For more than a decade, WordPress has been the default answer for anyone wanting to start a blog. It currently powers over 40% of the internet. But for individual writers, developers, and solopreneurs, "default" no longer means "best."
After managing WordPress sites for years, I finally migrated my entire writing workflow to local Markdown files. Here is the technical and psychological rationale behind that decision.
The Vulnerability of Plugins
To make WordPress do anything moderately useful—like SEO optimization, caching, or adding a contact form—you need plugins. Every plugin you install is third-party PHP code running on your server with direct access to your database.
This creates an exhausting security overhead. If you forget to update an SEO plugin for three weeks, you risk waking up to a hacked server serving spam ads to your users. Maintaining a blog shouldn't require you to be a part-time SysAdmin.
Database Overkill for Static Text
A blog post is just text. Why do we need a MySQL database to read text?
Every time a user requests a WordPress page, the server has to query the database, assemble header templates, fetch widget configurations, process the PHP logic, and finally deliver the HTML. This is wildly inefficient. Static site generators bypass this entirely by pre-building the HTML. When a user visits a static site, the server simply hands them a raw file. The performance difference is staggering.
The Editor is the Real Problem
But the biggest issue with WordPress for writers is the editor itself. The Gutenberg block editor is heavy, distracting, and feels completely disconnected from your operating system.
By switching to Thooval, you trade a web-based WYSIWYG editor for a native macOS application. You gain offline access instantly. You use standard Markdown. And when it comes time to publish, the app handles the static generation for you.
Don't host a database when all you want to do is write.