Two names appear the most frequently when finding and implementing a content management system...
In some ways, comparing HubSpot and WordPress is like the old saying 'comparing apples to oranges'. They’re designed with completely different functions in mind - with a different audience and user in mind too.
Bottom line is they’re both fairly 'easy' and intuitive to use, but if you don’t want to deal with add-ons, plug-ins and everything else, then HubSpot wins hands down. If you’re a marketer, it’s a no-brainer that HubSpot should have your vote. Right, let’s get into the nitty-gritty…
- CMS comparison - who comes out on top?
- Analytics and marketing automation.
- Security.
- Price.
- Can I migrate from one platform to another?
- Which is better and easier? HubSpot or WordPress?
CMS Comparison - who comes out on top?
WordPress is a popular blogging option and has an easy WYSIWYG editor (what you see is what you get) where you can drag and drop images and write the text with ease. HubSpot, on the other hand, is designed to be a marketing software with specialty integration and analytics.
With HubSpot, marketing automation is at the forefront. Every function of the marketing software is intuitive and easy to use and when it isn’t (which is rare) or you want to learn about some cool function you didn’t know existed, there are instructional training videos that let you know how to do everything.
WordPress does have some plug-ins with impressive marketing capabilities, but you have to know how to find them and - sometimes - pay for them too.
Content creation
In HubSpot, you can manipulate global features such as hiding the navigation bar on your landing pages or altering the header size. With WordPress, changes you make can affect other pages, so it’s not so easy to remove those nav features when you want to. You really need to have experience handling website code.
But with the HubSpot CMS, you can get away without ever having to touch any code if needs be.
SEO optimisation
One stellar aspect of HubSpot is its ability to scan your content and make useful recommendations on what changes you can make, the kind of alterations that will really up its SEO credentials.
Most CMS platforms require some sort of plug-in to do what HubSpot can do naturally. It’s a native function, so requires no lengthy search for the right SEO optimisation plug-in.
Smart content and personalisation
HubSpot has smart content so you can tailor your copy based on the buyer persona viewing it and what stage they’re at. Anyone can use these features, even those who claim to be non-tech people. WordPress can do this stuff if you have a Computer Science degree, perhaps… (which I do not). Find out more about a comparison of the two here.
Multi-language capabilities
This is pretty unique to HubSpot and very helpful.
Without it, marketers and developers have to build each in-language page individually. It means you can’t run A/B tests and view analytics all in one place.
HubSpot remedies this by allowing you to create, manage and optimise a multi-language site all in one place. Differences in language are grouped with the primary language page to harvest all those juicy SEO benefits. It also means any language version of a page can be tested, helping you to to improve on any lacking areas. Vive la HubSpot!
As far as ease of use, HubSpot is easier to build in because your developers don’t have to be entirely technical. Of course, there are lots of benefits if you or the team can handle the technical features. We have an in-house design team that uses Growth-Driven Design to build iterative, great looking websites with optimisation and content tracking.
Analytics and marketing automation
For real-time analytics and tracking user behaviour, HubSpot links with your CRM to show you what users do on your website. Once they’ve submitted data, you can see where they came from, how long they spend on-site, what they’re reading and more. For your sales and marketing team, this data is paramount. It also means no messing with confusing plug-ins.
Analytics means you’ve got access to that lovely, super granular, innovative data. The kind marketers all dream of. It allows you to analyse what’s working on your site and what’s not, gain a better understanding of a customer’s journey and develop a proper view of what makes successful content.
Surprise! WordPress can do some of this stuff too, but with a catch - integrations. Actually, maybe ironically, WordPress offers HubSpot Marketing as a free plug-in that gives some of the functionality of the “real” HubSpot.
For ease of use, HubSpot wins completely with marketing and analytics tools integrated. It’s very easy to track, read, analyse, collate and use. I mean WordPress adds HubSpot in...enough said.
