Should I Switch From CMS Hub to Content Hub?

HubSpot recently launched their latest Hub - Content Hub™. This all-in-one content marketing software suite combines features from HubSpot's current website builder, their marketing Hub and brand-new content creation tools. The goal? Creating and managing personalized experiences for your customers across their entire journey. 

If you currently have your website built on HubSpot using CMS Hub, you're probably wondering: should I upgrade, or keep what I have? Use this guide to help you decide if staying or switching is better for you, as well as when and how to make the switch.

What is HubSpot's Content Hub?

At its most basic, Content Hub is the revamped and upgraded version of CMS Hub. CMS Hub offers secure and flexible website development, hosting and management. Content Hub includes all those same features available in CMS Hub, but expands on them to move beyond just web development to a more comprehensive content marketing suite.

Related Content: What is HubSpot's New Content Hub?

Content Hub vs. CMS Hub

Both Content Hub and CMS Hub include website creation tools and secure hosting. However, there are a few key differences between CMS Hub and Content Hub in addition to the new tools added:

• Content Hub includes marketing tools, whereas CMS Hub only offers website creation and management tools.
• Both Content Hub and CMS Hub use the same drag-and-drop editor: so if you're familiar with the current website editor, you don't have to learn anything new.
• Content Hub now includes landing pages. These were previously only available in Marketing Hub. Landing pages are specialized pages you can use for your online ads, to give people a concrete action to take (ex: download an ebook, book a demo, schedule a meeting, etc.).
• The pricing structure between Content Hub and CMS Hub has changed slightly, with Content Hub having a higher cost overall (more on that later).

Since Content Hub includes all of the existing features of CMS Hub, let's explore the new tools now available.

New Features in Content Hub

Content Hub adds new functionality that wasn't previously available in CMS Hub. Some features have been added that were available in Marketing Hub only (like landing pages) but there are now also a lot of brand new tools HubSpot added to Content Hub. These include:

All of the above features are available at the Professional and Enterprise tiers, while some are available within the Starter Tier. I'll explore what features are offered at each tier below.

Pricing Updates

The biggest question most businesses will have when deciding if Content Hub is worth a switch is the pricing. Content Hub commands a higher price tag overall, but the increases are minimal - especially when considering all of the new additional tools. However, let's look at what Content Hub is priced at versus CMS Hub.

Note: the prices below are the typical, quoted prices if purchasing directly through HubSpot. You may pay more if you need extra seats or services, and you may pay less if you work with a HubSpot partner to secure a discount. This is just a reference point so you can get an idea of the different pricing structures of CMS Hub vs. Content Hub. 

Starter

Professional

Enterprise

If you want even more details on Content Hub, check out our Content Hub Buyer’s Guide for an in-depth look at everything new and refurbished with Content Hub. This comparison guide includes:

• A breakdown of pricing and tier options 
• What’s included with CMS
• Considerations to make before purchase
• Exclusive features and how to use them

Do I Have to Switch to Content Hub?

If you currently have CMS Hub, you will not be required to switch to Content Hub at this time. On automatic contract renewal and requoting, legacy CMS customers will stay on their existing CMS SKU unless they choose to upgrade to Content Hub. However, HubSpot plans to revisit this policy in 2025.

That said, you might want to make the switch proactively at your next renewal cycle. There are a few huge benefits that Content Hub offers over CMS Hub, particularly for customers who have CMS Pro and Marketing Pro. You can also switch to Content Hub before your renewal cycle, which I'll discuss more in-depth when we cover how to make the switch. 

If I don't have CMS Hub or Content Hub, can I still buy CMS Hub?

New customers who either have an existing HubSpot account or are brand new to HubSpot will not be able to purchase CMS Hub. Since Content Hub is effectively an upgrade of CMS Hub, new customers will only be offered Content Hub as a purchasing option.

How to Decide if You Should Switch from CMS Hub to Content Hub

So this finally brings us to the big question: should you switch? As I've already explored before, Content Hub offers the same existing tools available within CMS Hub plus a huge selection of new tools. For that reason alone, it's worth the upgrade in my book. Even if you pay slightly more per month for Content Hub over your current CMS Hub plan, these new tools will save you or your teams more time in the long run on routine functionality. In some cases, you may even end up saving money by switching to Content Hub (more detail below!)

Here are a few other reasons why upgrading to Content Hub is a good idea.

