What Is the Difference Between the HubSpot CMS Hub and WordPress?
Before diving deeper into the differences between WordPress CMS and HubSpot COS / CMS, here’s a quick overview of each of the Content Management Systems.
Overview of WordPress
WordPress dates back to 2002. WordPress is one of the five most popular CMS in the world. This is largely due to a large number of free and paid plugins. There is a plug-in for everything you might want to do, and a plug-in for solving every problem.
In addition, WordPress is an open-source application, which allows you to completely customize it for your needs — it’s like molding clay.
Which Types of Websites Can You Create With WordPress?
With WordPress, you can build sites that are completely different for different spheres of business. Take a look at the examples — there are no restrictions.
Among the most popular sites on WordPress are:
- The New York Times
- The Walt Disney Company
- Vogue
Overview of HubSpot
HubSpot began in 2013. Today, HubSpot is ranked 17th among the Top 1 Million sites in the Content Management System category.
HubSpot COS stands for content optimization system. The power of HubSpot COS / CMS is that it is focused on the development of inbound marketing. In order to get great results, it is possible to integrate it with other Hubs products.
What can you do with HubSpot COS/CMS?
HubSpot COS is slightly different from the classic CMS. It differs in that it very closely combines marketing tools, features, and calls-to-action, and helps to create a personalized approach to customers.
At HubSpot COS, it is good to create a website for those who are starting to master this area or those who want to improve their marketing.
Among the most popular sites on HubSpot COS/CMS are:
- Complete Software
- FittingBox
- Quinyx
Now we can move on to a detailed analysis of the difference between WordPress CMS and HubSpot COS / CMS. We’ll compare them into 8 main categories:
- Security
- Content Creation
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Analytics
- Updates
- Ease of Use and Flexibility
- Design
- Cost
We will figure out who the winner of each category is. And at the very end of the blog, you’ll find the comparison table of WordPress CMS vs. HubSpot COS / CMS.
Let the games begin!
1. WordPress CMS vs HubSpot COS/CMS: Security
We start with the most important thing — site security. Reliability and protection of the site from threats is a sore spot for many sites.
WordPress is an open-source CMS. The choice of a reliable hosting provider for a WordPress website plays an important role here. To maintain the security of the WordPress site, you should:
- install one of the plugins
- update themes and plugins (which you use)
- make a regular backup of the site
- install an SSL certificate
- crawl and monitor the status of your site
For your site to be safe, you should hire a web developer to monitor it. But there is no reason to panic. Half of the problems will disappear if you choose a reliable hosting provider. It will make a backup, monitor the emergence of risks, and inform you if something happens.
HubSpot COS / CMS is a closed source. This is both a plus and a minus. It means you cannot check the code yourself because you do not have access to it. All processes for maintaining a secure site are transferred to the responsibility of the HubSpot team, so you are not responsible for this. That is, the HubSpot COS team performs all the same actions as you might do on a WordPress site:
- backup
- scanning and testing
- SSL protection (extra charge)
- updates
The difference is that by choosing HubSpot COS / CMS it is done automatically.
Winner: It’s a tie
WordPress CMS and HubSpot COS have different processes for protecting a site. One is open-source, the other is closed-source. One allows you to monitor, detect and correct it yourself; the other does not give you access and takes care of it automatically. It’s a matter of taste.
2. WordPress CMS vs HubSpot COS/CMS: Content Creation
To attract more visitors, drive traffic and show that you are an expert in your field, your site needs a blog.
Since WordPress was originally a blogging CMS, it brings many benefits to its users. Today it works with the Gutenberg editor, which allows you to publish content and immediately see how it will look to all users (uses the WYSIWYG experience.)
In addition, the WordPress blogging experience can be enhanced with additional plugins. For example, you can download one of the free plugins to create attractive call-to-action buttons. Simply put, any blogging function can be extended with the plugin.
Plus, publishing, editing, and formatting content on WordPress are simple and easy because it does not require coding skills.
HubSpot COS / CMS was initially a digital marketing CMS. It is also capable of blogging and has everything you need. The only drawback is that you cannot change the HubSpot COS / CMS and the content publishing process, as WordPress allows you to do it.
With this CMS, you can create, publish and edit content. You can add CTAs but have to choose a design from the existing options without using extensible plugins.
Winner: WordPress
In this category, the two content management systems are almost on the same level. However, WordPress wins, because it gives more freedom and opportunities for customization of every element. Hubspot CMS does not provide such development freedom.
3. WordPress CMS vs HubSpot COS/CMS: Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is a way to reach people who may or may not know about you. Therefore, the success of the company depends on SEO site optimization.
WordPress doesn’t have built-in SEO tools. To optimize your WordPress website for SEO, you need to install and configure one of the SEO plugins.
There are online tools at your service, such as searching for keywords and creating an XML sitemap to achieve even better results. Again, WordPress has a plugin for everything, including creating SCHEMA markup, analyzing keywords, integrating with Google Search Console, and much more.
