Building a website is more accessible than ever. Squarespace vs WordPress are both popular choices for creating an online presence. Both platforms let you create a professional website without coding expertise. They serve different needs.
Choosing the wrong platform could cost you significant time and money. This guide helps you understand their differences and decide which option is right for your needs.
What is Squarespace?
Squarespace is a fully hosted website builder. It is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform, meaning you pay a monthly fee to use its services. You do not need to download or install any software. Squarespace provides an all-in-one solution, handling web hosting, security, and updates for you.
The platform uses a drag-and-drop editor. It provides a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) experience. Squarespace is closed-source. This means external developers cannot contribute to its core code. It offers less flexibility than WordPress. Squarespace started as a blog-hosting service in 2004. It’s often best for beginners looking for a simpler option.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is a content management system (CMS). It is open-source software, which means it is free to download and use. However, to build a live website, you must acquire a domain name and web hosting separately.
WordPress has more flexibility and customization options than Squarespace. It powers over 43% of all websites globally. Some sources indicate it powers over 34 million websites. This comparison focuses on self-hosted WordPress (WordPress.org), not the hosted WordPress.com.
Squarespace vs WordPress: Key Comparisons
Let’s examine how these two platforms compare across several critical aspects.
Ease of Use and the Learning Curve
Most business owners and beginners are not familiar with coding languages like HTML or CSS. You want a website builder that is easy to use out of the box.
- Squarespace:
- It is incredibly easy to use for absolute beginners.
- The platform offers an intuitive interface.
- It features a block-based editor, similar to WordPress.
- Its curated approach can feel less overwhelming for new users.
- Managed hosting removes the need for you to handle technical backend work.
- The onboarding process is straightforward. You create an account, choose a template, and start editing immediately.
- Its drag-and-drop editor ensures the layout looks proportional and sharp, even for non-designers.
- WordPress:
- It has a slight learning curve.
- New users need to learn basic terms and concepts like posts, pages, categories, tags, themes, and plugins.
- The default Gutenberg content editor is user-friendly and uses a block-based system. You can add common content elements with blocks.
- The setup process involves getting web hosting and installing WordPress separately.
- The theme editor lacks true drag-and-drop functionality without additional plugins.
- The admin dashboard can seem overwhelming as plugins add new features.
- Despite the initial learning curve, most users adapt quickly.
Winner: Squarespace. Squarespace offers a more straightforward and intuitive experience for beginners due to its all-inclusive approach.
Costs and Value
Understanding the cost of each platform is important for any business owner.
- WordPress:
- The WordPress software itself is free to use. It is open-source with a GPL license.
- You need a domain name and web hosting to build a website.
- Domain names typically cost $10-$12 per year.
- Web hosting prices range from $0.99 to hundreds of dollars per month, depending on the provider and service. Shared hosting plans often work for personal and small business websites.
- Many hosting providers offer discounts and free domain names for the first year.
- Additional costs may include premium themes ($13-$1000+) and plugins ($15-$500+ per year).
- The overall cost can be very low. You pay for the resources you use, allowing for cost control.
- Squarespace:
- Personal plans start at $12-$16 per month (billed annually).
- Business plans cost $18-$26 per month (billed annually).
- Online store plans start from $28 per month.
- All plans include a free custom domain for one year, a free SSL certificate, and managed cloud hosting with unlimited bandwidth and storage.
- The Business plan charges a 3% transaction fee on sales. Commerce plans have no transaction fees.
- Squarespace’s pricing is normally higher and less flexible compared to WordPress.
- Squarespace prices typically do not increase significantly after the first year.
Winner: WordPress. WordPress offers greater control over spending due to its flexible hosting and add-on options.
Design and Templates
You want a website that looks unique and aesthetically pleasing.
- WordPress:
- Provides access to thousands of free and premium themes (website templates).
- Themes are highly customizable. You can use your logo, colors, and images.
- Many themes offer multiple layout choices, drag-and-drop editors, sliders, and photo galleries.
- The vast number of choices can feel overwhelming for beginners.
- Themes vary in style, from minimal to colorful, for different purposes.
- Tools like SeedProd let you create custom themes from scratch without coding.
- WordPress themes are developed by third-party authors.
- Squarespace:
- Offers dozens of ready-made website templates, nicely organized by category.
- Templates boast professional designs and look great on any device.
- All templates are responsive, automatically adjusting to mobile and tablet devices.
- Squarespace’s in-house design team manages and updates templates regularly.
- There are a limited templates available compared to WordPress.
- Design options are largely confined to the customizer settings, offering less freedom for unique designs.
- Official Squarespace templates are free with no hidden features.
Winner: WordPress. WordPress provides a wider selection of design choices, customization possibilities, and overall flexibility.
Extensions and Integrations (Plugins/Apps)
As your website grows, you will likely want to add more advanced functionalities.
- WordPress:
- Plugins are the most powerful feature of the WordPress ecosystem.
- You can find over 59,000 free WordPress plugins in the official directory. Thousands of premium third-party plugins are also available.
