Next.js vs other frameworks: why we chose it and why we're staying
The framework debate is loud and often wrong. Here's the straightforward case for Next.js in 2026, and what it actually costs you to choose something else.
Every agency has a stack opinion. Ours is Next.js, and we're not being tribal about it, we've evaluated the alternatives seriously. WordPress for clients who need it. Astro for pure content. SvelteKit for teams that prefer it. But for the majority of commercial websites we build, Next.js wins, and the reasons are structural, not sentimental.
What most framework debates miss
The typical comparison leads with syntax and developer experience. That's the wrong starting point. The questions that actually matter are: does the framework make it easier to rank on Google, does it scale without rewrites, and does it keep your team productive a year after launch?
Next.js answers all three cleanly. Most alternatives answer one or two — and the gaps show up at the worst moments.
Why not WordPress?
WordPress powers 43% of the web, which is a historical fact, not a recommendation. The performance ceiling is low without serious engineering work. Core Web Vitals scores routinely suffer because plugin overhead is invisible and cumulative. You spend engineering time managing the platform rather than improving the product. We use headless WordPress setups when clients have established content workflows, but the frontend is always Next.js.
Why not Webflow or Framer?
Both are impressive tools for fast visual output. Neither is a serious choice if you expect the site to grow into a web application, integrate deeply with backend systems, or need custom performance tuning. The visual builder is the ceiling. For D&A clients, that ceiling arrives faster than expected.
Why not Astro?
Astro is the best framework for content-heavy, mostly-static sites. If you're building a documentation site or a blog with minimal interactivity, Astro's zero-JS-by-default approach is genuinely excellent for performance. But most commercial sites we build aren't static. They have authentication, dynamic data, personalisation, and evolving feature sets. Next.js handles all of it without architectural pivots.
What Next.js actually gives you
The App Router, introduced in Next.js 13 and now the standard, lets you mix server and client rendering at the component level. You ship less JavaScript to the browser without sacrificing interactivity where you need it. That's a real SEO and performance win, not a talking point.
On performance
Server Components mean less client JavaScript. Less JavaScript means faster LCP, better INP, and higher Lighthouse scores. We target 100 across the board — and consistently hit it because the framework makes the right choice the default choice.
Vercel's deployment infrastructure is the other half of the story. Edge functions, image optimisation, ISR, these are not features you configure manually, they work correctly out of the box. For a team focused on delivering results rather than managing infrastructure, that matters.
The SEO case, specifically
Google can crawl JavaScript, but not as reliably or quickly as server-rendered HTML. Next.js with App Router delivers fully-rendered HTML to the crawler by default. Combined with semantic markup, schema, and proper meta handling — all of which Next.js makes straightforward — you're removing obstacles between your content and the index, not creating them.
Template-based frameworks often have SEO built as an afterthought. In Next.js, the Metadata API, dynamic sitemap generation, and structured data are first-class concerns with clear documentation and predictable behaviour.
The honest tradeoff
Next.js has a steeper learning curve than Webflow. The deployment story, while excellent on Vercel, adds cost at scale. And React's ecosystem moves fast — staying current requires active maintenance, not passive waiting.
We've decided those tradeoffs are worth it. The performance floor, the flexibility ceiling, and the SEO fundamentals are better than any comparable option for the kind of work we do: commercial websites that need to rank, convert, and grow.
Working on a project and evaluating your stack? We're happy to talk through the options with no commitment involved.