WordPress to Astro migrationFewer plugins.A faster site.
We move WordPress sites to Astro: posts, pages and media from the WordPress export file, plugins replaced by a few lines of code or a service, every permalink kept or redirected, and the editor your team prefers, WordPress itself included. From $6k, in 3–5 weeks.
By Ignat, founder of DIXI · Updated
- 48% of WordPress sites pass Core Web Vitals on mobile
- 71% of Astro sites do
- WXR export with posts, pages and comments
- 301 for every URL that moves
Content, URLs and SEO moved by the team that rebuilds the site · code, hosting and domain in your name
Example plan for a typical SaaS site, not a client’s data.
What moves from WordPress, and what happens to plugins?
Content moves; the theme and plugins don’t. WordPress’s export writes posts, pages, comments, categories, tags and custom fields to one WXR file, and media comes over from its URLs. We rebuild the theme and page-builder layouts as Astro components, turn most plugins into a few lines of code, and map every permalink, archive and file URL.
| In WordPress | In Astro | How it moves |
|---|---|---|
| Posts and pages | Content collections, a headless CMS or headless WordPress | From the WXR export file, checked item by item |
| Custom post types and ACF fields | Typed collections | Mapped field by field |
| Theme and page builders (Elementor, Divi) | Astro components on your design | Rebuilt; shortcodes become components |
| Plugins: SEO, sitemaps, redirects, cache | Built into the site | A few lines of code each |
| Plugins: forms, search, comments | Your CRM, a search service, or dropped | Rebuilt or replaced |
| Permalinks, archives and feeds | The same paths, or 301s; RSS built in | Mapped URL by URL |
| Media library | Optimised images on your host | Downloaded, compressed; /wp-content/uploads/ links redirected |
| WooCommerce | Not moved to Astro | Stores move to Shopify |
WordPress export and import: WordPress, importing content. Checked 6 November 2026.
Why move a WordPress site to Astro?
Speed and upkeep. In HTTP Archive’s September 2026 data, about 48% of WordPress sites pass Core Web Vitals on mobile against 71% of Astro sites, and the number of WordPress sites with real Chrome traffic fell 14% in a year, from 3,163,026 to 2,714,694. A static Astro site also has no core, theme or plugin updates to run.
- Speed
Themes and builders on every page
Page builders and plugins load their scripts and styles on pages that don’t use them.
Instead: Each page ships only what it uses; most ship almost no JavaScript.
- Upkeep
Updates that never end
Core, theme and plugin updates every month, each one a chance to break a page.
Instead: A static site with nothing to patch on the public side.
- Hosting
A server that has to stay up
PHP, a database and caching layers to run, scale and secure.
Instead: Static pages on a global network, free on Cloudflare’s free plan.
- Editing
Editors fighting the builder
Layouts break when someone edits content in the wrong block.
Instead: Content fields in a CMS; layouts stay in code.
Core Web Vitals and site counts from the HTTP Archive Tech Report and our Webflow vs Framer vs Astro comparison (September 2026 data). Checked 6 November 2026.
Can we keep WordPress for our editors?
Yes. If your editors know WordPress well, keep it as a headless CMS: they write in the same dashboard, and Astro builds the public site from the content through the WordPress REST API. You get Astro’s speed on the public site, and WordPress can sit behind a login, out of public view.
| Option | Editors use | Public site | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headless WordPress | The WordPress dashboard they know | Astro, built from the REST API | Large content teams used to WordPress |
| Headless CMS | Sanity or Storyblok | Astro | Teams that want structured content and previews |
| Git-based editor | Keystatic or Decap | Astro, content in the repository | Small teams that publish monthly |
Sources: WordPress REST API; Keystatic; Decap CMS. Checked 6 November 2026.
How do we move a WordPress site step by step?
In five steps over 3–5 weeks, with your WordPress site live until the Astro version passes every check.
- 01
Inventory
Posts, pages, custom post types, plugins, permalinks, archives, feeds, media and every URL Search Console knows.
