WordPress powers roughly 43% of all websites with a known content management system

WordPress is the most widely used website builder in the world by a significant margin. Out of every 100 websites that use any content management system at all, about 43 of them run WordPress. This dominance has grown steadily over the past decade and shows no sign of reversing.

The exact percentage shifts slightly depending on who measures it and when. Different tracking services count websites differently — some include only sites they can scan, others estimate based on samples. But every major measurement tool (W3Techs, Similarweb, Statista) places WordPress between 40% and 45% of all CMS-powered sites. That consistency matters more than the precise number.

What makes this figure meaningful is the alternative: the remaining 57% of CMS sites are split among hundreds of other platforms. Shopify, Wix, Drupal, Joomla, Magento, and dozens of smaller systems share that remainder. No single competitor comes close to WordPress's share.

Key Takeaways

  • WordPress runs about 43% of websites that use any content management system, making it by far the most common choice.
  • This percentage has held steady for several years because WordPress is free, widely supported, and works for everything from blogs to online stores.
  • The remaining 57% of CMS sites are divided among hundreds of competitors, none of which controls more than a few percent.
  • WordPress's dominance means more hosting providers support it, more developers know how to build for it, and more security tools target it.

Why WordPress became the dominant platform

WordPress started in 2003 as a blogging tool and has evolved into a general-purpose website builder. It is free to download and use, which immediately put it ahead of licensed software. More importantly, it is open source, meaning anyone can read the code, modify it, and build tools on top of it. That openness created an ecosystem.

Thousands of developers have built plugins (add-ons that add features) and themes (templates that change how a site looks). A person with no coding knowledge can install WordPress, pick a theme, add a few plugins, and have a functioning website in an afternoon. That ease of entry matters enormously — it means small businesses, nonprofits, and individuals can build without hiring developers.

Hosting companies recognized this demand early and built WordPress support directly into their services. Most shared hosting plans now include one-click WordPress installation. That convenience reinforced WordPress's lead: the easier it is to start, the more people start, the more developers learn it, the more tools get built for it, and the cycle repeats.

How WordPress's market share breaks down by website type

WordPress does not dominate equally across all website categories. It is strongest among blogs, small business sites, and news publications — categories where the original WordPress strengths (publishing, ease of use, low cost) still matter most. WordPress powers the vast majority of personal blogs and many mid-sized news sites.

WordPress is weaker in categories with specialized needs. Large e-commerce sites often use Shopify or custom-built systems because they need payment processing, inventory management, and shipping integration built in from the start. Enterprise companies often use Drupal or build custom systems because they need fine-grained control over permissions and content workflows. Social networks and streaming platforms use entirely custom code because no existing platform fits their requirements.

The 43% figure reflects this mix. WordPress dominates the categories where it competes, but it does not compete in every category. A more useful way to think about it: if you are building a website for a small or medium-sized organization and you are not doing something highly specialized, WordPress is the statistically most likely choice.

What the WordPress dominance means for security and support

WordPress's market share creates both advantages and risks. The advantage is support: because so many people use WordPress, finding help is easy. Thousands of tutorials exist for every common task. Hosting providers offer WordPress-specific support. Developers who know WordPress are abundant and relatively affordable to hire.

The risk is that WordPress is a high-value target for attackers. Because 43% of websites run it, finding and exploiting WordPress vulnerabilities affects millions of sites at once. Every WordPress security flaw gets immediate attention from the security community, but it also gets immediate attention from criminals. A vulnerability in a WordPress plugin used by 100,000 sites is worth more to an attacker than a vulnerability in a plugin used by 1,000 sites.

This does not mean WordPress sites are less secure than others — they are often more secure because the large user base means vulnerabilities get found and patched faster. But it does mean WordPress site owners need to stay current with updates. A WordPress site running outdated plugins is a much larger risk than a Drupal site running outdated modules, simply because more attackers are looking for WordPress vulnerabilities.

How the WordPress percentage has changed over time

WordPress's share has been remarkably stable for the past five years, hovering between 40% and 45%. Before that, it grew steadily from the mid-2010s onward. In 2010, WordPress powered roughly 15% of CMS sites. By 2015, it was around 25%. By 2020, it had reached 40%, and it has stayed there since.

This plateau does not mean WordPress has stopped growing — it means WordPress and the overall website ecosystem are growing at similar rates. More websites are being built every year, and WordPress is capturing roughly the same percentage of new sites as it does of existing ones. The growth has shifted from "WordPress is taking market share from competitors" to "WordPress and its competitors are all growing together."

Whether this percentage will change significantly in the future depends on whether a new platform emerges that solves a problem WordPress does not. Headless CMS platforms (systems that separate content management from presentation) are growing, but they serve a different use case and have not displaced WordPress in its core markets. For now, WordPress's dominance appears durable.

The difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org

When people cite the 43% figure, they are usually counting both WordPress.com (a hosted service where you build a site on WordPress's servers) and WordPress.org (the free software you download and install on your own server). The distinction matters because they serve different audiences.

WordPress.org is the open-source software. You download it, install it on a hosting account you control, and manage everything yourself. This is what most of the 43% refers to — it is the version used by small businesses, bloggers, and developers who want full control. WordPress.org is free, but you pay for hosting separately.

WordPress.com is a hosted service run by Automattic (the company founded by WordPress's creator). You sign up, pick a theme, and start publishing. WordPress.com handles hosting, backups, and security updates for you. It is simpler but less flexible, and it costs money (though a basic plan is free with limitations). WordPress.com sites are included in the 43% figure, but they represent a smaller portion of it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does WordPress's high market share mean it is the best choice for my website?

Not necessarily. WordPress is the most common choice because it works well for blogs, small business sites, and content-heavy websites. If you are building an online store, a membership site, or something with specialized needs, a different platform might fit better. The 43% figure means WordPress is a safe, well-supported choice — not that it is the only good choice.

If WordPress powers so many websites, does that make it more vulnerable to hacking?

WordPress is a high-value target for attackers because of its market share, but that also means vulnerabilities get found and patched quickly. A WordPress site that stays current with updates is generally as secure as any other platform. The risk comes from outdated plugins and themes, not from WordPress itself.

Is WordPress's dominance growing or shrinking?

WordPress's share has been stable at around 43% for the past five years. It is not losing ground to competitors, but it is also not gaining significantly. The overall website ecosystem is growing, and WordPress is growing with it at roughly the same rate.

What percentage of all websites on the internet use WordPress, not just CMS sites?

That number is lower. The 43% figure counts only websites that use a content management system. Many websites (large e-commerce sites, social networks, streaming platforms, custom-built applications) do not use any CMS at all. WordPress's share of all websites is somewhere between 10% and 15%, depending on how you count.

Can I switch from WordPress to another platform later if I change my mind?

Yes, though it requires work. You can export your content from WordPress and import it into another platform, but you may lose some formatting or custom features. The ease of switching depends on where you are moving to. Planning for the possibility of switching later is wise, but it should not be your main reason to choose or avoid WordPress.