Hugo is not Wordpress alternative, really. It's an static site generator. Wordpress is not static. Trying to do things what only Wordpress can do will introduce a lot of complexity and often will just not work.

If all you need is a, well, static website without forms or such, Hugo is an easy winner.

That's exactly what I tried to use it for: a simple website with blog posts and a timeline, everything read-only.

It's a pain in the ass to use.

I get the complex part: it's not as easy as Wp, but what makes it _limited_ when all you needed was a static website?