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CMS comparison HubSpot CMS vs Keystone

HubSpot CMS vs Keystone

HubSpot CMS is a closed-source site builder that runs on the vendor's cloud. Keystone is an open-source headless CMS that you host yourself. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 23.

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  • HubSpot CMS Site builder · Closed source · 16 of 28 built in
  • Keystone Headless · Open source · 6 of 28 built in

Sources checked: HubSpot CMS on 29 Sept 2026, Keystone 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
HubSpot CMS vs Keystone feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
HubSpot CMS Site builder
Keystone Headless
Overview
What it is HubSpot's hosted CMS and site builder, sold as Content Hub. Pages and blogs connect to the HubSpot CRM, and HubSpot hosts every site.Open-source Node.js headless CMS from Thinkmill that generates a GraphQL API and an admin UI from a TypeScript schema.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Content Hub: Free, Starter, Professional, Enterprise SaaS, continuously updated Keystone 6, open source, from the @keystone-6/core package Version 8.1.0, released 31 Aug 2026
Vendor HubSpot, Inc. hubspot.com Thinkmill keystonejs.com
Licence Closed source Proprietary Open source MIT
Hosting No self-hosting Vendor cloud Self-hosting No vendor cloud No managed hosting. Thinkmill offers enterprise support.
Built with HubL templates, HubSpot CLITypeScript, Node.js, GraphQL, Prisma, Next.js for the admin UI
Database Managed by HubSpot, with HubDB for structured dataPostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. 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. Free to start Free and open source. Enterprise support from Thinkmill on request.
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 Theme and module fields live in fields.json, synced with the HubSpot CLI. 3 Built in Lists and fields are TypeScript config. 4
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Paid tier Module fields in Design manager on Starter. HubDB tables on Professional. 14 Not available
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Drag-and-drop modules and sections. 5 Built in Component blocks inside the document field. 8
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Built in Free tools cover 3 languages, Starter 50, Professional unlimited. 16 Not available No locale support documented. Model translations yourself. 12
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Built in Automatic resizing plus the HubL resize_image_url function. 7 Not available Image field stores originals. The Cloudinary field hands resizing to Cloudinary. 711
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in CMS APIs for pages, blog posts and HubDB. 8 Not available GraphQL only. Custom REST routes through extendExpressApp. 4
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Paid tier Content Hub Professional. 9 Built in
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Not available Webhooks API covers CRM objects. No page publish events. 10 Not available No webhook settings. Call URLs from hooks in code. 10
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Built in HubL themes and templates on HubSpot hosting. Not available
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in Not available
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in 118 Not available
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Built in Restore previous versions on all plans. 12 Not available
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in Not available
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. Built in Drag-and-drop editor edits the rendered page. 5 Not available
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Paid tier Content approvals on Enterprise. 1 Not available
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Paid tier Content staging on Professional publishes staged pages together. 13 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. Paid tier Permission sets on Enterprise. Per-user permissions on all plans. 14 Limited Roles are access-control functions written in code. No role editor in the admin. 5
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Not available Built in Field-level access control. 5
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Paid tier SAML SSO on Content Hub Professional and Enterprise. 15 Not available The auth package covers password login. SSO means custom session code. 6
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Paid tier Activity logging on Enterprise. 1 Not available
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Paid tier Multisites on Enterprise. 1 Not available
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in Custom modules and their fields appear in the page editor. 3 Built in Custom admin pages, navigation and field views. 9
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in HubSpot Marketplace for apps and themes. 16 Not available
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Built in Not available
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Paid tier Memberships on Professional with 2 access groups and Enterprise with 100. 12 Built in createAuth works on any list, including site users. 6
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Built in Breeze generates and refines content in editors on all plans. 17 Not available
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Built in Remote HubSpot MCP server reads site pages, landing pages and blog posts. 18 Not available

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

Where they differ

HubSpot CMS and Keystone get a different status on 23 of the 28 features and the same status on 5. HubSpot CMS has 16 built in on its baseline edition, Keystone has 6. 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
HubSpot CMS is closed source (Proprietary). Keystone is open source (MIT).
Self-hosting
HubSpot CMS cannot be self-hosted. Keystone can be self-hosted.
Vendor cloud
HubSpot CMS has a vendor-run cloud. Keystone has no vendor-run cloud.

Built in on HubSpot CMS, a different answer on Keystone 13

  • Localization HubSpot CMS: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
  • Image transformations HubSpot CMS: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
  • REST API HubSpot CMS: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
  • Renders the website HubSpot CMS: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
  • Drafts HubSpot CMS: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
  • Scheduled publishing HubSpot CMS: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
  • Version history HubSpot CMS: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
  • Preview HubSpot CMS: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
  • Visual editing HubSpot CMS: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
  • Plugin marketplace HubSpot CMS: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
  • Form builder HubSpot CMS: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
  • AI writing assistant HubSpot CMS: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
  • Official MCP server HubSpot CMS: Built in. Keystone: Not available.

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

  • GraphQL API HubSpot CMS: Paid tier. Keystone: Built in.
  • Field-level permissions HubSpot CMS: Not available. Keystone: Built in.
  • Site member accounts HubSpot CMS: Paid tier. Keystone: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 7

  • Content model in the UI HubSpot CMS: Paid tier. Keystone: Not available.
  • Approval workflows HubSpot CMS: Paid tier. Keystone: Not available.
  • Content releases HubSpot CMS: Paid tier. Keystone: Not available.
  • Custom roles HubSpot CMS: Paid tier. Keystone: Limited.
  • Single sign-on HubSpot CMS: Paid tier. Keystone: Not available.
  • Audit log HubSpot CMS: Paid tier. Keystone: Not available.
  • Multiple sites HubSpot CMS: Paid tier. Keystone: Not available.

More comparisons

HubSpot CMS against other platforms

Keystone against other platforms

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

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