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CMS comparison Drupal vs HubSpot CMS

Drupal vs HubSpot CMS

Drupal is an open-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. HubSpot CMS is a closed-source site builder that runs on the vendor's cloud. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 16.

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  • Drupal Traditional · Open source · 16 of 28 built in
  • HubSpot CMS Site builder · Closed source · 16 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Drupal on 29 Sept 2026, HubSpot CMS on 29 Sept 2026. Plans and releases can change after those dates.

WAYF is an official Payload partner and top contributor. Every platform in the table is classified by the same published definitions, and each answer lists the vendor page it came from.

Feature comparison

Built inPaid tierPlugin or add-onLimitedNot available
Drupal vs HubSpot CMS feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Drupal Traditional
HubSpot CMS Site builder
Overview
What it is Open-source PHP CMS with fieldable content types, core JSON:API and multilingual modules. Teams self-host it or use Drupal hosting platforms.HubSpot's hosted CMS and site builder, sold as Content Hub. Pages and blogs connect to the HubSpot CRM, and HubSpot hosts every site.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Drupal 11 core. Drupal CMS 2 bundles core with selected contrib modules. Version 11.4.8, released 26 Sept 2026 Content Hub: Free, Starter, Professional, Enterprise SaaS, continuously updated
Vendor Drupal community, supported by the Drupal Association drupal.org HubSpot, Inc. hubspot.com
Licence Open source GPL-2.0-or-later Closed source Proprietary
Hosting Self-hosting No vendor cloud Acquia, Pantheon and other companies sell managed Drupal hosting. No self-hosting Vendor cloud
Built with PHP, Symfony, TwigHubL templates, HubSpot CLI
Database MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLiteManaged by HubSpot, with HubDB for structured data
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Free and open source. Hosting, support and contrib services cost extra. Free to start Free plan for 2 users. Starter $20 per seat per month. Pro from $450 per month for 3 seats. Enterprise from $1,500.
Content modelling
Content model in code You define content types in files in your repository, review them like any other code and apply them from there. Imperative migration scripts alone count as limited. Built in Content types and fields export to YAML config files. Built in Theme and module fields live in fields.json, synced with the HubSpot CLI. 3
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Built in Field UI in core. Paid tier Module fields in Design manager on Starter. HubDB tables on Professional. 14
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Layout Builder in core. Paragraphs and Drupal Canvas are contrib. 910 Built in Drag-and-drop modules and sections. 5
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Built in Field-level content translation in core. 7 Built in Free tools cover 3 languages, Starter 50, Professional unlimited. 16
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Built in Image styles scale, crop and convert images. 8 Built in Automatic resizing plus the HubL resize_image_url function. 7
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in JSON:API and REST modules in core. 3 Built in CMS APIs for pages, blog posts and HubDB. 8
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Plugin or add-on GraphQL contrib module. Developers build the schema. 4 Paid tier Content Hub Professional. 9
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Plugin or add-on Webhooks contrib module. Core has no outgoing webhooks. 18 Not available Webhooks API covers CRM objects. No page publish events. 10
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Built in Twig themes. Built in HubL themes and templates on HubSpot hosting.
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in Drafts of published content need the core Content Moderation module. 5 Built in
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Plugin or add-on Scheduler contrib module. 11 Built in 118
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Built in Revert in core. Side-by-side compare needs the Diff contrib module. Built in Restore previous versions on all plans. 12
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in Preview button on the edit form. Built in
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. Limited Layout Builder edits blocks on a rendered preview. Drupal Canvas is contrib. 910 Built in Drag-and-drop editor edits the rendered page. 5
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Built in Workflows and Content Moderation modules in core. 5 Paid tier Content approvals on Enterprise. 1
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Built in Workspaces module, stable in core since 10.3. 6 Paid tier Content staging on Professional publishes staged pages together. 13
Real-time co-editing Two or more editors can work on the same entry at once and see each other's changes live. Not available Not available
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Built in Paid tier Permission sets on Enterprise. Per-user permissions on all plans. 14
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Plugin or add-on Field Permissions contrib module. 12 Not available
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Plugin or add-on OpenID Connect or SAML Authentication contrib modules. 13 Paid tier SAML SSO on Content Hub Professional and Enterprise. 15
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Limited Database Logging records content events by user. It caps and prunes entries. 20 Paid tier Activity logging on Enterprise. 1
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Plugin or add-on Domain contrib module. Core multisite shares only the codebase. 14 Paid tier Multisites on Enterprise. 1
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in Custom field widgets, forms and admin routes. Built in Custom modules and their fields appear in the page editor. 3
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in drupal.org module directory. Built in HubSpot Marketplace for apps and themes. 16
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Plugin or add-on Webform contrib module. Core Contact is deprecated in 11.4. 152 Built in
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Built in Paid tier Memberships on Professional with 2 access groups and Enterprise with 100. 12
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Plugin or add-on AI module from the Drupal AI Initiative, bundled with Drupal CMS. 1619 Built in Breeze generates and refines content in editors on all plans. 17
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Not available Community contrib only, e.g. the MCP Server module by Lullabot and Omedia. 17 Built in Remote HubSpot MCP server reads site pages, landing pages and blog posts. 18

