Jardine Studio
TOOL / CMS COMPARISON

The right CMS for the engagement, picked honestly.

Picking a CMS is not about the best platform. It is about the right tradeoff between who maintains the site, what the business needs the site to do, and what holds up over three years. The studio builds custom and migrates between platforms; this is the tool that picks the one that fits.

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The comparison belongs inside the studio's CMS build engagement, where platform choice shapes the editing model, maintenance plan, and launch path.

FIT FINDERQuestion 1 of 5 · Site type

What kind of site is the business?

Pick the closest match. The tool weights everything else against this.

WHERE EACH PLATFORM BREAKS

The fit logic, platform by platform.

Squarespace
Squarespace is the wrong fit when the brand demands a layout that does not fit a stock section type or when the site needs arbitrary structured content (case studies with 8+ fields and filtered indexes, a multi-author publishing pipeline, location pages at scale). The Fluid Engine grid is excellent inside its constraints; outside them, every customization needs Code Injection and the template DOM stays fixed underneath. For an owner-operated wellness studio editing weekly, Squarespace is the right tool. For a multi-location hospitality brand with custom case-study taxonomies, it is the wrong fit. Wrong tool when: structured CMS depth matters, the brand demands a distinctive layout the template cannot reach, or the team needs to own the layout code.
Wix
Wix is a one-way door. The platform blocks direct database exports; pages, images, and design have no native export path. Migrating off Wix means rebuilding from scratch. Pick Wix only if the team genuinely believes the site will never need to move. Performance is the historic weakness and remains below Squarespace and Webflow on Core Web Vitals in independent 2026 benchmarks. Wrong tool when: the business might be acquired, change branding, or need to leave the platform; performance is a contract line; multi-language sites push past the 7,000-character JSON-LD ceiling.
Webflow
Webflow is the wrong fit when the team needs gated content or member accounts. Webflow Memberships ended on 2026-01-29, which is a hard disqualifier, not a workaround. It is also the wrong tool for clients without a designer-in-the-loop for new layouts: the platform rewards craft and punishes guesswork. CMS limits cap at 40 Collections and 20,000 items on the Business plan; sites past those numbers need a different tool. Wrong tool when: the site needs memberships, gated content, or login walls; the team will be authoring new layouts without designer involvement; CMS volume exceeds 20,000 items.
Framer
Framer past 30 pages on the Basic plan is the wrong tool. The 30-page hard cap counts every CMS item as a page. Overlay content does not render in the initial HTML, so menu items housed in overlays are invisible to crawlers, a structural Framer issue rather than a config problem. Pages default to noindex during development and staging environments can get accidentally indexed. Wrong tool when: the site is content-heavy past 30 pages on Basic or 700 pages on Scale; nav lives in overlays and SEO matters; the business is editorial or programmatic-SEO shaped.
Shopify
Shopify is the wrong fit when the business is not primarily selling products online. A boutique law firm has no business on Shopify. A wellness studio selling only services through Acuity has no business on Shopify. The URL structure, admin UX, and pricing model all assume the business is running a store; if it is not, every interaction with the platform is friction. Wrong tool when: the site is a pure marketing brochure with no transactions; bookings or scheduling are the primary conversion; the business model is service-revenue, not product-revenue.
WordPress.com
WordPress.com on lower tiers locks the team out of plugins and FTP, which makes a 'custom' WordPress site impossible. The Business plan is the entry point for plugin access; below that, the team is buying a hosted page builder with a WordPress brand on top. Wrong tool when: the team needs WooCommerce or specific plugins on a budget tier; the workflow requires shell or SFTP access; the project is small enough that WordPress.org self-hosting is cheaper.
WordPress.org
WordPress in 2026 is a real maintenance commitment. Independent data from PatchStack: 11,334 new WordPress vulnerabilities in 2025, 91% in plugins, median 5-hour exploit window. 46% of disclosed vulnerabilities ship without patches. WordPress.org is the right answer when the team has a real maintenance budget and the editorial workflow genuinely needs WordPress (multi-author publishing pipeline, established taxonomy, plugin ecosystem the team relies on). It is the wrong fit when the team picks it for familiarity but does not fund ongoing patching. Wrong tool when: maintenance budget is not funded; the team picks it for familiarity alone; the site is a simple brochure that would run on Squarespace for one-tenth the operational overhead.
Craft CMS
Craft is the wrong fit when ecommerce is the primary use case (Craft Commerce exists but Shopify is the better tool) or when the team needs the WordPress plugin ecosystem. Self-hosting requires a developer in the loop for deploys and updates; Craft is not a hand-it-to-the-owner platform. Wrong tool when: the team has no developer relationship; the project is a small brochure site that does not need Craft's depth; the budget assumes WordPress prices.
Sanity
Sanity has a real ceiling: 25,000 documents on the Growth tier and field-level localization that recommends document-level localization for rich text once Portable Text gets translated. For multi-language sites past a few locales, the recommended pattern multiplies document count quickly. Sanity is the wrong fit when the team does not have a developer to build the frontend and Studio together. It is a content API, not a complete site solution. Wrong tool when: the team is non-technical and wants a complete platform; the content volume pushes past 25,000 documents on a low-budget tier; the project does not have a frontend stack to pair with it.
Payload
Payload is the wrong fit when the team has no developer to run the host or when the project is a one-page marketing site that does not need a CMS. Payload Cloud signups paused in 2025 means new projects self-host through Vercel + Postgres or similar. For a Next.js studio that owns the deploy pipeline, this is alignment, not lock-in. For a team without dev ops, it is a step too far. Wrong tool when: the team has no Next.js skill in-house; the deploy infrastructure is not already set up; the project is small enough that a full CMS is overkill.
Custom Next.js
Custom Next.js is the wrong fit when the team has no studio or developer relationship at all. Without a CMS layer and without someone holding the framework, edits live in code, which works for an in-house dev team but not for a client who wants to swap a hero photo on Tuesday. The studio's default fix is pairing with a headless CMS (Sanity, or Payload when the data model is bespoke), so the owner edits in a real admin while the studio holds the framework inside the engagement. Custom is also wrong for pure ecommerce; Shopify is the right tool there. Wrong tool when: there is no studio or in-house developer in the loop at all; the project is a one-page brochure that would run on Squarespace for a fraction of the effort.
DETAILED COMPARISON

