Quick answer: WordPress powers about 40–41% of all websites and holds roughly 59% of the content management system (CMS) market, according to W3Techs readings from August to October 2026. No other CMS comes close: the runner-up, Shopify, sits near 5% of all websites.
If you searched for the percentage of websites using WordPress, you have probably noticed that every source gives a slightly different number. One says 43%, another says 40%, a third says “over 60%”. They are not all wrong. They measure different things. This guide gives you the latest WordPress statistics, explains which number to use and when, and shows how WordPress market share compares with every major rival.
What percentage of websites use WordPress?
As of the latest W3Techs readings, WordPress is used by about 40–41% of all websites. The tracker showed 41.1% in mid-August 2026 and 40.7% by early September, and a monthly roundup from WPZOOM put it at 40.1% in October. Treat it as “a little over 40%”.
How many websites use WordPress?
The answer to how many websites use WordPress depends on how you define a “website”.
- About 37 million live sites. BuiltWith counts actively visited WordPress properties. This is the most realistic figure for working sites.
- Up to about 600 million hostnames. Netcraft counted roughly 1.49 billion hostnames in July 2026. Multiplying by 40% gives about 600 million. That is a ceiling, not a count, because it includes parked, staging and empty domains.
If you are quoting a number in a pitch or a report, use the BuiltWith figure for “live sites” and state the source. If you want a feel for the biggest names behind these numbers, see our lists of Fortune 500 companies using WordPress.
WordPress market share and CMS market share
There are two ways to express WordPress market share, and mixing them up is the most common mistake in blog posts about this topic:
- Share of all websites (about 40%). The base includes sites built by hand or with custom code.
- Share of CMS-powered sites (about 59%). The base only includes sites with a detectable CMS. This is the figure behind the claim that WordPress runs more sites than all other CMSs combined.
The independent HTTP Archive Web Almanac uses a different crawl and reports WordPress at around 64% of CMS-driven sites on mobile. The method differs, but the conclusion matches: WordPress leads by a very wide margin.
WordPress market share comparison with other CMSs
This CMS market share table compares the top platforms on both bases (W3Techs data via WPZOOM, October 2026).
| CMS | Share of all websites | Share of CMS market |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress | 40.1% | 58.6% |
| Shopify | 5.4% | 7.8% |
| Wix | 4.2% | 6.2% |
| Squarespace | 2.4% | 3.6% |
| Joomla | 1.1% | 1.6% |
| Webflow | 0.8% | 1.2% |
| Tilda | 0.8% | 1.2% |
| Duda | 0.7% | 1.1% |
| Drupal | 0.6% | 0.9% |
| No CMS | 31.5% | n/a |
Two takeaways. First, WordPress has more than seven times the share of Shopify. Second, the hosted builders (Shopify, Wix, Squarespace) are the ones gaining ground, while the old open-source rivals have shrunk. Joomla was at 3.3% of all websites in 2014 and is near 1% now; Drupal fell from 1.9% to under 1%. For a detailed head-to-head, read our Joomla vs WordPress comparison, and if you sell online, our ecommerce platforms comparison shows how WooCommerce stacks up against the hosted options.
WordPress growth history, 2014 to 2026
WordPress climbed from 21% of all websites in 2014 to a peak of 43.6% in January 2025, according to the W3Techs yearly history. It crossed the 40% line in 2021, the same period when it became more common than “no CMS”.
| Year | WordPress % of all websites |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 21.0% |
| 2016 | 25.6% |
| 2018 | 29.2% |
| 2020 | 35.4% |
| 2022 | 43.2% |
| 2023 | 43.1% |
| 2024 | 43.1% |
| 2025 | 43.6% |
| October 2026 | about 40% |
Why WordPress share dipped after 2025
The slide from 43.6% to about 40% is the biggest story in this data. The numbers do not explain the cause, so treat the following as informed context rather than proven reasons:
- Hosted builders keep growing. Wix climbed from 3.7% to over 4% of all websites between mid-2025 and 2026, and Shopify added share in the same window, based on W3Techs trend tables.
