Reference: alternative-stack recommendations by use case and budget (Candid 6-tier framework)
Created 2026-05-22
By use case + budget — Candid Creative's recommended default stack.
Use case A — Brochure / service / contractor site, $3-8k, single editor:
- Recommend: WordPress + Gutenberg + Kadence theme + Kadence Blocks (or Blocksy + Stackable; GeneratePress + GenerateBlocks).
- Why: native, free, fast, accessible, no recurring license risk.
Use case B — Marketing site for established SMB, $5-15k, frequent edits:
- Recommend: WordPress + Gutenberg + custom block theme + ACF Blocks for bespoke modules.
- Why: structured content, designer-controlled patterns, future-proof.
Use case C — Content-heavy, SEO-critical, AI-citation-sensitive, $8-20k:
- Recommend: Headless WordPress (WPGraphQL) + Astro on Cloudflare Pages.
- Why: server-rendered HTML, zero-JS by default (Astro on Cloudflare Pages: ~$0/month vs Next.js SSR ~$20-200/month (Bobes 2026 benchmark)), AI-friendly, near-zero hosting cost.
Use case D — Web app, authenticated flows, dashboard, $15k+:
- Recommend: Next.js + headless CMS (WordPress, Sanity, or Payload) + Vercel/Cloudflare.
- Why: SSR, app router, server actions, dynamic rendering.
Use case E — Tiny brochure, $0-1.5k, no developer access:
- Recommend honestly: Squarespace, or WordPress + Gutenberg + Twenty Twenty-Five default theme.
- Why: if alternative is no site at all, even Elementor Free is defensible. For new builds, default Gutenberg is now usable without a page builder.
Use case F — Existing portfolio of legacy Elementor/Divi the agency inherits:
- Don't rebuild reflexively. Audit each: if traffic is significant and the site performs, optimize in place (Flexbox Containers, asset cleanup, image optimization). Plan migration only on the next redesign cycle or when builder breakage forces it.
This framework drives RULE: Stop quoting Elementor / Divi / WPBakery as the default for new Candid client builds. Block themes lead the pricing menu. and Candid Creative page-builder transition roadmap: 4 stages over 12 months.
Depends on
Referenced by (6)
- reference Candid Creative page-builder transition roadmap: 4 stages over 12 months depends-on
- rule RULE: Stop quoting Elementor / Divi / WPBakery as the default for new Candid client builds. Block themes lead the pricing menu. depends-on
- rule RULE: For content-heavy SEO/AI-critical clients (~$10k+ budget), default proposal is headless WordPress + Astro on Cloudflare Pages depends-on
- reference Research brief: The Case Against Page Builders (piece 10 of 15) relates-to
- reference When NOT to migrate a client off WordPress — the honest counter-cases Candid Creative will refuse relates-to
- reference Content extraction decision tree — WP REST API default, WXR XML fallback, direct DB only for hidden postmeta relates-to