not just for the header, footer, and side sections of your website, but for any section of your website, by making use of the built-in HTML Ad(d)s app (visual/coding interface) or the Ad(d)s app (coding interface).
We’ve had customers come to UltimateWB after using Squarespace and specifically mention limitations like this. You can read more about it in How to Update the Same Website Content on Multiple Pages at Once.
Another example is page backups and previous versions. UltimateWB can automatically save previous versions of pages, so you can go back and restore an earlier version if you don’t like a change you’ve made. That’s particularly useful when you’re making frequent updates to a live website. We compare this feature to its lack of availability in other platforms, in Why Webflow, WordPress, Squarespace & Wix Fall Short on Page Backups (And the UltimateWB Fix).
There’s also UltimateWB’s one-step page menu creation feature, which can save a substantial amount of repetitive work. We cover this in Webflow, Shopify, WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Framer Miss This Simple Navigation Feature.
These are the kinds of things I look at when I evaluate website builder software.
A long feature list is one thing. Features that actually make building and maintaining the website faster are another.
You Can Have Managed Hosting Without Giving Up Control
You can choose to host with UltimateWB if you want a managed hosting solution, where you just have to think about your own website and not the server. Or you can choose to host on your own server,or with another hosting company that satisfies the server requirements.
Because UltimateWB is downloadable website software rather than a hosted website platform, managed hosting with UltimateWB does not mean giving up control.
You still have access to your website files and cPanel, along with your database, website logs, AWStats, backups, custom email, and other parts of your hosting environment.
And if you want to move your hosting later, you can.
That’s a very different situation from being permanently tied to the hosting environment of a closed website builder.
You Also Don’t Have to Choose Between Cloud and Self-Hosted
If the upfront cost of purchasing the downloadable software is a concern, you don’t necessarily have to start there. (Current software pricing is Promo: $19, PromoU: $34, Essentials+: $49, Lite: $89, Full: $249)
UltimateWB Cloud gives you a way to get started with UltimateWB and hosting at a lower upfront cost. You also get 30 days free.
Then, if you later decide you want the additional control and flexibility of the downloadable software, you can purchase the software and move to the self-hosted version.
So you’re not locked into one model from the beginning.
You Don’t Have to Give Up WordPress
There’s another thing I’d point out because you specifically mentioned WordPress.
Moving to UltimateWB doesn’t mean you have to completely abandon WordPress.
UltimateWB has an integrated WordPress blog option. That’s actually the type of setup the UltimateWB website itself uses for the “Articles & Guides” section.
You get the blog functionality of WordPress without needing to make WordPress the foundation of the entire website.
And you don’t need third-party plugins for the basics. The UltimateWB integrated WordPress blog option has SEO built in, including meta descriptions and schema. You also get image compression and optimization, with automatic WebP conversion. The UltimateWB built-in Sitemap Generator applies to your blog posts as well, if you checkmark the appropriate option in your website admin panel.
If your website has a blog or other article-based content but you don’t want to use WordPress at all, you can alternatively use the UltimateWB built-in Articles app or Scrapbooks app. The UltimateWB website uses the Articles app for the User Manual and Knowledge Base sections, if you want to check it out in action. It comes with the “Related Articles” option, like the “Related Posts” option the built-in Forums app has.
So, you have many options to choose from.
Wix and Squarespace
Cue the closed website builders.
Wix and Squarespace can make getting a website online relatively straightforward. And if all you want is a website that looks good, uses one of their templates, and stays within the features they provide, they can certainly do that.
But your question is a little different.
You’re considering leaving WordPress because you want to get away from maintenance and complexity. I would be careful not to solve that problem by giving up flexibility, customization, and control that you may later wish you had.
There are several things I’d consider.
How Customizable Is the Website Really?
“Customizable” can mean very different things depending on the website builder.
Being able to drag an element around a page isn’t necessarily the same as having full control over your website.
What happens when you want to do something that the builder wasn’t designed to accommodate?
Can you change the underlying HTML and CSS? Add your own JavaScript? Work directly with the database? Add custom functionality? Change how the website is structured rather than simply choosing from the options the builder provides?
That’s where the differences between website builders become significant.
We’ve written about this specifically in Signs Your Website Builder Isn’t as Customizable as You Think.
The Way the Website Is Designed Can Matter Too
There’s another issue that people don’t necessarily notice until they start trying to create more customized layouts: how the builder actually handles page layout.
