You don't need to understand the content management system your website runs on. But you should understand what you're getting.
The most common question Remedy gets from organisations considering a new website is some version of: we're on WordPress now, so what's the difference? It's a fair question, and the honest answer is: it depends on what you're trying to do and how long you need it to hold up.
For a simple website that one technical person manages, WordPress is probably fine. For organisations with multiple staff contributing content, complex content structures, regular staff turnover, and a need to own their infrastructure cleanly, Craft CMS tends to produce better outcomes over five years.
The difference isn't visible in a demo. It shows up when the person who was trained on the website leaves, when a new staff member needs to update a page without calling a developer, and when the organisation needs to know the website can move with them if the agency relationship ends.
Craft CMS provides intuitive content publishing
Websites built on Craft CMS give you precise control over your websites text, image and video content. We use Craft to provide custom designed layout options are built to match unique designs, elevating our client's brand profile and enhancing their customers' user experience.
What Craft CMS means for the person editing the website
Most people who manage a website on behalf of their organisation know the feeling: they avoid logging in because they're not sure what will break if they touch the wrong thing. That's not a personal failing. It's usually a sign the system was built for the developer, not the person doing the editing.
WordPress was built as a blogging platform and grew into a general-purpose CMS by accumulating plugins and workarounds. That history shows in the editing experience. Fields don't always match the content being entered. Plugins introduce inconsistencies across the backend. A well-meaning staff member can accidentally break a layout by moving the wrong block.
Craft CMS was built for structured content from the start. Fields and templates are designed deliberately for the specific content the website needs. A school news article has the fields a news article needs. A not-for-profit service page has the fields a service page needs. Nothing more, nothing less. The system doesn't require technical knowledge to use because it was designed for non-technical users.
Role-based access means different staff can update their sections without being able to touch parts of the website they shouldn't be near. When a staff member leaves and a new one joins, the system is learnable without a full briefing from scratch. For schools and not-for-profits where the person managing the website changes every year or two, this matters more than almost anything else about the build.
What Craft CMS means for your website infrastructure
WordPress powers roughly 43% of websites on the internet. That scale makes it a target. In 2024, the WordPress plugin ecosystem had over 7,900 known security vulnerabilities. Craft CMS, with a smaller codebase and no plugin dependency for core functionality, has a significantly smaller attack surface.
More importantly: the Craft CMS codebase belongs to the client. The domain is in the client's name. The hosting is managed on the client's behalf, but the account belongs to them. If the relationship with the agency ended tomorrow, the client takes the website to another developer without losing anything. There is no proprietary platform, no locked-in licence, no negotiation required. Remedy has access because the client has granted it, not because Remedy controls it.
This is not how every agency structures the arrangement. It is how Remedy does.
Craft CMS vs WordPress: an honest comparison
| Craft CMS | WordPress | |
|---|---|---|
| Originally built for | Structured, custom content | Blogging, expanded by plugins |
| Editing experience | Designed for the role, not the developer | Varies widely by setup and plugins |
| Plugin dependency | Minimal — core functionality is built in | High — most functionality requires plugins |
| Security vulnerabilities | Significantly smaller attack surface | 7,900+ known vulnerabilities in ecosystem (2024) |
| Staff turnover | Built to be learnable without a full briefing | Depends heavily on how it was set up |
| Ownership | Code, content, and domain belong to the client | Code and content belong to the client; platform lock-in possible |
| Transferability | Clean — no proprietary lock-in | Depends on setup; some themes and plugins create lock-in |
| Best fit | Complex content, staff turnover, long-term maintenance | Simpler websites, tighter budgets, readily available developer support |
WordPress is the right choice for some organisations. If the budget is tight, the content is simple, and technical support is readily available, it delivers reasonable results. Where Craft CMS tends to outperform over time is in organisations with more complex content structures, higher staff turnover, and a genuine need to own their infrastructure cleanly.
