As you embark on building up your website, you’ll need reliable page builder-software you can trust. One thing most webpage owners can agree on is that you can’t go wrong with these two: WordPress and SquareSpace.
In this article, I will explore their differences in terms of their ease of use, target market, design & customizability, mobile responsiveness, and everything you need to know to make an informed decision. The keys I’ve used will help you choose the best one suited to your needs and the project you have in mind.
Here’s a video to educate you on creating a website before I discuss the two best platforms you could use:
WordPress at a glance
WordPress is one of the most broadly adopted CMSs. It’s more commonly considered an open-source platform, rather than a website builder and provides adaptable software to meet all your project requirements.
- More technically demanding – with better adaptability regardless.
- It requires you to set it up on the web anchor.
- Most of the features are free, except for the themes, add-ons, and hosting that you get charged for.
- Wide range of add-ons and designs – but some are faulty and incompatible.
- Work best with developers that seek atypical elements, unlike the conventional ones on SquareSpace.
SquareSpace at a glance
This is a design-focused website builder. Squarespace comes with impressive blogging features and offers less complicated, more efficient editing tools.
Some of its key defining points are:
- Intuitive and straightforward to handle – though it’s not as adaptable as WordPress.
- Pricey, but it incorporates hosting, templates and add-ons.
- Exquisite themes, though they’re fewer than those on WordPress.
- Better suited for webpages that prioritize traditional features.
Advantages of having a website builder
As an entrepreneur, I can bet you have a lot on your plate and will appreciate anything that halves the work you have to do. A well-structured website builder does that and more!
Armed with excellent website building software, you’ll have a professional-looking site in no time as it guides you with the little knowledge you may have.
1. No coding or technical skills needed
Great news! With these software platforms by your side, you won’t need to dive into the confusing world of coding.
Such sites allow creators with even the most basic tech skills to build professional-looking websites at the snap of a finger! They are simplified and tailored to lighten your workload with their user-friendly designs.
2. Control on complete look and feel
Since the entire design is at your mercy, you have the autonomy to make changes as you see fit. You’ll be able to make edits that give you a finished product that aligns with your brand perfectly.
Often with designers, though you can describe what you want, some creative elements may be lost in interpretation. However, with you driving the creation yourself, you can make the website into what you want!
A website builder provides you with the tools you’ll need to build your website and lets you choose the themes and color schemes to suit your requirements.
3. Give you access to editing anytime, anywhere
With the busy schedule of an entrepreneur, you won’t always have the luxury of being behind your desk. The intuitive software you’ll use in these platforms allows you to access, edit, and control your account remotely at any time.
Any changes you make offline will be speedily synced with your online data, making your life easier.
WordPress vs. Squarespace
With the understanding of website development that you have now, let’s hold up two of the most commonly used software and see which is the best. Each platform stands out for various reasons.
Their target market
The two have significantly different features, and so attract different customers, performing different services.
Squarespace acts as a website designer, providing you with templates, tools, safety care, and SEO features, among others.
Alternatively, WordPress functions as a Content Control Processor, giving you charge over every element of your site.
With Squarespace, you get a full package with complete in-house elements, with all the expected tools. The same wide range isn’t available with WordPress; the features are fewer, but also simpler to handle.
WordPress affords you an uninterrupted charge over your site, from choosing design templates to overseeing the safety of your forum. This comes with more labor, but the advantage of having complete control makes up for it.
So which one is the best for you? If you’re after an expertly designed, innovative platform that doesn’t demand too much of your time and input, then Squarespace is the one for you. Their goal is assisting creators in achieving their objectives, even with minimal coding skills.
You’ll be able to smoothly work with their efficient, all-inclusive forum with minimal distractions, and concentrate on what’s important. With their collection of high-value accessories at your disposal, you won’t have to worry about safety, cryptographs, or hosting!
However, if absolute adaptability and control, with active participation in site development, sounds more like your style, then you better go for WordPress. If you’re up for a challenge with all the encoding, renovating and setting up complications, then you’ll appreciate their system.
WordPress isn’t convenient for novices, but for the advanced sites, their blogging features are unbeaten.
Relevant: Comparing WooCommerce and Shopify
Usability
Squarespace presents you with the features exactly as you see them. Their simplified editing and the clutter-free display is convenient and appears just as your viewers will see it once you launch the site.
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WordPress’ functionality is dissimilar; it requires encoding plus add-ons to personalize your pages. You get a lot more artistic command, though this may prove confusing if you’re not experienced in electronics.
Your edits are simply displayed as with Squarespace – these occur in the background, complicating the whole process since you have to go back and forth.
On the bright side, WordPress provides an architectural tool, “Gutenberg editor,” which helps you construct content and visuals for distinctive websites. Instead of writing separate codes, you get “blocks” that enable smooth incorporation of features, from large texts to short phrases and pictures.
Design and customization
For a simple website constructor with impeccable designs, Squarespace is the perfect option with quality patterns and a straightforward form. It gives you more than 60 templates, ranging from online journals and e-Stores to podcasts.
For the coders, WordPress might be more up your alley. With a plethora of themes to choose from, you can explore marketing-related ones or post your own versions.
This platform allows everybody access to build, contribute, and share themes, though this may be problematic. It opens up the possibility of transferring malignant software within the themes, exposing your webpage to safety infringement.
After selecting your design, you may want to personalize it by adding personal touches like fonts and illustrations.
Squarespace allows you to have a blast with personal tweaking. All your adaptations appear clearly and will enable you to integrate album and video illustrations smoothly.
