WordPress still runs most of the web, but new builds increasingly pair a headless CMS with a front-end framework. Who's switching, the real trade-off, and how to detect a headless setup.
WordPress still powers a huge share of the web, and that is not changing soon. But new builds increasingly split the CMS from the front-end: a headless CMS like Contentful or Sanity feeds content to a framework like Next.js. It buys flexibility and speed at the cost of more moving parts, and the teams choosing it usually already run a meta-framework.
A traditional CMS does two jobs at once: it stores your content and it renders your pages. Headless keeps the first job and gives the second to a separate front-end. That one split is the whole trend, and it explains both the upside and the cost.
WordPress is not going anywhere
It is worth saying plainly, because the headless conversation often forgets it: WordPress is still the most common CMS on the web by a wide margin, and it shows up across our index more than any other. Most of those sites have no reason to change. Headless is the story for new, content-heavy, performance-sensitive builds, not a replacement for the existing web.
The trade-off, honestly
| Traditional (e.g. WordPress) | Headless (CMS + framework) | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | One system does everything | Two systems wired together |
| Front-end | Themes | Any framework you want |
| Performance | Good enough, plugin-dependent | Fast, static or edge-rendered |
| Cost | Lower complexity, more maintenance | More moving parts, more control |
| Best for | Most sites | Content-heavy, multi-channel, perf-critical |
The teams that adopt headless tend to already be running a modern front-end framework, so the two trends move together. If a site is on Next.js or Astro, a headless CMS behind it is a natural fit. If it is a small marketing site, the extra plumbing rarely pays for itself.
How to detect a headless setup
Headless is visible from the request graph. The front-end is served by a framework and a host you recognize, while content arrives from a separate CMS API on a different domain. When you see a Next.js front-end pulling content from a Contentful or Sanity endpoint, that split is the signature of a headless build.
Our directory reports both halves: the front-end framework and the CMS feeding it, so you can tell a headless site from a traditional one at a glance. The framework side is covered in our JavaScript frameworks piece.
See the CMS and framework behind any site.
Look up a domainFAQ
What is a headless CMS?
A content system that stores and serves your content through an API but does not render your pages. A separate front-end framework fetches that content and builds the site, which is why it is called headless.
Is headless CMS replacing WordPress?
No. WordPress is still the most common CMS on the web by a wide margin. Headless is winning new, content-heavy and performance-sensitive builds, not the existing long tail of sites.
How can I tell if a site uses a headless CMS?
Look for a modern front-end framework serving the pages while content arrives from a separate CMS API on another domain. That split between front-end host and content endpoint is the signature of a headless setup.
