Every year, businesses spend millions on proprietary web platforms that promise simplicity but deliver vendor lock-in, escalating costs, and limited flexibility. This article argues that open source is the superior choice for B2B organizations, offering better security, lower total cost of ownership, and faster innovation than proprietary alternatives.
First Some Perspective
We've built hundreds of websites and web applications over the past two decades. And our technical approach has evolved and evolved again as new technologies have emerged and our clients needs have changed. From static html, css and javascript to modern Jamstack and everything in between. You name it and we've probably worked with it at some point: WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Expression Engine, Magento, Pimcore, Pug, Sharepoint, ASP.net, React, Vue, Ruby on Rails, Shopify, JQuery, Bootstrap, Hubspot, Salesforce and so on.
And one thing that has remained true, is that the technology stack or platform chosen is not the most important factor in the success of a project. What matters most is the fundamentals of good web design and development, which are timeless and not tied to any specific technology or platform. Strong process, great strategy, careful design and thoughtful implementation always carry the day.
That being said, technology is the foundation upon which all other aspects of a project are built. And choosing the correct stack is a huge leg up in terms of flexibility, scalability, and maintainability. While choosing the wrong one can lead to frustration, wasted time, increased costs, and missed opportunities.
A Familiar Choice: Open vs. Closed
When building or rebuilding a B2B website or web application, the fundamental technology decision typically comes down to:
Proprietary Platforms (Salesforce, HubSpot, Wix, Squarespace, Webflow) - promising turnkey simplicity but delivering lock-in and limitations
or
Open Source Solutions (WordPress, Jamstack frameworks, headless CMS) – offering freedom, transparency, and control over your technology destiny
The Proprietary Platform Seduction: A Promise That Rarely Delivers
Proprietary platforms like Salesforce Experience Cloud, HubSpot CMS, Wix, Squarespace, and Webflow tend to have extremely well organized and aggressive marketing teams, putting forward very compelling arguments:
- No-code or low-code interfaces eliminating developer dependency
- All-in-one ecosystems reducing integration complexity
- Managed infrastructure removing hosting and security burdens
- Professional templates delivering modern design out of the box
- Rapid deployment getting to market in weeks
And this sales pitch works well: between 2024–2025, proprietary platforms saw explosive growth: Wix up ~32.6%, Squarespace up ~9.7%, and Shopify up ~4.6%.
Why the Promise Fails: Five Fundamental Problems
1. The Customization Wall
The no-code promise works until your business needs something unique:
- Drag-and-drop becomes drag-and-compromise – Custom workflows, specific data visualizations, or unique integrations aren't supported
- "Low-code" reveals itself as "locked code" – Platform-specific scripting languages create code that only works in their walled garden
- Templates become straitjackets – Deviating from pre-built designs requires fighting the system
2. The Integration Illusion
All-in-one platforms promise seamless integration but deliver:
- Ecosystems with hard edges – Your ERP, industry-specific software, or best-in-class tools require middleware, webhooks, and third-party connectors
- Persistent data silos – Even within one vendor's ecosystem, data doesn't flow smoothly
- API limitations – You're constrained by the platform's design choices, rate limits, and authentication schemes
3. The Performance Problem
Built for the median use case, proprietary platforms sacrifice performance:
- Bloated by design – Universal codebases ship features you'll never use, inflating page weights
- Limited optimization control – The platform controls bundle splitting, asset delivery, and rendering strategies
- Shared infrastructure constraints – Resource limits affect performance unpredictably
4. The Escalating Cost Curve
Pricing that looked reasonable at signing escalates through:
- Per-seat and usage-based fees growing with your team and traffic
- Feature gating moving expected capabilities to higher-priced tiers
- Add-on economics where each module, integration, or support tier increases monthly bills
- Hidden costs in workarounds, plugins, and specialized consultants
Within two years, many organizations pay more for a constrained platform than they would have spent building an open-source solution—except now they're locked in.
5. The Lock-In Trap
The sunk-cost fallacy becomes dangerous when you have:
- Proprietary data structures that don't map to standards
- Platform-specific custom code (Salesforce Apex, HubSpot HubL)
- Content trapped in proprietary formats
- Integrations built on vendor-specific APIs
- Team knowledge invested in non-transferable skills
Migration means rebuilding. The switching cost grows monthly, and vendors know it.
Why Open Source Wins for B2B
1. Lower Total Cost of Ownership
Proprietary platforms:
- HubSpot CMS Enterprise: $40K–$100K+ annually before add-ons
- Salesforce Experience Cloud: Often six figures for B2B deployments
- Costs escalate with seats, usage, and feature unlocks
Open source:
- Shifts spending from recurring license fees to building assets you own
- Costs grow with actual infrastructure needs, not arbitrary vendor metrics
- Predictable, controllable scaling
Example 3-Year TCO Comparison (Mid-sized B2B company)
| Cost Category | Proprietary Platform | Open Source |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | ||
| Platform licensing | $50,000 | $0 |
| Development | $30,000 (customization) | $58,000 (custom build) |
| Hosting / Infrastructure | Included | $2,000 |
| Year 1 Total | $80,000 | $60,000 |
| Year 2 | ||
| Platform licensing | $55,000 (10% increase) | $0 |
| Maintenance/features | $25,000 | $35,000 |
| Hosting/Infrastructure | Included | $2,000 |
| Year 2 Total | $80,000 | $37,000 |
| Year 3 | ||
| Platform licensing | $60,500 (10% increase) | $0 |
| Maintenance/features | $25,000 | $35,000 |
| Hosting/Infrastructure | Included | $2,000 |
| Year 3 Total | $85,500 | $37,000 |
| 3-Year Total | $245,500 | $134,000 |
Note: Illustrative figures. Open source shows significantly lower total cost of ownership.
