Best CMS Platforms for News Sites
Surf New Media alternatives
8 tools scored in the same category. 8 score higher than Surf New Media's 3.7/5.
Ranked by independent composite score, not by payment. Nobody on this page paid to be here.
Before you switch — what Surf New Media does well
- Built exclusively for newspapers and local media
- Includes migration, hosting, training and support
- Long-standing community-publisher focus
And where it was marked down
- Limited enterprise-grade scale tooling
- Narrower integration ecosystem than larger platforms
A modular content experience platform and AI-supported CMS designed for modern digital publishers and media groups.
Scores 0.6 higher than Surf New Media
An AI-powered headless CMS and digital experience platform designed specifically for modern newsrooms and publishers. (Now: Quint Digital Limited acquired the remaining 30% stake in July 2024 to make Quintype a wholly-owned subsidiary; the company also acquired social analytics firm Listen First Media in March 2024.)
Scores 0.5 higher than Surf New Media
AI-boosted headless CMS for media, sports and entertainment
Scores 0.4 higher than Surf New Media
A unified multichannel publishing platform for orchestrating content across print, digital, and mobile channels. (Now: Formerly known as WoodWing Enterprise Aurora; rebranded to WoodWing Studio to align with the company's modular cloud-first strategy.)
Scores 0.3 higher than Surf New Media
The world’s most popular open-source CMS for flexible publishing, full-site editing, and total content ownership.
Scores 0.3 higher than Surf New Media
AI-powered visual CMS for professional newsrooms focusing on automated page layout and journalism
Scores 0.3 higher than Surf New Media
Enterprise headless CMS and digital experience platform for high-volume global media
Scores 0.3 higher than Surf New Media
Enterprise WordPress for newsrooms — editorial workflow, scale and Gutenberg at publisher volume.
Scores 0.2 higher than Surf New Media
Common questions
What is the best alternative to Surf New Media?
On Benchmark Grid's independent scoring, Ring Publishing is the highest-scoring alternative in Best CMS Platforms for News Sites at 4.3/5, against Surf New Media at 3.7/5. Which is right for you depends on your publication's size, revenue model and vertical.
Why would a publisher move away from Surf New Media?
Our editors flagged: Limited enterprise-grade scale tooling; Narrower integration ecosystem than larger platforms. Whether those matter depends on your setup — many publishers run Surf New Media successfully despite them.
Are these alternatives ranked by paid placement?
No. Every tool here is ranked by a composite score set by SODP's editorial team across 12 criteria. Vendors cannot pay for inclusion, for a score, or for a position on this page.