Some drag-and-drop builders rely heavily on positioning elements in a visual editor. That can make the desktop design look easy to manipulate, but it can become more difficult when the same layout needs to work properly across different screen sizes.
You shouldn’t have to constantly fight your desktop layout to make the mobile version work.
We’ve written about this in Stop Fighting Your Website: Absolute Positioning vs. Fluid Design.
This isn’t just about whether a builder has a checkbox saying “responsive.”
It’s about how much control you have over the actual responsive behavior of the site.
And there’s another misconception worth mentioning: drag-and-drop doesn’t automatically mean easier to use.
A freeform visual canvas can look extremely intuitive when you’re first building a page. But as the website becomes more complex, you can end up spending a lot of time adjusting positioning, spacing, and breakpoints instead of simply editing the website.
You can read more on my Ask David! post, Should You Choose a Drag-and-Drop Website Builder?, answering a user’s question: “I was thinking i want a drag-and-drop website builder, but now i am not so sure. Help!”
The goal isn’t to drag boxes around a screen. The goal is to build and maintain the website efficiently.
What Happens When You Want to Redesign?
If you’re moving from WordPress to a completely different platform, of course there will be rebuilding work. That’s true regardless of which new platform you choose.
Rebuilding because you deliberately chose to move to a different platform is one thing. Having to rebuild because you want to change the design or move to a newer version of the same platform is another.
With UltimateWB, your content is separate from your design, so you can change the design without having to throw away the existing content and start a new website.
Wix has a more specific limitation here: if you want to change your Wix template, you can’t simply apply a new template to your existing site. You have to create a new site and move your content over. We’ve written about this in The Wix Redesign Trap: Why Starting Over is Their Business Model, Not Yours.
Squarespace works differently. On Squarespace 7.0, you can switch templates while keeping your site’s existing content, although some template-specific elements need to be adjusted. Squarespace 7.1 doesn’t use template switching at all; instead, all 7.1 sites share the same underlying template family and you customize the design within that system.
So I wouldn’t put Squarespace and Wix in exactly the same category here.
The larger question I’d ask is how much freedom you have to change the website’s design and structure without being constrained by the platform’s architecture.
What Happens When the Platform Changes Its Mind?
This is another issue I would consider before moving to a closed hosted platform.
When you use software that you own and control, you have considerably more say over what happens to your website.
With a hosted platform, the company operating the platform ultimately controls the platform.
That means features can be changed, replaced, or discontinued – on your website.
Wix Forums is a good real-world example.
Wix removed its Forums app and directed users toward its Groups functionality. If your website had spent years building a forum community, that’s not simply a matter of installing a newer version of the same software. You have to figure out what to do with the functionality and content you’ve built around it.
We covered that specifically in Wix Forums App Removed: What Happened and What’s the Best Alternative?.
Again, I’m not saying Wix is doing something unusual by changing its products. Any software company can change its products.
The difference is what happens to your website when they do.
With UltimateWB, features such as the forum are part of the software you own and install on your hosting. You aren’t depending on a third-party SaaS company continuing to offer a particular app.
And with Wix and Squarespace You’re Tied to Their Hosting
There’s also the more fundamental issue of hosting.
With Wix or Squarespace, the website and hosting are tied together.
You don’t have the same freedom to take your website files, database, and complete website installation and move them to another server.
That matters if you ever want to change hosting providers, change your hosting arrangement, or simply have more direct access to the underlying website.
That is a fundamentally different ownership model for downloadable website builders like UltimateWB, or WordPress.
The “Easy” Platform May Not Be Easier Forever
This is probably the distinction I’d pay the most attention to in your situation.
A closed website builder can absolutely be easier at the beginning.
You don’t have to think about servers. You don’t have to install software. You can pick a template and start building.
But you’re also accepting the platform’s rules.
If the platform doesn’t support something you eventually need, you’re limited by that.
If the platform changes a feature, you have to adapt.
If you want to redesign and the platform requires you to rebuild, you have to rebuild.
If you want to move the website to another server, you will discover that you can’t simply take the website with you.
So I would distinguish between:
Easy to build today
and
Easy to own, customize, maintain, and change over the next several years.
Those aren’t necessarily the same thing.
And since your reason for leaving WordPress is that you want a website that is easier to live with long-term, I’d pay particular attention to the second one.
What About AI Website Builders Like Durable?
I can understand the appeal. Durable can get a website started extremely quickly, and if someone simply needs a basic website online as fast as possible, that can be attractive.
