Every agency has a favorite stack, and every recommendation you get will conveniently match what the recommender sells. Here is the honest decision framework we use internally, including when we advise against our own preference.
Start from the job, not the technology
Three questions decide most projects:
- Who updates the site, and how often? Daily content by non-technical staff points toward a CMS. Quarterly updates by a developer opens every option.
- What does the site have to do? Brochure and lead generation, e-commerce, or a real application are different problems.
- What is the realistic budget for year two? Not the build cost. The maintain, host, and extend cost.
WordPress: still right for many businesses
If you need editorial freedom, a large plugin ecosystem, and predictable agency handoffs, WordPress remains a sane default. Its weaknesses are performance discipline and security upkeep. Choose it when content operations matter more than custom interactivity.
Next.js and React: when experience is the product
For marketing sites where speed, animation, and brand experience drive conversion, or for anything that is really an application, a modern React stack like Next.js wins. You get performance, flexibility, and one codebase from landing page to product. The tradeoff: updates go through developers unless you add a headless CMS.
Headless: the best and worst of both
Headless CMS plus a Next.js frontend gives editors a friendly interface and developers full control. It is also two systems to host, secure, and keep in sync. Choose headless when you have real content operations AND real experience requirements, not because it is fashionable.
Shopify for commerce
If the business is selling products, do not rebuild commerce infrastructure. Shopify with a well-built theme, or headless Shopify for large brands, gets you checkout, payments, and taxes that just work.
The rule of thumb
Brochure site, frequent content: WordPress. Experience-led marketing or an app: Next.js. Serious content ops plus serious experience: headless. Selling products: Shopify.
Dazzle Tech builds on all four. Tell us the job, and we will tell you the stack, even when the answer is not the fancy one.