Is AI eating up WordPress usage?

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October 28, 2025

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While AI has not significantly dropped WordPress’s overall use, it has created new market dynamics that are impacting its traditional growth. WordPress remains the dominant website content management system (CMS), but it faces increasing competition from AI-powered builders and shifts in online content consumption. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Why AI has not yet significantly impacted overall market share

As of mid-2025, WordPress still powers a massive portion of the web, with many sources citing it is used by over 40% of all websites.

Built-in adaptation: The WordPress ecosystem has already adapted by introducing its own AI-powered tools, including an AI Site Builder on WordPress.com and numerous AI plugins for content creation and design.
Installed base inertia: With a large existing user base, many sites will not migrate simply because of new AI tools. The high costs and complexity of switching platforms for hundreds of millions of sites create significant market inertia.
Enhancement, not replacement: Many developers and businesses are not abandoning WordPress but are instead using AI to enhance their workflows within the platform. AI is viewed as a tool to improve efficiency rather than an outright replacement. [2, 5, 6, 7, 8]

The decline in specific areas

Although overall market share remains high, AI has contributed to a flattening or slight decline in specific, high-value segments of the market.

Competition from AI builders: Simpler, AI-focused website builders are gaining market share by appealing to beginners who want an automated solution without the learning curve of WordPress.
Stagnating growth: After a long period of rapid expansion, WordPress’s market share growth has flattened or slightly declined since 2021, particularly among the most-trafficked websites.
Decreasing organic traffic: AI overviews in search engines have significantly reduced organic traffic for many sites, especially informational blogs that often use WordPress. Some experts predict this could reduce overall website traffic by over 50% by 2028. [2, 4, 12, 13, 14]

Key market shifts driven by AI

The introduction of AI is fundamentally changing the website industry in ways that challenge WordPress’s long-term dominance.

For beginners: For users with no coding experience who need a fast, simple site, AI-powered builders from companies like Squarespace and Wix are becoming increasingly competitive alternatives to WordPress.
For developers: AI tools automate repetitive tasks for developers. For complex, high-performance builds, modern technologies like Astro, React, and Vue may offer more control than WordPress.
Impact on freelancers: The rise of AI-powered design and copywriting tools has created a disruptive force in the freelance market. While AI has not yet replaced developers, it performs many of the simpler tasks they previously handled.
Increased security risks: AI is also used by hackers to automate attacks and exploit vulnerabilities, complicating the security maintenance required for many WordPress sites. [2, 16, 17, 18, 19]