1. Your website is built on WordPress, but you use HubSpot's CRM

If your website lives on WordPress but your contact records and other marketing efforts live in HubSpot - you have some blind spots when it comes to data tracking. Currently, you can't access the same level of visibility and tracking as a user moves around your site and engages with content. It's a manual process of pulling data from Google Analytics and HubSpot and cross-referencing dates and tracking codes. Additionally, you can't use the personalization tools that HubSpot's content creator allows.

With the Content Embed tool, you can publish HubSpot-built content to your WordPress site. This allows you to deliver personalized web experiences using Content Hub's tools and better track user activity across multiple channels. Content Embed allows you to keep your WordPress website, but still create engaging, dynamic content blocks that can be easily dropped in.

2. You have multiple team members creating content, under one brand voice

Managers will feel me on this - it's so, so difficult to keep a consistent branded voice when you have multiple cooks in the kitchen. You might even have one-off cases like a salesperson wanting to create a simple email blast...but they're not necessarily a professional writer, which means you now have to bring in someone else to review their work. Which means that things take forever to get done.

The AI-powered features of Content Hub directly address this problem. The Brand Voice tool makes it easy to generate content that's consistent with your brand's tone, or take already-written content and run it through the tool to make sure it sounds on-brand. This empowers team members to create content faster, even if they're not writer themselves.

3. Your marketing team needs more time

Now, I recognize that every marketing team on the planet will say they never have enough time. And I can't promise that switching to Content Hub will magically create so much time they don't know what to do with themselves. However, I can absolutely say that Content Hub speeds up time-intensive tasks that your marketing team often has to do.

The biggest time-saving tool for marketing teams is definitely Content Remix - which allows you to take one piece of content and create multiple assets within a click. This easily takes hours of manual work - even just to convert a blog into one other type of asset like a social media post. Converting it into more types of content takes even more time. It's also vital, as distribution is critical for maximizing the impact and reach of anything you create. With Content Remix, it cuts that time in half (or even more).

That's just one example, but the other AI-powered tools in Content Hub also speed up repetitive marketing tasks, which ultimately frees up more time for your marketing team.

4. You currently use both Marketing Hub + CMS Hub at Pro or Enterprise tiers

I said earlier that some customers may even save money by switching to Content Hub. That's because Marketing Hub and CMS Hub are bundled together in a new package deal, available at both the Pro and Enterprise levels of each Hub. For customers who use both Hubs, purchasing one of these packages can be a money-saver. It also might be the perfect time to pull the trigger on upgrading your Marketing Hub tier if you currently use Starter. 

Here's what you need to know about each bundle. Note that the prices below are the average starting prices and do not include onboarding, additional needed seats or potential partner discounts. However, looking at the typical prices shows the savings potential.

Marketing+ Professional

What's Included: Marketing Hub Professional, Content Hub Professional

Cost: Starts at $900 per month, with 3 core seats included

Cost comparison, per month:

Marketing+ Enterprise

What's Included: Marketing Hub Enterprise, Content Hub Enterprise

Cost: Starts at $3,800 per month, with 5 core seats included

Cost comparison, per month:

Again, take all of the above numbers as a reference and not a concrete estimate of what you are currently paying or will pay. However, in the vast majority of cases, choosing the Marketing+ Professional or Enterprise bundles can add up to great savings for your business. For more information on pricing (and access to exclusive partner deals that can increase the savings even more), contact our HubSpot team for a consultation.

How to Switch to Content Hub

If you're ready to make the switch to Content Hub, the best time is during your annual renewal. While you may be able to switch sooner, renewal time is typically the most cost-effective and easiest way to update your HubSpot membership. Contact our HubSpot team for a consultation if you want to explore options for switching from CMS Hub to Content Hub before your annual renewal date.

Switching is easy - when your renewal time comes around, you'll want to update your product selection in the billing area of HubSpot. But to make it even easier and make sure that you're selecting the right option for your business, you should work with a HubSpot partner. A partner can not only advise you on the best selection to make, but can also often offer exclusive partner-only deals that will cut down your monthly bill.

Switching from CMS Hub to Content Hub is a great option for most businesses. While you may still want to wait until your annual renewal period to do so, it's important to know now so you can plan ahead and make the switch. 

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BizzyWeb is a Minneapolis-based digital marketing and web design agency that helps companies get the high-quality leads they need to grow and thrive. Our tactics include inbound marketing, SEO, advertising, web design, content creation and sales automation. We are an accredited HubSpot Platinum Partner and we offer full-service HubSpot onboarding, enablement and strategy for new and current users.