Today’s customers see a website builder as an easy-to-use instrument that can do most of the job. That is, they won’t need to sweat over coding, and it will be enough to customize ready blocks to publish their professionally built website.
Such a view may seem naive, but this is the key concept for many forwarding providers. Squarespace is one of them. This site constructor belongs to the top-popular solutions, especially effective for creating online stores. The product is good but not perfect. Strong alternatives exist to Squarespace, and we will introduce them to you in this review.
WordPress – For Professionally Built Websites
| Product Name: | WordPress |
| Official Website: | wordpress.org |
| Founded: | 2003 |
| Number of Websites: | 61,909,719 |
| Complexity: | Complex |
| Free plan: | Completely free |
| Paid plan: | Paid themes and hosting |
WordPress – is an absolute leader in the number of actual websites – it exceeds 61 million! The site builder allows the full customization of your website, but the main reason for its fantastic popularity might be the top-notch integration with a massive number of add-ons, plugins, and side services.
What Is Better in WordPress?
The benefits of WordPress are truly impressive:
- Integration. Take any hosting company, domain registrar, or another service crucial for site development, and you’ll see that one of their key options is a service package for WordPress. So, when settling your website on the WordPress platform, you get access to piles of useful services and extensions.
- The REST API interface of WordPress is to level up your website’s connection to other CMS, etc.
- Pro Features. WordPress does not only offer a much broader set of features in all site-building sectors than Squarespace. The platform is regularly updated with new options. You can sense the full power of WordPress when you are code-friendly or have a specialist who is.
- A Free Plan. You can create a simple WordPress site for free.
Pricing
The platform’s paid packages might be the best in the entire market regarding the price/money value ratio. The starting price is €4 a month. Do not forget that there’s a free plan on WordPress. The pro plans for businesses and eCommerce are a bit cheaper on WordPress, but factor in that they include much more features than the parallel packages of Squarespace.
Who Is WordPress Best For?
WordPress is a multifaceted CMS that works best for individuals, bloggers, freelancers, small and large enterprises. This is a worthy solution for everyone who wants to set up and manage professional web projects and possesses coding knowledge to complete the task.
The software is not quite easy to use as it requires programming or web design expertise. For individuals and bloggers, the software offers a user-friendly interface, a wide choice of themes and plugins as well as intuitive content creation tools. It makes it possible to showcase their personal portfolios, share ideas and thoughts through blogging, and effortlessly connect with their audience.
Businesses benefit from WordPress’s scalability, cost-effectiveness and extensive customization options. It enables users to establish an online presence and attract customers without extensive tech expertise or significant financial investment.
Wix – For Site Development Overall
| Product Name: | WIX |
| Official Website: | wix.com |
| Founded: | 2006 |
| Number of Websites: | 10,839,692 |
| Complexity: | Very easy |
| Free plan: | Yes |
| Paid plan: | From $22/mo |
Wix – is a younger platform but has beaten Squarespace in the number of launched websites: over 10 million of them are created with the help of Wix. And the reason is clear – Wix offers more diverse features with more advanced mobile options, SEO tools, etc.
What Is Better in Wix?
When comparing Squarespace and Wix, similar features are usually found. However, a detailed observation shows that they are more extended and more customizable in Wix. Wix is better in the following options.
- Ease of Use. Both site builders have drag-and-drop-based editors, but the Wix interface is much easier to manage. You might also feel disappointed with how Squarespace limits your ability to place blocks. In Wix, you can put any element in whatever area of your website.
- Wix ADI. There’s an alternative way to build a website on Wix. You can use the Wix artificial intelligent service for this purpose, and it’s truly easy to use.
- More Features. From mobile options to SEO tools, Wix gives you more freedom in tuning up your future site.
- Thus, there’s a mobile editor in Wix (absent with Squarespace). Users can manage such SEO elements as custom domain names, page titles, and page headings, while in Squarespace, such edits can be unsupported for certain pages or even templates.
- As to marketing & eCommerce features, expect to find a bigger number of payment solutions supported, better shipping tools, POS integration, advanced CRM tools, and other smart instruments unavailable with Squarespace.
- More templates. While Squarespace offers about a hundred templates, you’ll get access to 800+ of them on Wix.
Pricing
There are two different groups of plans in Wix, which is one more advantage of the platform. You can choose from Website and Business/eCommerce plans depending on your project specialization. The cheapest plan from the Website package costs $22 per month. All plans include a 1-year free domain, the custom domain option, a free SSL certificate, and the Remove Wix ads instrument. There’s a 14-day full-refund guarantee.
Who Is Wix Best For?
As one of the most popular DIY website builders, Wix is best suited for individuals and entrepreneurs looking for a user-friendly platform to create websites that both look and function great. No coding expertise is needed to work with Wix – so intuitive and simple it is.
If you need a simple website for personal use, Wix is ready to offer an understandable drag-and-drop interface. It makes it easy to create portfolios, blogs and simple projects for everyday use. The system provides a wide range of customizable designs and features that allow users to personalize their web presence.
Need a business/eCommerce project? Then you will certainly benefit from the extensive collection of business-focused templates and tools. It offers eCommerce capabilities, marketing solutions and integrations with popular third-party apps. As a result, businesses have an opportunity to create professional websites, sell products online and reach a broader customer base.
