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Your website is often your organisation’s most valuable digital asset. It’s where you attract, inform, and convert customers, and it typically serves as the hub for broader marketing activities. Choosing the right Content Management System (CMS) is therefore one of the most important strategic technology decisions you’ll make.
Two names dominate conversations that we have with clients around CMS platforms: HubSpot CMS and WordPress. Both have merit. HubSpot provides a slick, all-in-one solution with native marketing tools. WordPress powers more than 40% of the internet and is widely regarded as the most flexible and scalable CMS available.
So which is right for your business? Let’s explore both platforms across the areas that matter most;-cost, scalability, SEO, performance, security, integrations, and long-term value, so you can make an informed choice.
HubSpot CMS is part of the wider HubSpot ecosystem. It’s a closed platform designed to work hand-in-glove with HubSpot CRM and marketing automation. That can be convenient, but it also ties you tightly to HubSpot’s way of working [and their pricing structure].
WordPress is very different. It’s open source, supported by a global community, and offers virtually unlimited customisation. You’re free to design, extend, and integrate as you see fit. For some, that freedom means more moving parts to manage. For others, it’s the foundation for long-term growth and control.
WordPress dominates the CMS space. In 2025, it powers over 43% of all websites and almost two-thirds of those using a CMS. More than half of the top one million websites run on WordPress. This breadth of adoption has created an unrivalled ecosystem:
HubSpot CMS doesn’t come close in ecosystem maturity. It offers solid built-in features, but you’re largely limited to what HubSpot decides to release.
HubSpot gives you templates and themes, but they’re bound by HubSpot’s structure. You can adjust within those limits, but it’s difficult to push far beyond what’s offered without workarounds.
With WordPress, there are no such boundaries. Businesses can:
One developer put it plainly: “I can build multilingual directories, custom booking systems, and complex integrations in WordPress. HubSpot just doesn’t allow that.”
HubSpot is subscription-based. UK pricing currently starts at £21 per month, but the features most businesses need begin at £440 per month and can climb above £1,300 per month at Enterprise level.
WordPress itself is free, but you’ll pay for:
Even with premium hosting, a suite of paid plugins, and professional support, most organisations find WordPress offers significantly more for the same annual spend as HubSpot’s mid-tier plan.
And with WordPress, you own your site outright. There’s no lock-in. If you want to move hosting providers, you can. With HubSpot, you’re tied to their ecosystem and subject to their pricing changes.
For us, this is where the choice of CMS really matters. A website that looks the part but can’t be indexed properly, doesn’t load quickly, or can’t be fully optimised is ultimately holding your business back. Search visibility and technical performance are non-negotiable if you want your website to deliver measurable results.
HubSpot does include built-in SEO tools and reporting. These can be helpful for smaller teams who want a straightforward way to manage titles, descriptions, and basic recommendations. The challenge lies in the platform’s reliance on JavaScript to render content. This adds extra processing time, which can impact page speed, particularly on mobile, where Google applies the strictest performance standards.
There’s also a risk that search engines and answer engines may struggle to crawl and index JavaScript-dependent content consistently. That makes it harder to achieve the level of optimisation and technical precision required for competitive search performance.
WordPress is built with SEO and performance in mind and offers far greater control. With leading plugins such as Yoast SEO, RankMath, or SEOPress, you can manage every detail, including:
Perhaps most importantly, WordPress renders content server-side. That means pages load faster, users see content immediately, and search engines have no difficulty crawling or indexing what’s on the page. This difference alone often determines whether a site can achieve top-tier performance and rankings.
Performance and SEO are directly tied to revenue. Faster websites convert better, rank higher, and deliver stronger user experiences. For organisations serious about search visibility, lead generation, and long-term growth, the ability to optimise at a granular level makes WordPress the more strategic choice.
Security is managed by HubSpot. That’s convenient but restrictive, you can’t see or adjust what’s being done. You’re reliant on HubSpot’s processes and response times.
WordPress puts you in control. Managed properly, with quality hosting, a reputable security plugin, and regular updates it can meet or exceed enterprise security requirements. Many regulated industries, from finance to healthcare, run secure WordPress installations without issue.
The benefit here is transparency and choice. You decide how robust your security should be, and you’re not reliant on one vendor’s approach.
HubSpot is designed for marketers, not developers. While that lowers the barrier to entry, it also creates limitations. Developers have little freedom to customise beyond what HubSpot allows.
With WordPress, developers benefit from:
For businesses with technical teams or agencies, WordPress offers far more scope to innovate and future-proof digital assets.
HubSpot CMS doesn’t provide native e-commerce. You’ll need third-party tools like Shopify, which adds complexity and cost.
WordPress, on the other hand, offers WooCommerce, the world’s most widely used e-commerce platform. It supports:
For businesses planning to sell online now or in future, WordPress provides a clear advantage.
The platform shines when paired with HubSpot’s own CRM and marketing suite. If you’re already a heavy HubSpot user, this tight integration may appeal.
WordPress integrates with hundreds of marketing platforms including Salesforce, Pipedrive, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, and more. Businesses aren’t limited to one vendor’s ecosystem, they can choose best-in-class tools that fit their needs.
This flexibility matters for organisations with complex marketing stacks or plans to expand internationally.
HubSpot CMS support is limited to HubSpot and its partner agencies.
WordPress benefits from a global professional services ecosystem. Whether you want a local freelancer, a niche agency, or a large enterprise partner, the market is deep and competitive, which usually results in better value and higher standards.
It’s worth acknowledging situations where HubSpot is the pragmatic choice:
For most organisations, WordPress proves the more strategic choice. It’s particularly well suited for:
| Criteria | HubSpot | WordPress |
|---|---|---|
| Flexibility | Limited to HubSpot ecosystem | Virtually unlimited |
| Cost | Predictable but high at scale | Flexible, often more cost-effective |
| SEO & Performance | Built-in tools, JavaScript-dependent | Advanced plugins, server-side speed |
| Security | Managed, limited visibility | Full control with right setup |
| E-commerce | Requires third-party platforms | WooCommerce and extensions |
| Support Options |
HubSpot only | Global providers and community |
| Scalability | Constrained by pricing tiers | Scales cost-effectively |
| Ownership | Vendor lock-in | Full ownership of assets |
If your business simply needs a quick, basic, functional site connected to HubSpot CRM, then HubSpot CMS can be enough. But for organisations that treat their website as a core business asset, WordPress is almost always the smarter long-term investment. It delivers control, flexibility, scalability, and cost efficiency that HubSpot can’t match. It adapts to your business rather than forcing your business to adapt to it. And crucially, it ensures that your digital presence remains firmly under your ownership and direction.
In short: HubSpot CMS may suit small businesses with marketing-focused teams. But for businesses with scalability and growth in mind, WordPress remains the platform that delivers strategic value, competitive advantage, and long-term success