BLOX Digital (TownNews) vs WoodWing Studio (formerly Aurora)
BLOX Digital (TownNews)
An AI-powered content management and audience engagement platform built for news and media organizations
Publishers using it: 9 · incl. Toronto Star, The Daily Gazette, The Post and Courier
WoodWing Studio (formerly Aurora)
A unified multichannel publishing platform for orchestrating content across print, digital, and mobile channels.
Publishers using it: 5 · incl. SHE Media, Zine Group
Last verified Oct 19, 2026
At a glance
- BLOX Digital (TownNews) scores 3.9/5 and WoodWing Studio (formerly Aurora) scores 3.9/5 in Benchmark Grid's independent CMS platforms benchmark, both assessed on the same 10 criteria.
- The widest gaps are monetisation integration (BLOX Digital (TownNews) 4.7, WoodWing Studio (formerly Aurora) 1.6) and integrations & extensibility (BLOX Digital (TownNews) 3.2, WoodWing Studio (formerly Aurora) 4.5); they are within 0.3 on 1 of 10 criteria.
- BLOX Digital (TownNews) is built for mid-market and enterprise publishers; WoodWing Studio (formerly Aurora) for enterprise.
- On total cost of ownership BLOX Digital (TownNews) scores 1.5 and WoodWing Studio (formerly Aurora) 1.4 (higher means better value, not a lower price).
- In our tracking 9 publishers use BLOX Digital (TownNews) and 5 use WoodWing Studio (formerly Aurora).
- Scores last verified 19 Oct 2026. Vendors cannot pay for a score or a position.
Where they differ
BLOX Digital (TownNews) is stronger on monetisation integration (4.7 vs 1.6), AI & automation (4.5 vs 3.5) and SEO & structured data (4.0 vs 3.0).
WoodWing Studio (formerly Aurora) is stronger on integrations & extensibility (4.5 vs 3.2).
Which one fits
Choose BLOX Digital (TownNews) if…
- You publish at mid-market and enterprise scale.
- You weight monetisation integration, SEO & structured data and AI & automation heavily — BLOX Digital (TownNews) leads on those in this benchmark.
Choose WoodWing Studio (formerly Aurora) if…
- You publish at enterprise scale.
- You weight integrations & extensibility, multi-channel & headless delivery and editorial workflow & newsroom collaboration heavily — WoodWing Studio (formerly Aurora) leads on those in this benchmark.
Also weighing these
The nearest-scored tools to BLOX Digital (TownNews) and WoodWing Studio (formerly Aurora) in this benchmark, listed A to Z.
- 3.9Labrador CMSAI-powered visual CMS for professional newsrooms focusing on automated page layout and journalismRead review
- 3.9PubliveAI-powered digital experience platform designed for publishers to optimize traffic, engagement, and revenue.Read review
- 3.9RebelMouseThe AI-powered enterprise CMS for publishers to drive viral growth, master SEO, and maximize monetization.Read review
- 3.9TresiteSpecialized SaaS CMS for digital journalism and news publishers.Read review
All 33 scored tools are in Best CMS Platforms for News Sites.
Who uses them
Publishers we have detected running each tool, from ads.txt, site code and published case studies. Agencies, brands and vendors are excluded.
BLOX Digital (TownNews) · 9
WoodWing Studio (formerly Aurora) · 5
Head to head
| Criterion | BLOX Digital (TownNews) | WoodWing Studio (formerly Aurora) |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial workflow & newsroom collaboration14% of capability | 4.2 | 4.8 |
| Performance & scale under traffic spikes12% of capability | 4.6 | 4.2 |
| SEO & structured data12% of capability | 4.0 | 3.0 |
| Content modelling & formats10% of capability | 4.3 | 4.6 |
| Integrations & extensibility10% of capability | 3.2 | 4.5 |
| Monetisation integration10% of capability | 4.7 | 1.6 |
| Multi-channel & headless delivery10% of capability | 3.8 | 4.5 |
| AI & automation8% of capability | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Security, uptime & compliance8% of capability | 4.4 | 4.0 |
| Migration & implementation6% of capability | 3.5 | 2.8 |
| Capability45% of composite | 4.1 | 3.8 |
| Publisher fit40% of composite | 4.5 | 4.9 |
| Total cost of ownership15% of composite | 1.5 | 1.4 |
Cost of ownership
| Sub-score | BLOX Digital (TownNews) | WoodWing Studio (formerly Aurora) |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| Entry cost | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| Implementation cost | 1.2 | 0.5 |
| Hidden-fee risk | 2.4 | 3.0 |
| Ongoing cost | 2.4 | 1.5 |
BLOX Digital (TownNews) pricing
Custom enterprise pricing; costs are typically based on scale, pageviews, and selected software modules.
WoodWing Studio (formerly Aurora) pricing
Custom enterprise pricing available in Starter, Advanced, and Ultimate tiers; quotes provided upon request.
What users say
BLOX Digital (TownNews)
3 positive · 6 neutral · 2 negative
WoodWing Studio (formerly Aurora)
1 positive · 2 neutral · 1 negative
Mentions we could not tie to a real user, and those flagged as promotional, are excluded. Sentiment is opinion, and is independent of the verified publisher adoptions above.
BLOX Digital (TownNews) scores 3.9 and WoodWing Studio (formerly Aurora) scores 3.9 in Benchmark Grid's independent Best CMS Platforms for News Sites benchmark (benchmarkgrid.com/vs/blox-digital-townnews/woodwing-studio-formerly-aurora, verified Oct 19, 2026)
Common questions
How do BLOX Digital (TownNews) and WoodWing Studio (formerly Aurora) differ?
BLOX Digital (TownNews) is stronger on monetisation integration (4.7 vs 1.6), AI & automation (4.5 vs 3.5) and SEO & structured data (4.0 vs 3.0). WoodWing Studio (formerly Aurora) is stronger on integrations & extensibility (4.5 vs 3.2). Neither is better in the abstract — which one suits you depends on which of those dimensions carries the most weight in your operation.
Which is cheaper, BLOX Digital (TownNews) or WoodWing Studio (formerly Aurora)?
On total cost of ownership — pricing transparency, entry cost, implementation, hidden-fee risk and ongoing cost — BLOX Digital (TownNews) scores 1.5/5 and WoodWing Studio (formerly Aurora) scores 1.4/5. A higher score means better value, not a lower sticker price.
How are these scores calculated?
Each tool is assessed against its category's published criteria (10 in this benchmark), which make up Capability (45% of the composite), Publisher fit (40%) and Total cost of ownership (15%). Assessment is carried out by SODP's editorial team against a published methodology. Vendors cannot pay for inclusion, scores or positions.
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Both tools are scored in Best CMS Platforms for News Sites. See alternatives to BLOX Digital (TownNews) or alternatives to WoodWing Studio (formerly Aurora).
Weighing a third option? Add a tool to this comparison.
Where to next
Related comparisons
Other head-to-heads publishers look at in Best CMS Platforms for News Sites.
