From WordPress to Publii: Why I Made the Switch
You may have noticed a drastic change in the UI of thehonestcoder.com at the beginning of 2025. That’s because I migrated the site from WordPress to Publii. Here’s why:
1. Site Performance
WordPress relies on a back-end and a database. While this setup is great for e-commerce and other advanced use cases, it’s overkill for a simple blog. By switching to Publii, which builds static websites, my website became much faster since no server-side processes or database queries are slowing it down.
2. Lower Costs
When I used WordPress, I relied on the Neve theme. Initially, I enjoyed the free version, but in 2022, the theme’s creators decided to make certain free features paid. They also added Neve branding to the websites of users who were using the free version as part of their “product sustainability and growth” strategy. This left me and many others with two choices: migrate to a new theme or start paying. To avoid the hassle of migration at the time, I opted to pay. However, I wasn’t thrilled with this bait-and-switch approach. They even tried to upsell me an expensive business subscription—despite my clear explanation that I was running a simple, non-profit blog.
I’m happy to pay for quality software, but I don’t support manipulative business practices. Migrating to Publii and canceling my Neve subscription not only saved me money but also freed me from relying on Neve.
Additionally, hosting costs disappeared. Since Publii generates a static website, I now host it for free on GitHub Pages. Thanks GitHub!
3. Ease of Use
Publii’s desktop app is incredibly user-friendly, especially for building a simple blog. In contrast, managing WordPress website often felt laggy and unintuitive, especially when I was starting out. With Publii’s WYSIWYG editor, everything feels quick, straightforward, and works as expected.
The app also allows me to edit my site offline and sync changes when connected. While I don’t use this functionality often, having the option is nice.
4. Developer-Friendliness
In both WordPress and Publii, I’ve found that no theme perfectly matches my needs (or wants), so customization is essential. While extending WordPress isn’t overly complicated, working with Publii has been far simpler—at least in my experience. Perhaps it’s because of my software engineering background and comfort with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, but customizing themes and adding functionality in Publii has been an intuitive and seamless process.
Have you ever used Publii? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments!