2. No Vendor Lock-In
The freedom to choose:
- Your codebase is yours, built on open standards
- Deploy anywhere. Vercel, Netlify, AWS, etc, or your own infrastructure
- Switch providers if pricing changes or better options emerge
- This breaks the sunk-cost fallacy – choose the best option for the future
3. Superior Security Through Transparency
Open source advantages:
- Many eyes, faster fixes – Community review exposes vulnerabilities quickly; fixes often ship within hours
- Automated security workflows – Dependabot, Snyk, OWASP integrate into CI/CD pipelines
- No hidden dependencies – Your entire dependency graph is visible and auditable
- Full observability – Tools like Sentry provide runtime visibility tied to commits
Proprietary platforms:
- Hide source code – you're trusting vendor security without ability to audit
- Vendor-controlled patch timelines
- Limited observability
4. Innovation at Your Pace
Open source enables:
- Composability – Assemble best-of-breed components; no waiting for vendor features
- Faster iteration – Modern tooling, instant feedback, automated testing
- Talent attraction – Developers prefer transferable skills over proprietary platform languages
- Long-term maintainability – Standards-based code remains maintainable as technology evolves
Open Source Options: More Than Just WordPress
Open source doesn't mean one-size-fits-all. The ecosystem offers solutions for different needs and technical capabilities:
WordPress: The Proven Workhorse
Best for:
- Organizations needing mature content management with minimal developer involvement
- Teams already trained on WordPress workflows
- Headless WordPress with modern frontend (viable hybrid approach)
- Budget constraints requiring leveraging existing expertise
Considerations:
- Requires diligent plugin and security management
- Monolithic architecture can limit performance for complex applications
- Large plugin ecosystem provides flexibility but requires careful curation
Modern Jamstack: Built for Performance
Best for:
- Custom functionality beyond template limitations
- Performance, security, and scalability as competitive advantages
- Teams with modern JavaScript capabilities
- 3-5 year roadmaps including significant digital innovation
Popular frameworks:
- Next.js / Remix – React-based, excellent for complex applications
- SvelteKit – Fast, small bundles, excellent developer experience
- Astro – Content-heavy sites with minimal interactivity
- Nuxt – Vue.js ecosystem
- Eleventy – Simplicity and stability
Key advantages:
- TypeScript for type safety
- Lightning-fast builds (Vite, Turbopack)
- Edge deployment for global performance
- Headless CMS options (Sanity, Contentful, Strapi)
Choosing Your Open Source Path
| Factor | WordPress | Modern Jamstack |
|---|---|---|
| Initial setup complexity | Lower | Higher |
| Developer dependency | Lower | Higher |
| Performance ceiling | Moderate | Excellent |
| Customization flexibility | Good (plugins) | Excellent (code) |
| Modern dev workflows | Limited | Native |
| Content editor experience | Mature | Requires setup |
| Long-term scalability | Good | Excellent |
Both are valid open source choices. The right answer depends on your team's capabilities, timeline, and long-term ambitions.
When Proprietary Platforms Make Sense
To be fair, proprietary platforms have legitimate use cases:
- Small teams (< 10 people) with no developers – The managed simplicity may justify the cost
- Rapid prototyping or temporary solutions (6-12 months) – Speed to market outweighs lock-in concerns
- Perfect fit use cases – e.g., Shopify for straightforward e-commerce
- Unified vendor support more valuable than flexibility – Some organizations prioritize single-throat-to-choke
For most B2B organizations with growth ambitions and any technical capacity, open source delivers better long-term value.
How Lightning Jar Helps B2B Organizations
We help organizations leverage open source strategically.
| Service | Description |
|---|---|
| Stack selection | Aligned with your business outcomes and team capabilities |
| WordPress modernization | Headless implementations or full migrations |
| Jamstack implementation | From framework selection through deployment |
| Security-first architecture | Audited dependencies, CI/CD gates, continuous monitoring |
| Performance optimization | Core Web Vitals and conversion-focused tuning |
| Migration services | Moving off Salesforce, HubSpot, Webflow, or legacy WordPress |
| Team enablement | Ensuring you own and understand your solution |
The Bottom Line
Proprietary platforms promise turnkey simplicity but deliver customization walls, integration friction, performance constraints, escalating costs, and deep lock-in.
Open source offers freedom, transparency, predictable costs, and control over your technology destiny—whether you choose the proven maturity of WordPress or the modern capabilities of Jamstack frameworks.
The open source ecosystem has evolved to meet every B2B need, from content-focused marketing sites to complex web applications. The question isn't whether open source can work for you, but which open source approach fits your organization best.
If you're evaluating a new build, reconsidering a proprietary platform that's not delivering, or modernizing an existing site, Lightning Jar can help you chart an open, portable, and performant roadmap that compounds value over time.
