cmsspot vs the alternatives
The other ways to make a hand-built site editable
If you build sites by hand, you are not choosing between cmsspot and WordPress. You are choosing between cmsspot and the tools that also add editing to plain pages. Here they are, grouped by how they work, and where cmsspot stands.
Three ways to do the same job
Tag-based editors. Surreal CMS and CushyCMS connect to your server over FTP or SFTP, and you add a class to every element the client may edit. They are hosted, there is nothing to install, and they have been doing this since the late 2000s. They work well for designers who want a visual editor on a few regions.
Git-based CMSs. CloudCannon and Decap put the content in a Git repository as Markdown or YAML, and a static site generator such as Astro, Hugo or Eleventy builds the pages. Editors fill in forms, a commit is made, a build runs, and the site is deployed. This is the right workflow if you already build with a generator and want branches and pull requests.
Installed file CMSs. Kirby is a full CMS that lives on the site. Content is files, templates are written against its API, and it has blueprints, plugins and multilingual support. It is a strong choice when you want a proper content model and are happy to build the site on its templates.
cmsspot is closest to the first group in how it connects, and different in what it asks of you: nothing. It reads the page you have, finds the fields on its own, understands PHP includes, and adds SEO feedback and AI access on top.
| cmsspot | Surreal CMS, CushyCMS | CloudCannon, Decap | Kirby | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How the site is edited | Over SFTP, on the files on your server. Nothing installed, no repository, no build. | Over FTP or SFTP, on the files on your server. Nothing installed. | Through a Git repository. Content lives in Markdown or YAML, a static site generator builds the site, and a deploy publishes it. | Installed on the site. Content is files on the server, read by the CMS's own PHP templates. |
| What you add to the HTML | Nothing. Headings, paragraphs, images, links and the menu become fields on their own. | A class on every element you want editable, such as cms-editable or cushycms. Untagged content is not editable. | A content model: collections, fields and templates in configuration, plus the generator's templates. | Blueprints that define fields, and templates written against the CMS's API. |
| Works with an existing site | Yes, as it is. PHP includes for header, footer and menu are understood. | Yes, after tagging the regions. PHP pages are supported by Surreal. | Only if the site is rebuilt on a static site generator in a repository. | Only if the site is rebuilt on the CMS's templates. |
| Shared parts | Menu, header and footer get their own tabs. Globals change a value on every page in one save. Repeated blocks become groups. | Edited where they are tagged, page by page, unless you build includes yourself. | Handled by the generator's layouts and data files. | Handled by the CMS's templates and snippets. |
| SEO | Title, description and schema per page with lengths in colour, a search preview and a schema check. Sitemap built on request. The full title is counted the way Google shows it. | Depends on what you tag. Meta tags can be made editable like any element. | Fields you define in the content model, rendered by the generator. | Fields you define, rendered by your templates. Good plugins exist. |
| AI access | Built in. An assistant gets a token for one site at one of three levels, with hidden files and a log. | None built in. | CloudCannon positions itself for AI tools; Decap has none built in. | None built in; the files are open to any tool on the server. |
| Who it suits | Agencies and developers who build plain HTML or PHP sites and hand them to clients. | Designers who tag a few regions and give clients a visual editor. Both have been around since the late 2000s. | Developers who already work with a static site generator and Git. | Developers who want a real CMS with content modelling, installed on the site. |
| Hosting | Your own host, any PHP host. | Your own host, any FTP or SFTP host. | CloudCannon includes hosting; Decap needs a host that builds from Git. | Your own PHP host, with the CMS installed. |
| Price | Free to start. | Surreal is a subscription with a trial. CushyCMS is free for up to five sites, with a paid plan for branding. | CloudCannon is a subscription. Decap is open source and free. | A licence per site, paid once. |
Based on how each product describes itself on its own site in October 2026. Prices and features change; check the vendors for the current state.
Where cmsspot is the better fit
- The site exists already, in HTML or PHP, and you do not want to tag it or rebuild it.
- It uses includes for header, footer and menu, and you want those edited in one place.
- SEO matters, and you want the lengths, the preview and the schema check in the editor rather than in a plugin.
- You want to let an AI assistant work on the site with a scoped token.
- You want nothing installed on the site and no build step.
Where another tool is the better fit
- You build with a static site generator and want Git branches and previews: CloudCannon or Decap.
- You want a full CMS with content modelling, multilingual content and plugins on the site: Kirby.
- You want a white-label editor with your own logo and domain for clients: Surreal CMS and CushyCMS offer it on their paid plans; cmsspot offers it on Enterprise.
- You want inline editing as the only mode: Surreal's editor is built around it. cmsspot has fields first and Preview & edit on top.
Common questions
I already use Surreal CMS or CushyCMS. Why switch?
If your clients are happy, maybe do not. Where cmsspot is different: nothing has to be tagged, PHP sites with includes get menu, header and footer tabs, the SEO fields show lengths and check schema, and an AI assistant can be connected with a scoped token. If those matter, try it on one site next to the other.
Is cmsspot git-based?
No. cmsspot works on the files on your server over SFTP. There is no repository, no build and no deploy step. That is simpler for a plain PHP or HTML site, and less suitable if you want branches, pull requests and a static site generator.
Can I use cmsspot with a static site generator?
Only on the generated output, which is not where you want to edit. If your site is built by Astro, Hugo or Eleventy, a git-based CMS such as CloudCannon or Decap fits that workflow better.
Does cmsspot replace Kirby?
For a small site, it can. Kirby is a full CMS installed on the site with its own templating. cmsspot leaves the site as it is and adds editing from outside. If you want Kirby's content model and plugins, use Kirby.
Also compare: Sanity · WordPress · Squarespace · Wix · Drupal · Why cmsspot
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