You get: a full URL, content and plugin list - 02
Rebuild
Theme and page-builder layouts as Astro components; plugin features built in or replaced.
You get: a staging site next to the WordPress one - 03
Import the content
The WXR export imported, custom fields mapped, media downloaded and compressed.
You get: every post checked on staging - 04
Check
URL map, metadata, schema, RSS, forms, analytics and PageSpeed on key pages.
You get: a signed checklist - 05
Switch and watch
Domain moved to your host, sitemap submitted, IndexNow pinged, Search Console watched.
You get: a report on crawl errors and indexing
What does a WordPress to Astro migration cost?
From $6k for your WordPress site rebuilt in Astro, in 3–5 weeks, or from $12k with a redesign. After the move there is no theme or plugin licence to renew, and a static site on Cloudflare’s free plan costs nothing to host.
Site migration
Your WordPress design rebuilt in Astro, with content, URLs and SEO moved.
- Theme and layouts rebuilt
- Posts and media imported
- Plugins replaced or built in
- Search Console watched after
Migration + redesign
A new design and a new platform in one launch, so you only move once.
- New design on your content
- Messaging and structure improved
- Same URL map and checks
- One switch-over
Support after launch
Fixes, updates and new pages once the site is live.
- Fixes and platform updates
- New pages and sections
- Speed and SEO kept in check
- Help with content
The full checklist, our own Framer move and market prices are on the website migration page.
When should you stay on WordPress?
Stay on WordPress when the site runs a store, a membership area or plugins your business depends on, and it is already fast. Move when the site is mainly marketing pages and a blog, and speed, updates or hosting keep costing you.
Move to Astro if
- Mobile scores stay low because of the theme or page builder
- Plugin and core updates keep breaking pages
- The site is mainly marketing pages, a blog and resources
- You want hosting that costs little and needs no server
Stay on WordPress if
- A WooCommerce store or memberships run inside WordPress
- Plugins your business depends on have no replacement
- Dozens of editors publish every day in WordPress
- The site already passes Core Web Vitals
Not sure the move pays off? Start with a free homepage teardown.
How do you get the content out of WordPress?
From WordPress’s own export (Tools → Export), which writes a WXR file with posts, pages, comments, categories, tags and custom fields; images and files are downloaded from their URLs during the import (WordPress, importing content). Custom fields from plugins such as ACF and page-builder layouts are mapped by hand.
What happens to our plugins?
Each one is listed and either becomes a few lines of code (SEO tags, sitemaps, redirects, caching, forms), is replaced by a service (search, comments, newsletter), or is dropped because the new site doesn’t need it. Most marketing sites end up with no plugins at all.
Will our WordPress URLs change?
Only if you want them to. Every permalink can stay as it is; date-based URLs such as /2023/05/post-name can stay or move to /blog/post-name with one 301 each. Category, tag and author archives, feeds and old /wp-content/uploads/ file links are mapped too.
Can we keep WordPress as our CMS?
Yes. Editors keep the WordPress dashboard they know, and Astro builds the public site from the content through the WordPress REST API. The public site gets Astro’s speed, and WordPress itself can sit behind a login, out of public view.
Is Astro really faster than WordPress?
On average, yes: in HTTP Archive’s September 2026 data, about 48% of WordPress sites pass Core Web Vitals on mobile against 71% of Astro sites. A well-built WordPress site can be fast too; the gap comes from themes, page builders and plugins that load on every page (HTTP Archive Tech Report).
How long does a WordPress to Astro migration take?
Most WordPress marketing sites move in 3–5 weeks. Hundreds of posts, custom post types, page-builder layouts or several languages add time; we give a fixed timeline after the inventory.
What about WooCommerce?
We don’t move stores to Astro. If the shop matters, we move it to Shopify, which we design and build, and the marketing pages to Astro or Shopify itself.
Who updates the site after we leave WordPress?
Your team edits content in a headless CMS, in a Git-based editor, or in WordPress itself as a headless CMS. There are no core, theme or plugin updates to run on the public site any more, which removes the most common maintenance work.
