Replaced a page builder with Gutenberg + ACF blocks on an agency site

Replaced a page builder with Gutenberg + ACF blocks on an agency site

A 60-page brochure site ran on a builder that loaded 14 separate stylesheets. We rebuilt it with native Gutenberg and eight custom ACF blocks, each scoped to one CSS file.

Measured outcome:
— Total render-blocking requests: 19 to 6
— Homepage CSS shrank 340KB to 58KB
— Lighthouse performance 61 to 94 on throttled mobile

Pros:
— Zero builder licensing cost going forward
— Blocks render in the editor exactly as on front-end
— No vendor lock-in; it's just core WP

Cons:
— ~3 dev-days to build the block library
— Non-technical editors lost drag-resize freedom

Best for: agencies that maintain their own sites and want the lightest possible stack without paying a builder tax every year.