Will WP Engine WordPress Users Need To Switch?

What’s Happened So Far Between WordPress and WP Engine?

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If you use WP Engine, you’re likely already aware of the various moves by WordPress against WP Engine, but with so much back-and-forth it’s become hard to keep track.

The feud truly began in September after Matt Mullenweg, the co-founder of WordPress and CEO of Automattic, criticized WP Engine at this year’s WordCamp US. Why, you ask? Mullenweg accused WP Engine of trademark infringement and not giving anything back to the free, open-source platform (despite this not being a legal requirement.)

Of course, this sparked outrage in the wider community and unrest between the two companies, including the banning of WP Engine users from WordPress resources and WP Engine filing a federal lawsuit against WordPress.

Automattic employees have even been paid to leave their jobs if they disagree with the direction of the company and Mullenweg’s decisions. At the same time, WP Engine employees have moved to jobs at Automattic – making the conflict blurry and messy.

The drama between WordPress and WP Engine has continued to escalate over the first few weeks of October. Should you be worried about your site?

The Future of WP Engine

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If you use WP Engine for your WordPress site, will you need to switch or jump ship? Should you move away from WordPress altogether? Use a website builder?

At the start of the feud, when WordPress blocked WP Engine users, WordPress advised customers to reach out to WP Engine if they needed help – cutting them off entirely from WordPress’ resources (including themes, plug-ins, and updates) and support.

If you host your WordPress site through WP Engine, WP Engine continues to share information and regular updates to ensure customers can operate their sites effectively.

While there’s no need to switch right now, it’s best to check out your options if you do decide to migrate from WP Engine to another hosting provider. However, I must warn you that this can be a frustrating and expensive process, depending on the size of your site.

I wouldn’t recommend migrating from WordPress to a website builder, due to the complexities of WordPress sites. Instead, review various migration options and WordPress-recommended hosting providers to find the right fit for your site.

In fact, WordPress recently made a blog post about deals and promotions for WP Engine customers looking to migrate. This includes an entire year for free if you choose to migrate to one of WordPress.com’s plans.

The legal case building between the two makes the future of WP Engine and WordPress uncertain. And, with the recent takeover of the ACF plugin, it’s likely sudden changes (directed by Mullenweg) will continue to happen, plunging the open-source community into further disarray.

For now, there’s no need to abandon WP Engine altogether – even if WordPress suggests using alternative hosting providers for your site. That said, I recommend keeping up-to-date on what’s happening between WordPress and WP Engine so you’re not caught off guard by any new developments.