How they stack up across the criteria that matter.

  • Squarespace
    Homepage
    Editor experience
    Owner-friendlyA non-technical owner can run it the day after handoff.
    Design ceiling
    Template-boundedFluid Engine widened the ceiling in 2026 but the underlying DOM stays fixed.
    SEO control
    SolidAuto sitemap, meta, canonical, native schema on collections. Custom JSON-LD via Code Injection.
    Performance
    AverageSolid baseline; falls behind Webflow and static sites under heavy media.
    Custom code surface
    LimitedCode Block per section, site-wide Custom CSS, page-level Code Injection on Business+.
    Content model depth
    CollectionsNative Blog, Events, Products, Portfolio, Members. No arbitrary structured types.
    Booking built in
    BundledAcuity Scheduling is included. Real native booking for hospitality and wellness.
    Memberships
    NativeBuilt-in Members area with content gating and paid tiers.
    Ownership
    Partial exportBlog WXR + product CSV exportable. Page layouts and design do not export.
    Maintenance
    Hands-offEffectively zero. No plugin churn, no security patching.
  • Wix
    Homepage
    Editor experience
    Drag-anywhereWix Editor is the simplest drag-anywhere experience for a non-technical owner.
    Design ceiling
    Editor-boundedWix Studio matches Webflow's responsive model; standard Wix Editor does not.
    SEO control
    CappedMeta, redirects, schema presets. JSON-LD capped at 7,000 chars per page.
    Performance
    VariableBelow Squarespace and Webflow on Core Web Vitals in independent 2026 benchmarks.
    Custom code surface
    Velo onlyVelo runs server and client JS with npm packages. Hosting tied to the platform.
    Content model depth
    Studio CMSWix Studio Collections with reference fields. Standard Wix Content Manager is shallower.
    Booking built in
    NativeNative Wix Bookings with the broadest feature surface of any builder.
    Memberships
    Full-featuredMembers, paid plans, and groups are native and full-featured.
    Ownership
    One-way doorNo real export. Pages, images, and design do not migrate out.
    Maintenance
    Hands-offNear-zero for the client. Velo code does require maintenance.
  • Webflow
    Homepage
    Editor experience
    Two-tierSteep for designers; trivial for clients when set up well. Legacy Editor retires 2026-08-04.
    Design ceiling
    ExceptionalReal HTML/CSS output, near-total design control, custom interactions and animations.
    SEO control
    FullStatic HTML for crawlers, per-page meta and schema, redirects manager, auto sitemap.
    Performance
    StrongStatic rendering and CDN deliver Lighthouse 90+ on standard builds.
    Custom code surface
    Embed onlyCustom code embed per page or site-wide. No server-side runtime.
    Content model depth
    StructuredDeepest structured-content model of the hosted builders. Multi-reference, dynamic templates.
    Booking built in
    Third-partyNo native booking. Integrates with Cal.com, Calendly, or custom widgets.
    Memberships
    Sunset 2026Webflow Memberships ended 2026-01-29. Wrong tool for any new gated-content site.
    Ownership
    Export codeStatic code export available. CMS data via API. Best ownership of the hosted builders.
    Maintenance
    Hands-offLow. No plugins to update; platform updates are non-breaking in practice.
  • Framer
    Homepage
    Editor experience
    Designer-firstDesigners learn it fastest. Clients learn it faster than Webflow.
    Design ceiling
    Motion-richBest motion and interaction tooling in any hosted builder.
    SEO control
    Overlay riskPer-page meta, structured data, AI meta. Overlay content invisible to crawlers.
    Performance
    FastStatic rendering and CloudFront CDN deliver strong Core Web Vitals out of the box.
    Custom code surface
    React onlyCode Components in React, overrides, embeds. Limited compared to Webflow's inline flexibility.
