WordPress has banned WP Engine! What's next, and why should you migrate to Webflow ASAP?

September has been a wild month in the CMS world. There is a big shakeup going down, as Matt Mullenwag, the founder of WordPress (WP), called WP Engine "a cancer to WordPress" in a recent blog article.

What are WordPress and WP Engine?

First off, yes, Tennis does build with WordPress. However, we often steer our clients away—it is and never will be our first choice. Obviously, it comes down to determining the right product fit for your business or product, something we offer as part of our digital transformation services. The reality with WordPress is that it can quickly become cumbersome and expensive to manage at scale.

If you need to learn WordPress or WP Engine, the gist is that WordPress is an extremely common choice for a content management system (CMS); it runs nearly 500 million sites globally (no, that's not exactly a good thing). Regardless, it's often selected because it's so common and perceived as cost-effective. WordPress has a slew of security problems, and the root of that is usually keeping WP up-to-date, your plugins up-to-date, and choosing secure plugins.

What is WP Engine? It answers all the security problems, vulnerable plugins, and hosting challenges often associated with vanilla WP builds. WP Engine is a WordPress hosting platform, and its various advantages are enhanced stability and security because it keeps your WordPress up-to-date and only allows verified plugins to be used in your projects. This makes it possible to host a WP project that doesn't end up with many nefarious links connecting to sites peddling steroids.

What happened?

Ok, so what happened with WP Engine vs. WordPress? It all started when WP Engine disabled core WP features, specifically for revision history. Things got heated when Matt Mullenweg accused the company of confusing users with its name "WP" in its name. Things escalated further with a cease-and-desist letter being sent to Mullenweg alleging that he demanded a significant revenue share for trademark use. Mullenweg retaliated by banning WP Engine from accessing WordPress.org resources, impacting many websites and plugin developers. As a result, businesses and users relying on its hosting for their WordPress sites are now dealing with significant challenges, including restricted access, potential downtime, and reduced functionality.

WordPress Alternatives and Migrating from WordPress to Webflow

Rightfully, many are concerned about WP Engine's future and what actions they need to take to protect their business. Some are even currently in the thick of this as we speak. But what's next? What is the alternative?

If you're searching for a reliable alternative to WordPress, Webflow is an excellent option that offers stability and future-ready capabilities for businesses across different sectors. Its user-friendly interface and extensive customization features make it an ideal choice. Webflow offers a flexible website-building experience without the need for coding skills. It offers drag-and-drop functionality and built-in tools for SEO and eCommerce, multilingual support, and even the ability to deploy membership-based applications.

For businesses affected by WordPress and WP Engine—or if you're just curious about exploring Webflow as an option—Tennis is a trusted Webflow partner. We offer migration services that can get you back up and running quickly. Get in touch with us now to discuss your options.

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