Squarespace vs WordPress
Squarespace vs WordPress is a tricky subject just like McDonalds vs Burger King or Apple vs Android. Which one do you choose? Is one really better than the other?
When it comes to Squarespace vs WordPress, I really don’t think that one is better than the other. There are certainly pros and cons to each platform, which I’ll cover in this article, but at the end of the day they do the same thing. Everyone has their own personal preferences on what works best for them, so it really depends on the person creating the website to decide which platform they want to go with.
In this guide, I’ll uncover the following comparisons to Squarespace vs WordPress:
- Ease of Use
- Design
- Customization and Flexibility
- Maintenance
- Customer Support
- Pricing
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1. Squarespace vs WordPress: Ease of Use
Squarespace: Have you ever designed a website before? Unless you are a trained professional in web development, it’s not easy... Thankfully, Squarespace basically does all the hard work for you and makes it EXTREMELY user friendly and easy to use.
I like to compare the ease of using Squarespace to the ease of using any Apple product. You buy it and it sets itself up. It’s that easy. If you’re not tech savvy (or you just don’t want to spend the time on coding) and you want a really beautiful website, Squarespace is perfect for that. *I set up this entire blog in less than 1 day on Squarespace because it was so easy!
WordPress: There is a very steep learning curve to using WordPress. Unless you are comfortable with coding, HTML, and all that other fun tech stuff, it will probably take you quite a bit of time to get your WordPress site up and running (unless you hire a developer to set it up for you).
Once you are up and running on WordPress, there is still a bit of a learning curve to know it’s best practices. It is not much of a “plug-and-chug” model for people who are not tech savvy.
Summary: Squarespace definitely takes the win for being easier to use. However, if you don’t mind working the back-ends of your site from scratch (or hiring someone to do it), then take on WordPress.
2. Squarespace vs WordPress: Design
Squarespace: Squarespace’s slogan is “Build It Beautiful.” It is the simplest way to build a truly beautiful site. That being said, they only have a certain number of templates to choose from. But you can be confident that the design will be aesthetically pleasing! And they are all mobile responsive, which is a huge plus!
WordPress: WordPress has an almost endless amount of template designs that you can choose from. Chances are very likely that you will find at least 1 that fits your style. The only caveat is that you have to install them yourself or hire someone to do it for you. Some designs may or may not include mobile responsiveness, which is another added cost that you would have to pay for.
Summary: Squarespace templates are a click away from installation and look very beautiful, mobile responsive, and cohesive. They are also easy to swap in and out with each other if you change your mind at any point. On the other hand, WordPress has a massive library of templates that users can choose from. They do require self-installation, which can be difficult if that is not a skill you possess.
3. Squarespace vs WordPress: Customization and Flexibility
Squarespace: The customization tools with Squarespace are limited to what is already on the platform. You can easily drag and drop things around to make your website look how you want, fonts and colors are interchangeable, and you can even use some code if you’d like. However, there are not hundreds of widgets, plugins, or tools that you can download for the site.
WordPress: Since WordPress is an open platform, there are literally hundreds of ways you can customize your site. There are plenty of widgets, plugins, and tools that you can use on your website. The possibilities for customization are endless. Again, if coding is your thing, then you will love the flexibility that you have with WordPress.
Summary: WordPress definitely wins for being more customizable and flexible for it’s users. However, because Squarespace is limited to the choices already on the platform, it makes it much easier for newbies to figure out what they are doing.
4. Squarespace vs WordPress: Maintenance
Squarespace: Thankfully for its users, Squarespace automatically tests and updates all necessary changes, which frees up time spent doing this. Users never have to worry about updating to a new version or swapping out old features.
WordPress: Anyone who has used WordPress can attest to its annoyingly frequent messages of new updates that are required from plugins to the overall platform. You almost always have to check these maintenance messages on a weekly basis to keep up with changes.
Summary: Squarespace offers a much more convenient model of maintenance with automatically pushing out the newest version each time it changes.
5. Squarespace vs WordPress: Customer Support
Squarespace: Squarespace has a rule that their support team will get back to any inquiry within 1 hour via email. There is also a forum, live chat option, and tons of informational videos making it easy to find the answer to almost any question you have.
WordPress: Although there is no direct contact number or email address to reach someone at WordPress, there are loads of resourceful forums and videos all over the web from other WordPress experts. You will have to research on your own in order to find them though.
Summary: Because Squarespace has less users, their customer support is much more organized and easy to access. However, because there are so many users of WordPress, you can probably find whatever information by doing a simple Google search.
6. Squarespace vs WordPress: Pricing
Squarespace: There is no free version of Squarespace, but they do include your domain name, hosting, and all the website tools you need to build your site. For all of these things, they offer 3 main packages: Standard ($8-10/month), Unlimited ($16-20/month), and Business ($24-30/month), with each package dropping in price when you pay upfront for the entire year.
WordPress: To start your site, you will have to pay separately for your domain name and hosting through whichever service you choose (I use Bluehost and you can click here for a special discount!). Once you’re up and running there, other expenses that can rack up are templates, plugins, developers, and much more. There are also additional charges depending on what type of WordPress service you want to use (they offer Premium/Business accounts). You could easily spend $200+ just on setting up your site.
Summary: At the end of the day, pricing ends up being the same for both platforms. If you are more skilled with back-end stuff, then WordPress will be a cheaper and more customizable option.
SQUARESPACE VS WORDPRESS: FINAL SUMMARY
Choosing between these platforms is a completely personal decision that all comes down to what you are capable and willing to do in order to create a stellar website. Squarespace is best for people who just want something beautiful, quick, and easy to set up. WordPress is best for people who are experienced with putting together websites, or who want to learn how to do it and don’t mind the learning curve.
My blog has been on both Wordpress and Squarespace, and I ultimately chose Squarespace to be where The City Sidewalks lives. I am not a techy person and did not want to dish out the funds to pay for the constant upkeep from a developer. I found it much easier to manage and maintain my Squarespace website than it was on WordPress and I’ve been very happy with my choice to move over.
*Want to learn how to start a blog? Just click HERE*
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