Drupal sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Drupal 11 core. Drupal CMS 2 bundles core with selected contrib modules..

  1. drupal 11.4.8 release
  2. drupal 11.4.0 release notes
  3. JSON:API module documentation
  4. GraphQL module
  5. Content Moderation module documentation
  6. Mark Workspaces as a stable core module (#3088643)
  7. Multilingual guide: translating content
  8. Image module: working with images
  9. Layout Builder module documentation
  10. Drupal Canvas
  11. Scheduler module
  12. Field Permissions module
  13. OpenID Connect / OAuth client module
  14. Domain module
  15. Webform module
  16. AI (Artificial Intelligence) module
  17. MCP Server module
  18. Webhooks module
  19. Drupal CMS 2.0 is here
  20. Database Logging module documentation

HubSpot CMS sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Content Hub: Free, Starter, Professional, Enterprise.

  1. HubSpot Content Hub pricing
  2. HubSpot Product & Services Catalog
  3. HubSpot docs: Modules overview
  4. HubSpot KB: Create and populate HubDB tables
  5. HubSpot KB: Edit content in the content editor
  6. HubSpot KB: Create pages in multiple languages
  7. HubSpot docs: HubL functions
  8. HubSpot API: Schedule a website page
  9. HubSpot docs: Query HubSpot data using GraphQL
  10. HubSpot docs: Webhooks API guide
  11. HubSpot KB: Set a blog post's publish date and time
  12. HubSpot KB: Restore a previous version of content
  13. HubSpot KB: Redesign and relaunch a site with content staging
  14. HubSpot KB: Create and assign permission sets
  15. HubSpot KB: Set up single sign-on (SSO)
  16. HubSpot Marketplace
  17. HubSpot KB: Generate and refine content with AI
  18. Remote HubSpot MCP server is now generally available

Considering more platforms? Compare Drupal and HubSpot CMS with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.

Where they differ

Drupal and HubSpot CMS get a different status on 16 of the 28 features and the same status on 12. Drupal has 16 built in on its baseline edition, HubSpot CMS has 16. Two matching statuses can still name different paid tiers or limits, so read the notes in the table before treating a row as equal.

Licence
Drupal is open source (GPL-2.0-or-later). HubSpot CMS is closed source (Proprietary).
Self-hosting
Drupal can be self-hosted. HubSpot CMS cannot be self-hosted.
Vendor cloud
Drupal has no vendor-run cloud. HubSpot CMS has a vendor-run cloud.

Built in on Drupal, a different answer on HubSpot CMS 5

  • Content model in the UI Drupal: Built in. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.
  • Approval workflows Drupal: Built in. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.
  • Content releases Drupal: Built in. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.
  • Custom roles Drupal: Built in. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.
  • Site member accounts Drupal: Built in. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.

Built in on HubSpot CMS, a different answer on Drupal 5

  • Scheduled publishing Drupal: Plugin or add-on. HubSpot CMS: Built in.
  • Visual editing Drupal: Limited. HubSpot CMS: Built in.
  • Form builder Drupal: Plugin or add-on. HubSpot CMS: Built in.
  • AI writing assistant Drupal: Plugin or add-on. HubSpot CMS: Built in.
  • Official MCP server Drupal: Not available. HubSpot CMS: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 6

  • GraphQL API Drupal: Plugin or add-on. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.
  • Webhooks Drupal: Plugin or add-on. HubSpot CMS: Not available.
  • Field-level permissions Drupal: Plugin or add-on. HubSpot CMS: Not available.
  • Single sign-on Drupal: Plugin or add-on. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.
  • Audit log Drupal: Limited. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.
  • Multiple sites Drupal: Plugin or add-on. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.

More comparisons

Full write-ups with worked examples and costs: Drupal vs Payload.

Drupal against other platforms

HubSpot CMS against other platforms

Open the CMS comparison tool to put up to six platforms in one table.

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