HubSpot CMS vs Payload
HubSpot CMS is a closed-source site builder that runs on the vendor's cloud. Payload is an open-source headless CMS that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 13.
- HubSpot CMS Site builder · Closed source · 16 of 28 built in
- Payload Headless · Open source · 13 of 28 built in
Sources checked: HubSpot CMS on 29 Sept 2026, Payload 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
| Platform |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| 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 TypeScript headless CMS and app framework that installs into a Next.js app and stores content in your own database. |
| Edition compared The product and release each column describes. | Content Hub: Free, Starter, Professional, Enterprise SaaS, continuously updated | Payload 3, MIT-licensed open-source core Version 3.90.2, released 23 Sept 2026 |
| Vendor | HubSpot, Inc. hubspot.com | Figma (acquired Payload in June 2025) payloadcms.com |
| Licence | Closed source Proprietary | Open source MIT |
| Hosting | No self-hosting Vendor cloud | Self-hosting Vendor cloud Payload Cloud is paused for new projects. Payload offers hosting to enterprise customers. |
| Built with | HubL templates, HubSpot CLI | TypeScript, Node.js, Next.js, React |
| Database | Managed by HubSpot, with HubDB for structured data | PostgreSQL, MongoDB, 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 to self-host. Enterprise licence, support and hosting 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 Collections, globals and fields are TypeScript config. 2 |
| 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 No schema builder in the admin. |
| 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 Blocks field. |
| 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 | Built in Field-level localization. |
| 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 | Built in Generates configured image sizes on upload, with crop and focal point. 11 |
| 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 | Built in |
| 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 afterChange hooks in code. 17 |
| 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 Runs inside your Next.js app. You build the pages. |
| Editorial workflow | ||
| Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. | Built in | Built in 10 |
| Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. | Built in 118 | Built in Scheduled publish and unpublish run through the jobs queue. 10 |
| 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 | Built in Opt-in per collection or global. 10 |
| Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. | Built in | 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 Drag-and-drop editor edits the rendered page. 5 | Not available Payload lists the Enterprise Visual Editor as coming soon. 37 |
| 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 | Paid tier Enterprise publishing workflows. 39 |
| 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 Document locking only. Payload lists enterprise multi-player editing as coming soon. 12320 |
| 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. 18 |
| Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. | Not available | Built in Field-level access functions. 18 |
| 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 | Paid tier Enterprise licence, SAML and OAuth 2.0. 35 |
| 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 | Paid tier Enterprise audit logs. 6 |
| 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 | Plugin or add-on Official multi-tenant plugin. 15 |
| 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 React components, views and fields. |
| Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. | Built in HubSpot Marketplace for apps and themes. 16 | Limited Docs list official plugins. Community plugin directories are third-party. 13 |
| Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. | Built in | Plugin or add-on Official Form Builder plugin. 16 |
| 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 Any auth-enabled collection can hold site users. |
| 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 | Paid tier Enterprise AI writing assistant. Payload lists AI translation and image generation as coming soon. 8 |
| 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 | Plugin or add-on Official open-source MCP plugin. 14 |
HubSpot CMS sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Content Hub: Free, Starter, Professional, Enterprise.
- HubSpot Content Hub pricing
- HubSpot Product & Services Catalog
- HubSpot docs: Modules overview
- HubSpot KB: Create and populate HubDB tables
- HubSpot KB: Edit content in the content editor
- HubSpot KB: Create pages in multiple languages
- HubSpot docs: HubL functions
- HubSpot API: Schedule a website page
- HubSpot docs: Query HubSpot data using GraphQL
- HubSpot docs: Webhooks API guide
- HubSpot KB: Set a blog post's publish date and time
- HubSpot KB: Restore a previous version of content
- HubSpot KB: Redesign and relaunch a site with content staging
- HubSpot KB: Create and assign permission sets
- HubSpot KB: Set up single sign-on (SSO)
- HubSpot Marketplace
- HubSpot KB: Generate and refine content with AI
- Remote HubSpot MCP server is now generally available
Payload sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Payload 3, MIT-licensed open-source core.
- payload on the npm registry
- Get started with Payload
- Payload for Enterprise
- Payload Cloud update: Payload has joined Figma
- Payload enterprise SSO
- Payload enterprise audit logs
- Payload Visual Editor
- Payload enterprise AI
- Payload publishing workflows
- Payload docs: Drafts
- Payload docs: Uploads
- Payload docs: Document locking
- Payload docs: Plugins
- Payload docs: MCP plugin
- Payload docs: Multi-tenant plugin
- Payload docs: Form Builder plugin
- GitHub discussion: Webhooks?
- Payload docs: Access control
- Figma blog: Welcoming Payload to the Figma team
- Payload multi-player editing
Considering more platforms? Compare HubSpot CMS and Payload with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.
Where they differ
HubSpot CMS and Payload get a different status on 13 of the 28 features and the same status on 15. HubSpot CMS has 16 built in on its baseline edition, Payload has 13. 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). Payload is open source (MIT).
- Self-hosting
- HubSpot CMS cannot be self-hosted. Payload can be self-hosted.
Built in on HubSpot CMS, a different answer on Payload 6
- Renders the website HubSpot CMS: Built in. Payload: Not available.
- Visual editing HubSpot CMS: Built in. Payload: Not available.
- Plugin marketplace HubSpot CMS: Built in. Payload: Limited.
- Form builder HubSpot CMS: Built in. Payload: Plugin or add-on.
- AI writing assistant HubSpot CMS: Built in. Payload: Paid tier.
- Official MCP server HubSpot CMS: Built in. Payload: Plugin or add-on.
Built in on Payload, a different answer on HubSpot CMS 3
- GraphQL API HubSpot CMS: Paid tier. Payload: Built in.
- Field-level permissions HubSpot CMS: Not available. Payload: Built in.
- Site member accounts HubSpot CMS: Paid tier. Payload: Built in.
Built in on neither, with different answers 4
- Content model in the UI HubSpot CMS: Paid tier. Payload: Not available.
- Content releases HubSpot CMS: Paid tier. Payload: Not available.
- Custom roles HubSpot CMS: Paid tier. Payload: Limited.
- Multiple sites HubSpot CMS: Paid tier. Payload: Plugin or add-on.
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