    Content model depth
    ShallowCollections with typed fields. Shallower than Webflow. Awkward for nested taxonomies.
    Booking built in
    Third-partyNo native booking. Embeds or custom integrations.
    Memberships
    Third-partyNo native member areas. Possible via third-party embeds.
    Ownership
    No exportNo code export. CMS data via API only.
    Maintenance
    Hands-offNear-zero.
  • Shopify
    Homepage
    Editor experience
    Admin-shapedSection and block theme editor. Clients edit via Admin, not in-context.
    Design ceiling
    Theme-boundedOnline Store 2.0 sections and metaobjects give designers structured templates. Headless via Hydrogen opens up more.
    SEO control
    Commerce-tunedAuto Product, Collection, BreadcrumbList schema. URL paths for products are largely fixed.
    Performance
    App-dependentStrong with Online Store 2.0 themes. Apps can drag it down.
    Custom code surface
    Liquid-boundLiquid theme files, Custom Liquid, App Embed, Shopify Functions. Storefront API for headless.
    Content model depth
    Commerce-firstProducts, Collections, Pages, Blog, Metaobjects (custom structured types), Metafields.
    Booking built in
    Not nativeNot a booking platform. Integrates via apps or custom.
    Memberships
    Customer accountsCustomer accounts and B2B Plus. Member-only product gating via apps.
    Ownership
    API exportProducts, customers, orders exportable via CSV and API. Theme code exports as zip.
    Maintenance
    App-drivenHigher than other builders. Third-party apps update independently and occasionally break.
  • WordPress.com
    Homepage
    Editor experience
    GutenbergGutenberg block editor. Moderate learning curve for non-technical authors.
    Design ceiling
    Theme-boundedTheme-bounded. Premium plan opens up custom themes.
    SEO control
    Plugin-gatedYoast available on Business plan and above. Limited plugin freedom on lower tiers.
    Performance
    ManagedManaged hosting handles caching and CDN by default.
    Custom code surface
    Plan-gatedPlugins restricted to Business plan and above. No FTP on lower tiers.
    Content model depth
    Native deepNative taxonomies, custom post types via plugins, deep editorial workflow.
    Booking built in
    Plugin-onlyVia plugins. Not native.
    Memberships
    Higher tiersNative Memberships on higher tiers. Plugins extend further.
    Ownership
    WXR exportFull export via WordPress eXtended RSS. Migration to self-hosted is straightforward.
    Maintenance
    Hands-offManaged by Automattic. Plugin and theme updates handled or assisted.
  • WordPress.org
    Homepage
    Editor experience
    Build-dependentGutenberg block editor. Custom themes can simplify or complicate the experience.
    Design ceiling
    UnlimitedCustom themes match any design. Quality depends on the developer.
    SEO control
    FullYoast, Rank Math, or hand-rolled. Full schema and meta control.
    Performance
    VariableHighly variable. Custom themes can hit Lighthouse 90+. Plugin pileups drop it to 30.
    Custom code surface
    UnrestrictedFull PHP, JavaScript, server access. Anything is buildable.
    Content model depth
    Native deepCustom post types, taxonomies, ACF, deep editorial workflow.
    Booking built in
    Plugin-onlyVia plugins. Quality varies.
    Memberships
    Plugin-richRestrict Content Pro, MemberPress, Paid Memberships Pro.
    Ownership
    FullFull code, full database. Move hosts at will.
    Maintenance
    HeavyReal liability. 11,334 new WordPress vulnerabilities in 2025, 91% in plugins, 5-hour exploit window.
  • Craft CMS
    Homepage
    Editor experience
    RefinedThe best admin UX of any CMS in this list. Editors learn it quickly.
    Design ceiling
    UnlimitedTwig templating, full control over output. Custom themes only.
    SEO control
    FullSEOmatic plugin or hand-rolled. Full schema, redirects, sitemap control.
    Performance