- Plugins enable you to enhance your website by adding new features or modifying its functionality.
- You can create specific types of websites, such as e-commerce sites, membership communities, or online courses.
- Most third-party services, like email marketing, SEO tools, and social media platforms, have their own WordPress plugins.
- It is important to evaluate plugins for quality and security.
- Squarespace:
- Offers a very limited set of extensions and integrations.
- It lacks powerful APIs that developers can use to build extensive integrations.
- Available integrations often have limited functionality.
- Most extensions focus on business or marketing.
- Some “plugins” are custom-made by third-party Squarespace designers to add specific design features or functions.
Winner: WordPress. WordPress has an incredible ecosystem of thousands of plugins and integrations, empowering businesses of all sizes.
eCommerce Functionality
Are you building an online store?
- WordPress:
- Provides complete freedom to integrate and use virtually any payment processor. It supports Stripe, PayPal, and others.
- WooCommerce, the world’s most popular eCommerce platform, is a WordPress plugin.
- WooCommerce comes with its ecosystem of add-ons and themes.
- There is no limit on the number of products you can add or how you sell them.
- Other options for selling online include Easy Digital Downloads for digital products, MemberPress for memberships/courses, and WP Simple Pay for payment forms.
- The WooCommerce plugin is free, but some plugins cost extra.
- WooCommerce is not PCI-compliant by default; you must configure settings yourself.
- Highly flexible and customizable, ideal for scaling online stores.
- Squarespace:
- Squarespace’s eCommerce features are quite limited compared to WordPress.
- You can use Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay, and AfterPay for payment processing, but these are only available in select countries.
- Selling products requires a Business or Commerce plan.
- The business plan takes a 3% transaction fee on each sale, plus payment processing fees. Online store plans (Commerce Basic and Advanced) have no additional transaction fees.
- The platform offers limited third-party service integration for e-commerce.
- Businesses may quickly outgrow the available options on Squarespace.
- It has unlimited items, inventory management, and order fulfillment capabilities.
- Squarespace’s eCommerce tools are PCI compliant by default.
Winner: WordPress. WordPress with WooCommerce is significantly more versatile and scalable for online selling.
Data Portability
You should have the right to move your website data to another provider if you choose.
- WordPress:
- Comes with built-in tools to easily export all your website data.
- You can back up your themes, plugins, and the entire website database.
- You can easily move your content to any other Content Management System.
- You have complete ownership and control over your data.
- You can change web hosts at any time.
- Squarespace:
- The export feature is quite restricted.
- You can only export specific content parts in an XML file.
- This includes pages, galleries, and one blog page with all its posts.
- Product pages, album pages, text, audio, and video blocks are not exported.
- Proprietary platforms like Squarespace often use your data to keep you locked into their service.
- You own your user content.
Winner: WordPress. WordPress provides easy-to-manage tools for exporting your entire site, giving you full control and ownership of your content.
Languages and Internationalization
Many businesses need to cater to a multilingual audience.
- WordPress:
- WordPress is fully translated into dozens of languages.
- Most WordPress themes and popular plugins are translation-ready.
- You can back up your themes, plugins, and the entire website database.
- Excellent plugins are available to create SEO-friendly and feature-rich multilingual websites.
- Squarespace:
- The Squarespace platform is translated into six main languages. It offers partial support for a few more.
- Currency options for online stores are limited to those supported by Stripe and PayPal.
- Creating multilingual pages involves duplicating pages or setting up different sites for each language, which are billed separately.
- You often need to pay for third-party services like Weglot to manage translations.
Winner: WordPress. WordPress is significantly more advanced in terms of languages and localization options, making it suitable for multilingual websites.
SEO and Marketing
A website alone is insufficient; you must also use marketing and SEO tools to reach your intended audience.
- WordPress:
- WordPress is better for SEO than Squarespace.
- You can utilize powerful SEO plugins such as All in One SEO, Yoast SEO, and Rank Math. These plugins include sitemaps, schema markup, SEO titles, and meta descriptions.
- A vast library of marketing plugins is available, many for free. These include tools for email marketing (Newsletter), lead generation (Ninja Forms), analytics (MonsterInsights), social sharing, and social proof (Site Reviews).
- WordPress offers more granular control for SEO optimization.
- Squarespace:
- Includes several built-in marketing and SEO features.
- Its SEO toolkit allows editing meta titles, descriptions, URL slugs, and alt texts. It also offers URL redirects and AMP support.
- It has Google Search Console integration to show traffic-driving keywords.
- Features customizable form and newsletter blocks.
- Offers social media integration and basic website analytics.
- More advanced features, such as Google Workspace accounts, Google Ads credits, advanced analytics, and Facebook Pixel integration, are available in higher-tier plans.
- Squarespace covers basic SEO but lacks the advanced optimization features found in WordPress.
- You cannot directly tweak the underlying CSS and JavaScript codes for SEO purposes.
Winner: WordPress. WordPress wins due to its extensive and flexible library of SEO and marketing plugins, which offer deeper customization.