To take your creativity a notch higher, you’ll also have the fixed CSS editing feature to heighten your tech skills.
In this arena, WordPress does well for itself, affording total oversight for your site. It has unique elements to make for the lack of the drag-and-drop feature, permitting you to alter the templates to your taste.
Mobile compatibility
The software you choose needs to work well on your mobile devices as well as it does on your PC. After investing time in creating your site, you don’t want to find out that it appears warped on mobile phones.
Templates offered by Squarespace are all compatible with mobile devices. They have an ingrain mobile version, maintaining the same great look on all gadgets and screens.
WordPress, on the other hand, isn’t as compatible. Their multitude of templates interferes with their quality on different screens.
Where one appears vibrant on a PC, it may be less so on a mobile display. Because more than half of your users will be accessing your page on their mobile phones, not adapting your site to cater to them would negatively impact your traffic.
A feature you could benefit from including is AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages), which generates streamlined adaptations of your site. These can be pulled up easily by mobile users and are consistent with Google to program mobile-compatible areas in search engines. AMPs work with both platforms, with Squarespace readily optimizing them, unlike WordPress that requires installation as an add-on.
Tools & features offered
Besides looking attractive, you’ll need your website to come packed with multiple features that make it useful in various scenarios.
Squarespace features
Squarespace comes with multiple in-built elements. It provides you with high-quality adaptability, writing, and creativity features. Here’s some of them:
- Complimentary fonts
- Adobe picture rearranger
- Setting up collections of templates
- Dropbox folder integration
- Public assimilation
- Blogging tools
- Audio assortments
- E-message operations
- Easy product glimpse
- Trade vast computerized and tangible goods and supplies
With all these on offer, there’s no need for you to seek out additional plugins. You’ll have them all on the dashboard for you to choose from.
WordPress features
This platform has gained fame for its impressive range of capabilities. This is due to the unlimited add-ons you can include, on-top of the ones that come with the site. These are:
- Adaptable templates
- Broadcasting elements like timing posts
- Password encrypted sites
- Various patrons who can give input
- Picture arranging features
- Controls contributed statements and opinions
- Lexically diverse
With these, your content creation is dynamically improved. It does, however, have significantly less in-built tools than Squarespace, but not so that it’s functionality is invalidated.
SEO optimization & ecommerce
Squarespace’s inherent SEO features significantly upgrade your site. Elements like browsing pages, automated label attaching, uncorrupted URLs, among others, are incorporated, negating the burdening process of separate downloads.
On the other hand, WordPress structures SEO-friendly sites, though its features may be found lacking. Add-ons can be installed that improve these features and have it work as you please.
With the optimization tools on Squarespace, the heavy work is done on your behalf, allowing you to maximize your search engines.
If your website is created to trade online, then both of these are perfect for that. Where Squarespace enables you to organize an all-incorporating shop at the snap of a finger, WordPress depends on add-ons to be effective.
Working with WordPress means you’ll need to collaborate with plugins like WooCommerce to set up a functional E-Store. This is a pretty simple installation to make, so you have nothing to worry about.
For offline sales, Squarespace has introduced an alliance with Square, where you can trade your products while logged off and maintain online correspondence.
Also Read: Best e-commerce platforms
Blogging tools
You’ll agree with me that maintaining contact with your customers and site visitors via regular blogs is a great way to become successful. Though both these sites allow you to perform this task superbly, they do so in interestingly different ways.
As a blogger, which site tickles your fancy will come down to personal preference. Squarespace comes with a range of user-friendly blog tools on its webpage in an orderly format, allowing writers to share and make changes as they see fit.
Your blog articles can be attached, labeled, and refined when working with Squarespace. As you work, your posts get synchronically shared on your social pages. As a blogger, I know for one that this feature is a big plus in my book as it enables me to keep all my platforms updated.
Similar to Squarespace, WordPress, like-wise, offers bloggers many templates free-of-charge, as well as systems that keep you connected to your socials.
Seasoned writers will appreciate the HTML feature that comes with WordPress that allows you to create your own display. This is a bonus not featured on Squarespace.
One other big perk that comes with WordPress is the society of bloggers you’ll be introduced to. You’ll be able to connect with and comment on other WordPress users and grow as a writer.
Money’s worth
An essential factor to consider before settling for a site is the financial input your choice is going to require. Your budget will play a crucial role in helping you decide on the best site developer.
Here’s a summary of the considerations of each:
Squarespace
With the payment plan, you’ll settle for; you’ll be given a domain title for your site. Other amenities include:
- Monthly plans provide you with clear service prices.
- No undisclosed additional fees.
- Give you more of your money’s worth than other alternatives.
- It gives you four fixed cost plans.
WordPress
Though the software is free, you’ll need to purchase add-ons to improve your website’s functionality.
- WordPress itself is free
- Additional fees for add-ons and extra features like themes.
- Flexible costing since you choose what to pay for
Summary
Hopefully, my take on the website builder giants, WordPress Vs. Squarespace has been helpful to you.
Comment down below with your own additions and takeaways on these sites, or with any features, you think we should have covered.
If this article helped guide you in choosing a website builder for your business, then you’ll be glad to know that we have many reads like this! Check out other useful reviews and guides on similar topics here:
- Wix or Shopify?
- Wix vs. Squarespace – the best website builder
- Shopify or Etsy – what’s best for your business?
Need a head-to-head comparison of other e-commerce sites I haven’t covered? Let me know below what you’d like to read next!
