WordPress vs Hugo: Which Should You Self-Host?
Quick Verdict
WordPress is better when you need e-commerce, complex plugins, or non-technical content editors. Hugo is better for developers who want speed, security, and simplicity. Most personal blogs and documentation sites should use Hugo. Most business sites and online stores should use WordPress.
Overview
WordPress is the world’s most popular CMS, powering 43% of all websites. It’s a full dynamic CMS with a visual editor, 60,000+ plugins, and thousands of themes. Hugo is a static site generator that compiles Markdown into HTML files — no database, no runtime, no admin UI.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | WordPress | Hugo |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Dynamic CMS | Static generator |
| Admin UI | Yes (Gutenberg editor) | No |
| Plugin ecosystem | 60,000+ | N/A (themes only) |
| E-commerce | WooCommerce | No |
| Database | MySQL/MariaDB | None |
| Runtime | PHP + Apache/Nginx | None (static HTML) |
| RAM usage | ~200-400 MB | ~10-20 MB (Nginx serving) |
| Build speed | N/A (dynamic) | Milliseconds per page |
| Security surface | High (plugins, PHP, database) | Minimal (static files only) |
| SEO | Via plugins (Yoast, RankMath) | Theme-dependent |
| Multi-author | Yes (user roles) | Via frontmatter |
| Comments | Built-in | External service |
| Forms | Plugin (Contact Form 7, etc.) | External service |
| Search | Built-in + plugins | Client-side (Pagefind) |
| Content format | Database | Markdown files (Git) |
| Update maintenance | Frequent (core + plugins + themes) | None (static output) |
Installation Complexity
WordPress is straightforward with Docker — two containers (PHP app + MariaDB). The web-based installer handles initial setup. But ongoing maintenance is significant: you’ll need to keep WordPress core, themes, and plugins updated. Security patches are frequent.
Hugo has no running service to maintain. Build the site, copy the files to a web server. The Docker setup is a multi-stage build (Hugo builds, Nginx serves). No database to manage, no PHP updates, no plugin vulnerabilities to patch.
Performance and Resource Usage
Hugo wins on performance by an order of magnitude. Static HTML served by Nginx handles thousands of concurrent users on a $5/month VPS. WordPress requires PHP processing for every page view (though caching plugins like WP Super Cache can mitigate this significantly).
| Metric | WordPress | Hugo |
|---|---|---|
| RAM (idle) | 200-400 MB | 10-20 MB |
| Page load (uncached) | 500-2000ms | 50-100ms |
| Page load (cached) | 100-300ms | 50-100ms |
| Concurrent users (1 CPU VPS) | ~50-100 | ~1000+ |
Community and Support
WordPress has the largest CMS community in the world. Any problem you encounter has been solved before. The plugin ecosystem means you can add nearly any functionality without writing code.
Hugo has a strong developer community but expects command-line proficiency. You won’t find a drag-and-drop page builder. The theme ecosystem is smaller but growing.
Use Cases
Choose WordPress If…
- You need an online store (WooCommerce)
- Non-technical people will manage content
- You need complex functionality via plugins
- You want a visual page builder (Elementor, etc.)
- You need user registration and membership
- You want built-in comments and forms
Choose Hugo If…
- You want the fastest possible page loads
- Security is a top priority
- You’re comfortable with Markdown and Git
- You want minimal ongoing maintenance
- You’re building a blog, docs site, or portfolio
- You want the cheapest possible hosting (static CDN)
Final Verdict
Hugo wins for developers and technical users. If you can write Markdown and push to Git, Hugo gives you a faster, more secure, cheaper-to-host website with zero maintenance overhead. It’s the better choice for personal blogs, documentation, and portfolio sites.
WordPress wins for businesses and non-technical teams. If you need an online store, member areas, contact forms, SEO plugins, and a visual editor that your marketing team can use — WordPress delivers. The maintenance burden is real, but the flexibility is unmatched.
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