Bootstrap and WordPress allow you to build a website without third-party help — but there are many important differences between these two solutions. Read this article to find out which option suits you best!
When you need to create a website, you can use either WordPress or Bootstrap. These two solutions are nearly equally popular among users who want to have their sites running as soon as possible.
In this article, we’ll analyze the primary benefits and shortcomings of both tools. You’ll get to know in which situations you might want to trade Bootstrap for WordPress or vice versa.
About WordPress
WordPress (WP) is an open-source web publishing software. Approximately ⅓ of all active websites were built with its help, which makes WP the most popular content management system on a global scale. Businesses of any size use it to build unique and intuitive websites and promote them. Even if you have never tried your hand at site-building before, it will take you just a couple of minutes to get used to the WordPress drag-and-drop editor. No coding or design skills are required.
WordPress is available in two versions: WordPress.com and WordPress.org. With the help of the former, you can create and host a website. You can sign up for free and use an extensive collection of design templates that will determine the layout and overall appearance of your site. WordPress.com is a highly user-friendly solution. It features excellent customization opportunities and thousands of plugins that can extend your website’s functionality. With WordPress.com, you won’t need to pay for your hosting or manage a web server.
If you prefer WordPress.org, you’ll be able to build your site just as comfortably as with WordPress.com — but you should be ready to host it yourself. This is the key difference between the two WP versions.
About Bootstrap
Bootstrap is a front-end CSS framework — that is, a library of pre-written code. It is focused on the programming seen by the user, or front development. This type of programming allows people to interact with the browser. You’ll get access to sets of code that are present in specific files or folders. You can use this code as a base to run programs on and eventually build a website.
You can use Bootstrap at no cost. Apart from CSS, it also supports HTML and JavaScript and enables you to create web applications using any of these languages.
Bootstrap functions in a variety of development environments. It is compatible with various browsers, so you can pick the one you feel most comfortable with. Besides, you can use multiple plugins. This framework allows you to build responsive websites that nicely adapt to compact screens of mobile devices. You’ll be able to select from a range of server-side technology.
Differences Between WordPress and Bootstrap
You can use both these solutions to build a website. But it doesn’t mean they have identical functionality! Here are the primary differences that you should keep in mind when choosing a site-building tool:
| Features | WordPress | Bootstrap |
| Function | It’s an open-source platform that features content management software for websites — you can use it to edit, publish and manage content online | It’s an open-source tool that enables you to benefit from its pre-written CSS libraries to build your site |
| Types of framework | Both front-end and back-end development | Only front-end development, so you might lack flexibility when building your site |
| Ready-made templates | A large collection of templates that any user can add to their site | There are no templates, so your choice of website designs will be limited |
| Coding experience | No coding skills are required | You should know how to use CSS and HTML |
| System in use | An intuitive drag-and-drop editor that requires no previous experience | There is no drag-and-drop feature — instead, you’ll need to use a grid system to modify the pages of your site |
| Languages | WordPress apps run on PHP, hardly any other languages are used for this purpose | Developers can use HTML, CSS and JavaScript |
| SEO | Your site will get decent online exposure, thanks to an extensive range of SEO services | No SEO services |
Bootstrap is not dependent on WordPress. But WordPress depends on Bootstrap to manage and handle websites on various devices.
Bootstrap site development requires more bandwidth than WordPress.
In a nutshell, Bootstrap is more complicated than WordPress. But it doesn’t mean that it’s difficult to work with! Compared to other site-building tools, Bootstrap is a very user-friendly solution. To make the most of it, you should have just the basic coding and SEO skills.
Other Alternatives
WordPress and Bootstrap are not the only possible options for those who want to build a website. You might also consider HTML, CSS or JavaScript. But in this case, you should be ready to invest more time and effort into the process. At the same time, you should be able to enjoy greater flexibility. Sites created with the help of HTML, CSS or JavaScript look visually appealing and load fast. But you’ll need to hire a web designer to make your site responsive.
Other popular alternatives for building the backend functionalities are PHP, ASP.NET, Python and Ruby on Rails. PHP is the most frequently used of them. Unlike WordPress, it provides custom functionalities. WordPress features helpful plugins — but they might fail to meet your needs 100%.
You’ll be likely to need something more than the plugins when building a big project where you have to take into account the interests of several categories of users.
Apart from the PHP itself, you might want to try some of its frameworks — such as Laravel, Zend or Symfony. They should accelerate the process of creating backend functionalities. Just like Bootstrap, these frameworks have some pre-built functionalities. You won’t need to create all the site from scratch because you’ll be able to rely on pre-built modules.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you found this article informative and now you better understand the difference between WordPress and Bootstrap. Both these solutions allow you to build a website quickly and easily. WordPress supports front-end and back-end development, requires no coding skills, includes an extensive selection of templates, features in-built SEO tools and an intuitive drag-and-drop editor. Bootstrap is focused only on front-end development and requires basic coding skills.
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Useful information for beginners.