Claude CMS vs Notion
Notion is great for notes, wikis, and internal docs. But as a website builder, it hits the ceiling fast — no custom design, no backend, no PHP, and no real e-commerce. Claude CMS builds the actual website you need, for less per month.
Notion Sites renders Notion blocks as public pages — no server-side code, no filesystem access, no SQL, and no custom layout beyond what Notion's editor supports. Claude CMS is a PHP/MySQL stack with full MCP tool access. Same price bracket, completely different capability.
A document tool vs a real web platform
Notion Sites
- Publishes Notion pages as websites — layout is whatever Notion's editor produces
- Notion blocks rendered as static HTML — no server-side code, no custom PHP, no filesystem
- Custom domain requires the Plus plan ($10/mo per member); free plan uses notion.site subdomain
- No native e-commerce, booking, or form handling — requires third-party embeds
- Site lives on Notion's servers — cancel your plan and the public site goes down
- No MySQL, no custom endpoints, no webhook receivers — Notion is a document store, not a web server
Claude CMS
- Describe any website you want — Claude builds a custom design from scratch, not a document layout
- Claude writes raw HTML, CSS, and PHP directly to your server via MCP — no editor constraints, no block system
- £6.99/mo flat — custom domain, e-commerce, bookings, forms, and any custom feature included
- Claude builds native Stripe payments, booking forms, membership areas, and integrations — no third-party embeds needed
- Self-hosted — cancel your Claude CMS plan and your site keeps running on your server
- Full MySQL access, arbitrary PHP files, Stripe webhooks, SMTP, REST API integrations — all through conversation
Claude CMS vs Notion Sites — side by side
| Feature | Claude CMS | Notion Sites |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | £6.99/mo | Free (notion.site) / $10/mo+ (custom domain) |
| Custom design (not a document layout) | ✓ | ✗ (Notion blocks only) |
| Custom domain | ✓ (all plans) | Plus plan required ($10/mo per member) |
| PHP server-side code | ✓ | ✗ |
| E-commerce / Stripe payments | ✓ (native) | Embed only (third-party) |
| MySQL database access | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self-hosted (site survives cancellation) | ✓ | ✗ (Notion-hosted only) |
| AI builds features (not just formats content) | ✓ | ✗ (Notion AI edits text only) |
| Contact forms with server-side handling | ✓ | Embed only (Typeform, etc.) |
Notion works for some. Claude CMS works for more.
Stay with Notion if…
- You want a simple, low-effort public knowledge base or documentation site
- You're already running your workspace in Notion and want to publish pages without a separate tool
- Design isn't a priority — a clean, Notion-style layout is fine for your audience
Switch to Claude CMS if…
- You need a website that looks like a real business, not a Notion document
- You want e-commerce, booking forms, membership areas, or any backend logic
- You want your own domain without paying $10/mo per workspace member
- You want to own your site on your own server — not lose it if Notion changes pricing
Developers: switch if…
You've been publishing a Notion site but your audience expects something more polished — with custom branding, real forms, and dynamic features Notion simply can't provide.
Notion has no server runtime. Claude CMS gives you a PHP execution environment, MySQL, and full filesystem access via MCP — plus automated backups and rollback on every file write.
Moving from Notion to Claude CMS
Your content is already written in Notion — migrating is a matter of rebuilding the presentation layer as a proper website. Claude does the heavy lifting.
Notion's export format is Markdown/HTML. Claude reads your exported content, maps it to page slugs, generates production HTML/CSS/PHP, and deploys via MCP tool calls. DNS cutover is a single A-record change.
Export from Notion
Export your Notion pages as Markdown or HTML. This gives Claude a clean source of your existing content and structure to rebuild from.
Install Claude CMS
Set up any PHP/MySQL host, upload Claude CMS, and connect it to Claude Desktop or claude.ai via the MCP connector.
Claude rebuilds your site
Share your Notion export and describe the look you want. Claude rebuilds every page with a proper custom design — plus any new features you need.
Claude maps Notion pages to slug schema, generates HTML/CSS/PHP for each, and creates navigation — all via MCP tool calls. No manual copy-paste required.
Point your domain
Update your domain's A record to your new host. Your Claude CMS site goes live. Cancel your Notion Plus plan if you were paying for the custom domain feature.
Ready to build a real website?
Claude CMS gives you a proper website — custom design, real backend, full ownership — from £6.99/month. Your first month is free.
Self-hosted PHP/MySQL, full MCP tool access, Stripe/SMTP/API integrations built in. Not a document tool — a web platform. From £6.99/mo.