I have worked exclusively with Wordpress over the years, but have begin to play around with Next.js and React.
Benefits of Next.js
Improved performance
Next.js uses server-side rendering (SSR) and static site generation (SSG) to pre-render web pages, which reduces load times.
Better SEO
Next.js's automatic code splitting and SSR make it easier for search engines to index content.
Faster development
Next.js's Fast Refresh feature automatically applies changes without requiring a page refresh.
Improved image optimization
Next.js's image optimization component automatically optimizes images for different screen sizes and devices.
Easy customization
Next.js is highly customizable and uses plugins like Babel.
Code reusability
Next.js's built-in component library makes it easy to reuse components across pages.
Security
Next.js's SSR ensures that data is securely stored on the backend.
Enhanced developer experience
Next.js offers a great developer experience with features like automatic code splitting and hot reloading.
TypeScript support
TypeScript is a superset of JavaScript that can help improve code quality.
Benefits of React
Fast rendering
React's virtual DOM (Document Object Model) improves efficiency and performance by optimizing UI updates
Code stability
React produces stable code
Community support
React has a large community of developers who share insights, solutions, and resources
Easy to learn
React is easy to learn and use, especially for those with a background in JavaScript
SEO friendly
React can run on the server, which helps it work around search engines that have trouble with JavaScript-heavy apps
Reusable components
React components can be reused, which helps reduce development time
Mobile app development
React can be used to build mobile apps, and the React Native framework is popular for building cross-platform mobile apps
Shorter learning process
React's JSX is simple and familiar, which can shorten the learning process for developers
Improved user experience
React's fast rendering enhances the user experience