WordPress.com introduced a shiny new AI website builder. With a few prompts about your business type, some brand colors, and a little context, it can spin up a full website, complete with layout, copy, and visuals, in under five minutes.
For creators just getting started, it’s a compelling pitch: No dev work, no upfront cost, and no need to write a single line of content. Just describe your idea, and boom; you’ve got a working website.
According to WordPress.com, the AI website builder can make “beautiful, functional websites in minutes.”
Get your early access here.
But here’s the part that actually matters: this WordPress website builder is just one way to start with WordPress. Not the only way. Not the best way for every use case. And certainly not the way you’d want to run a business that’s growing fast.
So what’s the catch?
WordPress’s AI website builder is available only for those hosting their website on WordPress.com, Automattic’s hosted version of WordPress (which starts at $18/month), and not on WordPress.org, which is open-source, flexible, and endlessly customizable. And WordPress.com has always had some tradeoffs. So, while you do get convenience and speed to launch, you lose control, and limitations box you in.
With this new AI website builder, WordPress.com is doubling down on simplicity. That’s not a bad thing, but it’s clear who it’s built for: side projects, solo creators, and non-tech founders who just need something up today.
And that’s okay. Every platform has its lane.
Also keep in mind that it’s not a free AI website builder.
What the AI builder actually gives you:
- A quick, chatbot-style setup that personalizes your design
- Auto-generated copy and placeholder images
- Built-in WordPress.com hosting (starting at $18/month to go live)
- No support (yet) for ecommerce, integrations, or existing WP sites
It’s a smart move. It lowers the bar to entry, especially for folks who’ve been too intimidated to touch WordPress before. But for businesses who care about how fast their site loads, how easy it is to scale, and how SEO and security are handled, this is just the first layer of a proper stack.
What we believe at Rapyd Cloud
At Rapyd Cloud, we’re all in on WordPress, which is why we built a custom hosting solution that respects its potential.
And while an AI website builder on WordPress.com is a great way to go for starter websites, you need a proper solution to power high-performing sites that are growing fast that, no matter how you built them, still need to:
- Load in under 2 seconds, even during traffic spikes
- Stay protected from bots, brute force attacks, and plugin vulnerabilities
- Work with your favorite plugins, themes, and ecommerce tools
- Scale without bottlenecks or surprise limits
That’s where Rapyd Cloud comes in. We give your WordPress websites sites room to grow, speed to win, and support that actually speaks your language.
AI Website Builder Final Thoughts
The AI builder is a great addition to the WordPress ecosystem. It’s going to help more people get online faster, and that’s a win for all of us. But real businesses don’t just need a fast start. They need to run, scale, and thrive, and that takes hosting built for the long haul.
WordPress is the platform. Rapyd Cloud is what makes it powerful.
Want to see how your WordPress site could perform with serious infrastructure behind it? Let’s talk. Or better yet, try Rapyd Cloud for yourself.
