Choosing a tech stack is one of the earliest and most consequential decisions in any web project. Get it right, and development flows smoothly, the product performs well, and future maintenance is manageable. Get it wrong, and you end up with a fragile, expensive system that fights you at every turn.
After eight years of building web applications across dozens of stacks, here is how I approach the decision.
Start with the Problem, Not the Technology
The most common mistake I see is choosing a technology because it is trendy rather than because it fits the problem. React is great, but not every project needs a single-page application. Next.js is powerful, but sometimes a well-built WordPress site is the right answer.
Before picking any technology, answer these questions:
- What type of content does this site primarily serve?
- How often does the content change, and who updates it?
- What level of interactivity does the user experience require?
- What is the expected traffic volume?
- What is the team going to look like for ongoing maintenance?
These answers will narrow your options dramatically.
The Stacks I Recommend (and When)
WordPress Block Theme
Best for: Business websites, blogs, content-heavy sites, marketing sites.
WordPress powers over 40% of the web for a reason. The ecosystem is mature, content editors are intuitive, and hosting is cheap and widely available. With modern block themes, you get clean output, excellent performance, and the ability for non-technical team members to manage content.
I reach for WordPress when the primary need is content management and the site does not require complex application logic.
Next.js + Headless CMS
Best for: High-traffic sites, apps with complex interactivity, projects that need both a marketing site and a web application.
Next.js gives you server-side rendering, static generation, API routes, and the full power of React. Pair it with a headless CMS like Sanity, Contentful, or even headless WordPress, and you get the best of both worlds: a great editing experience and a blazing-fast frontend.
The trade-off is complexity. You need developers who understand React, you need to manage a separate CMS, and hosting costs are higher. Make sure the project justifies it.
React Native / Expo
Best for: Mobile apps that need to ship on both iOS and Android with a single codebase.
If your project includes a mobile app, React Native lets you share code and expertise between your web and mobile teams. Expo has made the developer experience significantly better, and the performance gap with native development has narrowed to the point where most apps cannot tell the difference.
Simple HTML/CSS/JS
Best for: Landing pages, documentation sites, personal portfolios with minimal dynamic content.
Sometimes the right answer is the simplest one. A static site with clean HTML, modern CSS, and minimal JavaScript will outperform anything else, costs almost nothing to host, and has zero dependencies to maintain. Do not overcomplicate things.
The Questions That Actually Matter
Beyond the technology itself, consider:
- Who maintains this after launch? If your team knows PHP, a Node.js stack creates a knowledge gap. If they know React, WordPress might feel foreign.
- What is the budget for ongoing hosting and maintenance? A serverless Next.js app on Vercel costs differently than a WordPress site on shared hosting.
- How fast does this need to ship? WordPress with a block theme can launch in weeks. A custom Next.js application might take months.
- What will this need to do in two years? The cheapest stack today might be the most expensive one to scale tomorrow.
My Default Recommendation
For most small to mid-sized businesses, I start with WordPress. Not because it is the most exciting technology, but because it solves the most common problems well: content management, SEO, performance, and ease of maintenance. When a project genuinely needs more — complex interactivity, real-time features, or a mobile app — I reach for Next.js or React Native.
The best tech stack is the one that ships on time, performs well, and does not require a PhD to maintain. Everything else is a distraction.