Squarespace Alternatives (2022): Which Website Builder Is Right For You?

Squarespace is one of the most popular and reliable website builders today. The platform boasts of professionally-designed templates and an impressive suite of built-in e-commerce features. In addition, it comes with 24/7 customer support and a growing community of users.

But is it the right website builder for you? Like many out-of-the-box solutions, it’s not always a one-size-fits-all situation. Squarespace’s design-savvy templates aren’t the easiest to build, while the few third-party integrations it comes with pale in comparison to what other platforms offer.

With this in mind, we’ve narrowed down the top four Squarespace alternatives — Wix, Shopify, Weebly, and WordPress — you should look into. Each platform comes with a standout feature that makes them worth considering if you find Squarespace a little too cumbersome, too expensive, or too limited.

Squarespace Alternatives Comparison Chart

Name	Wix	Shopify	Weebly	WordPress
Type	Website builder	Subscription-based e-commerce platform	Website builder	Open-source content management system
Pricing and Plans	Free plan available Check website and business plans	Basic Shopify: $29/month Check other plans	Free plan available Check website and online store plans	Free to use Check WP Engine for WordPress hosting
Standout Feature	User-friendly drag and drop functionality	Powerful e-commerce tools and extensions	Easy-to-use website editor with expansive app center	Extensive customizations and third-party integrations
Hosting	Yes	Yes	Yes	Self-hosted
Templates	800+ templates	100 free and paid-for templates	50+ templates	Thousands of themes from WordPress theme directory and third-party vendors
SSL Certificate	Yes	Yes	Yes	Free via plug-ins
E-Commerce Features	Built-in	Built-in	Built-in	Via WooCommerce
Customer Support	24/7 callback service, help center, resource center	24/7 phone and live chat support	Email, phone, and live chat support	Online community and support resources

Wix for Easy Customizations

Wix’s website editor is easy to use and allows for plenty of modifications.

While Squarespace allows you to create a website without writing a single line of code, its editor’s section-based approach adds to the learning curve. For most users, this can mean spending a lot of time figuring out how to customize your page or add content to your site. Wix, on the other hand, comes with a more dynamic drag-and-drop interface that allows users to truly take ownership of their sites.

Wix also has plenty of templates to choose from — over 800 in fact. Each of them is mobile friendly and can be adapted to whatever industry, brand, or category your site will belong to.

Customizing a template’s design is also simple. The platform’s dynamic editor gives users the ability to actually change the layout of the page—including headers and footers—by simply dragging these sections into place. Even the size of the content blocks you use can be adjusted.

Users with no background in coding or web development will definitely benefit the most from Wix. From contact forms and social media links to image grids and apps, you’ll feel like a pro designer capable of adding widgets of content to your site. The best part is that Wix offers a feature-packed free plan that’s great for testing out the platform. Paid plans are also available if you’d like to upgrade later on.

If you want to know more, check out our full review of Squarespace vs Wix.

Shopify for E-Commerce

For businesses that need to scale, Shopify offers dedicated tools for online selling.

As an all-in-one solution, Squarespace comes with built-in e-commerce features that make it easy to start an online store. But if you really want to grow your business, you’re better off with Shopify. After all, it’s a platform dedicated and optimized for online selling.

Like Squarespace, Shopify offers customizable templates to adapt to your storefront. You also get inventory management and product marketing tools to help manage your store. However, Shopify offers more features to help your business scale. Fraud prevention, shipping rate calculations, multi-currency support, and report builders are just some of the advanced tools you can enjoy.

Shopify’s standalone app store also carries a plethora of native and third-party applications. With these extensions, online stores get access to a range of functionalities including dropshipping, AI chatbots, sales forecasting, and store pickup and delivery services. In addition, you can connect your store to high-traffic marketplaces like Amazon, and popular networking sites with online selling features like Instagram.

Read more about how Shopify works.

Weebly for Beginners

Beginners on a budget will like what Weebly has to offer.

For beginners, Weebly is a great alternative not only to Squarespace but even other website editors like Wix. Registering on the platform is easy, and users are guided with helpful prompts while building their site. Weebly’s drag and drop editor is also simpler to use, taking little to no time to master.

Compared to Squarespace and Wix, Weebly’s templates aren’t as flashy. However, they are still customizable and come optimized for mobile devices as well. Some of the elements users can modify include logos, page colors, accent colors, and font type. For deeper customizations, a built-in code editor is available, too.

Weebly’s biggest advantage, however, is its dedicated e-commerce solution that features a large catalog of third-party extensions. And because Weebly keeps the beginner in mind, setting up these features isn’t as tedious when compared to the likes of Squarespace, Wix, and even Shopify.

Like Wix, Weebly also offers a free plan. Its online store subscription plans, however, are less expensive across the board compared to Squarespace’s Commerce plans.

Read the Squarespace vs Weebly comparison here.

WordPress for Professionals

For websites that look the way you want it to look, WordPress is still the best platform.

While website editors make it easy to build your own website, you can only modify so much without the need for coding or web development experience. If you want to really customize a Squarespace site, for instance, you’ll still have to dive deep into its built-in CSS editor. In that case, you’re going to get more from an advanced content management system like WordPress.

When it comes to customizations, the possibilities with WordPress are almost endless. The platform’s third-party integrations and plug-ins are extensive and include dedicated programs for e-commerce like WooCommerce. There’s even a drag-and-drop editor feature, along with access to over 3,000 templates.

WordPress, however, isn’t the easiest to use. Plus, you’ll need to take care of hosting, domain, security, and storage on your own. However, if you do have the technical knowledge — or can hire someone who does — you’ll find it the best platform to power your brand. It’s already behind some of the biggest online presence today, including Canada.com, Vogue, Tech Crunch, and BBC America.

Check out our detailed review of Squarespace vs WordPress.

Verdict

Among Squarespace alternatives, Wix and WordPress are great bookends to choose from. Wix is great if you want to launch a website fast. If you have the technical knowledge, however, WordPress is worth investing in.

Wix

Best for easy customizations

WordPress

Best for professionals

If you don’t have coding and web development knowledge, Squarespace is a trusted and reliable website builder. The platform offers plenty of stunning templates you can customize, along with solid e-commerce, blogging, and SEO tools. However, it’s not the easiest website editor to use. If you’re keen on launching a website fast, Wix is the best alternative. It’s already powering countless websites across the world. Moreover, its free plan is feature-rich enough for simple sites like galleries and portfolios.

For deeper customizations, Squarespace does offer a built-in CSS editor, the way Wix and Weebly does. However, you can do so much more on a content management system like WordPress. You will need technical skills to make the most out of a WordPress-powered website. And while it’s free to use, you’ll also have to spend on your own hosting and domain, together with whatever plugins you use. However, if you have the skills — or the resources to get someone with skills—you’ll find WordPress is a more dynamic platform compared to Squarespace.

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