If you’re looking for a fast and easy way to launch a site and scale its content over time, HubSpot’s CMS Hub provides both free and paid tools to support businesses of all sizes. Read on to see if HubSpot CMS is right for you.

HubSpot CMS Pros and Cons

Pros

• Easy to use
• Drag-and-drop website builder
• Fully integrated with HubSpot’s CRM
• Over 1,400 integrations
• Award-winning customer support

Cons

• Limited free plan
• Large jumps in price from plan to plan
• Rigid themes lacking in customization

About HubSpot

HubSpot is best known for its marketing tools and, more specifically, its CRM software. But the brand offers a versatile product suite that ecompasses sales, customer service, operations, and content management, too. From marketing automation tools and customer relationship management to live chat software and ticket support, HubSpot has it all. The CMS platform alone is packed with benefits like web hosting included, site themes, drag-and-drop editing, memberships, and full integration with the CRM. 

Over 177,000 businesses in more than 120 countries worldwide rely on HubSpot. In addition to its robust and reliable software options, HubSpot also provides online courses and certifications for professional development in categories like SEO, inbound marketing, operations, CMS for developers, social media marketing, and more. Everything HubSpot offers pertains to an underlying theme of building positive customer experiences and growing a business. 

HubSpot Health and Stability

Founded in 2005, HubSpot started as a small business software provider focused on improving customer experiences. HubSpot’s founders essentially coined the modern version of “inbound marketing” as we know it today, paving the way for how businesses around the world approach, develop, and implement marketing strategies. 

HubSpot quickly scaled over the next decade, going public on the NYSE in 2014. They now employ over 7,000 people across 11 global offices, and the company is valued at nearly $23 billion. They’re projected to generate over $2 billion in revenue this year alone. 

In simple terms, HubSpot is still growing and has plenty of cash flow that is used to constantly improve its products and create new business solutions. They’re an industry leader in the world of marketing and lead generation, and they aren’t going anywhere for the foreseeable future. 

If you use HubSpot CMS to build and run your website, you shouldn’t have to worry about anything happening to the company that would cause problems for your own site or business. HubSpot is as reputable and reliable as any software company on the market today. 

HubSpot CMS Pricing

HubSpot CMS has four different plans to accommodate businesses and teams of all sizes. This platform is designed to grow with you as your site scales, so you can upgrade whenever you need to access additional, advanced features. It’s completely free to start using, and HubSpot offers both month-to-month and annual pricing options if you select one of their paid plans. 

HubSpot CMS Pricing Structure

There are two main ways to get HubSpot CMS. You can use it as a standalone product or get it bundled in a plan with other HubSpot tools. Most businesses opt for the latter, as it’s the best way to get the most out of HubSpot for sales, marketing, and customer service, in addition to content management. 

On its own, HubSpot CMS is offered at a tiered pricing structure, with each tier increasing in price and providing more advanced features. Like all HubSpot software, there’s an entry-level CMS tier that’s 100% free and comes with the basics you need to create, launch, and manage your website. The entry-level Starter plan starts at $23 per month, and the Professional and Enterprise plans start at $360 and $1,200 per month, respectively. 

Alternatively, you can get HubSpot CMS bundled into a product suite with a single subscription. Pricing for the software suites is a bit more complex, as it’s based on the size of your marketing contact list and the number of paid internal users who need access to the platform. The Starter version of the suite starts at $30 per month with an annual contract, which is suitable for smaller teams and individuals. HubSpot’s Professional suite is designed for growing businesses and mid-sized teams and starts at $1,600 per month when you commit annually. 

HubSpot CMS Trials and Guarantees

HubSpot has some of the best free tools in the world of business software. While there’s no trial, you can use HubSpot CMS for free forever—with no credit card required at sign-up. You’ll also have access to free marketing tools, free sales tools, free service tools, and free operations tools. 

As expected, the free CMS is limited and not built to scale. For example, it places HubSpot’s branding on your website (until you decide to upgrade) and only lets you build 25 pages in total. But, it’s the best way to try out the platform for as long as you want—there’s no being forced to decide within a week or two if you want to keep using it.

You can also get a free demo to see how HubSpot CMS can accommodate your unique business needs and get a preview of features that aren’t accessible on the free version of this platform. 

HubSpot CMS Overview

HubSpot CMS has everything you need to create a new website and publish content that aligns with your marketing strategy. We’ll take a closer look at the HubSpot CMS platform along with its key features and benefits below.

Content Management System

HubSpot’s content management system, also known as the HubSpot CMS Hub, is a flexible solution that’s designed to give your customers a more personalized web experience when they interact with your online properties and content. 

It comes with a fully managed website hosting service that’s secure and reliable. You can connect the CMS with your custom domain name to build authority and ensure your content appears in organic search results. 

One unique standout of HubSpot CMS compared to other content management systems on the market is its marketing-centric approach. It’s built with marketers in mind and works to ensure your web content is personalized and align your campaigns across every channel. 

HubSpot provides a fully integrated HubSpot CRM within the CMS, alongside other helpful features like SEO recommendations, support for dynamic content, traffic analytics, and reporting. The platform also supports embedded video content, user memberships, and integrated payment solutions directly within the CRM. 

You don’t need to be a developer (or have one on retainer) to use HubSpot CMS. It’s a great option for non-technical marketers and businesses that don’t have internal IT resources. 

