Squarespace vs WordPress:
Which Website Builder Platform Is Better For My Business?
It’s hard to compare Squarespace vs. WordPress because the two platforms take two very different paths to achieve the same goal. Since there’s no easy way to switch from platform to the other, choosing the wrong platform for your business means starting completely over from scratch. The following comparison chart should give you some insight on how to proceed.
| Squarespace | WordPress | |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | Squarespace caters itself to people with little to no web development skills. It comes with a number of high quality templates with customizable layouts. However, since the platform is proprietary, your customizability is extremely limited compared to WordPress. If you can code, you can use the advanced developer’s version of Squarespace. | WordPress is extremely easy to use right out of the box. If there are any tasks that are too difficult for you to complete by hand, you can easily install plugins (like BoldGrid, which handles many arduous tasks) from the massive WordPress repo. WordPress is open source, meaning it has a HUGE online support base. |
| Blogging | Squarespace has a easy to use blogging system that will your basic needs. From individual user permissions to built-in social media connectivity, if you don’t require any advanced functionality, Squarespace’s blogging tools will get the job done. | WordPress literally pioneered blogging into the modern age. Many of the features, functions and sensibilities of most blogging platforms were, at the minimum, inspired by WordPress. Any features not included out of the box can be easily added with a plugin.There aren’t many other blog platforms that is as versatile and comprehensive as WordPress and it gets even better when you use BoldGrid. |
| eCommerce | Squarespace’s eCommerce functionality is fairly robust, touting features like built-in subscriptions, secure checkout and flexible payment options for customers. However, there’s no easy way for you to add any additional functionality unless you’re a skilled developer. | WooCommerce is a free eCommerce plugin developed by the creators of WordPress. Recent statistics show that WooCommerce powers 30% of online stores. It’s a remarkably robust plugin with a huge following, and lots of support. Best of all, it’s 100% compatible with WordPress. There are thousands of WooCommerce plugins available that extend its functionality. |
| Plugins and Addons | Squarespace supports addons in the form of around 200 official plugins and a unspecified amount of unsupported “third-party customizations,” which requires a code injection to function. Please note that they provide no support for these outside addons, which could break your site. Squarespace’s platform is proprietary, meaning independent developers don’t have access to its codebase. As such, there aren’t nearly as many addons as WordPress. | This is where WordPress truly shines. The official WordPress repository has over 45,000 plugins and 10,000 themes. This number doesn’t include the premium plugin and theme vendors, as well as those who don’t list in the repository. Whatever you need, there’s a plugin for it. Take a look at BoldGrid — we’ve created an ecosystem of integrated plugins that covers everything you need. |
| Site Ownership | Squarespace uses proprietary technology with bundled hosting. Migrating from Squarespace will be difficult and will require you to rebuild your site from scratch in another platform, like WordPress. | With WordPress, you own every element of your website. You can use any web hosting with WordPress (and BoldGrid has tools to make the migration very easy). |
| Site Maintenance | Squarespace is a managed service, and as such, should automatically maintain backups and perform updates. While this takes some pressure off, unfortunately, it also means that you don’t have access to your backups and other data if you need it. | You can find many plugins in both the WordPress repository and from private vendors that will help with site maintenance AND give you access to your data. For example, BoldGrid has tools to help automate backups and ensure website integrity. |
| Pricing | Squarespace comes with multiple pricing tiers depending on your business needs. For example, you’ll have to pay more if you want complete access to the files that allow you to style and design your website. | WordPress itself is free, but you’ll have to find a suitable web host. Many web hosts offer specialized WordPress hosting services. If you’d like to try WordPress now, click here to launch a fully functional free WordPress instance that you can easily migrate later. |
Conclusion
When choosing between Squarespace vs WordPress, take special care in evaluating your needs. Squarespace can get your site up quickly, but with the right website builder tools, WordPress is just as easy to use, has extensive community support and is scalable. You’re not locked into any system, and you can take your website to any host you choose.
BoldGrid Makes Building WordPress Websites Easier
BoldGrid’s robust web design tools allow you to focus on creating beautiful websites, while its automated website maintenance tools handle everything else.
BoldGrid empowers you — regardless of skill level — to build and manage expert-level websites easily and quickly.
Try our WordPress powered website builder.
Inspirations
200+ customizable website templates, organized by industry and interest, and a guided setup to help pre-populate important site elements.
Post and Page Builder
Our drag-and-drop editor that allows you to build visually without shortcodes or coding on ANY theme.
Total Upkeep
Total Upkeep is an easy-to-use automated backup, fault protection and migration solution. If updates crash your site the last backup is restored.
SEO
BoldGrid SEO analyzes your content in real-time and advises you on important SEO factors, ensuring your website ranks highly in the search engine results.
Cloud WordPress
Quickly launch a WordPress demo installations. Safely test new plugins and theme changes without risk of breaking your live site.
WordPress + BoldGrid
You can use WordPress to make almost any kind of website. See what you can create with BoldGrid today.