HubSpot CMS comes with ready-made and built-in SEO tools. It crawls your site and advises on how you can improve your site pages to get top SEO rankings. HubSpot helps you track inbound links, integrate with Google Search Console, and track both page performance and your competitors.
Caveat: It is not recommended to use HubSpot for online stores because its SEO can’t pull info from a database.
Winner: WordPress
HubSpot already has built-in SEO tools, but WordPress allows you to get deeper data and improve SEO through plugins.
4. WordPress CMS vs HubSpot COS/CMS: Analytics
You need to track site analytics to understand where the traffic is coming from, and what your site visitors like and don’t like.
WordPress provides you with analytics after the plugin is installed. It’s not difficult at all, just select one of the available analytics plugins. For example, you can integrate your website with Google Analytics by simply installing a plugin.
By the way! On WordPress, there is a HubSpot analytics plugin, which means WordPress site owners can get even more analytics than HubSpot site owners since they receive data from HubSpot and other additional plugins.
HubSpot Analytics is highly automated and informative. All data is collected as soon as you launch the site. You can switch to a deeper (paid) analytics collection to get expanded analytics.
By choosing HubSpot you get CRM tools or have everything in one place. HubSpot collects analytics so that you can later get a complete understanding of the customer journey, competitor tracking, sales funnel, bounce rate, ROI of your website, and more.
Winner: WordPress
In this category, WordPress wins again. In HubSpot, all analytics are automatic, but in WordPress, you can get even deeper analytics with a bit of effort.
5. WordPress CMS vs HubSpot COS/CMS: Updates
Updates always mean improvement. It is important that your CMS is updated and expands its capabilities.
WordPress CMS has a wide and powerful team of web developers worldwide and is therefore updated very frequently. Plugins, themes, and the system itself are constantly and continuously improved. You just have to keep up with these WordPress updates.
The HubSpot team has fewer developers, but it still has updates. Conveniently, all changes are made automatically to your site, so you don’t have to do anything.
Winner: It’s a tie
In this category, we call it a draw.
6. WordPress CMS vs HubSpot COS/CMS: Ease of Use and Flexibility
How flexible a CMS is will affect how easy it is to use and improve your site. Therefore, we have included this in our categories.
As we — and others — have noted, WordPress is open-source and therefore has certain features. You have the right to choose how to develop your site, use paid or free plugins, choose which features to add, etc. It is very convenient. Plus, many WordPress developers around the world are ready to help you.
As a new user, using HubSpot is quite convenient. It has intuitive navigation and requires no coding skills. The system itself is quite convenient and functional, but if you plan to expand your business in the future, this may not be enough. HubSpot doesn’t provide the flexibility you need. It will be difficult for you to migrate your site from HubSpot to any other CMS and host.
Winner: WordPress
HubSpot is of course a good analytical COS / CMS, but when it comes to flexibility, WordPress takes the lead.
7. WordPress CMS vs HubSpot COS/CMS: Design
If the design is not a priority for you, it is a priority for your site visitors. They are not interested in what is on the other side of the screen. The main thing for them is that your site is pleasant to view and convenient to use.
WordPress CMS provides all the features and tools to make your website look professional and attractive. Use ready-made free or paid best WordPress themes to change the fonts or CTAs. You get endless possibilities for customization. Change any part of your site to create the perfect final image.
In turn, HubSpot COS is an excellent option for those who do not yet have even minimal coding knowledge. But it gives many fewer design options. It is these limited design capabilities that often become the main frustration of those using HubSpot.
Winner: WordPress
WordPress offers the most customization and design improvements compared to the limitations of HubSpot.
8. WordPress CMS vs HubSpot COS/CMS: Cost
Cost is a key point. Let’s not kid ourselves, the cost of building and maintaining a website is often decisive in making a final decision.
WordPress at the core is free. But in order to run it, you need to buy hosting and choose a domain name. Depending on the type of hosting, the cost will fluctuate.
On average, it will be $35. You will also have to pay for a domain name. The site theme can be free, or it can be paid, the same with plugins. BUT! The cost of your website may vary. On average, a WordPress site will cost you about $50 a month.
To date, the cheapest HubSpot COS / CMS plan costs $ 270 a month. The price is higher than in WordPress. It’s up to you to choose which suits you better.
Winner: WordPress
The price of the WordPress site is more than half the price of HubSpot COS, which is why we chose it as the winner.
The Verdict – WordPress CMS vs HubSpot COS/CMS
Our WordPress support company has striven to create better and fuller comparisons of WordPress CMS vs. HubSpot COS / CMS. We hope that we succeeded and you will no longer have to ask which is the better option — WordPress CMS or HubSpot COS / CMS?
Contact us if you want to develop a WordPress site, or integrate it with HubSpot.