alt Hacker NewsBuilding plugins across WordPress and Shopify right now — can confirm the ecosystem is the entire moat. The code quality is genuinely terrible, but it doesn't matter because every SaaS tool on earth has a WordPress connector.
The real test for any WordPress replacement: can a non-technical business owner hire someone on Fiverr to customize it in an afternoon? WordPress passes that test. Nothing else does. That's not a technology problem, it's a labor market problem.
I did that once, employed someone on Fiverr to do a WordPress site. They installed a load of plugins for no reason, made a mess, then gave me my money back. I went back to a static site.
That has been my experience, low barrier to entry, low price, shoddy work. Or hire an agency, pay top dollar for little work.