Can our staff edit a Next.js site?

Not directly, unless a headless content system is connected to it. Without one, edits go through whoever maintains the site. If staff need to change pages on their own every week, weigh that before choosing.

Should we move our WordPress site to Next.js?

Only if the platform is what holds the site back: speed you cannot fix, a plugin stack nobody can keep patched, or a design the theme will not allow. A migration changes templates and often URLs, so it carries ranking risk unless every old address is redirected. If the site is sound, fix the pages instead.

WordPress vs Next.js

WordPress or Next.js: which should a treatment center website run on?

The short decision for owners. The full technical comparison lives in the long read; this page is about what changes for a site whose job is admissions.

Last reviewed 2026-10-15
8 primary sources, linked
No agencies ranked

The short answer

Choose WordPress if your staff will edit pages themselves every week and someone owns plugin updates. Choose Next.js if speed and a small attack surface matter more than self-serve editing, and changes can go through whoever builds the site. For a treatment center, three questions matter more than the platform: where your inquiry form sends its data, who keeps the site updated, and whether the domain and hosting are in your name.

At a glance

WordPress compared with Next.js, factor by factor
Factor	WordPress	Next.js
What it is	Open source (opens in a new tab) content management software, licensed GPLv2 or later	A React framework (opens in a new tab) for building web applications, not a content editor
Editing by staff	Built-in editor: staff can change pages without a developer	Through a developer, or a headless content system connected to the site
Security upkeep	Core, plugins and themes need regular updates; 91% of 2025's new WordPress vulnerabilities were in plugins (Patchstack (opens in a new tab))	A static export is plain HTML, CSS and JavaScript files, so there is no plugin layer on the live server to patch
Hosting	A server running PHP 8.3 or greater and MySQL 8.0 or MariaDB 10.11 or greater (recommended (opens in a new tab))	A static export (opens in a new tab) runs on any web server that can serve HTML, CSS and JavaScript
Inquiry forms	A form plugin, with entries stored wherever that plugin and host keep them	No server-side form handling in a static export: forms post to a service you choose
Integrations	Plugins from the largest directory (opens in a new tab) of free and open source WordPress plugins	Written in code, or connected through a service's API
Page speed	Can be fast with a lean theme, few plugins and good hosting	Generates an HTML file per route (opens in a new tab), so a page can avoid loading JavaScript it does not need
Who maintains it later	The most common content system: 58.5% of sites whose system is known (W3Techs (opens in a new tab))	A developer who works in React and Next.js
HIPAA	Neither compliant nor non-compliant on its own: it depends on the host, the form tool and the agreements	The same: it depends on where form data goes and who signs a business associate agreement

Read across a row. Every outside figure in the table is listed with its source at the foot of the page.

Which to choose

Choose WordPress if

Staff will publish or edit pages themselves, often.
You depend on a plugin that does a specific job, such as bookings or a member area.
Someone owns updates to core, plugins and themes on a schedule.
Your current WordPress site is sound and the problem is the pages, not the platform.

Choose Next.js if

Speed and a small attack surface matter more than self-serve editing.
Edits can go through whoever builds the site, on a turnaround you can live with.
You want a site that can run as static files on almost any host.
You are rebuilding from scratch anyway and no plugin ties you to WordPress.

What decides it

The form decides more than the framework

Neither platform is HIPAA compliant or non-compliant by itself. What counts is where an inquiry goes once someone presses send. On WordPress that is the form plugin and the host. On a Next.js static export (opens in a new tab), which has no server of its own to process a form, it is whichever service the form posts to. Either way, the company holding the entries needs to sign a business associate agreement. The website builder guide maps where that data lands.

Upkeep is the cost nobody quotes

Patchstack (opens in a new tab) counted 11,334 new vulnerabilities in the WordPress ecosystem in 2025: 91% in plugins, 9% in themes and only 6 in WordPress core. WordPress's own hardening guide (opens in a new tab) says to keep core up to date and to make sure plugins are always updated. A lean WordPress site that someone patches is a reasonable risk. A site with forty plugins and nobody assigned to them is not.

Editing is the real trade

Next.js is a React framework (opens in a new tab), so there is no admin screen for a staff member to log into unless a headless content system is connected to it. If your admissions director wants to change the insurance list tonight without asking anyone, that is a point for WordPress, or for a headless editor on top of Next.js.

The honest concession

Where WordPress genuinely wins

Editing and handover. WordPress lets a non-technical person publish without asking anyone, and with 58.5% of sites whose content system is known running on it, per W3Techs (opens in a new tab), you will not struggle to find someone to take it over. If your WordPress site is fast, patched and converting, moving it to Next.js buys little and risks your rankings during the move. Do not migrate a sound site for the sake of the platform.

Where KhanWork fits

We build in Next.js and in WordPress, and we work on Webflow and other stacks you already run. The stack is a decision we make with you on the first call, not one we sell you in advance: if your platform is genuinely holding you back we will say so, and if it is not, you will not be sold a migration you do not need. The site you are reading is a Next.js static export.

Hosting is not included in any tier. We set it up in your own account, or work with the host you already have, and the domain stays in your name. Everything we deliver is yours: files, pages and brand assets. Our pricing is published: Foundation Partner $1,000 a month, Growth Partner $2,500 and Scale Partner $5,000, billed monthly with no minimums, and you can pause or cancel anytime.

See the pricing Book a call with Ali

Read deeper

WordPress vs Next.js in 2026
the full comparison: performance, SEO, cost, security and editing
The best website builder for a treatment center
and when to skip one
Who hosts and maintains a treatment center website?
what 60 rehab sites show
Website redesign without losing your Google rankings
for the day you do move platforms

Sources

Every outside fact on this page, about a platform, a law or a market, comes from one of these primary sources, each opened and read on 2026-10-15.

WordPress.orgAbout WordPress (opens in a new tab)Supports: WordPress is open source software licensed under the GPLv2 or later.
Next.js DocsWhat is Next.js? (opens in a new tab)Supports: Next.js is a React framework for building full-stack web applications.
Next.js DocsStatic Exports (opens in a new tab)Supports: An HTML file per route so a page can avoid loading JavaScript it does not need, hosting on any web server that serves HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and the server features (such as Server Actions) a static export does not support.
PatchstackState of WordPress Security in 2026 (opens in a new tab)Supports: 11,334 new vulnerabilities in the WordPress ecosystem in 2025: 91% in plugins, 9% in themes, 6 in core.
WordPress Developer ResourcesHardening WordPress (opens in a new tab)Supports: Keep WordPress up to date, older versions are not maintained with security updates, and keep plugins updated.
WordPress.orgRequirements (opens in a new tab)Supports: Recommended PHP 8.3 or greater and MySQL 8.0 or MariaDB 10.11 or greater.
WordPress.orgPlugin Directory (opens in a new tab)Supports: The largest directory of free and open source WordPress plugins.
W3TechsUsage statistics and market share of WordPress (15 October 2026) (opens in a new tab)Supports: WordPress runs 39.7% of all websites and 58.5% of websites whose content management system is known.

Last reviewed 2026-10-15

Frequently asked questions

No platform is HIPAA compliant by itself, and that is as true of WordPress as of Next.js. HIPAA is about how protected health information is handled, so the question is where your inquiry form sends its data and whether the company holding it signs a business associate agreement.

Still deciding? Start with the page you already have.

Send your URL for the free funnel review. Within two business days you get a 3-minute video on the page your traffic lands on, the three places it is losing inquiries, and what ChatGPT and Perplexity say about your center. No call attached.

Get the free review Or book a 30-minute call with Ali