WordPress is a powerful CMS ideal for large websites with many pages, supporting advanced front-end and back-end capabilities.
In contrast, Notion is well-suited for creating small websites like portfolios, resumes, and blogs, offering flexibility and adequate features without a steep learning curve.
Notion vs WordPress - The Ecosystem
WordPress
WordPress is a full-fledged CMS that stores and manages content in the backend and enables you to wrap it with a user-friendly design.
Notion
Notion, on the other hand, is a headless CMS that stores your content, enables sharing with others, but offers limited customization options.
However, you can use Notion as a full-fledged CMS by connecting it with a Notion website builder, which enhances design, branding, customization, and SEO.
In short, Notion handles the content backend while the website builder presents it as a beautiful website.
It’s worth noting though that not all Notion site builders are built the same. I have used two and found Super more convenient to use. My portfolio and resume sites are on Super but I use WordPress for my blogs.
In this article, I will walk you through the pros and cons of using WordPress and Super. We added a summary table towards the end which will help you decide which CMS to go with.
When to use WordPress?
Use WordPress when you need:
- To manage large-scale website with thousands of pages
- A full CMS with built-in website building
- To use plugins/themes for extra functionality
When to use Notion with Super?
Use Notion with Super when you need to:
- Manage content in Notion but present it as a designed website
- Access advanced design, branding, SEO, UX features beyond Notion's capabilities
- Building small-scale websites: portfolios, blogs, resumes, landing pages, etc.
Notion vs WordPress - Ease of Use
WordPress
WordPress is popular for its plugin support, which integrates with the website's source code to improve performance, SEO, and design.
For example, I use plugins to reduce unused JS to speed up my website, lazy-load images, optimize my content for search engines, import new design blocks, etc. Plugins were especially helpful in inserting the Google AdSense code to the header of my blog’s theme when I couldn’t do it manually.
However, plugins are a double-edged sword - they simplify tasks but require constant updates, send too many notifications, and can potentially break the website by interfering with the source code.
Plugins increase the website's complexity, making WordPress easy to use but difficult to maintain.
Notion
Notion does not have website plugins but it comes with many inbuilt features, especially when powered by Super. I used Notion with Super to create a well-designed and fast-loading portfolio site in no time.
I faced minor challenges integrating Google Analytics, but Super's customer support resolved them. Super has a dedicated dashboard section for adding code, where I simply pasted the tracking ID. To do that in WordPress, I would first navigate to the theme’s source code and search for the right file to insert it into. That’s intimidating to me as plugging the code in the incorrect file could break my website.
Notion helped me set up the basics of my website and Super turned it into a stellar portfolio that I feel confident sharing with potential clients.
Furthermore, Super takes care of page speed, lazy-loading images, and many other technical tasks without my intervention. I would use a plugin for that in WordPress.
Who would find WordPress easy to use?
Those who:
- Have experience with technical aspects of a website
- Can analyze plugins for compatibility with their theme
Who would find Notion easy to use?
Those who:
- Are familiar with the Notion interface
- Prefer a low-code CMS
- Prefer to skip the technical details of their website
Notion Website Builder vs WordPress - Themes and Templates
WordPress
The WordPress ecosystem offers thousands of themes to choose from based on website category and niche and the purpose of creating. For example, I chose Nivi and Cadence themes for my blog because they support digital products and simplify affiliate marketing.
However, I found choosing the right theme for your website challenging. I would have preferred creating my website from scratch, as I found themes restrictive in customizing design and layout.
Furthermore, all themes come with the same website builder block list which makes them all look like versions of each other.
Notion website builder
Super has fewer templates but all unique. They use Notion in the backend, bringing consistency into the process of using them.
While the Super templates I tried were customizable, I did not stick with them as I wanted to create my portfolio from scratch.
Notion vs WordPress - Branding
Custom Domain
Using a custom domain is essential for building a brand. Your website name is what people remember you by - it needs to be memorable.
While WordPress seamlessly connects to custom domains, the process of setting it up is arduous, requiring multiple steps like purchasing the domain, adding it to hosting, and finally connecting it to WordPress.
