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CMS comparison EmDash vs HubSpot CMS

EmDash vs HubSpot CMS

EmDash 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 13.

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  • EmDash Traditional · Open source · 14 of 28 built in
  • HubSpot CMS Site builder · Closed source · 16 of 28 built in

Sources checked: EmDash 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
EmDash vs HubSpot CMS feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
EmDash Traditional
HubSpot CMS Site builder
Overview
What it is Open-source CMS from Cloudflare that runs inside an Astro site, with the admin and pages in one app on Cloudflare Workers or Node.js.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. EmDash 1.0, open source Version 1.0.1, released 28 Sept 2026 Content Hub: Free, Starter, Professional, Enterprise SaaS, continuously updated
Vendor Cloudflare emdashcms.com HubSpot, Inc. hubspot.com
Licence Open source MIT Closed source Proprietary
Hosting Self-hosting No vendor cloud No managed hosting. You deploy to your own Cloudflare account or Node.js server. No self-hosting Vendor cloud
Built with TypeScript, AstroHubL templates, HubSpot CLI
Database SQLite, Cloudflare D1, PostgreSQL, libSQLManaged 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. You pay only for hosting. 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. Limited Seed files set up new sites. A live site's model changes through the admin, API or CLI. 20 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 Admin role only. 220 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 Blocks field with versioned block types. 5 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 Each translation is a separate entry with its own status. 6 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 Uses Astro's image endpoint for sizes and formats. Crop and focal point in the editor. 78 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 9 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. Not available 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 Official webhook-notifier plugin. 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 The Astro site renders the pages. 2 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 10 Built in
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in 10 Built in 118
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Built in On revision-enabled collections. 10 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 Signed preview links. 11 Built in
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. Built in Signed-in editors get visual editing on the rendered page. 11 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. Not available Contributors cannot publish. No configurable review stages. 1210 Paid tier Content approvals on Enterprise. 1
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Not available 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. Not available Five fixed roles from Subscriber to Admin. 12 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. Not available 12 Not available
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Limited Microsoft Entra sign-in built in. Other IdPs through Cloudflare Access. No native SAML. 12 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. Plugin or add-on Official audit-log plugin. 19 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. Not available Paid tier Multisites on Enterprise. 1
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in Plugins add admin pages and dashboard widgets. 13 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 Plugin registry, launched with 1.0. 143 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 Official forms plugin. 17 Built in
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Limited Subscriber role reads member-only content. Members share the editors' user system. 12 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. Not available 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. Built in Built in and on by default. 15 Built in Remote HubSpot MCP server reads site pages, landing pages and blog posts. 18

EmDash sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. EmDash 1.0, open source.

  1. emdash on the npm registry
  2. EmDash homepage
  3. EmDash 1.0: an open source CMS for Astro
  4. EmDash repository on GitHub
  5. EmDash docs: Blocks
  6. EmDash docs: Internationalization
  7. EmDash docs: Configuration reference
  8. EmDash docs: Media Library
  9. EmDash docs: REST API
  10. EmDash docs: Content lifecycle
  11. EmDash docs: Preview mode
  12. EmDash docs: Authentication
  13. EmDash docs: Plugins overview
  14. EmDash docs: Plugin registry
  15. EmDash docs: AI tools and MCP server
  16. EmDash docs: Database options
  17. @emdash-cms/plugin-forms on the npm registry
  18. @emdash-cms/plugin-webhook-notifier on the npm registry
  19. @emdash-cms/plugin-audit-log on the npm registry
  20. EmDash docs: Evolving a deployed site

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 EmDash and HubSpot CMS with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.

Where they differ

EmDash and HubSpot CMS get a different status on 13 of the 28 features and the same status on 15. EmDash has 14 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
EmDash is open source (MIT). HubSpot CMS is closed source (Proprietary).
Self-hosting
EmDash can be self-hosted. HubSpot CMS cannot be self-hosted.
Vendor cloud
EmDash has no vendor-run cloud. HubSpot CMS has a vendor-run cloud.

Built in on EmDash, a different answer on HubSpot CMS 1

  • Content model in the UI EmDash: Built in. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.

Built in on HubSpot CMS, a different answer on EmDash 3

  • Content model in code EmDash: Limited. HubSpot CMS: Built in.
  • Form builder EmDash: Plugin or add-on. HubSpot CMS: Built in.
  • AI writing assistant EmDash: Not available. HubSpot CMS: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 9

  • GraphQL API EmDash: Not available. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.
  • Webhooks EmDash: Plugin or add-on. HubSpot CMS: Not available.
  • Approval workflows EmDash: Not available. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.
  • Content releases EmDash: Not available. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.
  • Custom roles EmDash: Not available. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.
  • Single sign-on EmDash: Limited. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.
  • Audit log EmDash: Plugin or add-on. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.
  • Multiple sites EmDash: Not available. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.
  • Site member accounts EmDash: Limited. HubSpot CMS: Paid tier.

More comparisons

EmDash against other platforms

HubSpot CMS against other platforms

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