    LeanLean by default. No plugin bloat baseline.
    Custom code surface
    UnrestrictedFull PHP and Twig. Anything is buildable.
    Content model depth
    Matrix fieldsMatrix field for structured content blocks, deep relations, native localization.
    Booking built in
    Plugin or integrationVia plugins or integration.
    Memberships
    NativeNative user groups, permissions, paid content via Craft Commerce or plugins.
    Ownership
    FullSelf-hosted. Full code and database control.
    Maintenance
    ModerateLighter than WordPress. Plugin churn exists but is smaller.
  • Sanity
    Homepage
    Editor experience
    Real-timeSanity Studio is customizable, real-time collaborative. The strongest editor in the headless category.
    Design ceiling
    Frontend-ledFrontend is whatever you build. Pairs with Next.js, Astro, custom React.
    SEO control
    FullFull control. Schema, redirects, meta on the frontend's terms.
    Performance
    Frontend-limitedAs fast as the frontend. Sanity is a content API, not a render layer.
    Custom code surface
    Studio + GROQCustom Studio plugins, custom input components, GROQ queries.
    Content model depth
    Portable TextPortable Text for rich content. Strong relations and references.
    Booking built in
    Not nativeNot a booking platform. Integrate at the frontend.
    Memberships
    Frontend-ledAuth and gating happen on the frontend (NextAuth, Clerk, etc.).
    Ownership
    API exportContent lives in Sanity's hosted infra. Export via API. Frontend code is the team's.
    Maintenance
    API-managedSanity handles the API. Frontend maintenance is the team's.
  • Payload
    Homepage
    Editor experience
    Modern adminModern admin UI, real-time collaboration, custom fields.
    Design ceiling
    Next.js-ledFrontend is Next.js or any custom stack. Payload is content + admin.
    SEO control
    FullFull control on the frontend. Built-in SEO plugin available.
    Performance
    Local APIAs fast as the frontend. Local API runs inside Next.js for zero-network reads.
    Custom code surface
    TypeScript-firstFully custom. TypeScript-first. Extensible at every layer.
    Content model depth
    Native draftsRich field types, relations, blocks, localization, drafts and versioning native.
    Booking built in
    Not nativeNot native. Build on the frontend.
    Memberships
    NativeAuth and access control native. Roles, collections, document-level permissions.
    Ownership
    MIT-licensedMIT-licensed. Self-hosted. Code and database are the team's.
    Maintenance
    Self-hostedTeam owns the host. Payload Cloud is paused for new signups; self-host is the path.
  • Custom Next.js
    Homepage
    Editor experience
    Best with a CMSCustom Next.js does not include an editor on its own. The studio pairs it with a headless CMS (Sanity by default) so the owner edits in a real admin instead of in the code.
    Design ceiling
    UnlimitedAnything renderable in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. No platform ceiling.
    SEO control
    FullTotal control: schema, redirects, meta, performance, every render decision.
    Performance
    Lighthouse 100Static generation, edge caching, server components. Lighthouse 100 is the baseline, not a stretch.
    Custom code surface
    UnrestrictedEverything is custom code. The escape hatch is the platform.
    Content model depth
    From the paired CMSStructured content lives in the paired CMS. Sanity for most builds; Payload when the team needs the admin shaped to a custom data model.
    Booking built in
    IntegrateNot native. Integrate Cal.com, Mews, or build custom.
    Memberships
    Stack of choiceAuth.js, Clerk, custom. The frontend stack is the team's choice.
    Ownership
    FullFull code in the team's git. Deploy anywhere. The most ownership of any option.
    Maintenance
    QuarterlyFramework updates ~quarterly. Smaller surface than WordPress; bigger than Squarespace.
DEEP DIVES

