Crescentek

CMS Website Development

WordPress, Webflow, Sanity, or something else?

Honest CMS platform comparisons for Irish SMBs. We build on WordPress, Webflow, Sanity, Squarespace, and headless stacks — and we'll tell you straight which one fits your situation, even if it's not the one we'd normally build.

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cms-picker.crescentek.ie · Compare platforms
Your scenario
Content-led business site with blog
Best fit
W
WordPress
The workhorse
Flexibility
Ease of use
Design freedom
Cost efficiency
Open-source · hosting €15-80/mo
W
Webflow
Designer's choice
Flexibility
Ease of use
Design freedom
Cost efficiency
€20-250/mo per site
S
Sanity
Headless flexibility
Flexibility
Ease of use
Design freedom
Cost efficiency
Free tier · paid from €99/mo
S
Squarespace
Simple and done
Flexibility
Ease of use
Design freedom
Cost efficiency
€16-40/mo per site
Why WordPress
WordPress wins on plugins + content editing maturity
The four real questions

The choice is never 'which is best'.

It's always 'which fits here'. These four questions do most of the work of deciding — get them right and the CMS almost picks itself.

Who's editing the content?

Non-technical staff want WP/Squarespace. Designers thrive in Webflow. Dev teams can handle Sanity. The editor experience is where most CMS choices live or die.

What content complexity?

Single site with pages and posts → any. Multi-channel content (web + app + newsletter) → headless. Simple brochure → Squarespace. Content relationships get complex fast.

Where does the money go?

Squarespace/Webflow bill monthly, forever. WordPress trades monthly fees for maintenance. Sanity starts free, scales with volume. Compare the 3-year cost, not month one.

What's the lock-in exposure?

Proprietary SaaS CMS means stickier costs and migration pain later. Open-source means freedom but more responsibility. No neutral choice — pick your trade-offs consciously.

How we think about CMS

Compare, match, and acknowledge trade-offs.

Three dimensions we work through for every CMS decision — so the recommendation sits on actual reasoning, not opinion.

How we compare CMS platforms

The four factors that matter

Who's editing — your team or ours?
What's the content complexity?
What scale and growth trajectory?
What integrations are needed?
What's the realistic budget over 3 years?
Matching CMS to scenario

It's almost always context-specific

Small brochure — Squarespace or Webflow
Content-heavy SMB — WordPress
Design-critical brand — Webflow
Multi-channel content — headless (Sanity, Contentful)
Extreme scale / custom — bespoke on a framework
Honest weaknesses

No CMS is perfect — each has real costs

WordPress: maintenance burden if neglected
Webflow: can get expensive at scale
Sanity: steep setup, dev-heavy
Squarespace: hits a ceiling quickly
All: lock-in risk differs meaningfully
When each platform wins

The honest shortlist by scenario.

Each CMS has situations where it's genuinely the best choice. Here's when to reach for each.

W

WordPress

The workhorse
Content-led business sites
Blogs & publishers
Plugin-rich functionality
W

Webflow

Designer's choice
Design-forward marketing sites
Brand-led startups
Visual editing needs
S

Sanity

Headless flexibility
Multi-channel content
Apps + websites sharing data
Developer-led teams
S

Squarespace

Simple and done
Small brochure sites
Solo entrepreneurs
Minimal-maintenance needs
Is it a fit?

The right CMS is the one that fits your situation — not the one everyone talks about.

We'll give you an honest recommendation based on what you're building, not what's trendy or what pays us the biggest commission.

Right fit
We should talk if…
You're deciding which CMS to build on for a new site
You've outgrown your current CMS and are comparing moves
Your team is split on platforms and you want an outside view
You want vendor-neutral guidance, not a sales pitch for one tool
You're open to switching if the business case is clear
Not a fit
We'll point you elsewhere if…
You've already committed to a platform and just need a build
You want us to rubber-stamp a choice your developer made
You need enterprise CMS comparisons (Sitecore, Adobe) — not our speciality
You want 'just pick the cheapest' — that's rarely the right answer
When to get a CMS opinion

Common CMS evaluation scenarios.

Where outside guidance usually saves Irish SMBs from picking the wrong platform.

Choosing a CMS for new projects
Migrating from one CMS to another
Evaluating WordPress vs alternatives
Headless vs traditional decisions
Multi-site CMS consolidation
CMS audits for struggling sites
Platform due diligence
Build vs off-the-shelf analysis
Common questions

CMS questions, honestly answered.

The questions Irish SMBs ask us most often.

None. That's the honest answer. Every CMS optimises for different things — editor experience, developer flexibility, design freedom, cost, scale. The 'best' depends entirely on who's editing, what's being built, what integrates with what, and where the project goes in 3 years. Anyone who says 'always X' is selling X.
Yes — it still powers ~43% of the web for good reasons. It's particularly strong for content-led sites, businesses wanting editor independence, and setups needing plugin-level functionality. It's not the right choice for everything (SaaS apps, extreme scale, brand-led design sites), but it's far from dead.
No. Headless is excellent when you genuinely have multiple content surfaces (website + app + kiosks + newsletter). For single-site businesses, traditional CMS is simpler, cheaper to run, and better understood by most dev teams. Headless adds complexity — only take it on if you actually need it.
Honestly? We're probably biased toward WordPress because we build on it most. We're transparent about that. If your situation fits Webflow better we'll tell you — and occasionally hand off the build. Fit matters more than our portfolio.
Yes. Common moves we do: Squarespace → WordPress, Wix → WordPress, WordPress → Webflow (for design-led rebuilds), custom → headless. Migrations always include content, URL structure (301 redirects), SEO preservation, and team training on the new platform.
Those are e-commerce platforms — different category, even though they include CMS features. See our Ecommerce Platforms page for that comparison. If you need a content site with a bit of shop, a WordPress + WooCommerce setup often wins. If shop is the main thing, a dedicated e-commerce platform is usually the right call.
Works well with

Services that pair with this one.

Picking between CMS platforms?

Free 30-minute CMS consultation. Describe what you're building — we'll give you a straight recommendation, even if it's not something we'd normally build.

Reply within 1 working day GDPR compliant Based in Ireland