When you are looking at which platform to build and host your business website on, Hubspot CMS and Wordpress are two of the most popular options in the market today. If you're a business owner or marketer, managing and maintaining your website can feel like a never-ending task. From adding new content to troubleshooting issues, your CMS (Content Management System) plays a critical role in ensuring everything runs smoothly
HubSpot CMS
Designed with usability in mind, its drag-and-drop page editor is highly intuitive, even for those with minimal technical skills. You can swiftly customise layouts, add elements, and edit content—all without writing a single line of code. Additionally, HubSpot’s editor seamlessly integrates with their other tools, like forms and CTAs, making it ideal for marketing teams focused on lead generation.
WordPress
WordPress also offers robust page editing options for building websites through page builders like Elementor, Divi, or Gutenberg. However, using these plugins often requires a little more setup and technical know-how. While advanced users may appreciate the freedom for customisation, less tech-savvy users might find WordPress editors slightly overwhelming.
Winner: HubSpot for its user-friendly interface and built-in marketing tools.
Website Themes
Choosing the right platform for your website comes down to the tools it offers to help you nail the design and overall vibe you’re going for. If custom-coded CSS isn’t on your radar (and let’s be honest, it’s not for most of us), then a good website theme is your new best friend. Themes are key to shaping how your site looks and how visitors navigate it—so pick wisely!
HubSpot CMS Themes
HubSpot offers a range of clean, professional themes designed to work seamlessly with their platform. Additionally, many theme developers offer highly customisable options at very reasonable cost from within the Template Marketplace within Hubspot, providing marketers with the flexibility to tailor them to their brand. The selection can feel somewhat limited compared to WordPress.
WordPress Themes
When it comes to themes, WordPress wins hands down in terms of variety. With thousands of paid and free themes available, the platform offers unmatched customisation options. Whether you’re looking for a simple blog layout or an eye-catching corporate website, there’s a theme for everyone.
Winner: WordPress for its sheer range of themes.
Website Hosting
Reliable web hosting is essential for delivering a fast, seamless user experience and boosting your search engine visibility. Yet, many websites still suffer from slow load times, driving users away. Often, the culprit is hosting on basic "consumer" packages that share servers with countless other sites. Remember, it's not the 90s anymore—your website shouldn’t feel like it’s stuck on an old 56k dial-up connection!
HubSpot CMS Hosting
HubSpot CMS with their Free and Paid Hubs includes built-in hosting, meaning you don’t have to worry about finding a hosting provider or managing server configurations. The hosting is fast, reliable, and secure, with automatic updates and 24/7 support—making it ideal for businesses that want an all-in-one solution.
WordPress
WordPress requires separate hosting, giving you the flexibility to choose from options like Bluehost, SiteGround, or WP Engine. While this allows for greater control and cost savings, it also means you’ll need to handle updates, backups, and security maintenance yourself—or hire someone to do it. Check out our business hosting solutions here.
Winner: HubSpot for its hassle-free hosting solution.
Adding New or Editing Page Content
Want to edit or add new page content without constantly calling your developer (and racking up extra costs)? A user-friendly on-page editor is a game-changer. And let’s not forget the importance of built-in tools to help you optimise content for SEO—it’s like having your own mini marketing assistant.
HubSpot CMS
HubSpot CMS makes creating blog posts, landing pages, and product pages a breeze. Built with marketers in mind, it comes packed with built-in SEO recommendations and performance analytics, making your job not just easier, but smarter.
WordPress
WordPress is great for adding new content with minimal fuss. But if you want advanced features like SEO tools or performance tracking, you’ll need plugins like Yoast SEO. While helpful, they can add a few extra steps (and maybe a headache or two).
Winner: HubSpot wins this round. Its all-in-one setup makes content creation and optimisation smooth, simple, and dare we say… fun?
Integration with HubSpot CRM
It feels like we're cheating a little bit by adding this comparison here but in the interests of being unbiased here's our views on both, which we have used extensively.
HubSpot CMS
It’s no surprise that HubSpot CMS works perfectly with HubSpot CRM—it’s like peanut butter and jam, or creme cheese and salmon. This built-in integration lets business owners and marketers manage contacts, automate workflows, and track customer interactions effortlessly, all in one easy-to-use platform. For businesses big on inbound marketing, HubSpot CMS is a no-brainer.
WordPress
WordPress can also integrate with HubSpot CRM, and the Hubspot plugin allows you to get the job done relatively easily. It also adds tracking code to all of your website pages automatically which is a nice feature. While these plugins work well, they do add a few more steps to the process, making it less straightforward than HubSpot CMS and of course they need ongoing maintenance and updates.
Winner: HubSpot takes the crown for its seamless, native CRM integration.
Maintenance
HubSpot CMS Maintenance
HubSpot takes care of everything—security updates, bug fixes, server maintenance—you name it. This allows businesses to focus on what matters most, rather than worrying about technical upkeep.
WordPress Maintenance
Maintenance on WordPress can be more time-consuming. You’ll need to regularly update themes, plugins, and your WordPress core to avoid security vulnerabilities. If you’re not tech-savvy, this can become a frustrating and potentially costly task. Some hosting options include automatic updates and whilst these are mostly okay they can cause your site to fall over, before the software automatically winds back to pre-update versions, which is not ideal.
Winner: HubSpot for being a fully managed solution.
Which Content Management System (CMS) is Right for You?
Both HubSpot CMS and WordPress are excellent platforms, but the right choice depends on your specific needs and priorities.
Choose HubSpot CMS if:
- You want an all-in-one platform with seamless integration, especially if you already use HubSpot CRM.
- You value ease of use and don’t want to worry about hosting or maintenance.
- Your focus is on marketing and you need built-in tools like SEO recommendations or content analytics.
Choose WordPress if:
- You prioritise customisation and want access to the largest library of themes and plugins.
- You prefer full control over hosting and are comfortable managing updates and maintenance.
- You work with a developer or agency that can handle the technical requirements.
If you’re still unsure which platform suits your needs or simply want to explore either platform further, The Growth Agency’s Web experts are here to help. Get in touch with us today to learn how we can transform your business website!