But I’d look beyond the initial website generation.
Durable is a hosted platform. You don’t choose the hosting environment, and you don’t get direct access to the website’s underlying files and database. If you eventually want to move the actual website to another host, you can’t simply download the complete website and move it the way you can with self-hosted website software.
That’s a significant consideration for me.
There is also the question of how far you can take the website once you’ve created the initial version. Durable does let you add custom HTML, CSS, and JavaScript through its custom-code and Embed features, so it isn’t accurate to say that you can’t customize it. But the customization takes place within Durable’s platform, and Durable describes its code functionality primarily for specific integrations and additions rather than extensive customization.
We’ve looked at Durable and similar AI website builders in AI Website Builders That Say “No-Code” – But Actually Aren’t.
SEO is another thing I’d evaluate rather than assuming the AI has taken care of it. Durable does provide SEO features, including meta information, sitemaps and redirects. But an AI-generated website isn’t automatically an SEO-optimized website. There can also be technical SEO issues with the way some AI-generated websites are constructed, particularly when important content depends heavily on JavaScript. We’ve covered that issue in JavaScript SEO Problem: Why Your AI-Generated Website Isn’t Getting Indexed.
And I’d think about the long term. What happens when the website needs something the platform wasn’t designed to do? What happens when you want to make substantial changes? What happens if the pricing changes or you eventually decide you want to leave?
That’s also why I’d be cautious about choosing an AI builder simply because it is inexpensive or extremely fast to launch.
For me, the important question isn’t whether AI can build a website quickly. It can. The question is whether the website it builds gives you the flexibility and control you’ll want five or ten years from now.
That’s the part I’d think about before choosing it.
How I Would Do the Migration
I would not take the existing WordPress site down and start experimenting.
I’d do it in stages.
First, I’d make sure I had a complete backup of the existing site.
I’d build the new UltimateWB website separately.
I’d test it thoroughly before switching over.
We actually have an Ask David! post about how to switch website builders without putting the old website on hold while the new one is being built.
The point isn’t simply to get the website off WordPress.
The point is to finish with a website that is easier to maintain than the one you started with.
One thing I would not overlook during the migration is SEO. Before changing platforms, make sure you understand your existing URLs, metadata, redirects, internal links, and other search-related settings. Wix, Squarespace, and Durable all provide ways to create 301 redirects, so the issue isn’t simply whether a platform supports redirects. The important thing is to plan the migration properly rather than simply launch the new website and hope Google figures it out.
We have a detailed guide on switching your web hosting or website builder while keeping your SEO, rankings, and traffic, as well as a guide specifically about maintaining SEO during a website migration and rebuild.
And since you’re specifically coming from WordPress, we also have a guide to migrating from WordPress to a faster, easier platform.
Would I Miss Anything After Moving Away From WordPress?
The answer depends on where you’re moving.
If I were moving from WordPress to Wix, Squarespace, Durable, Webflow, or another closed website platform, yes, there are things I would miss.
I’d miss the freedom to choose my hosting, the access to my website and hosting environment, and the flexibility to customize the website without being constrained by the platform’s capabilities and policies.
I’d also be less comfortable knowing that changes to pricing, features, or platform policies are ultimately outside my control.
Moving from WordPress to UltimateWB is completely different.
I don’t give up my choice of web hosting, access to my website files and database, or flexibility in how I build and customize the website.
What I gain is time.
I don’t have to spend time searching for plugins to accomplish basic website functionality. I don’t have to evaluate whether a plugin is compatible with everything else. I don’t have to maintain a collection of unrelated plugins that each have their own updates, developers, vulnerabilities, and potential conflicts.
And if I want to add my own code, I can do that without having to turn everything into a WordPress plugin just to make a customization.
So I wouldn’t describe moving from WordPress to UltimateWB as giving up control in exchange for convenience. I’d describe it as keeping the control and flexibility I want while getting rid of a lot of the maintenance work I don’t want.
So if your WordPress site really does feel like an old house where you’re waiting for the next leak, I wouldn’t keep waiting.
I’d build a better foundation.
Ready to design and build your website with a website builder that feels like living in a newly remodeled home? Learn more about UltimateWB! We also offer web design packages if you would like your website designed and built for you.
Got a techy/website question? Whether it’s about UltimateWB or another website builder, web hosting, or other aspects of websites, just send in your question in the “Ask David!” form. We will email you when the answer is posted on the UltimateWB “Ask David!” section.