What good Craft CMS implementation looks like
Craft CMS done well is invisible to the person using it. The fields make sense. The templates hold the design together even when non-technical staff are adding content. Updates don't break layouts. The hosting is configured for Craft specifically, not shared with hundreds of other websites on generic infrastructure.
Craft CMS done poorly looks like the developer built it for themselves. Fields that make no sense without context. A matrix block that requires three steps to do something simple. No role-based access, so everyone can edit everything. Hosting that is technically running Craft but on infrastructure that was never configured for it.
Remedy has been building in Craft CMS since before Remedy existed, carrying experience from Bam Creative where the platform was used across schools, not-for-profits, and commercial organisations. The implementation decisions that matter most are the ones that affect how the website holds up three years after launch, not just at handover.
Most agencies are optimising for how impressive the website looks at handover. The right target is how well it works in three years. Those are different goals and they produce different builds.
Craft CMS hosting
Not all hosting environments are appropriate for Craft CMS. Shared hosting, where a website sits alongside hundreds of others on the same server, introduces performance and security risks that are particularly relevant for Craft's PHP requirements and database structure.
Remedy hosts Craft CMS websites on managed VPS infrastructure in Sydney. Each website has its own isolated environment, configured specifically for Craft, with security patching, uptime monitoring, daily backups, and SSL management included. The hosting account is in the client's name, managed by Remedy on their behalf.
Craft 4 to Craft 5 upgrades
Craft CMS 5 was released in 2024. Websites running on Craft 4 will need to upgrade before Craft 4 reaches end-of-life support. The upgrade involves updated PHP version requirements, plugin compatibility checks, and content model validation.
A website on an unsupported version isn't in a stable holding pattern. Security risks accumulate, plugin compatibility narrows, and the longer the upgrade is deferred, the more technical debt builds up. The upgrade becomes harder and more expensive the longer it waits.
On a well-structured Craft 4 build, the upgrade process is manageable with proper staging and testing. On a rushed or poorly structured build, the same upgrade can surface underlying technical debt that was always there.
Remedy is currently upgrading client websites from Craft 4 to Craft 5. If your website is on Craft 4 and you are unsure of your timeline or what the upgrade involves for your specific setup, get in touch.
Craft CMS frequently asked questions
Is Craft CMS better than WordPress?
For some organisations, yes. For others, WordPress is the more practical choice. The difference becomes clearest over time: complex content structures, high staff turnover, and a genuine need to own the infrastructure cleanly are where Craft tends to produce better long-term outcomes. For a straightforward website with simple content requirements and readily available WordPress support, WordPress is a reasonable choice.
Can I manage a Craft CMS website without technical knowledge?
Yes, if it was built properly. A well-implemented Craft website has fields that make sense, templates that prevent accidental breakage, and role-based access that limits what each person can edit. Managing it doesn't require technical knowledge. Understanding how it was built does, which is why Remedy provides training and records sessions at handover so future staff can learn independently.
What happens if Remedy closes? Can I take my Craft website elsewhere?
Yes. The codebase is yours, the domain is in your name, and the hosting account belongs to you. Remedy has access because you granted it, not because we control it. If the relationship ended for any reason, another Craft CMS developer can pick up where we left off without you losing anything.
Is Craft CMS expensive to host?
More expensive than basic shared hosting, less than enterprise infrastructure. Managed VPS hosting for a Craft website sits in a similar range to quality WordPress managed hosting. The difference is the environment is configured specifically for Craft rather than being a generic server shared with other websites. Hosting is included in Remedy's care plans rather than sold separately.
Does Remedy do Craft 4 to Craft 5 upgrades?
Yes. If your website is on Craft 4 and you want to understand what the upgrade involves for your specific setup, get in touch and we can assess what is needed.
Get in touch
If you are building a new website and want to understand whether Craft CMS is the right choice, or if you are on Craft already and need support or an upgrade, send us a message.