Notion, on the other hand, does not allow you to customize domain names - You need Super to use Notion on custom domain. You can even purchase a domain name and extension directly on Super and connect it to your website. This could save a lot of hassle.
SSL Certificate
An SSL certificate is a stamp of trust that indicates that your website is safe to visit and click through. It’s now a mandatory requirement for ranking on search engines.
You need to purchase and annually renew your SSL subscription on WordPress.
Super provides an SSL certificate and a free domain even for sites built with the free plan.
Notion vs WordPress - Design Capabilities
WordPress
There are three main design aspects to WordPress: theme, plugins, and blocks.
The theme determines the overall look and feel of your website. It comes with customizable templates for posts and pages, preset design for navbar and footer, and general aesthetics for widgets like the sidebar.
Most themes are supported by Otter Blocks which is a plugin with different building units of a page, each with a unique design flavor. However, these blocks are common across themes - which makes them all look the same.
While all elements are customizable, including colors and fonts, your website may still end up looking like a generic WordPress site unless you have web design expertise. WordPress design plugins like the Elementor lend better branding and more customization but I found them hard to maintain.
I created my blog’s Navbar with Elementor because it supports some animation features that my theme did not have in-built. But animation slows down my website and figuring out how to replace it with the theme’s default header is tricky.
Furthermore, figuring out where to make changes in the WordPress dashboard to reflect on the page can be a daunting task. For example, you need to set up the primary navigation bar in the Menu setting under the Appearance section to see the changes in the Elementor header — You can’t change the menu directly in there.
In short, WordPress provides extreme customizability, yet, designing your website is quite a hands-on task. It takes a while to get used to the tool.
Notion Website Builder
I find Super's dashboard more intuitive than WordPress, with all features easily accessible in one place, without the need to search for the right settings.
Furthermore, Super supports many font styles which allowed me to pick one that aligns the best with my brand.
Creating a Super navbar and footer was a much easier task, compared to WordPress as I could access a centralized view to manage settings.
You would appreciate WordPress’ design features if you:
- Have website design experience. Without that, you might struggle to make your website stand out from others using the same theme.
- Have figured their way around the WordPress dashboard
You would appreciate Notion’ design features if you:
- Want a straight-forward approach to building an aesthetic website
- Prefer a CMS will inbuilt design features
Notion Websites Built with Super
Notion vs WordPress - SEO Capabilities
WordPress
WordPress relies on plugins like Yoast and Rankmath to supplement its limited inbuilt SEO features. I found those plugins useful a few years back but they have not evolved with time. Most on-page SEO features they offer are superfluous but technical-SEO support is decent.
I use them for basic SEO checks like adding meta tags and URL slugs but maintaining this plugin is not a good tradeoff for the outdated features. Let’s take the example of Yoast - it does not support overriding backend URL slug settings. If you have standardized the URL template to www.website.com/mm/dd/slug, you’re stuck with it. You can’t have a page with the URL www.website.com/slug without using yet another plugin.
However, Yoast offers advanced crawling and indexing options. You get to conserve crawl budget and choose which categories and tags get indexed on search engines. It also simplifies creation of the sitemap and robots.txt file which are important technical SEO factors.
Page speed is another important SEO factor for me as it directly impacts key metrics like the bounce rate. I use a mix of plugins to get my WordPress pages to load fast - one for lazy-loading images and another for removing excess JS. Finding the mix that won’t wreck my website was a challenge.
Notion website builder
Super provides basic SEO features like WordPress but allows for customization of URL slugs. You get all on-page SEO capabilities that you really need without the bells and whistles.
Super provides stellar technical SEO features. In my experience, it’s the best CMS for those who like fast loading websites. Features like lazy-loading are inbuilt and my portfolio runs crazy fast, as per Google PageSpeed Insights.
But a few edge-case features like deindexing an individual page, adding Nofollow links, and auto-creation of sitemap and robots.txt files are missing.
Notion Website Builder vs WordPress - Customer Support and Knowledge Base
WordPress
WordPress supports a vast knowledge base which is quite useful for beginners. But the more I used the CMS, the more edge-cases appeared which had no support guides available.
