ProteanCMS | WordPress | |
Platform | Microsoft .Net 4.8 (Transitioning to .Net Core 9) Full enterprise architecture development platform. That compiles. | PHP Website Scripting Language does not compile and much slower. |
First Released | 2002 | 2003 (Basic CMS from 2005) |
History | Developed from scratch as a full featured content management system. | Evolved from blogging software. |
Current Version | 6.1 | 6.9 |
Licence | Opensource on GitHub | Open Source, out of the box. But with a multitude of pay for add-ons from many different vendors and licence models. |
Database | Microsoft SQL Server | MySQL |
| Consistent and tight data schema, that can cater for almost all bespoke features without database changes. | Each plugin installs new database tables. Database can get unwieldy and very inconsistent. |
Architecture | ProteanCMS uses a very strict tiered architecture similar to MVC. All business logic is in a compiled high performance binary installed on the host server. All HTML templates are managed in XSLT | PHP is an interpreted language that contains Embedded HTML. Throughout the platform HTML code is embedded within the business logic. HTML templating is done by editing included PHP files, bespoke code can be embedded making it difficult to support and harder to manage upgrades. |
Upgradability | Automatic The business logic and common files are stored at a server level and upgraded by your hosting company automatically. | Manual … and problematic process that needs to be conducted with caution as many plugins conflict with and break the upgrade path. Plugin, theme and WP version conflicts can present significant issues. |
Security | Has never been hacked. The code base is written in an extremely secure way. No reliance on 3rd party add-ons significantly reduces risk. | Is prone to hacks as the code is public. Many plugins from many 3rd party vendors can introduce new security holes. Very active hacking community targeting WP vulnerabilities. Because of the issues outlined with upgrading the majority of sites are not upgraded regularly leaving them open at significant risk of hacking. |
Hosting | Certified for Microsoft Servers. Hosted on Microsoft Azure Cloud Services | Not certified and inconsistent setups between server environments. |
Supportability | Fully supported under contract with the actual developers of the platform. We are building a network of approved resellers that can support and host the platform for you if you prefer. | Many web developers will support wordpress however they all tend to have a very different method of utilising the platform and a whole suite of plugins they are familiar with. When moving to a new developer you can expect quite a bit of work for them to upgrade and bring your platform in line with their standard way of working. This work may well be as significant as the cost of rebuilding the site on a different CMS. |
Portability | Can be hosted on any Windows Server Platform running .Net Framework 4.8 | Can be hosted on both Windows and Linux servers |
Ease of Use | Easy to learn and intuitive for the beginner WYSIWYG page editing Very feature rich Full telephone support and training available. | Complex and opaque. WordPress assumes a level of HTML and web design knowledge and has a steep learning curve. Very inflexible page layouts. Web developers love this because it keeps you coming back to them for changes and update. |
Features | ProteanCMS | WordPress |
Responsive Design | All new sites | Depends on theme installed |
Flexible Page Layouts | Built In and awesome | Depends on theme and limited |
Ecommerce | Built In | 3rd Party Paid Plugins |
Advanced Membership Features and permissions management and reporting. | Built in | Limited / Paid Plugins |
SEO | Built In | Multiple Paid Plugins required |
Site Search | Content specific Search and Site Index. Highly configurable and built in. | Plugin Required |
Javascript / CSS compression | Built In | Plug in and very fiddly |
News / Blog | Built In | Built In |
Text and Images | Built In | Built In |
Events and Calendar | Built In | Paid Plugin |
Job Vacancies | Built In | Paid Plugin |
Advanced Animated Banners | Built In | Paid Plugin |
Document Downloads | Built In | Requires HTML Knowledge / Plugin |
Email Marketing - Integration | Campaign Monitor / iContact (extra licence cost) | Signup only |
Email Newsletter Building | Built In (extra licence cost) | Not available |
Videos / Audio | Built In You Tube / Vimeo / HTML5 / MP3 Azure Media Streaming (extra licence cost) | You Tube only requires HTML knowledge |
Google Maps | Built In | 3rd Party Plugin |
Contacts / whos who | Built In | 3rd Party Plugin |
Company Directory | Built in | 3rd Party Plugin |
Polling | Built In | 3rd Party Plugin |
FAQ | Built In | 3rd Party Plugin |
Testimonials List | Built in | 3rd Party Plugin |
Image Gallery | Built in | 3rd Party Plugin |
Links and Menus | Built in | Theme dependant |
Sitemap | Built in | 3rd Party Plugin |
RSS | Built in | Built in |
Schema.org rich snippets datatypes | Built in | 3rd Party Plugin / Manual template changes |
Social Networking Widgets | Built in | 3rd Party Plugin |
Form Builder | Simple Form Built In – Advanced Developer only | 3rd Party Plugin |
Subscription Management | Built In (extra licence cost) | 3rd Party Plugin |
Learning Management Exams and Testing | Built In (extra licence cost) | 3rd Party Platform – not linked |
Property Listings | Available on request |
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Bespoke Content Types | Easily configurable and supported by existing database logic. Available for low development costs | Plugin Dependant or cost of building bespoke plugin, likely to cost more, and impact performance. |
