Is now the time to explore WordPress alternatives?

We take a look at the recent WordPress vs WP Engine controversy and if now is the time to explore a WordPress alternative...

Whilst this is a decision for each business to make individually based on their own situation and website requirements, we've dived into what is going on, to help provide some guidance.

There is an ongoing dispute between WordPress founder and CEO of Automattic Matt Mullenweg, and WP Engine, which hosts websites built on WordPress. Considering around 40% of all websites globally are built on WordPress (although not all are hosted on WP Engine) it's a BIG dispute and it's happening very much in the public eye.

In a nutshell, in September Matt Mullenweg (very) publicly criticised WP Engine over WordPress's trademark use and community contributions, and cut off WP Engine and any sites hosted on it from accessing core and plugin updates, leaving websites in a position where there are potential vulnerabilities.

To add another layer of conflict, at the same time WordPress made the controversial decision to replace Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) with Secure Custom Fields (SCF) on the grounds of trademark infringement and security concerns.

As part of this transition, they removed ACF’s commercial upsells, effectively turning SFC into a free and open-source alternative. For current ACF users, however, updating via the WordPress repository now results in the automatic replacement of ACF with SCF.

This change could mean that users lose access to premium features they had previously paid for, potentially impacting their website’s functionality and performance.

John O'Nolan's quote can be found on their X post.

This decision has sparked criticism from both developers and website owners, who argue that WordPress is overreaching by effectively taking control of a popular third-party plugin. Many view this as a troubling precedent for plugin ownership and governance within the WordPress ecosystem.

Others suggest that such actions could discourage developers from creating premium plugins for WordPress if they risk having their work taken over by the platform without their consent. The WordPress community, rightly so, is concerned that similar actions could be taken against them and is seeking clarification from Automattic.

This feud highlights significant issues surrounding WordPress's governance and brand integrity, and the balance between community contribution and monetisation of the platform, and has sparked important conversations in the CMS space, as well as causing huge confusion and concern amongst developers and website owners alike.