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WordPress accounts for 58.8% of websites with a detectable content management system (CMS) in W3Techs’ September 13, 2026 trend snapshot. Across all websites in W3Techs’ separate home-page snapshot, WordPress usage was 40.2%. Those percentages answer different questions: one is a share among CMS-using websites, while the other is a share of the full measured website set.
The figures below are dated estimates of detected technology use in W3Techs’ sample, not a census of every website or a rating of which CMS is best. The title’s “80+ statistics” wording is not supported by the available evidence, so this article focuses on the comparable figures and trends that can be attributed and dated.
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CMS market share in 2026
W3Techs’ yearly CMS market-share series reports the following shares among websites using a detectable CMS as of September 13, 2026:
| CMS | Share of websites using a detectable CMS | Measurement date |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress | 58.8% | September 13, 2026 |
| Shopify | 7.8% | September 13, 2026 |
| Wix | 6.2% | September 13, 2026 |
| Squarespace | 3.5% | September 13, 2026 |
| Joomla | 1.6% | September 13, 2026 |
| Drupal | 0.9% | September 13, 2026 |
These are W3Techs estimates for its sample of relevant websites. WordPress leads the listed platforms by a wide margin, but the percentages describe detected usage, not product quality, security, cost or suitability for a particular site. See W3Techs’ yearly CMS market-share trend.
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What percentage of websites use WordPress?
The answer depends on the denominator. W3Techs’ home-page snapshot, observed with an August 1, 2026 comparison baseline, lists WordPress at 58.7% of websites using a CMS and 40.2% of all websites in its measured set. “All websites” includes sites that are not identified as using a CMS; the CMS-share figure counts only sites for which a CMS is detected.
| Platform | Share of websites using a CMS | Share of all websites | W3Techs snapshot baseline |
|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress | 58.7% | 40.2% | August 1, 2026 |
| Shopify | 7.8% | 5.4% | August 1, 2026 |
| Wix | 6.2% | 4.2% | August 1, 2026 |
| Squarespace | 3.6% | 2.4% | August 1, 2026 |
The home-page snapshot and the September 13 trend endpoint are different observations. For that reason, the table above keeps its August 1 baseline separate from the later trend figures rather than treating the two snapshots as one simultaneous ranking. View the W3Techs home-page snapshot.
Is WordPress losing market share?
Yes, within the scope and dates of W3Techs’ yearly series: WordPress fell from 62.0% of websites using a detectable CMS at the start of 2025 to 58.8% on September 13, 2026. That is a decline of 3.2 percentage points in CMS share. It is not evidence that the total number of WordPress sites fell by the same percentage, nor does it establish why the share changed.
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The other platforms in the comparison moved in different directions over that period:
| CMS | Start of 2025 | September 13, 2026 | Change in CMS share |
|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress | 62.0% | 58.8% | −3.2 percentage points |
| Shopify | 6.7% | 7.8% | +1.1 percentage points |
| Wix | 4.6% | 6.2% | +1.6 percentage points |
| Joomla | 2.2% | 1.6% | −0.6 percentage points |
| Drupal | 1.3% | 0.9% | −0.4 percentage points |
These are changes in each platform’s share among CMS-using websites in W3Techs’ series, not changes in the total number of sites. Shopify and Wix gained share in this comparison; WordPress, Joomla and Drupal lost share. W3Techs’ historical trend chart provides the dated series.
How W3Techs measures CMS usage
W3Techs says its sample covers well over 20 million relevant websites. Its methodology excludes websites without useful content and sites that are essentially duplicates. It investigates technologies at the website level, does not count individual pages as separate observations, and does not count subdomains as separate websites. W3Techs says, “Our reports are updated daily.” The percentages should therefore be read as dated snapshots of detected use within that sample, rather than fixed totals. Read W3Techs’ methodology.
- Sample, not census: The figures do not describe every website on the internet.
- Detected usage: They depend on identifying a technology on a site; the methodology is not a survey of site owners.
- Share is not site count: A platform’s percentage can change without establishing how its absolute number of sites changed.
- Different measurements must stay distinct: CMS share and all-websites usage have different denominators, and snapshots with different dates are not interchangeable.
What the market-share figures can—and cannot—tell you
Market share can show which platforms are commonly detected and how their relative shares move within a specific measurement series. It cannot determine whether a CMS is the right choice for a particular project. The figures do not measure ease of use, total cost, security, customization, support quality or the work involved in moving a site.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFor a real platform decision, compare the operating model and demands of the project instead:
- Hosted or self-managed: A hosted platform generally handles more of the underlying service operation; a self-managed setup can offer more control but leaves more maintenance to the site owner or team. Verify the responsibilities for the specific product and plan.
- Ecommerce requirements: Consider catalog, checkout, payments, inventory and integrations—not just a platform’s share of CMS usage.
- Customization: Check whether the platform supports the design, content structure and integrations the project needs.
- Migration and maintenance: Estimate the effort to transfer content and workflows, keep software and extensions maintained, and support the site over time.
Popularity is useful context, but choosing a CMS requires matching its capabilities and operating burden to the site’s needs.
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