WordPress or TYPO3? The honest comparison for professionals

You want to know if TYPO3 is better than WordPress? It depends. Are you the type to build your house with Lego or the type to build it properly?

Both approaches have their place. Only one leads to a house that will still be standing ten years later.

WordPress: The IKEA principle

WordPress is like IKEA for websites. You go in, see a nice piece of furniture, buy 47 boxes and hope that everything fits together in the end. Spoiler: The screw "M" is always missing.

The plugin ecosystem is impressive. Over 60,000 plugins. That sounds like freedom. And it is. The freedom to choose between 60,000 options, 58,000 of which have not been updated since 2019.

Do you need a contact form? There are 47 plugins for it. Want to display events? 23 plugins. Multilingualism? 15 plugins that can't stand each other. After three months of project work, you have 20 plugins installed and a vague fear of the next WordPress update.

But hey, it works. Most of the time. Except when plugin A clashes with plugin B. Or plugin C paralyzes the whole server. Or the developer of plugin D has decided to become an alpaca breeder instead.

TYPO3: If you like control

TYPO3 is the system for people who want to sleep soundly at night. Not because it's easier - but because you know what you've built.

No plugin roulette. No surprises after updates. No panicked phone calls at 11 pm because the website suddenly shows white pages.

Instead, you get to learn. Really learn. TypoScript is not a programming language, but sometimes it feels like one. Fluid templates are logically structured, but only if you understand the logic. The documentation is extensive - sometimes almost too extensive. But it is there, is maintained and helps if you know where to look.

The advantage: Once you have understood TYPO3, you no longer build plugin towers. You build architectures. That takes longer. Costs more nerves. But the result lasts.

Security: one word, many opinions

WordPress fans say: "WordPress is secure if you do it right." That's true. Just like skydiving is safe if you pack the parachute correctly.

The problem is not WordPress itself. The core team is doing a good job. The problem is the 60,000 plugins by individuals who are supposed to take care of security updates in their spare time. Or not. Or who simply stop because they no longer feel like it.

TYPO3 has a security team. A real one. It coordinates security updates, informs extension developers and ensures that gaps don't remain open for three months until someone stumbles across them on Reddit.

Does that make TYPO3 unbreakable? No. Is it more secure than WordPress? Statistically, yes. Because fewer people hack it and because the attack surface is smaller.

The plugin dependency: A love letter

Dear WordPress users,

I understand you. Plugins are handy. They solve problems without you having to code yourself. But have you ever counted how many premium plugin licenses you pay for each year?

Security plugin: 79 euros. Backup plugin: 99 euros. Page Builder: 149 euros. Form Builder: 89 euros. SEO plugin: 99 euros. That's 515 euros. Per year. Per website.

For three websites: 1,545 euros. And then the customer comes and asks: "Why does WordPress maintenance cost so much?"

In TYPO3, you build the features yourself. Or you use free extensions. As a rule. Or - and here's the kicker - you understand how the system works and need fewer dependencies.

Higher initial costs. Lower running costs. Better sleep.

As your project grows

WordPress is great for small projects. Blog? Perfect. Small company website? No problem. Portfolio? Works.

But then the customer comes and says: "We need a second website. And a third. And they all need to be managed centrally. And different rights for different editors. And versioning. And workflows."

In WordPress, you now put together a construct of plugins and hope that it holds. In TYPO3, you say: "Sure, these are the features the system was built for."

Multi-domain? Built in. Granular rights management? Standard. Multilingualism without plugin crutches? Yes. Workspaces for different campaigns? Of course.

This is the point at which WordPress developers start talking about "limitations".

The editorial experience: Okay, WordPress wins here

Fair enough: Gutenberg is more intuitive than the TYPO3 backend. A new editor will find their way around WordPress more quickly.

TYPO3 has been asleep here for years. The backend was... functional. Nothing more. The newer versions are better. But still not as smooth as Gutenberg.

But: If your editor needs complex workflows, manages multilingual content or works with approval processes - then TYPO3 is ahead again.

It's not intuitive. But it is powerful.

The inconvenient truth

Most "TYPO3 vs WordPress" discussions are wars of faith. WordPress developers make their money with WordPress. TYPO3 developers with TYPO3. Both defend their system because they both make a living from it.

Me too. I earn my money with TYPO3 training courses. Of course I think TYPO3 is better.

But I'll also tell you: for me, there's hardly any reason to choose WordPress. I even use TYPO3 for blogs and small websites. Because I know how it works. And because I want to sleep peacefully at night.

What you really want to know

Can I earn money with TYPO3? Yes. More than with WordPress? In most cases, yes. The projects are bigger, the clients more professional, the hourly rates higher.

Is TYPO3 more difficult to learn? Yes. Is it worth it? If you're serious about getting into enterprise web development: absolutely.

YouTube hopping won't get you anywhere. Neither will the 47 outdated tutorials. You need structure.

That's why I built the TYPO3 13 video training. Systematically. Practical. Without marketing blah-blah.

Or you can stick with WordPress. That's okay too. Then you just won't see what's growing on the other side of the fence.

And now you: Have you ever had that moment when your WordPress plugin tower collapsed? Or do you know the feeling of sleeping peacefully at night because your TYPO3 setup is just running? Tell us in the comments.