Website Builders & CMS
AI Integrations

WordPress is the world's most widely used content management system, powering over 43% of all websites as of 2025. It offers a mature REST API (WP REST API v2) that supports full CRUD operations on posts, pages, media, taxonomies, and custom post types. The block editor (Gutenberg) introduced a block-based content model that can be programmatically composed via the API. WordPress supports custom themes, plugins, and headless/decoupled architectures via its JSON API. The ecosystem includes WooCommerce for e-commerce, Yoast for SEO, and thousands of plugins. Hosting options range from WordPress.com (managed) to self-hosted installations on any LAMP/LEMP stack. The Application Passwords feature (core since 5.6) enables secure API authentication without plugins. WordPress.com also offers an OAuth2 flow for third-party integrations.

Webflow combines visual web design with a production-grade CMS and hosting platform. Its CMS API provides RESTful endpoints for managing collections (structured content types), items, images, and site publishing. The API supports creating, updating, and deleting CMS items programmatically, with rate limits of 60 requests/minute on general endpoints. Webflow's visual design model uses a CSS-like class system that can be partially manipulated via the Designer API (beta). The platform excels at marketing sites, portfolios, and content-driven websites. Webflow Logic provides no-code automation workflows. E-commerce capabilities are built in. Sites can be exported as static HTML/CSS/JS for self-hosting, though this loses CMS functionality. The Developer Platform (launched 2023) enables building Webflow Apps with OAuth2 authentication and webhook support.

Ghost is an open-source, Node.js-based publishing platform focused on professional content creators, newsletters, and membership sites. Ghost offers two well-documented APIs: the Content API (read-only, for delivering content to front-ends) and the Admin API (full CRUD for posts, pages, tags, authors, members, and newsletters). The Admin API uses JWT authentication and supports rich content via Mobiledoc or Lexical editor formats. Ghost has native newsletter/email capabilities with member management, making it both a CMS and an email platform. Ghost(Pro) provides managed hosting, while self-hosted installations run on any Node.js server. The platform has built-in SEO, AMP, and social sharing features. Ghost's content model is simpler than WordPress or Drupal but well-structured for blogs, newsletters, and membership content.

Contentful is the leading headless CMS platform, separating content management from presentation. It provides three core APIs: Content Delivery API (CDN-backed read access), Content Management API (full CRUD for content types, entries, and assets), and Content Preview API (draft content access). Contentful's content model is fully customizable — content types are defined with typed fields (text, rich text, media, references, JSON, location, etc.). The Management API supports creating content types, entries, assets, locales, environments, and webhooks programmatically. Rate limits are generous (7-10 requests/second for CMA). Authentication uses API keys or OAuth2. Contentful's Composable Content Platform supports content federation, scheduling, and approval workflows. The App Framework enables building custom apps within the Contentful UI. Major customers include Spotify, Urban Outfitters, and Staples.

Wix is a cloud-based website development platform serving over 250 million users across 190 countries. Wix Velo (formerly Corvid) provides a full-stack development platform with server-side and client-side JavaScript, database collections, and HTTP functions. The Wix Headless APIs allow external applications to manage site content, bookings, e-commerce, and CRM data via REST endpoints. Wix also offers the Blocks framework for building reusable widgets. The platform handles hosting, SSL, CDN, and server infrastructure. The Wix Editor SDK enables programmatic manipulation of site elements, while Wix Data API provides CRUD operations on database collections. However, Wix sites cannot be exported or self-hosted — content lives on Wix infrastructure. The Headless CMS offering (Wix Studio) decouples content management from presentation.

Drupal is an enterprise-grade open-source CMS powering sites for governments, universities, and major corporations. Drupal's JSON:API module (core since Drupal 9) provides a standards-compliant REST interface following the JSON:API specification (jsonapi.org). This enables full CRUD operations on all content entities with relationship handling, filtering, sorting, and pagination built in. Drupal also offers a REST module and GraphQL via contrib modules. Content modeling in Drupal is exceptionally flexible — custom content types, fields, taxonomies, and entity references can model virtually any data structure. The Layout Builder provides component-based page design. Drupal's hook and event system allows deep customization. Major users include the White House, Tesla, Pfizer, and many government agencies. Drupal 11 (2024) continued modernization with Symfony 7.

Squarespace is a premium website builder serving over 4 million subscribers, known for its curated design templates and integrated e-commerce. Squarespace's API capabilities are notably limited compared to competitors. The Commerce APIs provide endpoints for orders, inventory, and transactions, but there is no public API for creating or editing pages, blog posts, or site content programmatically. Content management is restricted to the visual editor and the limited Content Import feature (WordPress XML import). Squarespace does offer Member Areas API, Form Submission webhooks, and an Inventory API. The platform acquired Google Domains in 2023 and Tock (restaurant platform) in 2021. Squarespace Blueprint (2023) uses AI to generate starter sites from questionnaires but has no external API. Developer Platform launched 2024 with extensions but still no content creation API.

Joomla is a long-established open-source CMS that powers approximately 2.5% of websites globally. Joomla 4 (2022) introduced a comprehensive Web Services API providing RESTful endpoints for articles, categories, users, menus, modules, and custom fields. The API follows the JSON:API specification, similar to Drupal, with token-based or OAuth2 authentication. Joomla's architecture supports multilingual content natively, custom content types via category/field extensions, and fine-grained access control (ACL). The component/module/plugin architecture enables deep extensibility. The Joomla Extension Directory lists over 5,000 extensions. However, Joomla's market share has been declining, and the developer community is smaller than WordPress or Drupal. Joomla 5 (2023) continued modernization with PHP 8.1+ requirements and improved API coverage.

Framer is a modern website builder that evolved from a prototyping tool into a full production website platform. It features an AI website generator that creates complete sites from text prompts, a built-in CMS for dynamic content, and a component-based design system. Framer's API capabilities are currently limited — there is no public REST API for creating or managing site content programmatically. The CMS supports collections with custom fields, but content must be managed through the visual editor or CSV import. Framer excels at design quality and animation, with React-based components and responsive design built in. The platform handles hosting and CDN. Framer Sites can include custom code overrides and React components. As of 2025, Framer has not released a developer API, making programmatic integration challenging.

Strikingly is a website builder specializing in single-page, scrolling websites optimized for mobile. Founded in 2012, it serves small businesses, freelancers, and individuals who need a quick online presence without technical complexity. Strikingly has no public API for programmatic content management. All content creation and editing occurs through the visual editor. The platform offers built-in e-commerce (Simple Store), blog functionality, contact forms, and newsletter signup. Strikingly supports custom domains and basic SEO settings. The platform's simplicity is both its strength and limitation — it's easy to use but lacks the flexibility and API access needed for integration. Strikingly competes primarily on ease of use and speed of site creation. Its market position is smaller than major builders, serving a niche of users who want single-page simplicity.