Security
Cybersecurity is important for your website and its visitors.
- Squarespace:
- Squarespace is a strong contender for security.
- As an all-inclusive platform, you do not need to take additional steps to secure your website.
- Squarespace checks for vulnerabilities, malware, and protects against DDoS attacks.
- Free SSL certificates are included for all domains.
- It provides two-factor authentication.
- Being closed-source, it has less chance of external code compromise.
- It supports GDPR legislation in EU countries.
- WordPress:
- The security of a WordPress website is primarily your responsibility.
- A good web host often provides an SSL certificate, regular backups, and DDoS protection.
- You must regularly update your WordPress core, themes, and plugins.
- Untrustworthy third-party plugins can pose security risks.
- The open-source nature allows anyone to contribute, which can lead to vulnerabilities if not managed properly.
- If you use shared hosting, an issue on another site could impact yours.
Winner: Squarespace. Squarespace handles all security aspects automatically, making it an easier choice for novices.
Support and Community
Having a strong support system is key as website platforms evolve.
- Squarespace:
- Offers multiple customer service channels.
- Access to a knowledge base and video tutorials.
- Live chat is available Monday to Friday.
- Email support is available 24/7.
- You can join a community forum and attend online webinars.
- A dedicated team of professionals provides support and platform-specific insights.
- Squarespace does not offer phone support.
- WordPress:
- There are no direct channels for customer service, such as live chat, email, or phone support.
- Support primarily comes from extensive documentation and community forums.
- Many third-party guides and tutorials are available.
- Some WordPress hosting providers offer specialized support teams for platform-related inquiries.
- You can hire WordPress experts for personalized support.
Winner: Squarespace. Squarespace provides more comprehensive and direct customer support channels.
Maintenance and Updates
Your website should function smoothly without constant glitches due to software updates.
- Squarespace:
- Handles all technical aspects of website maintenance, including updates and security.
- You are not required to perform any manual software updates.
- This allows you to focus on building your website and driving traffic.
- Updates are managed in-house and are automatic.
- WordPress:
- You are responsible for the maintenance of your website unless you use managed hosting services.
- This includes installing core, theme, and plugin updates regularly.
- You must also manage backups of your website.
- Other tasks include scanning for malware and optimizing your database and images.
- Plugins require attention for updates; sometimes, manual intervention is needed.
Winner: Squarespace. Squarespace wins for ease of maintenance as it is a fully managed platform.
Mobile Editor
You might need the flexibility to manage your website on the go.
- Squarespace:
- All Squarespace templates are automatically responsive, looking good on various devices.
- Its Fluid Engine editor allows you to create a mobile design independently of your desktop design without coding.
- Squarespace offers four different apps for mobile management: Analytics, Blog, Commerce, and the general Squarespace App (iOS only).
- A mobile preview mode is available in the editor.
- The platform does not allow you to hide specific elements on mobile devices.
- WordPress:
- Most WordPress themes are mobile-friendly.
- Some themes or page builder plugins offer options to edit the mobile design of your website.
- The WordPress Mobile App is available for iOS and Android.
- The app makes it easy to update blog posts, track site analytics, and manage comments and page content.
- Its interface is simple, intuitive, and easy to use.
- You can manage the majority of your site’s features from a single app.
Winner: Squarespace. While both offer good mobile solutions, Squarespace’s Fluid Engine allows independent mobile design. Squarespace provides specialized apps for different aspects of site management.
Squarespace vs WordPress: Which One Should You Choose?
Both Squarespace vs WordPress are powerful content management systems. Your specific requirements, technical skills, and long-term objectives for your website determine the best option.
Choose Squarespace if:
- You are a beginner or a non-techy user.
- You need a quick and simple solution for your project or business.
- You want a simple, elegant website with minimal technical involvement.
- You prefer a comprehensive solution that includes hosting, security, and support.
- Your website needs are basic, such as a portfolio or resume.
- You prioritize ease of use and professional design without needing to code.
- You prefer predictable, bundled costs for your website.
Choose WordPress if:
- You need more control and advanced features for your website.
- You plan to grow your website’s traffic and expand its functionalities significantly.
- SEO is a top priority for your web presence.
- You want access to a vast ecosystem of plugins and themes to customize your site.
- You are comfortable with a learning curve and enjoy customizing your website.
- You plan to build a large or specialized online store.
- You need to manipulate design elements beyond basic CSS with custom code.
- You want full ownership and control over your website’s data.
Final Thoughts
WordPress provides greater flexibility, power, and growth potential for businesses. Squarespace is easier for absolute beginners, providing a polished user experience and a hassle-free setup. WordPress may require more initial work and ongoing maintenance responsibilities, but its customization and scalability are unparalleled. Squarespace offers simplicity and managed services, trading off some of that ultimate flexibility.
Consider your willingness to learn, your budget for potential additional services, and your desire for direct control over your website. Both platforms are good website builders. Your level of comfort and the ultimate purpose of your site make the difference.
Squarespace 