Want the full read on a specific pair?

QUESTIONS

Things worth knowing about the tool.

How often is this comparison tool updated?
The studio reviews platform pricing, plan caps, and capabilities quarterly. When a platform ships a meaningful change (Webflow Memberships sunset, a major pricing shift, a new CMS limit), the relevant cells get updated immediately. Reach out if the data looks stale.
Why is Contentful not in the matrix?
Contentful's entry pricing (around $300 a month for the Lite plan) is structurally wrong for owner-operated businesses in the studio's ICP. The studio almost never recommends it for this audience, so it was excluded to keep the matrix to platforms a buyer might actually pick. Larger enterprise comparisons can include Contentful; this tool is scoped to the boutique market.
Why does WordPress show as two rows?
Because WordPress.com (hosted, plan-limited) and WordPress.org (self-hosted open source) are not the same product. Control, maintenance load, and what the team can actually do with the site are not close between them. Comparisons that treat WordPress as one thing quietly mislead the reader. The studio names which WordPress is on the table.
Does the tool always recommend Webflow?
No, by design. The studio's credibility on a comparison page depends on sometimes recommending Squarespace, sometimes WordPress, sometimes custom. The recommendation rules weight who maintains the site, whether customers book on it, and what the business depends on the site to do. For an owner-operated wellness studio editing weekly, the answer is usually Squarespace, not Webflow.
Why does the tool sometimes exclude Webflow?
Webflow Memberships ended on January 29, 2026. For any site that needs gated content, member accounts, or paid access, Webflow is the wrong tool. The tool's recommendation logic includes a hard disqualifier flag that drops Webflow from the shortlist when the user's site needs memberships. This is real, not a workaround.
Why doesn't the matrix show pricing?
Pricing on these platforms varies more than a comparison row can honestly show. The same plan tier costs different amounts depending on traffic, payment fees, team seats, plugin renewals, hosting region, and whether ongoing maintenance is in-house or a retainer. A row of dollar ranges flattens all of that into something readers will misread. The matrix is for capability fit. The studio sizes the platform plus the engagement on the first call, no sales pitch attached.
Has the studio shipped on every platform in the matrix?
Direct experience: Squarespace, WordPress.org, Webflow, Shopify, Custom Next.js. Informed experience (the studio knows the platform through agency partners, prior employer work, or hands-on testing rather than shipped client work): Wix, WordPress.com, Framer, Sanity, Craft CMS, Payload. The matrix marks each platform's experience level honestly; the verdicts on direct-experience platforms read with more weight than the verdicts on informed-experience platforms.
What happens if the recommendation points at a custom build?
Some site shapes (calculators, AI workflows, deep integrations, performance-critical service businesses) genuinely fit a custom Next.js build better than any hosted platform. When the inputs point there, the tool surfaces a 'consider custom' callout linking to the studio's custom websites engagement. Custom is a legitimate result, not an upsell.

Still weighing it?

We size the platform decision in about 30 minutes on the first call. Send the current URL, the constraint, and what the business needs the site to do.

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