WordPress vs. Squarespace: Which Platform is Right for Your Business?

Every business needs a strong online presence. Choosing the right web hosting platform and content management system can make a big difference. This affects how your customers perceive your business and how happy they are with your website. Two of the most prominent options for your business website are WordPress and Squarespace. However, knowing which platform will best meet your business goals can be a challenge.

In this article, we’ll break down the pros and cons of each platform to help you make an informed choice. Ultimately, it comes down to your specific needs and which platform’s strengths best complement your strategic vision. 

Let’s start with the 800-pound gorilla of web publishing, WordPress.

WordPress

Because WordPress is so popular and dominant in its field, it is the default choice for most users. Indeed, the pros of using WordPress are quite impressive. They break down into four major areas:

1. Flexibility and customizability. WordPress gives you the greatest number of options for making your website look and behave the way you want it to. With thousands of themes and plugins, you can develop a website that matches your vision quickly and easily. Design elements and functionality can be added with minimal disruption. Beyond this, WordPress’s open-source nature allows you to modify code to address your specific needs. You can customize it to make your site different from your competitors.  
2. Scalability. When you use WordPress, you’ll have a site that can grow with your business. You won’t worry if your business takes off. Your site’s architecture can handle high-volume traffic or a massive increase in content. WordPress can do it all, from the smallest blog to the largest corporate site. Additionally, it supports e-commerce plugins that let you conduct sales at any scale.
3. SEO. WordPress supports plugins that can infuse your site with advanced SEO features and customization, helping you connect with your customers.
4. Control. WordPress is designed to put you in control of your website. In addition to the customizability features, WordPress allows you to choose any hosting provider, meaning you are not tied to one host or its performance and cost metrics. And, of course, WordPress ensures you have complete control over your site’s data and backups. 

However, while WordPress has many advantages and is widely popular, choosing it for your business comes with some disadvantages. There are three big ones you should be aware of before selecting WordPress vs. Squarespace for your business website:

1. Difficult to learn. WordPress is not the most intuitive content management system. It can require additional time to learn all its ins and outs, particularly when moving beyond the preset basic themes.
2. Costs. WordPress is free, but premium themes, plugins, and hosting may not be. These hidden costs can take a bite out of your budget, especially if you discover a need for a specific service. This may lock you into paying for it.
3. Security. WordPress requires regular maintenance and updates to every facet of its architecture. It must constantly guard against attacks since hackers are always testing its vulnerabilities. 

Squarespace

By contrast, Squarespace is in many ways the opposite of WordPress. Many of its advantages lie in areas where WordPress has drawbacks and vice versa. However, it’s often considered the superior choice. “If you will be blogging frequently, hoping to reach a large audience, and ultimately seeking to create an income-generating stream, Squarespace will be the better choice to help you achieve your goals,” says Forbes magazine. Let’s start by examining two of Squarespace’s big strengths:

1. User-friendly. Squarespace is very easy to use and requires little specialized knowledge. It uses an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, helpful for beginners needing to get a site up and running fast. Additionally, Squarespace has professionally designed templates that can be deployed with minimal customization while still looking good.
2. Covers all the bases. Squarespace includes hosting alongside content management. It also handles maintenance and updates, reducing the work you need to keep your website up to date. Squarespace has built-in e-commerce and SEO tools, so there is no need to pay for separate plugins. Beyond this, security is Squarespace’s responsibility. You don’t need additional resources to keep your code safe from hackers. Finally, Squarespace offers around-the-clock customer support for whenever you have a problem. 

But Squarespace is not a perfect service. It has some drawbacks in areas where WordPress excels. Three of those drawbacks can directly impact your business:

1. Relatively inflexible. Compared to WordPress, Squarespace is much less flexible and offers fewer options for customizing templates. Your site may end up looking like everyone else’s because you all share the same templates. Similarly, because Squarespace doesn’t allow you access to its code, advanced customization is often not possible. 
2. Not ideal for growth. If you plan to have a large and complex site, Squarespace may not be suitable. More control is often needed over functionality, especially with larger sites. 
3. Costs. Squarespace has higher monthly fees than WordPress, especially when factoring in hosting plans. While Squarespace includes hosting (sold separately with WordPress), overall costs are higher. This is because you get fewer features for the money with Squarespace. 

Which Platform is Right for You?

The experts are divided on which platform is better overall, partly because much depends on the user’s needs. When considering which platform fits your needs, think about what you want your website to do. If you need to customize your site heavily or use complex functions, and if you are technically skilled and can handle the maintenance, you may prefer WordPress. It also suits those who want control over every aspect of their site.

On the other hand, if you prefer to prioritize ease of use and comprehensive solutions with minimal technical expertise needed, Squarespace may suit you. It is ideal if you favor professional off-the-shelf designs requiring minimal customization and want customer support on hand around the clock.