Squarespace is one of the best ways to build and customise a website without having to know how to code. Almost everything you need to make a website is there. Squarespace offers more advanced features on top of the basic ones you’d expect from a hosted website builder, such as domain registration, hosting, templates, and help from experts. With built-in tools for e-commerce, blogging, SEO, and analytics, you can build and improve your website to get more visitors and grow your business.
But Squarespace isn’t the right answer for everyone. It comes with a number of features, but it doesn’t have any add-ons that can improve the way your site works.
Squarespace doesn’t let you add missing features to your sites, such as an autosave button or a form module. Whether you want more freedom, a cheaper monthly plan, or a better e-commerce experience, Squarespace has a lot of options.
Excellent Alternatives to Squarespace
If you’re looking for an alternative to Squarespace, here are the six best ones that work for you.
WordPress
When looking at raw numbers, self-hosted WordPress is clearly the winner. Unbelievable as it may seem, WordPress now powers 43.1% of all websites. In case you were wondering, 1.8% of all websites are powered by Squarespace. WordPress requires you to install the open-source WordPress software on your virtual host, which is a little more work than Squarespace.
Using WordPress.org should be a top priority if your website will be the primary source of revenue for your online business. It’s not the simplest answer (that’s not what it was made for), but it has lots of features that can help you expand your website’s reach.
Try establishing a presence in multiple languages, launching an e-commerce platform with WooCommerce, or simply teaming up with one of the (potentially) millions of WordPress developers. You can get almost everything you need to launch an online business built by these expert developers.
PROS:
- E-commerce, multilingual websites, membership pages, booking engines, etc. can all be accommodated with the help of WordPress plugins.
- Advantages include scalability to meet future demands and full administrative control over the site’s content.
- All you pay for is the supplementary features you require; using the tool is free of charge.
CONS:
- Requires Technical Know-How: There was a lot of initial hands-on work with this CMS (content management system). That necessitates either your own technical expertise or the means to acquire such expertise.
- Unlike the site builder below, you will be responsible for all maintenance and security updates. It is imperative that you stay current on all developments.
- WordPress does not offer direct support, so if you have questions you’ll need to spend some time looking for answers in various online communities.
Wix
Wix’s free plan makes it ideal for individuals and small businesses to create a website, while Squarespace’s free trial period is only 14 days. Wix offers hosting, a drag-and-drop editor, and more than 500 theme templates, all for free with their basic plan. You can make as many pages as you want for your site, and you can place elements anywhere on those pages simply by dragging and dropping them.
With Wix’s free plan, your site’s URL will change to a subdomain controlled by Wix, and there will be advertisements displayed on the home page. You can get started with the free version and then upgrade to a paid plan if you find you need more advanced features.
Wix vs. Squarespace: More Reading
PROS:
- Wix gives you a lot of leeway in the aesthetic direction of your site by providing a wide variety of customizable templates. Visual components like galleries and animations can be included.
- Wix’s App Market offers numerous useful add-ons and compatibility options. Not only can you use Wix Bookings, one of their own full-featured applications, but you can also use any one of hundreds of third-party applications, such as Dropship Corporation, to help you expand your business.
- Wix’s Automatic Site Backup is a feature that sets it apart from Squarespace. Wix documents and tracks every edit made to a website. Therefore, if you delete something by accident, you can simply restore your site to an earlier version.
CONS:
- Wix’s blog is passable and optimised for search engines. Unfortunately, it’s not the most adaptable option. The blog editor is separate from the main website editor, limiting users to a very basic design.
- As a template, Wix isn’t quite mobile-friendly enough (unlike Squarespace). You’ll need to make some adjustments in the Mobile editor to ensure your site displays properly on mobile devices.
Shopify
For smaller online shops, Squarespace has solid e-commerce features. But once you want to sell internationally, use AliExpress dropshipping, or implement a customer loyalty programme, you’ll quickly discover that it doesn’t scale well.
The name “Shopify” has practically come to mean “online store.” Shopify, as a platform tailored specifically to e-commerce, offers more tools and more than 6,000 apps, such as Dropship Corporation, to help you grow your online store.
Shopify’s e-commerce and POS functionalities make it an ideal platform for solo entrepreneurs. This Shopify Dropshipping 101 guide will get you excited about selling products online without ever having to touch a product.
Comparing Shopify and Squarespace is worth your time.
PROS:
- As far as online stores go, Shopify was practically made for the shopping cart it offers. Everything about them is made with e-commerce in mind.
