Hugo vs Squarespace
Security & risk comparison · Updated October 2026
How does Hugo compare to Squarespace on security, AI-readiness, and total cost of ownership? We scored both across 7 dimensions using NVD/NIST CVE data, GitHub metrics, and our census of the Tranco top 100,000.
Hugo scores 75/100 overall versus Squarespace's 49/100. Hugo has 5 total CVEs compared to Squarespace's 0, though its larger ecosystem contributes to a higher CVE count. (Source: WebPulse framework scoring, NIST NVD and CISA KEV, updated October 2026)
Who actually runs Hugo and Squarespace
Share of sites with an identified platform, from WebPulse's scan of the Tranco top 100,000 and our Common Crawl census.
| Where | Hugo | Squarespace |
|---|---|---|
| Top 1,000 | 1.9% (4) | 1.9% (4) |
| Top 10,000 | 1.1% (29) | 0.7% (17) |
| Top 100,000 | 0.6% (164) | 0.6% (156) |
| Wider web | 0.2% | 0.5% |
Highest-ranked sites on Hugo
- ntp.org#71
- doi.org#215
- brave.com#423
- verisign.com#672
- letsencrypt.org#1,144
Highest-ranked sites on Squarespace
- googledomains.com#58
- squarespace.com#548
- mailchimp.com#736
- mailchi.mp#958
- statcounter.com#1,011
Detected from each homepage's HTML, headers and cookies in September 2026. Methodology
| Metric | Hugo | Squarespace |
|---|---|---|
| Total CVEs | 5 | 0 |
| Critical CVEs | 0 | 0 |
| Exploited (KEV) | 0 | 0 |
| CVEs last year | 1 | 0 |
| Avg CVSS | 3.0 | 0 |
| Security score | 92/100 | 50/100 |
Hugo scores 75/100. Verdict: Recommended.
Squarespace scores 50/100. Evaluate modern alternatives for better security and AI-readiness.
Data sourced from NVD/NIST CVE database, GitHub API, and WebPulse framework scanner. Scores calculated using a 7-dimension model covering security, performance, ecosystem health, AI-readiness, developer experience, market trajectory, and cost of ownership. Updated October 2026.