In this article, we'll go into a detailed comparison of HubSpot and WordPress, primarily focusing on user interface, SEO, security, and pricing.
Content
Creating and Maintaining a Blog
Introduction
In this day and age of modern technology, the foundation of any successful business is a quality online presence. The first step in building your position in the market is usually choosing the right content management system (CMS) - a platform that allows you to create, manage and optimize your online content.
Founded in 2006, HubSpot is known for its all-in-one platform focused on marketing, sales, and customer service. Its features are designed to attract visitors, convert leads into customers, and help close deals - all with an emphasis on inbound marketing.
On the other hand, WordPress, which was launched in 2003 as a simple blog management tool, has evolved into a full-fledged CMS system that is used by more than 40% of all websites worldwide (2023). It is particularly renowned for its flexibility, extensive plugin database and strong community.
Content Creation
HubSpot CMS Hub
CMS Hub is considered the best CMS for mid-sized businesses, according to G2 servers. It not only offers a large number of themes from which you can choose the best one specifically for your website, but also the ability to create your own unique design. It allows users to easily edit and add or manage individual pages through a drag-and-drop editor.
CMS Hub helps to flawlessly shape the digital environment directly for your audience, whether you're in marketing, programming or IT, and adapts as you grow. Above all, its unique aspect lies in the unified HubSpot CRM database, which provides quick access to all relevant data to customize the user experience as needed.
Additionally, the CMS Hub's available blogging and landing page creation tools add to its practicality and support increasing traffic to individual pages and generating leads for your company.
WordPress
WordPress has earned a very good reputation in the CMS field and, according to the latest figures, as already mentioned, manages approximately 40% of all websites on the Internet. It facilitates the process of creating textual content, although more complex graphical layouts may require additional plugins or templates.
The success of your website depends primarily on the creation of specific pages. However, for this creation, you usually need to have some technical knowledge. Incorporating other features, such as live chat or A/B testing, requires the use of plugins or additional subscriptions. Often, such expenses are disguised as "hidden costs" that are necessary to ensure that your WordPress website is always secure, fast and equipped with all the necessary plugins for basic operations.
SEO
HubSpot CMS Hub
CMS Hub has an impressive tool for various SEO recommendations and on-page optimization tools that are part of blogging, landing pages or website creation. Streamlining the process of optimizing content for search engines is made easier with an integrated tool for creating content strategies and by linking to Google Search Console, which allows you to shape your approach to SEO using data sourced directly from Google.
WordPress
While WordPress doesn't offer any built-in SEO features, it does offer a number of free and premium plugins that can help you with this optimization. However, it's important to note that more plugins also means more extensive software management, higher costs, and potential maintenance and security issues.
Creating and Maintaining a Blog
Creating exceptional content is a proven method to attract and convert new customers. However, in order to turn newcomers into loyal customers, your content must not only engage, but also convey valuable information so that you are able to lay the foundation for a lasting and solid relationship. Your CMS system should be able to facilitate the creation of high-quality content, while also attracting the right audience through search engines.
WordPress
WordPress was originally designed as a blogging tool, but has gradually evolved into a comprehensive content management system. A blog can be started using various pre-made themes, but layout changes or other editing may require the help of a developer depending on the theme or template chosen. Additionally, if your goal is to improve your content for search engines, it is necessary to install plugins that may pose a security threat.
HubSpot CMS Hub
In contrast, the Hub CMS was conceived from the start specifically for marketers and for this reason offers a very user-friendly interface that allows you to design, enhance, publish and review blog content in one place. In HubSpot, no additional plugins or software are needed to create attractive mobile or search engine optimized content - everything is integrated.
Reports and Analytics
WordPress
The basic version of WordPress offers some features for reporting results, such as the number of page views per page, but requires additional tools for more detailed analysis and reporting.
Most WordPress users are forced to link it to another analytics tool or Google Analytics platform and manage each system separately. This creates separate data departments that don't interact with each other, leading to inconsistent insights and less useful data.
However, if you're a die-hard WordPress fan, you might at least consider trying the HubSpot plugin for WordPress, which gives you access to analytics, forms, live chat, and other data.
HubSpot CMS Hub
CMS Hub is equipped with all the necessary analytics features to help you measure your website's performance and ROI. Plus, with CMS Hub's direct integration with your CRM platform, you have access to comprehensive reports and highly useful data.
For example, CMS Hub simplifies the process of creating lists of contacts who have visited specific pages on your website, taken advantage of your offers, or communicated with you via chat.
Premium Hosting and Security
HubSpot CMS Hub
CMS Hub immediately offers premium hosting and security features. Since it's a SaaS CMS, it ensures seamless delivery of your content and allows you to focus on improving service for your customers.
With built-in SSL certificates, a web application firewall (WAF), a global CDN, and continuous security and threat monitoring, you can rest easy knowing your website is protected from potential threats.
WordPress
As an open source platform, WordPress inherently has none of the security features that are freely available in the CMS Hub.
Instead, the responsibility of maintaining the speed, security, and reliability of your site lies with you, which can involve having to use multiple tools and devoting a significant amount of your time and energy to managing the site instead of creating an engaging website for your customers.
