Choosing a CMS: WordPress, Site Builders or Headless

Three kinds of CMS

• Self-hosted open source. You install the software on hosting you choose. WordPress is the best-known example; Joomla and Drupal are others. You get the code, the database and full control, and you are responsible for updates, backups and security.
• Hosted site builder. A company runs the software and the hosting as one subscription service. Wix, Squarespace, Webflow and Shopify (for shops) work this way. Updates, hosting and security are handled for you, but the site lives on the provider's platform.
• Headless. The CMS only stores and serves content through an API, and a separate front end, built by a developer, displays it. The CMS can be a hosted service or a self-hosted system; WordPress itself can work this way through its REST API.

There is also the option of no CMS at all: a static or custom-coded site where a developer makes the changes. Our guide to WordPress versus a custom-coded website covers when that fits.

How widely each is used

W3Techs' content management survey, which it updates daily, showed the following when checked on 29 October 2026. The first figure is the share of all websites; the second is the share among websites whose CMS W3Techs can identify.

• WordPress: 39.5% of all websites, 58.2% of those with a known CMS.
• Shopify: 5.3%, 7.9%.
• Wix: 4.2%, 6.1%.
• Squarespace: 2.4%, 3.6%.
• Joomla: 1.1%, 1.6%.
• Webflow: 0.8%, 1.2%.
• Drupal: 0.6%, 0.9%.

The same survey found that 32.1% of websites use none of the systems it monitors. Popularity is not a reason on its own to pick a platform, but it matters in practice: a widely used system is easier to find developers, hosts, plugins and answers for.

Ownership and hosting

With self-hosted open source, the software licence gives you rights over the code itself. WordPress is released under the GPLv2 (or later) licence, so you can run it on any hosting that meets its requirements and move it whenever you like. WordPress's requirements page recommends PHP 8.3 or greater, MariaDB 10.11 or greater or MySQL 8.0 or greater, and HTTPS support. Our guide to web hosting explains the hosting types that can run it.

A hosted site builder works the other way round. Wix's help page on exporting or embedding a Wix site elsewhere says the content you build belongs to you, but that the site "must run on Wix's servers", because it relies on Wix's proprietary technology. You can connect your own domain, but you cannot take the site to another host. You own the content; the platform owns the software it runs on.

A headless set-up splits the question in two: the content lives in the CMS, under that system's terms, and the front end is code that is normally written for you and can be hosted where you choose.

Lock-in: what you can take with you

The question to ask before choosing is: if we leave in three years, what comes with us? The platforms' own documentation gives clear answers.

• WordPress. The Tools > Export screen creates an XML file (WXR) with your posts, pages, custom post types, comments, custom fields, categories, tags, custom taxonomies and users, which another WordPress site can import. For a full move, the files and database are copied as they are, which any capable host can do.
• Squarespace. Its help page on exporting site content says you can export certain content to an .xml file in WordPress format. Layout pages, one blog with its posts, text and image blocks export; store pages, product, audio and video blocks, drafts, style settings and custom CSS do not. It also warns that images may not migrate to a self-hosted WordPress site.
• Webflow. Its code export article says exporting the site's HTML, CSS, JavaScript and images is available only on Workspace plans. CMS content, e-commerce, user accounts, form processing, site search and localised content are not included in the exported code, although CMS collections can be exported separately.
• Wix. As above, the site cannot be moved to another host. Leaving means rebuilding the site elsewhere and moving the content across.

Whatever you choose, keep your own copy of the text, images and documents, and keep the domain registered in your business's name, so a move is a rebuild rather than a loss. Our guide to moving a website covers how to change platform without losing search traffic.

Editing day to day

The people who will update the site should help choose the CMS. Things to try in a demo or trial:

• Add a new page, a blog post and a news item, and change an image and a menu link.
• Check what an editor can break: can they change the layout, or only the content in fixed places?
• Look at user roles, so you can give a colleague or freelancer access without handing over everything.
• Check drafts, scheduling and previews, and whether older versions of a page can be restored.
• If you publish in more than one language, test how translations are added and linked.

Site builders usually win on visual editing out of the box. WordPress depends on how the site is built: a well-made theme gives editors clear, safe blocks, while a heavy multipurpose theme can make simple edits confusing. A headless CMS gives editors a clean form for structured content, but previewing a page as it will look needs developer work.

What drives the cost

Prices change too often to list here, so compare the cost drivers instead:

• Subscription or hosting. Site builders charge a recurring plan, and features such as e-commerce, code export or more editors can need a higher tier. Self-hosted systems need hosting that you pay for separately.
• Extensions. Paid plugins, themes and apps on any platform add yearly fees.
• Maintenance. A self-hosted CMS needs regular updates, backups and security checks, done by you or paid for. Our guide to website backups covers one part of that work.
• Development. Custom design and features cost money to build on any platform. A headless set-up has the highest build cost, because the front end is a separate piece of software.
• Leaving. A platform with little export adds the cost of a rebuild to any future move.

Our guide to what a website costs looks at the full budget.

Which one fits

• A hosted site builder fits a small site that the owner wants to run alone, with no developer and no server to look after, where lock-in is an acceptable trade for simplicity.
• Self-hosted WordPress fits a business that publishes often, wants to own the whole site, needs features available as plugins, and can keep up with updates or pay someone to.
• A headless CMS fits when the same content must feed a website, an app and other channels, or when the front end has demanding speed or design needs and there is a development team to maintain it.
• For a shop, compare a hosted platform with a self-hosted one; our Shopify vs WooCommerce guide does this.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most widely used CMS?

WordPress. W3Techs' survey, checked on 29 October 2026, found it on 39.5% of all websites and 58.2% of websites whose CMS it can identify. Shopify, Wix and Squarespace followed.

Can I move a Wix site to another host?

No. Wix's help centre says your content belongs to you, but the site must run on Wix's servers because it relies on Wix's own technology. Moving away means rebuilding the site on another platform.

Can I export a Squarespace or Webflow site?

Partly. Squarespace exports certain content, such as layout pages and one blog, to a WordPress-format XML file, but not store pages or style settings. Webflow's code export, available on Workspace plans, includes pages, styles, scripts and images but not CMS, e-commerce or form processing.

What is a headless CMS?

A CMS that stores content and delivers it through an API, with a separately built front end that displays it. It suits content shared across a website and apps, but costs more to build and maintain.

Is WordPress free?

The software is open source under the GPLv2 (or later) licence and costs nothing to download. You still pay for hosting, any premium themes or plugins, and the time or service needed to keep it updated and backed up.

Choosing a platform for a new site? See how we approach website development and website maintenance, see all our services, or email info@creahive.com.