With more businesses seeking to create a website, start a blog and retain control over website features, WordPress and Squarespace remain the top options.
The two platforms are both creator-friendly but have different strengths and weaknesses depending on your goals.
Let’s compare WordPress and Squarespace features, pricing, service, and more to decide which is best for your next website.
Plugins/File Access
Squarespace With Squarespace, you don’t have much backend customization. Squarespace has a library of built-in templates; most options can’t be changed.
DevineDesign/WordPress WordPress gives you a wide range of control. There are a dozen of WordPress plugins…85,000+ … and growing!
Security
You can protect your website from hackers and other online threats with either platform. Devine Design works constantly on security to protect our clients. You have real people you can reach via phone or email with us. Our clients find that really useful.
SSL certificate
All websites must have an SSL certificate or a digital document that enables encrypted connections.
Squarespace issues these certificates with the purchase of a plan.
DevineDesign/WordPress provides this on our WordPress environment at no charge.
Downloads and Updates
Squarespace keeps everything up to date as needed. Of course, it can only do this by first limiting the user’s options. With Squarespace, no installing plugins or themes from third parties. With Squarespace, you get what you get.
DevineDesign/WordPress relies on plugins for optimal performance. Plugin must be updated regularly. We do this for our clients under our Partner Packages.
Cost
To create the most basic website, you’ll pay about double the cost for Squarespace versus WordPress.
Squarespace:
Business: $23/month
Basic: $27/month
Commerce: $49/month
After a 14-day free trial, Squarespace pricing plans can get pretty steep, ranging from $23/month for the basic business site to $49/month for the most advanced plan.
DevineDesign/WordPress pricing:
WordPress is free; running a WordPress website requires web hosting.
Devine Design Pricing: $200/year
Devine Design Pricing: $100 for nonprofits,
Plus, your domain name costs $10-12 per year.
With Devine Design, an SSL certificate is included.
Search Engine Optimization
Squarespace includes an SEO tab with some built-in tools designed to improve your site’s search engine rankings. These tools are basic—meta title and URL customizations, image alt text editing capabilities. For more advanced help, it links to other off-page resources.
DevineDesign/WordPress offers plugins that drastically expand SEO capabilities. Devine Design uses the Yoast SEO plugin. Yoast tools include schema markup integrations that help Google show users your content, blog post-SEO and readability analysis, control over your website’s breadcrumbs, and so much more.
Storage and Backup
Squarespace offers unlimited storage capacity. Squarespace users must take the extra step of backing up their content manually.
DevineDesign/WordPress Devine Design offer more storage PLUS automatic updates and backups.
What to Use For Your Next Website
From where we sit, content management is where the real magic happens. And in our view, it’s hard to make magic possible without WordPress. From ease of use to adaptability and growth, WordPress wins.