And last but not least, the plugins that you are forced to use to enrich the capabilities of WordPress can be misused by malicious entities, which can put your website at risk. In short, if you're not vigilant enough when developing and maintaining your site, there is some security risk to both your company and your customers.
Platform " All in One"
HubSpot CMS Hub
As we have already mentioned, the Hub CMS is an integral part of the HubSpot CRM platform and has been designed from the outset for marketers with their needs in mind. Immediately after implementation, it will provide you with all the tools you need to create a flawless digital journey that your customers are sure to appreciate, along with the consolidated data and analytics that your team in turn needs.
WordPress
Since WordPress is an open-source platform, you need to combine different plugins and solutions to create a quality digital journey for your company.
Each plugin used to extend the platform is created by different software vendors, which means that individual development is necessary to ensure that these tools work cohesively and add value to your business.
This not only makes WordPress difficult for your team to implement, but also limits its ability to scale in line with the growth of your business.
Prize Comparison
Expense |
HubSpot Free CMS Tools |
HubSpot CMS Hub (Starter, Professional, Enterprise) |
WordPress |
Basic Website Management Features |
Free |
Free |
|
Plugins |
CMS Hub boasts over 650 applications and integrations that can be linked to HubSpot to extend the capabilities of your website within the CRM platform. In addition, nearly 80% of the plugins mentioned in this article are freely available in CMS Hub without the need for additional installation. |
CMS Hub boasts over 650 applications and integrations that can be linked to HubSpot to extend the capabilities of your website within the CRM platform. In addition, nearly 80% of the plugins mentioned in this article are freely available in CMS Hub without the need for additional installation. |
WordPress boasts an extensive ecosystem that includes more than 58,000 plugins. If you decide to add the 24 most popular plugins to your site, the cost will range between $287.60/month and $1,338.23/month. |
Hosting |
Each package includes quality hosting. In addition, you can link your domain very easily using the domain manager. |
Each package includes quality hosting. In addition, you can link your domain very easily using the domain manager. |
Reputable WordPress hosting platforms, such as Pantheon, offer a variety of plans that range from $50/month for basic packages to $1,000/month for more powerful packages, and even customizable plans. Choosing a plan depends on a variety of factors such as the number of sites, volume of visits, and storage required. (source) |
Service, Updates and Support |
Since it is a SaaS CMS, CMS Hub takes care of all services and updates automatically. In addition, all users get access to the HubSpot Academy and its community, which offers a useful resource for any website-related questions. |
Since it is a SaaS CMS, CMS Hub takes care of all services and updates automatically. In addition, all users get access to an experienced support team 24/7. |
If you don't have an in-house team dedicated to servicing and managing your website, you'll need to get someone to do so. Depending on the size and complexity of your website, this can range from $100/month to $4500/month for a corporate website. (source) |
Security |
CMS Hub provides a standard SSL certificate, a web application firewall (WAF) and continuous security and threat monitoring immediately upon activation (source). |
CMS Hub provides a standard SSL certificate, a web application firewall (WAF) and continuous security and threat monitoring immediately upon activation (source). |
As it is an open source platform, it is up to you to ensure the security of the site. Monthly security fees can range from $16.67 - $41.67/month. (source) |
Total Cost for |
Free |
$300 - $14,000 |
$5,451 - $82,558 |
Conclusion
In conclusion, both companies' CMS systems bring their own unique benefits and pitfalls depending on your business needs and technical capabilities.
WordPress, as an open-source platform, offers extensive customization options thanks to its extensive plugin ecosystem, but requires considerable maintenance and potential security vigilance. On the other hand, CMS Hub, part of the HubSpot CRM platform, provides a more seamless and comprehensive environment. Designed with marketers in mind, it provides ease of use, natural scalability, and robust security features. In addition, CMS Hub also has a number of beneficial analytics features and offers a unified approach to data that can prove very useful for growth-oriented businesses.
When choosing between these platforms, it's important to consider not only the initial implementation, but also the long-term maintenance, scalability, and data integration needs of your business. Ultimately, the choice between CMS Hub and WordPress comes down to aligning the platform's capabilities with your company's strategic goals and resources. However, it can be said that given today's trend to simplify and automate all activities, HubSpot CMS Hub is a step ahead of Wordpress.
If you are considering converting your website from WordPress to CMS Hub, please contact us. Our expert staff will be happy to help you, and if you're still unsure about the change, you can also read our article: The Advantages of HubSpot for Marketing, Sales and Customer Service, where the platform is discussed in more detail.
FAQ
1. Is it easier to use WordPress or HubSpot?
HubSpot is generally easier for less tech-savvy users due to its user-friendly interface.
2. Can HubSpot CMS Hub integrate with my current CRM system?
Yes, HubSpot can be integrated with many popular CRM systems.
3. Is WordPress cheaper than HubSpot?
While WordPress itself is free, additional costs for themes, plugins, and tools can add up. HubSpot provides its tools in three fixed-price packages.
4. Can I switch from WordPress to HubSpot?
Yes, migrating in this direction is a relatively simple matter.
5. Which platform offers better customer support?
HubSpot offers direct customer support through various channels, which gives it an advantage over WordPress.
Topics: HubSpot