WordPress is considered the global standard for anyone on the market for an open-source CMS. Despite its rather humble origins as a blogging tool with little scope for expansion…at least at the time…WordPress has grown into one of the web’s most important site development tools the likes of which tens of millions have become dependent on.
Not bad really, considering WP hasn’t been around for much longer than a decade! 
Of course, flawless it most certainly isn’t and nor is it the only CMS on the market for webmasters to choose from. As such, it’s crucial to weigh up both the good and the bad before diving into any CMS like WordPress as while it’s undeniably suited to most causes, not everyone stands in WP’s corner.
The Pros of WordPress
So to kick things off with the good stuff, what works in favour of WP and those that use it?
- It’s Open Source
If you’re the type that knows how to make head or tail of coding, WordPress is something of a partially blank canvas upon which you can work your magic. The makers of WordPress issue it as a fully open source CMS, which means you can access and make (almost) any changes you want to the coding, in order to make it ideally suited to your needs.
- It’s Free of Charge
They often say you don’t get jack for free these days – WordPress is one notable exception to the rule. Sure, some of the themes and plugins will set you back a penny or two, but the software itself doesn’t cost a penny.
- Ease of Use
WP comes highly recommended as a CMS of choice for newcomers and those with little to no site building experience. When newbies head to Pivotal Hosting with their questions, we don’t hesitate to recommend WordPress.
- Huge Community
The WordPress user base is so gigantic that to use WP is to become part of an epic community in which tips, tricks, advice and general support can be offered and found on any subject 24/7. There’s no such thing as a WP question that cannot be answered by the huge WP community.
The Cons of WordPress
And in order to balance things out fairly, it’s also important to take a quick look at the drawbacks of using WordPress.
- Security
There isn’t a great deal of open source software on the market that isn’t to some extent flawed in terms of security – WordPress is no exception. However, this doesn’t mean it isn’t perfectly possible to guard and protect your site against 100% of threats – you just need the right tools and approach.
- Advanced Customization
WP offers a great deal of scope in terms of website design and customization, but it is far from limitless by way of what you can do.
- Potential Expense
And finally, WordPress does have the potential to become expensive to use and maintain over the long-term if the respective user decides to use only the paid themes and plugins, as opposed to those on offer for free.