HubSpot can help simplify the migration process if you want to move your web properties from your existing CMS to this platform. HubSpot’s CMS also works really well for microsites, like online learning platforms, event pages, or campaign-specific sites. 

One potential drawback of the HubSpot CMS is its lack of market presence. It’s newer compared to other CMS platforms and controls less than 1% of the total CMS global market share. While there are over 1,400 integrations to extend the functionality of your site, there are other CMS platforms out there (like WordPress) offering tens of thousands of plugins, add-ons, and extensions.

But for anyone seeking a fully integrated CRM within a CMS, along with sales and support features, HubSpot CMS must be taken into consideration. Plans start at $23 per month, and you can get started for free. 

Free Website Builder

HubSpot CMS includes a drag-and-drop website builder that makes it easy for anyone to create a website without any coding knowledge or technical expertise. This helps you launch sites faster, with HubSpot’s pre-built themes giving you a starting point that’s much easier than starting from a blank screen. 

Its WYSIWYG editor lets you craft pages and create experiences that show you exactly what your visitors will see. HubSpot CMS lets you visualize how things will look and preview everything with a single click before going live. 

Use pre-built modules to quickly add site elements and eliminate guesswork from the web design process. Even if it’s your first time creating a website, you can get the basic framework done and launch within the same day that you get started. 

There are hundreds of professionally-designed themes to choose from. But, it’s worth noting that some users had negative feedback about the ability to customize the themes they selected. Make sure you take the time to research different themes and test them out before finalizing your decision. 

While the website builder marketplace is somewhat oversaturated, HubSpot does a great job of standing out from the crowd by focusing on what it does best. Everything about their website builder helps businesses expand their reach, generate leads, and drive conversions. 

Get started for free and start building today. 

Free Blog Maker

HubSpot’s free blog maker is also included within the CMS Hub. Whether you’re starting a content-heavy blog from scratch or just need to add a blogroll to your existing site, HubSpot has plenty of options for you to choose from. 

You can get started in minutes and customize the design of your blog to align with your brand and site theme.

One of my favorite parts about HubSpot’s free blog maker is that it’s truly an all-in-one blogging solution. You don’t need a bunch of third-party tools to get the most out of your content, as everything you need is already built into HubSpot.

For example, you’ll get SEO recommendations for all of your content without having to run anything through another tool. Other essentials like hosting, site monitoring, and security updates are all handled for you. 

HubSpot shines brighter than a lot of other blogging tools with its features for bolstering the ability of posts to turn into converted sales. The free blog maker comes with a bevy of tools for creating custom calls-to-action and lead capturing forms that will help you grow your contact list and convert visitors into customers. 

Just be aware that, if you use the free version of the tool, your blog will have HubSpot’s branding on it. The vast majority of you will want to quickly upgrade to a paid plan to eliminate the HubSpot branding. Upgrading will also lift the limit on how many pages you can publish. 

Branding Tools

Another reason to consider HubSpot CMS is because of the tons of extras and free perks. HubSpot’s branding tools, including its Brand Kit Generator, have everything you need to create a brand identity from scratch. 

You’ll love these tools if you want to establish or rebuild your the look, feel, and presence of your brand on your website and other online channels. You can download and repurpose any assets you create in HubSpot’s branding tools and deploy them across your social media channels, emails, and other visual content. 

Other branding tools from HubSpot that I recommend include:

• HubSpot Icon Maker
• HubSpot Favicon Generator
• HubSpot Color Palette Generator
• HubSpot Free Logo Maker

All of these are super helpful. Rather than having to source and pay a designer or brand specialist, you can just use HubSpot’s free tools to take care of all of this on your own. 

It takes the guesswork out of deciding which color schemes work well with certain pages and logos. Just pick what starting colors you like, and HubSpot will automatically generate the rest for you. You may not necessarily love the results the first time. But the tools are all so easy to use that you can quickly repeat the process until it produces something you’re happy with. 

HubSpot CMS Reputation

Overall, HubSpot CMS has an overwhelmingly positive reputation across the web. It’s been reviewed by thousands of verified users across multiple trusted review sites—and the vast majority of those reviews praise the platform. 

More specifically, users love how easy it is to use HubSpot CMS. Lots of reviews also mention how powerful the integrated marketing and customer management tools are. Tons of users specifically point out how HubSpot CMS bridges the gap between web experiences and marketing execution. There’s also a generally positive sentiment about HubSpot CMS improving the customer experience for businesses in different industries. 

While the tool is solid, some users said they ran into some limitations with the platform, specifically with its themes. Others found it tough to truly customize the software to accommodate their needs. But, even the user reviews with some criticism of the product still rate it as three out of five stars. I only found a handful of legitimate one and two-star reviews, and most of those are several years old. 

Final Verdict

HubSpot CMS is a powerful and versatile website builder and scalable content management system. It’s perfect for managing marketing-focused web experiences with built-in tools for lead generation, conversations, and nurturing customers. 

It’s packed with free and robust features, including a blog builder, branding tools, SEO tools, page testing options, and so much more. Whether you’re a solo user creating a new site from scratch or you’re an existing business looking for a better way to manage content and web experiences, we can recommend HubSpot CMS with confidence. Get started for free today.

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