# vagejs vs WordPress

> Compare vagejs and WordPress on editing, hosting, security, spam injection, SEO and maintenance, and find out which one suits your website.

WordPress runs a large share of the web, and for good reasons: anyone can edit pages in a browser, and there's a plugin for almost everything. vagejs takes the opposite approach. There's no server, database or admin screen; your site is a folder of files built from Markdown.

| Feature | vagejs | WordPress |
| --- | --- | --- |
| License | MIT | GPLv2 or later |
| Editing | Markdown files, often with an AI coding assistant | A visual block editor in the browser |
| How pages are served | Pre-built static files | PHP renders each page from a MySQL or MariaDB database |
| Hosting needs | Any static host, often free | PHP 8.3+ and MySQL 8.0+ or MariaDB 10.11+ recommended, kept updated |
| Sitemap | Built in | Built in since 5.5; SEO plugins often replace it |
| llms.txt | Built in | Through plugins, for example Yoast SEO |
| Checks before publishing | `vage check` | Not built in |
| Admin login to attack | None | Yes (`/wp-admin`) |
| AI agents | `AGENTS.md`, `vage info --json` | Official MCP Adapter plugin and the Abilities API in core |

## Security and spam injection

Hacked WordPress sites are commonly broken into through an outdated plugin or theme, or a weak admin password, and then used to hide spam links and pages. vagejs removes those doors: there's no login page, no database and no plugin code running on a server. Attackers would need your repository or hosting account instead, and vagejs checks for the traces they leave. Links to unapproved websites and hidden links fail every build, and `vage verify` compares the live site with your files. See [security](https://vagejs.com/docs/security/).

## Where WordPress is stronger

-   **Editing for non-technical people.** Editors change pages in a browser without touching files or Git.
-   **Plugins.** Shops, memberships, forms, bookings and thousands more, ready to install.
-   **Familiarity.** Agencies, freelancers and hosting companies everywhere know it.

## Where vagejs is stronger

-   **Less to maintain.** No core, plugin or PHP updates to keep up with, and nothing to patch on a server.
-   **Speed.** Pages are ready-made HTML with no JavaScript by default.
-   **Security by design.** No admin login, database or server code to attack, plus built-in protection against injected spam.
-   **Low hosting cost.** Static hosting is often free.

## Which to choose

Choose **WordPress** if several non-technical people edit the site daily, or you need a shop, memberships or a specific plugin. Choose **vagejs** for a fast, low-maintenance company site, docs or blog, especially if you edit with an AI assistant or have been hit by spam injection before.

Sources: [WordPress requirements](https://wordpress.org/about/requirements/), [license](https://wordpress.org/about/license/), [XML sitemaps in 5.5](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/07/22/new-xml-sitemaps-functionality-in-wordpress-5-5/), [Yoast llms.txt](https://yoast.com/features/llms-txt/), [MCP Adapter](https://wordpress.org/plugins/mcp-adapter/). Checked October 2026.