It doesn’t end there, HubSpot uses its CRM backing to actively track a visitor’s engagement, meaning you can create tailored messaging that speaks directly to them. Pretty neat, huh?
Security
When outside developers create plug-ins for your CMS, there are potential security risks. WordPress allows developers to add new plug-ins with a one-click install; however, there’s no guarantee of security. The paid ones might have a more secure process, but it’s not assured.
HubSpot uses a full-time security team to eliminate breaches and protect data. You can call them if there’s a problem. The downside, perhaps, is that you do pay for the ability to have this security, but as a marketer, it’s an important tool. After all, you wouldn’t drive your car without insurance.
When it comes to security, HubSpot offers the following:
- Global CDN.
- 24x7 infrastructure support.
- Web application firewall.
- SSO integration.
- Isolated network layers.
- HTTPS and SSL certificate support.
- Routine vulnerability scanning.
- User & permissions management.
As well as a few extra features.
Which security is easier to use? With HubSpot’s security team ready to answer your questions, it’s safe (no pun intended) to say HubSpot wins with security features. Third-party plug-ins simply aren’t as safe as when you have a fully in-house system.
Price
The price of the two platforms varies, depending on what you want to get out of each. As far as ease of use for the price, it depends on your needs and what you want to get out of it.
Plus, the HubSpot CMS has two packages to choose from, each offering something different. You’re able to pick the level that works the best for you, so it's worth checking what suits your needs the most.
Can I migrate from one platform to HubSpot?
If you want to move from one platform to another, how simple is the process? The answer is, not very. WordPress and HubSpot are two completely separate, worlds-apart platforms. You can’t export content simply from one platform to the other.
When moving platforms, each page will, unfortunately, have to be built again via the old fashioned copy and paste - but hope isn’t lost. HubSpot will do some of the work for you (see next paragraph). For those doing the legwork, your CSS styling will copy over in either platform.
The great news is, however, if you sign up to HubSpot, whether you use the marketing CRM or web hosting (or both), HubSpot’s migration team will create landing page templates, email templates and blog templates pre-loaded with your preferences for you. If it’s a website, they’ll transfer all of your pages over as they appear in WordPress for free.
The team will match the design so it will look similar to your old site. The process isn’t simple, but at least you’re not stuck doing the work. However, any really advanced transfers will need a design team to tweak the final product.
If you’re not doing a full web-migration, you can import just your blog using the WordPress to HubSpot blog importer that will import content, but you may have to change the formatting. It doesn’t work both ways, though; there isn’t an import tool for HubSpot content to be imported into WordPress. That will have to be done by you.
So which is easier in this category? The truth is neither. But with HubSpot doing most of the work for you, the difficulty of the process doesn’t matter. HubSpot and WordPress are different platforms and require different building strategies, but if you do build in HubSpot, you’ll have a fully-integrated marketing machine.
Which is better and easier? HubSpot or WordPress?
It’s all about goals and budget. If HubSpot is too expensive for you and you can reach your goals with WordPress with plug-ins then that'll work for you. If you can afford HubSpot, and you have data-driven goals, then it’s recommended, especially in the marketing arena.
As far as ease of use, HubSpot is easier for marketing purposes. You don’t need to know about the back-end website considerations and technical aspects of the site to be able to build a blog, a landing page, a CTA, add images and more.
WordPress, as far as blogging goes, is just as easy as HubSpot, but without the smart content and CTAs. From a blogging perspective, you can get a blog to look the way you want with WordPress, but can’t add a CTA easily or see how the blog performs in real-time. From a marketing perspective, it misses the mark even if it's easy to use. Finding the right plug-ins and opening your system up to security breaches without vetted developers adding them is difficult and cumbersome.
Need more information to decide between HubSpot and other platforms like WordPress? Keep reading.
Want to know the cost of a HubSpot website?
Every website is unique and the cost is affected by size, functionality, project duration and more... But we can provide an estimated cost and guide price based on the hundreds of HubSpot websites we have built over the years.
Check out the Price Guide here:
