Squarespace vs WordPress – What to Know Before You Choose? (Pros and Cons)

With a pandemic as the present enemy, plenty of ventures have begun to go online, whether it’s a store that’s starting to explore avenues in e-commerce or a business seeking to establish their online presence now more than ever.

While COVID-19 persists and calls for the adoption of digital methods such as going online and building a website, companies often fail to pay attention to choosing the platform they wish to work with. Keep in mind that this is integral to create a well-rounded website.

Luckily, there are plenty of choices that are accessible to anyone who wishes to build a website even if you aren’t an expert. Among the popular options include Squarespace and WordPress. Both make stunning sites, so there’s no surprise that you’re considering these two platforms.

To begin with the basic differences, Squarespace is known as a website builder with designer templates that boast top quality. Squarespace supplies hosting, so there’s no need for a hosting provider. There’s also no need to code, but an option to do so is available.

Meanwhile, WordPress is a content management system with more in-depth capabilities that enable you to customize and expand your website when it comes to technological aspects. It’s better for creators who like to build outside the box when it comes to accomplishing their objectives.

These two builders are both efficient and sophisticated, but with the life-changing transformation the pandemic has ushered in our lives, we think it’s best to take time to appraise these popular picks with a Squarespace vs WordPress post and prove which one is a better fit for your business. We have this list of pros and cons for each platform to give you a clear idea on which works best for you.

Squarespace

Pros

1. You don’t have to be an expert

As we go on about Squarespace vs. WordPress, we have to highlight one of the best aspects the former option boasts. When it comes to creating a website via Squarespace, you don’t need to be an expert or a web developer. You can easily construct a site without the need for knowledge on coding and technicalities.

When designing a website, you can simply sign up and count on Squarespace to supply you with a stunning template. That’s what the platform is known for. You can customize your site even further with drag-and-drop functionalities to move and arrange certain aspects of your page.

Although it might take a while for you to learn the ropes when setting up your site, Squarespace is ideal for professionals and non-professionals alike, making it a perfect option for anybody who wishes to establish their presence online.

2. Community support and additional knowledge are always welcome

Because it’s a platform that welcomes all levels of expertise, Squarespace offers free video tutorials and has a special answer section to cater to your inquiries. The latter supplies a response to frequent asks about creating a site on the platform, which can be further enriched by looking to the Squarespace community via forums.

If you’re also unhappy with your web design, you can hire a Squarespace specialist to develop your website. They can resolve issues you run into your page and offer you a more bespoke site that addresses your business needs.

3. Great-looking design for image heavy users

If you’re planning to show off product photos or if your company offers services related to photography, then in the battle of Squarespace vs WordPress, the former officially wins.

The biggest advantage of using Squarespace lies in the clean layouts and beautiful designs it offers, which are particularly great for users who plan to use a lot of images when creating a website. Best of all, unlike WordPress with its bloated plugins with poorly inputted codes, you can trust on site loading times of Squarespace sites.

Cons

1. Limited eCommerce functions

Although Squarespace is alright with eCommerce, the platform is pretty limited if your goal is to set up an online store. When compared to WordPress’s roster of payment gateways, you’ll begin to ask is Squarespace worth it, since you can only select from three options: Stripe, PayPal, and Apple Pay. Limited payment options can set you back as an online retailer and hinder your goal to drive more sales, so think twice about it.

Squarespace also doesn’t have a similarly broad array of plugins that WordPress has for eCommerce sites. On top of that, it charges a 2 to 3% transaction fee plus credit card processing fees, so it can weigh a lot on your pocket, especially if you’re avoiding these additional charges.

WordPress

Pros

1. Best for eCommerce

Since we’re discussing the advantages and disadvantages of WordPress, it’s best to kick off with the platform’s capabilities when it comes to transforming your website into an eCommerce store. WordPress has a good number of plugins such as WooCommerce that are capable of getting you to this outcome. There are also other available plugins and methods that boost your online shop’s capacities, if you’re looking to speed up WooCommerce.

Unlike Squarespace, you don’t have to pay any transaction fees besides what your payment processor demands. You can also incorporate a plugin catering to affiliate marketing, which is useful after Forbes predicted its bright future in the coming years.

This is echoed by data from Statista, which shows that affiliate marketing expenditure will go beyond $ 8 billion by 2022.

2. There’s a plug-in for everything

When talking about the pros and cons of WordPress hosting, it’s important to emphasize that the platform is open-source, which means that anybody can set up plugins that broaden the core functionality of WordPress itself.

Plugin development is ruled by supply and demand, so if your site needs something particular, chances are a user has already constructed a plugin for it.

3. WordPress is widely used

According to WordCamp, WordPress is currently powering 75 million sites online. That’s a staggering number of users relying on the most popular content management system to date.

Because of this, you can be sure that you’re not tied down to a single developer since plenty of them are familiar with the platform. Likewise, once you’re good to go with your website, it’s easy to find staff to manage, operate and maintain it because of WordPress’s popularity.

Cons

1. Additional software is sometimes necessary

Although WordPress is a popular choice and continues to grow through the years, it still needs some additional tweaks if you’re looking to establish a professional website. While it already offers much, you simply can’t rely on WordPress’s plugins and templates. Most organizations with a professional site incorporate extra software that can keep up with the times.

Aside from paying for your WordPress hosting, you have to also purchase this software and renew subscriptions to maintain your site’s functionality. This option can set you back when it comes to budget, but we also think that investing in solutions can boost your enterprise online.

For instance, if you think what WordPress has is not enough, you can weigh the pros and cons of a website builder software to see if it helps.

Go get your dream website

Now that we’ve reached the end of our Squarespace vs WordPress debate, we hope we’ve given you enough enlightenment on which platform to use for your venture. Both platforms have their own sets of advantages and disadvantages as well as strengths for particular enterprise and individual needs.

Despite all this, we think that WordPress is still a more robust option, since it offers better value, more powerful capacities and more support than Squarespace. Additionally, more users online prefer to use WordPress, so you can be sure about its reliability.

With WordPress, you can get a custom domain, round-the-clock support alongside a friendly creative community that’s there to guide you with every step of the way as you build your business online.