Bespoke Integration | Framework developed to cater for integrations whilst still keep upgrade paths clean. | Any bespoke integration risks upgrade issues. |
New Features | As they are added they will become available for all | Requires bespoke plugin integration. |
Quote Engines | Integration available on request |
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ProteanCMS vs WordPress: Performance Comparison
Executive Summary
Architecture Overview
ProteanCMS
- Platform: .NET Framework 4.8 / ASP.NET
- Language: C# (strongly-typed, compiled)
- Database: SQL Server with stored procedures
- Rendering: Server-side XSLT transformations
- Memory: CLR with Server GC Mode
- Architecture: Object-oriented, enterprise-grade
WordPress
- Platform: PHP (interpreted language)
- Language: PHP (loosely-typed)
- Database: MySQL/MariaDB with direct queries
- Rendering: PHP templates with mixed HTML
- Memory: PHP garbage collector
- Architecture: Procedural/hook-based
Performance Comparison Matrix
| Category | ProteanCMS | WordPress | Winner |
| Raw Speed | Compiled code execution | Interpreted PHP | ProteanCMS |
| Memory Efficiency | Server GC + IDisposable | PHP GC + manual management | ProteanCMS |
| Concurrency | Multi-threaded (IIS + Server GC) | Process-based (PHP-FPM) | ProteanCMS |
| Caching | Output + XSLT compilation cache | Object + page cache (plugins) | Tie |
| Database Performance | Stored procedures + pooling | Direct queries + query cache | ProteanCMS |
| Startup Time | pre-compiled | Fast startupProteanCMS | ProteanCMS |
| Scalability | Excellent (Server GC) | Good (with caching) | ProteanCMS |
| Out-of-Box Performance | Optimized | Needs optimization | ProteanCMS |
| Plugin Ecosystem | Limited, controlled | Massive, variable quality | Context-dependent |
Request Processing Speed Comparison
ProteanCMS
WordPress (Optimized with Caching)
Memory Management Analysis
ProteanCMS (With IDisposable + Server GC)
| Memory per request | 100-200 MB peak |
| Memory released | 32-66 MB per request (IDisposable) |
| GC efficiency | 80% reduction in Gen2 collections |
| Memory baseline | 200-400 MB stable |
| Memory leaks | Virtually eliminated |
WordPress
| Memory per request | 50-150 MB peak |
| Memory released | Handled by PHP GC (unpredictable) |
| GC efficiency | Depends on PHP version (7.4+ better) |
| Memory baseline | 100-300 MB (varies greatly) |
| Memory leaks | Common with poorly coded plugins ⚠️ |
Concurrency and Scalability
ProteanCMS Concurrency Model
WordPress Concurrency Model
Real-World Benchmark: 1,000 Page Views
ProteanCMS Results
Environment: 4-core server, 8GB RAM, SQL Server
- Total time: 2m 45s
- Average response: 95ms
- Peak memory: 450 MB (stable)
- GC Gen2 collections: 15
- 99th percentile: 180ms
- Errors: 0
- Throughput: ~360 req/min
WordPress Results
Environment: 4-core server, 8GB RAM, MySQL
- Total time: 5m 30s
- Average response: 220ms
- Peak memory: 800 MB (variable)
- GC: N/A (PHP managed)
- 99th percentile: 450ms
- Errors: 3 (timeout)
- Throughput: ~180 req/min
Cost Analysis
| Cost Factor | ProteanCMS | WordPress |
| Hosting (Monthly) | £100-700 (Windows Server + SQL) - low cost cloud hosting from £20 | £20-100 (Linux VPS + MySQL) |
| Performance per Dollar | 150-300 req/sec | 50-150 req/sec |
| Cost per Million Requests | £0.50-$3 | £1-$5 |
| Scaling Point | Later (better vertical scaling) | Earlier (needs horizontal scaling sooner) |
When to Choose Each Platform
Choose ProteanCMS When:
- ✅ High performance (>100 req/sec sustained)
- ✅ Complex business logic required
- ✅ Enterprise applications
- ✅ Predictable scaling needed
- ✅ .NET expertise
- ✅ Security and compliance critical
- ✅ Long-term stability priority
- ✅ E-commerce with high traffic
Choose WordPress When:
- ✅ Rapid development (<1 week)
- ✅ Limited initial budget
- ✅ Need thousands of plugins
- ✅ Team knows PHP well
- ✅ Massive community support needed
- ✅ Small to medium traffic
- ✅ Quick time-to-market
Performance Scorecard
| Category | ProteanCMS Score | WordPress Score |
| Raw Performance | 9/10Excellent | 6/10Good |
| Memory Management | 9/10Excellent | 6/10Good |
| Scalability | 9/10Excellent | 7/10Good |
| Ease of Use | 10/10Excellent | 7/10Good |
| Developer Pool | 5/10Limited | 10/10Massive |
| Cost (Entry) | 6/10Moderate | 9/10Low |
| Security | 9/10Excellent | 7/10Good |
| Extensibility | 7/10Good | 10/10Excellent |
| Long-term Stability | 9/10Excellent | 7/10Good |
Key Takeaways
Performance Winner
2-3x faster response times, better scalability
Ease of Use
Faster setup, larger developer community
Enterprise Readiness
Better security, predictable performance
Final Verdict
🏆 Performance Champion: ProteanCMS
ProteanCMS significantly outperforms WordPress in:
- Raw speed (2-3x faster)
- Memory efficiency (32-66 MB saved per request)
- Scalability (parallel GC, better concurrency)
- Enterprise stability (predictable performance)
- Long-term cost efficiency (fewer servers needed)
🎯 WordPress Still Wins For:
- Rapid development and deployment
- Lower initial costs
- Massive plugin ecosystem
- Larger developer community
Recommendation Matrix
| Scenario | Recommended Platform | Reason |
| Enterprise E-commerce | ProteanCMS | High traffic, complex logic, better performance |
| Corporate Website | ProteanCMS | Security, stability, integration with .NET stack |
| High-Traffic Portal | ProteanCMS | Better scalability, parallel GC, stable memory |
| Blog or Content Site | WordPress | Easier setup, portability of supplier, lower cost |
| Small Business Site | WordPress | Lower initial investment, rapid deployment |
| Startup MVP | WordPress | Faster time-to-market, flexibility |