WordPress Market Share Falls Six Months Amid Internal Strife

Image credit: Search Engine Journal

WordPress experienced a six-month market share decline from December 2025 to May 2026, attributed to internal conflicts and increased competition from other content management systems.

The platform’s global market share dropped from 43.20 percent to 41.90 percent during this period, according to data compiled by W3Techs, indicating an accelerating loss of users.

This downturn is linked to public disputes initiated by WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg against WP Engine, including legal actions and a rise in negative sentiment within the developer community, sources close to the matter reported.

While WordPress’s share fell, several competing CMS platforms recorded modest gains. Shopify, Wix, and Squarespace each saw slight increases in their respective market shares, W3Techs data showed.

Other platforms such as Webflow and Duda maintained steady market positions, neither gaining nor losing significant ground during the same six-month span, the report added.

Further corroborating the trend, HTTPArchive also confirmed a reduction in WordPress user numbers, suggesting the market share drop is a verifiable pattern and not an isolated anomaly.

Despite the challenges, WordPress recently released a significant software update that enables integration of artificial intelligence features, a move that some analysts believe could help reverse the ongoing decline.

Josepha Haden Chomphosy, executive director of the WordPress project, previously stated that the platform remains committed to innovation and adapting to user needs, even amid competitive pressures.

The internal conflicts, particularly those involving Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg and hosting provider WP Engine, have been a subject of public discussion among prominent figures like danielhayesmith, MattMickiewicz, and davidtsolheim.

These disputes have reportedly fostered an environment of uncertainty, influencing some users and developers to explore alternative platforms, according to community discussions.

The market share figures from W3Techs are widely cited in the industry for tracking the adoption rates of various web technologies, including content management systems.

WordPress, a free and open-source CMS, powers a substantial portion of the internet, but its recent performance highlights growing pressures from commercial alternatives and internal governance issues.

Source: Search Engine Journal