- The market is saturated. The HTTP Archive describes WordPress as moving from expansion to stabilization.
- Measurement changes. W3Techs revises its detection and sampling over time, so small moves are not always real shifts in behaviour.
- AI-generated and custom-coded sites are a growing alternative for simple sites, though “no CMS” has actually stayed around 29–31%.
Even after the dip, WordPress still runs more sites than all other detectable CMSs combined.
Versions, page builders and WooCommerce
WordPress versions
WordPress 7 is now the majority version. W3Techs showed it on 56.7% of WordPress sites in August 2026, up from 50.6% a month earlier, while WPZOOM reports around 70% by October. Version 5 sits near 2% of all websites, so a small but real group of sites still runs unsupported software. If you manage one, follow our WordPress security checklist.
Page builders
Elementor runs on 31.5% of all WordPress sites per W3Techs (August 2026), by far the most used builder, though WPZOOM notes the native block editor is gaining share against third-party builders. Browse our picks of the best Elementor addons if you build with it.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is used by about 7.9% of all websites and powers roughly 29% of online stores, ahead of Shopify at around 22.6% of stores (W3Techs and Store Leads, via WPZOOM). New to it? Start with what is WooCommerce.
Where WordPress is strongest
BuiltWith data places the United States first with about 16.8 million WordPress sites, followed by Germany (about 1.9 million), the United Kingdom (about 1.4 million), France, Brazil, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Japan and India. Japan stands out for density: State of the Word 2024 reported WordPress on 58.5% of Japanese websites. WordPress.org also lists more than 200 locales, one reason adoption keeps spreading beyond English-speaking markets.
Why every source shows a different number
- Different bases: all websites vs. CMS-only websites (40% vs. 59%).
- Different crawls: W3Techs samples the top 10 million sites; BuiltWith tracks live technology; Netcraft counts hostnames; HTTP Archive crawls pages and mobile.
- Different dates: an article last updated in 2025 still says 43%. Always check the “updated” date and the measurement date.
When you cite a figure, name the source, the base and the month. That is what separates a trustworthy statistic from a stale one.
2027 outlook: what to expect
These are our own expectations, not measured data:
- Share likely holds in the high-30s to low-40s. The market has plateaued, and no single rival is close enough to threaten the lead.
- CMS market share stays near 58–60%. It has been in that band for several years.
- Hosted builders and WooCommerce-vs-Shopify competition remain the main storyline.
- Quality over quantity. Growth will come from block themes, performance and security rather than new installs alone.
Planning a new site? Our guide on how to create a WordPress website walks through the setup, and what is WordPress covers the basics. We will refresh this page when the January 2027 W3Techs data lands.
FAQ
What percentage of websites use WordPress?
About 40–41% of all websites and about 59% of websites with a known CMS, per W3Techs in late 2026.
How many websites use WordPress?
Roughly 37 million live sites (BuiltWith). A theoretical ceiling near 600 million comes from applying the share to all hostnames.
What is WordPress’s market share compared to Shopify, Wix and Squarespace?
WordPress holds about 58.6% of the CMS market, against Shopify 7.8%, Wix 6.2% and Squarespace 3.6%.
Is WordPress still growing?
Its share peaked near 43.6% in January 2025 and has dipped to about 40%. It is still by far the largest CMS.
Which is the more accurate number, 40% or 59%?
Both are accurate. Use 40% for “all websites” and 59% for “CMS market share”, and always say which one you mean.
Sources
- W3Techs: WordPress usage statistics
- W3Techs: CMS yearly historical trends
- WPZOOM: WordPress statistics (October 2026)
- BuiltWith: CMS trends
- Netcraft: July 2026 web server survey
- HTTP Archive: 2025 Web Almanac, CMS chapter
- WordPress.org: State of the Word
Figures are estimates that vary by methodology. Last data check: October 18, 2026.
