Switching from WordPress to Craft CMS
WordPress is the world’s most widely used blogging system, often extended into a content management system (CMS) through plugins — and that’s exactly what makes it particularly vulnerable to security issues. Many websites rely on a large number of plugins developed by different authors, which all need to be updated regularly. When these updates are missed, security gaps quickly emerge that hackers can exploit. On top of that, the more plugins are used, the more complex and maintenance-heavy the system becomes. For many site owners, this quickly turns into frustration — especially when regular downtime, incompatibilities, or attacks occur. The result: a growing desire for a more stable, secure, and easier-to-maintain CMS. Craft CMS addresses precisely this need, offering a much more robust architecture out of the box — with greater control, fewer dependencies, and built-in security.
The Challenge of Migrating from WordPress
Anyone moving their website from WordPress to a new content management system (CMS) such as Craft CMS knows the biggest hurdle: migrating content. This process becomes especially difficult when the content exists in different formats — such as Gutenberg blocks, Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), or plain HTML in the classic editor.
While this task is entirely possible, it’s often time-consuming, requires compromises, and can lead to data loss.
wp-import: A New Tool for Easier Migration
A new tool called wp-import makes this process significantly easier. It’s a CLI command that automatically analyzes a WordPress site’s structure, recreates it in Craft CMS, and imports the content directly.
The command is highly versatile: it supports importing users, posts, pages, categories, tags, media, custom post types, and taxonomies — even comments (if the Verbb Comments plugin is installed). It also supports various ACF field types and Gutenberg blocks, including Google Maps fields, provided the corresponding plugins are available.
The best part: no complicated configuration is required. With just one command, an entire website’s content can be transferred to Craft CMS — as long as the WordPress site doesn’t rely on highly complex third-party plugins.
Getting Started with Craft
The wp-import command is available as a Composer package and can be used in Craft CMS projects starting with version 5.5. An installation guide walks users through setup and usage step by step.
In November 2024, Craft’s creator Brandon Kelly introduced wp-import live (https://craftquest.io/livestreams/craftquest-on-call-wp-import – registration required).
In addition, a new starter project was developed specifically for former WordPress users. It includes familiar structures like posts, pages, a CKEditor field for text editing, and an integrated comment system using Verbb Comments. The project also comes with a complete frontend based on Twig templates.
For an easy introduction, a new article has been published in the Craft Knowledge Base. It explains the key concepts and demonstrates how to get started with the new starter project — ideal for anyone transitioning from WordPress to Craft CMS.