There are a lot of website builders on the market these days. Two of the most popular ones are Squarespace and WordPress. Both have their pros and cons, so which one is the best option for you? In this article, we’ll compare Squarespace vs. WordPress to help you make that decision!
Squarespace vs. WordPress – Ease of Use
Squarespace is a drag-and-drop website builder, which means it’s very easy to use – even if you have no prior experience with website building. You won’t need to write any code, and there are plenty of templates to choose from.
WordPress, on the other hand, is more complicated. While it has a drag-and-drop feature called Gutenberg, it’s not as user-friendly as Squarespace. There’s a steep learning curve, and you’ll need to be comfortable coding if you want to make any customizations.
In terms of user-friendliness, Squarespace is the clear winner. But if that isn’t your top priority, keep reading. We’ll look at some other important factors to consider when comparing Squarespace vs. WordPress!
Squarespace vs. WordPress – Pricing
Pricing is always an important consideration, and Squarespace and WordPress both have a variety of pricing options. WordPress itself is free to use, but if you want to publish a professional-looking website that is pleasant to interact with, you’ll need to pay for:
- WordPress hosting (around $4 monthly);
- a domain name (about $12 per year);
- a WordPress theme (optional; around $200 for a quality one);
- WordPress plugins (optional);
- hiring a designer (if you don’t have the skills to design your site yourself).
On the other hand, Squarespace’s pricing plans are all-inclusive. For a small monthly fee, you’ll get everything you need to create and maintain a professional website. There’s a free 14-day trial, and premium Squarespace plans range from $16 to $49 monthly.
In the long run, WordPress websites are cheaper to maintain. But initial costs can be higher, and you’ll need to put in more work to get your site up and running. So, which is better – Squarespace vs. WordPress pricing? If you’re looking for an all-in-one solution with lower initial costs, a Squarespace website is a better option.
Squarespace vs. WordPress – SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is important for any website, and both Squarespace and WordPress offer plenty of features to help you optimize your site. Squarespace’s templates are all mobile-responsive and SEO-friendly, and the platform includes built-in tools to help you with things like keyword research and creating sitemaps.
WordPress is also SEO-friendly, but you’ll need to install plugins to get the same level of functionality as Squarespace. Yoast SEO is a popular plugin that can help WordPress users with things like keyword research and content optimization.
Both WordPress and Squarespace are good choices if you’re looking for an SEO-friendly platform. Squarespace has more in-built features, but WordPress.org can be just as effective with the right plugins. The sheer number of WordPress plugins makes the platform stand out!
WordPress Blogging Tools vs. Squarespace
If you’re planning to use your website for blogging, it’s important to consider the blogging tools that each platform offers. WordPress is a great choice for blogging, as it has all the features you need to manage a successful blog. You can easily add and format content, schedule posts, moderate comments, and more.
Squarespace also has blogging features, but they’re not as comprehensive as WordPress. For example, you can’t add a sidebar to your Squarespace blog, which can be limiting. Many bloggers use sidebars to highlight popular posts, embed newsletter sign-up forms, etc. You’ll need to install a third-party plugin in order to do that.
For bloggers with mobile readers, however, Squarespace has the advantage of using AMP. AMP is a Google-backed project that speeds up the loading time of mobile webpages. WordPress has a plugin called AMP for WordPress, but it’s not as quick to employ as Squarespace’s built-in AMP support.
Features of WordPress vs. Squarespace
How to decide between Squarespace vs. WordPress? In the end, it comes down to what’s most important to you. Here’s a quick overview of their strongest points:
- Squarespace offers customizable templates with superior user experience, great looks, and mobile-responsiveness. WordPress has plenty of themes to choose from, but they require coding skills to customize and make the most of them, unlike Squarespace templates.
- WordPress has more features overall if you count all the plugins, but Squarespace’s all-in-one approach makes it easier to use. It’s easy to set up a Squarespace site, so if you don’t need all the WordPress plugins, it may be the better option.
- WordPress is cheaper in the long run, but Squarespace can be more affordable initially with its monthly plans.
- Squarespace has built-in e-commerce features that are easy to use, but perhaps not as advanced as some would like. WordPress requires plugins for e-commerce, which can be more complicated and lacking in customer support.
- WordPress is more flexible – you can create any type of website with it. Squarespace is better suited for certain types of sites, like online stores or portfolios.
- WordPress allows you to restore older versions of your site, while Squarespace doesn’t have this feature. It doesn’t have autosave either, which can be frustrating if you forget to save your work.
In the end, it’s up to you to decide which platform is best for your needs. If you don’t want the hassle of setting up and maintaining a WordPress site, Squarespace is a great option. If you’re looking for more control and flexibility, WordPress is the way to go.
WordPress Gives More Flexibility, but Squarespace Is Simpler
Have you decided between Squarespace vs. WordPress? If you’re not sure which platform is best for you, try them both out! That way, you can see which one you prefer before buying anything. If you decide to go with WordPress, be sure to check out our guides on how to work with it. Thanks for reading!
What do you think? Which platform do you prefer – Squarespace or WordPress? Let us know in the comments below!
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