- App Store: Easily integrate third-party apps for things like fraud detection, dropshipping, and point-of-sale.
- Shopify’s scalability makes it ideal for businesses big and small. Customers who have already registered with another Shopify store can immediately begin using features like Shop Pay without having to register again.
CONS:
- To cover the costs of the processor, Shopify adds a transaction fee to any payment that isn’t processed through Shopify Payments (not available in all regions) (such as Stripe or PayPal).
- Although a blog is included with Shopify, you are free to make any kind of page you like (such as product landing pages). It can be challenging to get your non-e-commerce content to look the way you want it to on a Shopify site.
Duda
Squarespace and Duda both have easy-to-use website editors and templates that you can use to make websites quickly. Duda is different from Squarespace in that it has tools for teams to work together and for managing customers.
Duda lets its users import content from other websites, reuse widgets in different projects, and make dynamic versions of individual pages. When it comes to working as a team, Duda lets you give feedback right on the site as it’s being built. All of these things make it easier for agents to grow their business.
The fact that Duda can be used in multiple languages is the most interesting and possibly most powerful thing about it. If you want to sell to people all over the world, this will help your business a lot. Also, Duda supports dynamic features for different types of customers. This means that some customers can see offers or coupons that are just for them when they look at your site.
PROS:
- Editor: The drag-and-drop editor in Duda is one of the easiest and most user-friendly tools for people who are just starting out.
- Duda is the right website builder if you want your site to be shown in more than one language and you want to sell internationally.
- Personalization: You can show visitors offers and discounts that are specific to them based on how they use your site.
CONS:
- No App Store: Because Duda doesn’t have an App Store, there aren’t many ways to add third-party apps and integration.
- Price: Duda users can’t get a free plan or trial, and the more advanced features cost money.
Weebly
If ease of use is the most important thing to you, Weebly should be in the running. Weebly is the easiest small business website builder, so you can get your site up and running quickly. It also comes with something for free, which could be appealing.
There are a lot of theme templates for e-commerce and online stores that can be used with Weebly, and it also has good automatic SEO integration. If you know a little CSS and HTML, you can change your site to meet your needs.
But if you want something more tailored to your needs, you might want to look somewhere else. Weebly is also known for its great uptime and site speed, and it has a great editing environment for both beginners and site experts.
PROS:
- The template selection is great, and you can change themes at any time with the click of a button. On mobile devices, you can also use themes.
- Interface: The interface is simple to use and easy to learn. Any simple site can be done in minutes, while more complex sites can be up and running in hours.
- Layout Changes: Along with good templates, you can also change the layout of the page. If you like a theme but want to change the layout, it’s easy to do.
CONS:
- Weebly does not have as many new features as market leaders like Wix or WordPress. Some people don’t mind using services that copy the good parts of other services, but others may prefer more innovative companies.
- Weebly’s blogging feature leaves a lot to be desired, as it seems to be a bit behind the competition.
Webflow
Webflow is a more flexible tool that can be used by people who know how to code. Webflow lets you customise the front end of your website with visual tools that don’t require any coding. However, experienced developers can use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript on the back end to make more changes if they want to.
Webflow is less easy for beginners to use than most tools because it is made for developers and designers. While Webflow’s community, Webflow University, has a lot of tutorial videos and other ways to help yourself, Webflow’s community, Webflow University, does not.
The basics of a modern seller’s workflow are built into Webflow E-commerce. Webflow users already have the tools they need to do basic e-commerce tasks like shipping, taxes, order processing, Instagram purchases, and more. With Webflow e-commerce, you can change how people check out, lower the number of people who abandon their shopping carts, and add your store to your blog.
PROS:
- It gives you more design options than any other website builder. You can also choose to use code like JavaScript and CSS.
- Export Code: You can export your website design as code so that you can use it with other website builders if you want to try something new.
CONS:
- Not Easy to Learn: The interface is hard to understand and requires some technical expertise.
- Template Choices Are Limited: You can change the template a lot, but there aren’t that many to choose from.
Last Word
Squarespace is a strong competitor in the market, no doubt about it. But Squarespace’s competitors and alternatives are rising to the challenge and coming up with services that are just as good as Squarespace’s.
You can make a website that meets your specific needs with any of the tools listed above. You should pick a tool that not only helps you get started, but also helps you grow as time goes on. Before you choose a site builder, you should think about your needs and your budget.
