How Domma CMS compares.
Website builders, and flat-file CMSs all make websites. They differ in who runs the server, what comes in the box, what it costs to keep going and what you keep if you leave. Here is Domma CMS beside seven of them, honestly - including when one of them is the better choice.
Compared in October 2026 from each product's own website and documentation. Their plans and features change, so check theirs before you decide - and tell us if anything here is out of date and we will correct it.
Where it runs and how you pay.
Three kinds of product: hosted builders you rent (Wix, Squarespace, Webflow), software you can run on your own server (WordPress, Kirby, Statamic, Ghost), and Domma CMS, which is both - free on your server, or hosted by us.
| Your own server | Hosted for you | Content is kept in | Cost model | Built with | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domma CMS | ✓ Free | ✓ From £49 a month (£79 with the CMS) | Markdown and JSON files; MongoDB optional | Free to self-host; hosted Pro Tools monthly, or all of them on Pro | Node.js |
| WordPress | ✓ Free | ✓ Many hosts | A MySQL database | Free and open source (GPL); hosting, themes and plugins paid separately | PHP |
| Wix | - | ✓ Only on Wix | Wix's platform | Monthly or yearly plan | Hosted only |
| Squarespace | - | ✓ Only on Squarespace | Squarespace's platform | Monthly or yearly plan | Hosted only |
| Webflow | Exported static pages only | ✓ On Webflow | Webflow's platform | Monthly or yearly plan | Hosted only |
| Kirby | ✓ | - | Text files | A one-off licence per site | PHP |
| Statamic | ✓ | - | Markdown and YAML files; a database optional | Free core; a paid Pro licence per site | PHP (Laravel) |
| Ghost | ✓ Free | ✓ Ghost(Pro) | A MySQL database | Free and open source (MIT); hosted plans priced by audience | Node.js |
What comes without adding anything.
"Plugin" or "Add-on" means it exists, from the product's maker or someone else, but you choose it, install it and keep it updated. Every Domma CMS item below comes with the CMS itself - no Pro licence needed.
| Forms | SEO tools | An online shop | APIs | Your site, if you leave | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domma CMS | ✓ Built in | ✓ Built in, with an audit and redirects | ✓ Free Tool | ✓ Collections API plus read-only Content API | ✓ Files you copy - pages, data, themes and all |
| WordPress | Plugin | Basic; plugins usual | Plugin (WooCommerce) | ✓ | ✓ Export file, or the database and files |
| Wix | ✓ | ✓ | On commerce plans | ✓ Wix's APIs | Blog posts and some data; the design stays |
| Squarespace | ✓ | ✓ | On commerce plans | Limited | Pages and blog as a WordPress file; the design stays |
| Webflow | ✓ | ✓ | On ecommerce plans | ✓ | Static pages and collection data; the CMS stays |
| Kirby | Plugin | Plugin | Plugin | ✓ | ✓ Files you copy |
| Statamic | ✓ (one form in the free core) | Add-on | Add-on | Pro licence | ✓ Files you copy |
| Ghost | Member sign-up only | ✓ | Paid memberships, not a shop | ✓ | ✓ An export file and your theme |
When each one is the better choice.
No product suits everyone. Here is when we would point you elsewhere, and when Domma CMS fits better.
WordPress
Choose WordPress if you need a particular plugin or theme from its huge catalogue, or a developer who already knows it.
Choose Domma CMS if you would rather not assemble and update a dozen plugins for forms, SEO, a shop and security - they are part of the CMS here - and want pages as files you can read and copy. The built-in WordPress importer brings your pages, posts, media, products and users across.
Wix
Choose Wix if you want to drag a design together yourself today and never think about hosting.
Choose Domma CMS if you want to be able to take the whole site - design included - and run it somewhere else, or need data, roles and an API that grow with the business.
Squarespace
Choose Squarespace for a polished portfolio or small shop from a template, with no technical side at all.
Choose Domma CMS if the site has to do more than show things - bookings, client logins, forms that branch, your own data - and you want to own it.
Webflow
Choose Webflow if a designer will build pixel-exact pages visually and the site stays on Webflow.
Choose Domma CMS if you want the content and the CMS on a server of your choosing, and Tools like contacts, a calendar and invoices beside the site.
Kirby
Choose Kirby if your developers work in PHP and want a lean, file-based CMS to build everything on themselves.
Choose Domma CMS for the same files-not-database approach with forms, SEO, a shop, roles and themes already in the box, free to run.
Statamic
Choose Statamic if your team builds on Laravel and wants the CMS inside that framework.
Choose Domma CMS if you want multiple users, roles and the API without a per-site licence, and Node.js rather than PHP.
Ghost
Choose Ghost if the site is a publication: writing, newsletters and paid subscriptions are what it does best.
Choose Domma CMS if the site is a business: pages, forms, bookings, a shop and data, with a blog as one Tool among many.
Everything in Domma CMS
Over a hundred capabilities ship with every site, area by area.
See the features →Moving from another platform?
From WordPress: every Domma CMS site has a free importer built in. Upload your WordPress export, check the preview, and it brings across pages, posts, media, menus, WooCommerce products, custom post types, users and widgets, with redirects from the old addresses. On sites we host, we switch it on for you when you are ready. See what it brings across and the step-by-step tutorial.
From anywhere else, or if you would rather we did the move: we offer paid migration help. Ask us to assess your site. We review the content, features, design and addresses, then agree the scope and price before work starts.
WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, Kirby, Statamic and Ghost are trademarks of their owners. Domma CMS is not affiliated with any of them.
See it for yourself.
Run it free on your own server, or let us host it.