WordPress vs IronMic
Which website platform should you use for your podcast site, WordPress or IronMic?
Are you considering switching to IronMic?
That is excellent news! We built IronMic with podcasters in mind, but that doesn't mean we can serve every podcaster on the internet. Using IronMic has both pros and cons when compared to WordPress. In some instances, we recommend podcasters choose WordPress over our website platform.
WordPress
Pros
Flexibility & Customizability.
WordPress is the most extensive content management system (CMS for short) on the internet. The flexibility is vast!
You can adjust the platform to do everything you could imagine. Plus, WordPress has a massive library of plugins that can easily be enabled to allow your site to host podcasts, allow visitors to schedule meetings, and even transform into a forum.
WordPress can do anything you can imagine. It's got all the bells and whistles. If you want a custom design, you can get a developer to do it. If you want your site to host a podcast, have a forum, and allow people to schedule meetings - it's possible!
Support & Developers
WordPress is the largest CMS, and as a result, it has created a large pool of resources. Some developers only do WordPress work. Some companies only build WordPress plugins; think Yoast, Elementor, Beaver Builder.
If you have a problem, you will be able to reach out to dozens of developers or turn to a community.
Cons
Cost
Although WordPress is free, there are a lot of costs associated with hosting and supporting the platform. The cost of managed WordPress hosting starts from $50 a month and can range up to $1,500 a month when the site receives a lot of traffic. These hosts, including WP Engine, Kinsta, FlyWheel, and others, optimize the hosting server to make WordPress secure and load fast.
Beyond the base hosting costs, WordPress's plugins range in price from $10 to $100 plus a year. Then add on the cost for a WordPress developer, ranging from $30 an hour to as much as $300 an hour.
All total, you could quickly sink a couple of thousand dollars into building the website and then another grand or two hosting the site each year.
Time
If you opt to build your WordPress site, the timeline to getting it up can widely range. If you know WordPress and you're using a visual editor like Elementor, you could get the site up over a weekend. It would be an MVP, but you would have something out the door. If you have to learn WordPress and the plugins, it could take weeks.
Knowledge developers often range in timelines based on the scope and requests. If you want designs and custom functions on your podcast site, there could be a 6 to 12-week timeline to get the timeline up. If it's less custom, and theme-based it could range from 4 weeks to 6 weeks.
Still, a ton of time to get a podcast site ready and launched!
Security
Being the most used CMS comes with a lot of scrutiny and eyes on the open-sourced platform.
Security is a significant issue for WordPress. Websites online constantly get hacked and defaced. There are dozens of ways to compromise the CMS, and who cottage industry of security plugins and services for WordPress has appeared. They try and secure the website, offering restores along with removing malware if your site does become comprised.
Hackers and malicious attacks are commonplace and a real issue with the platform.
Maintenance
WordPress requires a lot of attention, and updates with plugins get update daily, weekly, and monthly. WordPress core gets security patches, improvements, and other updates reasonably often. Those updates often break plugins or create issues with themes and features on the website.
You'll need to learn/know about the CMS or have a web developer on retainer to monitor and update the website. More extensive updates from WordPress 5 to WordPress 6 may require additional support hours, which can quickly add up each year.
Having to worry about updates, backups, security scans, and other maintenance can make for a big headache.
IronMic
Pros
Simple
IronMic is dead simple. We leverage the RSS feed from your podcast host, whether your using Anchor, Buzzsprout, or Transistor. The website is generated quickly, and we offer to add information on the podcast hosts.
You're also able to select from a couple of optimized podcasting themes. Overall, there are only a few options to set up before you can have a website up and running. This gives you less to worry about on the website.
Cost
We offer a free plan, and we start pricing at $10 a month. This price is a far cry from the maximum spend on managed WordPress hosting. We don't charge overages, bandwidth, or other hidden fees.
Once you purchase the premium plan, you get all the premium features. You won't have to pull out your card again. Allow you to budget and plan better for your podcast equipment or podcasting production costs.
Time
Going back to how Simple IronMic is compared to WordPress. We have customers who enter their RSS feed onto our homepage and then get their site up and running in less than 10 minutes.
We auto-update the sites from the podcasts RSS feed, preventing you from posting show notes or wasting time updating the site. It's all done for you!
Security & Support
IronMic is secure, and we offer support all year. We update each website's back-end code as security patches are issued and ensure our code is always up to date.
There is no need to worry about what version your site is on or if plugins need to be updated. We handle all of that for you!
Cons
Limited
IronMic doesn't offer a limitless marketplace of themes, plugins, or features. We may not be powerful enough to support specific podcasts, and some customers may one day outgrow our service.
You can link out to your support pages, online shops, and other social media sites. For podcasters who want to keep everything on one site, it may make sense to invest in a WordPress website or another service. If you can afford the costs and have the timelines, it is an easy choice!
Verdict
IronMic and WordPress are for different podcasters. WordPress is best suited for podcasters who are well funded, have a steady stream of income, and have the time to manage WordPress developers. IronMic, on the other hand, is perfect for podcasters who have a smaller budget, want to spend more time working on their podcasting, and don't want to worry about maintenance on a website.
Go and enter your podcast name on our homepage to preview what your website would fit your needs. No credit card, account, or information is needed!
If you have questions or feedback, tweet us @ironmicfm on Twitter.