WordPress has been around for a long time.
Long enough for opinions, half-truths, and outdated advice to harden into “facts” that people keep repeating.
You hear them on social media.
You read them in comments under blog posts.
Sometimes, clients say them with absolute confidence.
The funny thing is, many of these “facts” stopped being true years ago — and some were never true to begin with.
Let’s clear the air.
Here are five WordPress myths that refuse to die… even though they really should.
Myth #1: “WordPress Is Not Secure”
This is probably the most common one.
Someone hears about a hacked website and immediately blames WordPress.
What they usually don’t realize is that WordPress itself is rarely the real problem.
At its core, WordPress is actively maintained, reviewed by thousands of developers, and patched quickly when issues are found. In fact, major security vulnerabilities in WordPress core are extremely rare.
What does cause problems?
- Outdated plugins
- Poor-quality themes
- Weak passwords
- Cheap or misconfigured hosting
In other words, the same things that would make any website insecure.
Saying “WordPress is insecure” is a bit like saying “cars are unsafe” because someone forgot to use the brakes properly.
Used the right way, WordPress can be just as secure as any other platform — sometimes more.
Myth #2: “You Need a Plugin for Everything”
This one feels true… until you actually think about it.
Yes, WordPress has plugins for almost anything you can imagine.
No, that doesn’t mean you need to install one every time you want to tweak something.
A surprising amount can be done using:
- Built-in WordPress settings
- Theme options
- A few well-placed code snippets
- Simple CSS
Many beginners end up with 30–40 plugins because they don’t realize WordPress already does half of what they’re installing plugins for.
More plugins don’t automatically mean more features — they often mean:
- Slower load times
- More conflicts
- More things to update and break
Smart WordPress users don’t avoid plugins.
They just use fewer, better ones and take the effort to choose the right WordPress plugin.
Myth #3: “Free WordPress Themes Are Bad”
This myth usually comes from one bad experience.
Someone installs a random free theme from an unknown website, it breaks their site, and suddenly all free themes are “trash”.
The truth is more nuanced.
Free themes from the official WordPress repository go through a review process. They have coding standards, security checks, and ongoing updates.
Are they simpler than premium themes?
Yes.
Are they unsafe or poorly built by default?
Not at all.
For many websites — blogs, small business sites, personal projects — a well-maintained free theme is more than enough.
Paid themes make sense when you need:
- Advanced layouts
- Niche-specific features
- Dedicated support
But “free” does not automatically mean “bad”. It just means “lighter”.
Myth #4: “WordPress Can’t Handle Large or High-Traffic Websites”
This myth is usually said with great confidence.
And it’s usually said by someone who has never worked on a properly optimized WordPress site.
WordPress powers:
- News websites with millions of visitors
- Large eCommerce stores
- Membership platforms
- Learning management systems
When WordPress struggles at scale, it’s almost always because of:
- Poor hosting
- No caching
- Bloated themes
- Bad database management
Blaming WordPress for that is like blaming the road because your car has no fuel.
With the right setup, WordPress can scale far beyond what most websites will ever need.
Myth #5: “WordPress Is Only for Blogs”
This one made sense… in 2008.
Today, WordPress is used for:
- Business websites
- Online stores
- Portfolios
- Communities
- SaaS marketing sites
- Online courses
Calling WordPress “just a blogging platform” is like calling a smartphone “just a phone”.
Blogging might be how WordPress started, but it’s a tiny part of what it’s capable of now.
The flexibility of WordPress comes from its ecosystem — themes, plugins, APIs, and custom development — not just from the editor you see on the screen.
Why These Myths Stick Around
Most WordPress myths come from one of three places:
- Outdated experiences
- Poor setups
- Second-hand advice repeated too many times
Once something is said often enough, it starts sounding true — even when it’s not.
The best way to judge WordPress isn’t by what people say about it, but by how it’s actually used in real-world projects today.
And when used properly, WordPress is far more secure, and powerful than these myths suggest.
What do you think?