WordPress runs a huge share of the web and has an enormous ecosystem. But for many sites it is too much machinery: a PHP application backed by a MySQL database, a plugin-and-theme stack to keep patched, and ongoing security updates - all to publish what is, in the end, a set of pages. lazysite is a file-based engine that keeps the useful parts and drops the overhead.

Feature	lazysite	WordPress
Architecture
Content format	Plain Markdown files you own	Rich content in a database (block editor)
Build step	None - renders on request, caches the result	None - generated dynamically by PHP
Database	None - files only	Required (MySQL / MariaDB)
Footprint	Tiny - one CGI script plus Perl modules from your distro	Heavy - PHP plus a MySQL/MariaDB database
Capabilities
Dynamic content	Server-side templating, remote data, query parameters	Yes - PHP and plugins
Built-in forms, auth & payments	All built in (forms, sign-in, x402 pay-per-read)	Added through plugins
AI-first management	Built for it - agents edit over WebDAV, an API or MCP	Possible via the REST API or plugins
Memberships & paid content	Pay-per-read (x402) and per-user access	Via membership or e-commerce plugins
Design & experience
Themes & customisation	Layout plus theme tokens - one file to re-skin	Thousands of themes; PHP and block templates
Editing experience	Markdown files, a simple manager, or an AI agent	A polished WYSIWYG admin
Hosting & operations
Hosting	Any CGI host, or its own built-in server	A managed WordPress host or a LAMP server
Performance	Cached static HTML after the first hit	Dynamic; usually needs caching plugins or a CDN
Backup	Copy the files - nothing else to dump	Database plus files - usually a plugin
Migration & portability	Move the folder anywhere - plain files	Export/import the database and media; migration plugins
Maintenance & security surface	Small - static files, no database, a compact codebase	Large - database, PHP and plugins; a frequent target
Cost	Free, with minimal hosting	Free core, but hosting and premium add-ons add up

Switching from WordPress

WordPress content exports to Markdown reasonably well, and once it is plain files you are free of the database, the plugin-update treadmill and the hosting bill. Most people who switch are running a blog, documentation or a brochure site that never leaned on the plugin ecosystem - for them the move is pure simplification.

When WordPress still wins

If you rely on a specific plugin, run a mature e-commerce store, or have a non-technical team that needs a polished click-and-drag admin, WordPress's ecosystem is hard to beat - stay with it.

When lazysite wins

For a content-first site - marketing, docs, a blog, a portfolio, a directory, a small members' area - lazysite gives you dynamic features (templating, forms, search, feeds, memberships, even pay-per-read) without a database to secure, an admin app to patch, or content locked in a proprietary store. It is free, MIT-licensed, and your whole site is portable text.

Ready to try it? Install lazysite in minutes.