WordPress powers a huge share of the web. Splitleaf is for teams who want visual editing and structured content without running a PHP/MySQL application for pages that can be static.
Why this choice matters more than it looks
WordPress is a dynamic application. Unless heavily cached, requests execute PHP, query MySQL, and assemble HTML at runtime. That means:
- Server infrastructure for PHP, database, and usually caching
- Security surface area from core, themes, and plugins
- Plugin dependency for SEO, forms, backups, and performance
- Database-bound content that is harder to diff, grep, and review like code
With Splitleaf, the working site is files on disk. Publish emits static HTML/CSS to your host. No PHP runtime required for the public site.
Content as files
When content and pages live as files in a Git repository:
- Search works across the project
- Publish history is real commits with authors and diffs
- AI agents can read and edit the same files humans review
- Deploys are atomic: content and site structure ship together
WordPress stores content in MySQL as HTML blobs. You can export. You cannot meaningfully treat posts like a normal code review workflow without extra tooling.
Feature comparison
| Capability | Splitleaf | WordPress |
|---|---|---|
| Content storage | Files on disk / Git | MySQL database |
| Version control | Native Git on publish | Post revisions (limited) + backups |
| Page design | Visual designer for HTML/CSS | Themes, blocks, page builders |
| Content delivery | Pre-rendered static files | Dynamic PHP + MySQL (unless cached) |
| Security surface | Static output (small attack surface) | Core + plugins require ongoing maintenance |
| AI agent workflow | In-app agent on site files (BYOK) | Via plugins, APIs, or external tools |
| Vendor lock-in | Low (standard files) | Medium (DB + theme/plugin coupling) |