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CMS comparison Drupal vs Squarespace

Drupal vs Squarespace

Drupal is an open-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. Squarespace 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 20.

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  • Drupal Traditional · Open source · 16 of 28 built in
  • Squarespace Site builder · Closed source · 9 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Drupal on 29 Sept 2026, Squarespace 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 Squarespace feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Drupal Traditional
Squarespace 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.Hosted website builder with templates, a visual editor, blogging and commerce. Squarespace runs the hosting.
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 Squarespace website plans on version 7.1 SaaS, continuously updated
Vendor Drupal community, supported by the Drupal Association drupal.org Squarespace, Inc. squarespace.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, TwigHosted SaaS, custom CSS and JavaScript on Core and higher plans
Database MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLiteManaged by Squarespace
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. No free option Basic $19, Core $29, Plus $49, Advanced $99 per month billed annually in the US. 14-day free trial.
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. Limited Custom post types in template.conf, only with Developer Mode on version 7.0. 23
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. Not available Fixed page and collection types. No custom fields in the editor. 2
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 Editors add and reorder sections and blocks.
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 Plugin or add-on Weglot extension. Without it, editors duplicate pages per language. 45
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 Squarespace serves uploaded images in generated sizes.
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in JSON:API and REST modules in core. 3 Limited Commerce APIs for products, orders and inventory on Core and up. No API for pages. 16
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 Not available
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 Limited Commerce events only, through the Webhook Subscriptions API. 7
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
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 Paid tier Page drafts need a Premium or Enterprise plan. Blog posts can be drafts on any plan. 8
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 Limited Blog posts only. 9
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. Not available Undo and redo within an editing session only. 10
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 Editing happens on the rendered page.
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
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 Limited Enterprise Draft editor role drafts pages for an admin to publish. No custom stages. 811
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 Not available
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 Not available Fixed contributor permission types. 11
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 Premium and Enterprise plans. OpenID Connect through Entra ID, SAML through Google. 1718
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 Not available
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 Limited Each site needs its own plan. Enterprise teams manage several sites from one account. 11
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. Not available
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in drupal.org module directory. Built in Squarespace Extensions, a directory of third-party tools. 12
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 Form blocks store submissions. 13
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Built in Built in Customer accounts on all plans. Member sites for gated content. 114
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 Squarespace AI writer. Monthly AI credits vary by plan. 115
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 Not available The official MCP server covers domain search only. It can't reach site content. 16

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

Where they differ

Drupal and Squarespace get a different status on 20 of the 28 features and the same status on 8. Drupal has 16 built in on its baseline edition, Squarespace has 9. 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). Squarespace is closed source (Proprietary).
Self-hosting
Drupal can be self-hosted. Squarespace cannot be self-hosted.
Vendor cloud
Drupal has no vendor-run cloud. Squarespace has a vendor-run cloud.
Free option
Drupal has a free option. Squarespace has no free option.

Built in on Drupal, a different answer on Squarespace 10

  • Content model in code Drupal: Built in. Squarespace: Limited.
  • Content model in the UI Drupal: Built in. Squarespace: Not available.
  • Localization Drupal: Built in. Squarespace: Plugin or add-on.
  • REST API Drupal: Built in. Squarespace: Limited.
  • Drafts Drupal: Built in. Squarespace: Paid tier.
  • Version history Drupal: Built in. Squarespace: Not available.
  • Approval workflows Drupal: Built in. Squarespace: Limited.
  • Content releases Drupal: Built in. Squarespace: Not available.
  • Custom roles Drupal: Built in. Squarespace: Not available.
  • Extensible admin UI Drupal: Built in. Squarespace: Not available.

Built in on Squarespace, a different answer on Drupal 3

  • Visual editing Drupal: Limited. Squarespace: Built in.
  • Form builder Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Squarespace: Built in.
  • AI writing assistant Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Squarespace: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 7

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

More comparisons

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

Drupal against other platforms

Squarespace against other platforms

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

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