CMS Max vs Council Platform

CMS Max is a managed platform for building and operating websites and online commerce. It brings site pages and content together with product catalogs, variants, pricing, checkout, customer and order management, fulfillment, and reporting. Maxforms supports branded forms for leads, applications, registrations, payments, uploads, and internal workflows. AI-assisted workflows can help with browser titles, meta descriptions, and product discovery content. Integrations include Clover, Google Analytics, HubSpot, Mailchimp, QuickBooks Online, TaxJar, Zapier, and POS systems. Developers can use documented APIs, webhooks, plugins, Zapier, and a tenant-scoped MCP server. The platform runs on web and offers API access and document management; it does not support multiple sites. Paid plans start at $40 a month, with a 30-day trial and no free plan. Lite targets small sites with limited plugins or eCommerce needs, while Pro adds unlimited products. Ultimate includes an hour of dedicated support; Enterprise adds white-glove onboarding and a dedicated account manager.

Council Platform is a web service for running local government CMS websites. Its drag-and-drop editor lets teams create complex pages without developer time, with a customisable front end based on the GOV.UK Design System. Features include service directories, news, event calendars, global search, CRM functions, forms, and editorial workflows. The platform supports manual and machine translation for bilingual sites, plus multi-site publishing and document management. The maker describes sites as accessible from the outset and says subscribers receive free accessibility audit scans. Listed integrations include Bartec, ModernGov, Elgin Roadworks, Council Advertising Network, Microsoft Azure Chatbots, Google Analytics, SiteImprove, and ReciteMe. Security provisions include two-factor authentication, password complexity requirements, and automatic logout. Subscriptions include production and test hosting, support, documentation, uptime monitoring, security updates, and a 99.9% uptime SLA. Pricing is based on monthly page views: the plan up to 5,000 page views costs £200 monthly licence fee (ex VAT), while the 5,001–15,000 tier costs £400 monthly licence fee (ex VAT). Plans above 100,000 monthly page views add features including microsites, cookie-less analytics, accessibility auditing, and PDF conversion.