I reached out to the customer support only once but they asked for login credentials which I was not comfortable sharing. I found solutions to my problems on YouTube, henceforth.
Super Notion Website Builder
Super provides a solid knowledge base, but the tool may initially feel technical for beginners. However, I now navigate it easily, and the Super team provided responsive and helpful support when I was starting out. They seem to have a solid customer support workflow.
Notion Website Builder vs WordPress - Analytics
Both Super and WordPress integrate with Google Analytics and Google Search Console but Super has an inbuilt analytics tool called Super Analytics. With Universal Analytics now sunset by Google and the GA4 instance being complex, Super analytics looks like a good alternative.
Notion vs WordPress - For Bloggers
WordPress
WordPress is a well known brand which has been around for a while. New bloggers invariably stumble upon WordPress when looking for a CMS for their blog and since everyone seems to use it, it feels like a safe option.
I set up my blog on WordPress when I was new to creating niche blogs. While I found the set up challenging, I stuck with it because I spent a long time learning it and it feels familiar now.
In spite of challenges mentioned in the previous sections, WordPress is a great choice for bloggers because it supports all avenues for making money from the blog. You can set up Google AdSense, Mediavine, or any advertisement platform.
You can also add nofollow tags to affiliate links which is a tacit Google mandate for all affiliate sites. And if you want to sell digital products, you can easily create a form to capture email addresses and set up a paywall.
Notion Blog Builder
I did not create a blog on Super because I learned about it much later in my website building journey. Also, Super is built on Notion which itself is a new tool compared to WordPress.
It’s also worth noting that Super did not integrate with Adsense or other advertisement providers until their 3.1 update. But now since that feature is available I might consider switching my blog CMS to Super.
Another reason why I might consider switching is that I find their blog template aesthetic. It has a polished, modern look and feel. I also know that I will have full support in setting it up.
Notion vs WordPress - For Freelancers
I built three WordPress websites over the past few years but I still chose to build my portfolio on Super. That’s because my portfolio only has a homepage and a few writing samples - it’s far easier to manage it with Super. WordPress, on the other hand, would be an overkill.
Super allowed me to create a high speed website, add CTA buttons, create navbar and footer without hassle. The design features were perfect - I could create a portfolio that represents my personal brand perfectly.
Super also provides a great deal of flexibility. As my portfolio grows bigger I would want to simplify my homepage by splitting it into multiple pages, Super would handle it easily. I might even transform my portfolio into a full-fledged blog at some point - my experience with Super’s support team gives me the confidence that I can make the switch easily. The same task would be a nightmare on WordPress.
Notion vs WordPress - Summary
I have enjoyed using both Super and WordPress for building websites over the past few years. Both have their USPs and shortcomings which we discussed in this article.
Here’s a comparison summary that might help you choose one of these two CMS.
Feature/ Capability | Super Notion Builder | Comparison | WordPress |
Ease of Use | Simpler, more straightforward | > | Requires more technical expertise |
Design Capabilities | Customizable templates, built-in design features | > | Highly customizable, but requires web-design skills |
Branding (Domains, SSL) | Provides custom domain and SSL out-of-the-box | > | Requires more setup for custom domain and SSL |
SEO Capabilities | Basic on-page SEO. In-built technical SEO features | = | Basic on-page SEO. Relies on plugins for advanced technical SEO features |
Customer Support & Knowledge Base | Responsive support, good knowledge base | = | Large knowledge base, but support can be limited |
Analytics | Integrated Super Analytics, Google Analytics | = | Google Analytics integration, other tools available |
Blogging Capabilities | Good blogging features, modern aesthetic | = | Mature blogging platform, wide plugin ecosystem |
Suitability for Freelancers/Small Websites | Excellent for portfolios, resumes, landing pages | > | Can be overkill for small-scale websites |
Suitability for Large/Enterprise Websites | Limited front and backend capabilities compared to WordPress | < | Robust CMS features for large-scale websites |
About the author:
Anurag Surya
Content Marketer
Anurag Surya is a B2B SaaS content marketer with over five years of experience crafting SEO-driven strategies and content for tech companies. When he's not writing, you can find him engrossed in a game of chess.