Shopify – For an Online Store
| Product Name: | Shopify |
| Official Website: | shopify.com |
| Founded: | 2004 |
| Number of Websites: | 6,812,366 |
| Complexity: | Medium |
| Free plan: | No, free 14-day trial |
| Paid plan: | From $9/mo |
Many users consider Squarespace as the best tool for online store development. However, we can dispute this meaning. Yes, Squarespace has excellent templates, but running an online store is not only about a beautiful design. Shopify is a more powerful tool in this respect.
What Is Better in Shopify?
Shopify is initially tailored for online store development, so most of its advantages are related to the “selling things” area.
- Integration. Be sure to supply your online store with every third-party extension your eCommerce project might need.
- Payment Solutions. Shopify allows connections to a broader number of payment gateways. More currencies are supported within the platform.
- eCommerce Features. There will be a bigger set of them on Shopify, and you will have more freedom to customize them. Extras that Squarespace cannot offer you include advanced POS instruments, Inventory Management, Tax Management tools, shipping options, and more.
- Abandoned Cart Saver. This option is available across all the Shopify plans, including the cheapest one.
Pricing
The cheapest start with Shopify will cost you $9 a month. Other plans are Basic ($29/mo), Shopify ($79/mo), Advanced ($299/mo), and Shopify Plus with custom pricing. A free trial with a two-week refund guarantee is supported.
Who Is Shopify Best For?
Shopify is a solely eCommerce platform, the only implication of which goes down to web store creation, customization and further promotion. The software is specifically designed for businesses and individuals looking to establish and manage online stores.
The system is best suited for entrepreneurs, small and medium-sized businesses, and even large enterprises seeking a comprehensive and scalable eCommerce solution.
Shopify subscribers benefit from its user-friendly interface, extensive range of powerful built-in eCommerce features and tools, numerous niche templates and integrations. It makes it possible to quickly set up a web store, manage inventory tools, process payments, track sales etc. These steps do not require any tech expertise.
Large enterprises can leverage Shopify’s enterprise-grade features, such as advanced analytics, robust security measures and multi-channel selling capabilities. Such functionality allows managing multiple web stores at a time.
SITE123 – For Small eCommerce & Businesses
| Product Name: | SITE123 |
| Official Website: | site123.com |
| Founded: | 2015 |
| Number of Websites: | 79,211 |
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Free plan: | Yes |
| Paid plan: | From $10.80/mo |
SITE123 – is a convenient site builder with an easy-to-manage interface. It would scarcely beat Squarespace in the quality of templates. It might not be the best solution for bloggers or photographers. However, for eCommerce projects, SITE123 has several advantages.
What Is Better in SITE123?
Think Squarespace is simple? Try SITE123 – it’s much easier to use! Other pros of the site builder include the following:
- Mobile options. The SITE123 templates are mobile optimized, so your website will look great on whatever device.
- Non Drag & Drop Mechanism. You simply choose the option which is applied to your website immediately. You won’t be able to change a lot of things in designs and your website’s structure, but the process will be 100% error-free.
- No Commission. You’ll only pay fees applied by the payment operators.
- An Excellent Dashboard. You can observe your website’s performance, check submissions, maintain all the add-ons, and many more in a top-convenient way.
- Support. Tutorials. Languages. SITE123 is truly user-friendly since it offers great customer support 24×7 and is ready to guide you at any stage of the site development process. Online Chat supports 16 languages.
Pricing
SITE123 has a free plan, quite workable for a very simple website. There are four paid plans as well. The cheapest one will cost you $10.80 p.m.
Who Is SITE123 Best For?
SITE123 has distinguished itself as one of the simplest DIY website builders for everyone. This means that even a non-coder can create projects with it. Thus, the software can be effectively used for personal and commercial web projects.
Individuals who have limited technical skills or time constraints can benefit from SITE123’s simplicity and user-friendly interface. It provides pre-designed templates and a drag-and-drop editor, letting individuals quickly customize their websites without the need for coding knowledge.
SITE123 offers essential business-related features such as eCommerce capabilities, SEO tools, and mobile optimization.This helps entrepreneurs establish an online presence and attract customers.
Non-profit organizations, freelancers and individuals may also benefit from using SITE123. The website builder provides options for creating donation pages, event calendars, blog sections, portfolios etc., thus making it suitable to showcase projects, share information and engage with a user community.
Hostinger Website Builder (ex.Zyro) – For Low-Budget Projects
| Product Name: | Hostinger |
| Official Website: | hostinger.com |
| Founded: | 2019 |
| Number of websites: | 3,341,508 |
| Complexity: | Average |
| Free plan: | Unlimited |
| Paid plan: | From $2.99/mo |
Hostinger Website Builder (ex.Zyro) is a young competitor in the site-building domain. It is very easy to use, but its customization tools are limited enough. The key advantages of the Hostinger Website Builder website builder are a modern interface and cheap plans.
What Is Better in Hostinger Website Builder?
The platform is very similar to Squarespace but yields to Squarespace in many respects. Yet, it has several advantages over its competitor:
- AI Features. Hostinger Website Builder tends to develop its AI features. Today, you can use the AI Slogan Generator and AI HeatMap. The latter option is to analyze your website performance and visitors’ activities in a completely new way. There’s also an AI Writer and other interesting tools.
- Useful Extras. Hostinger Website Builder supports very handy tools (also AI-based) like a free Logo Maker, Blog Title Generator, Image Resizer, Background Remover, and more.
- A Convenient Dashboard. The platform was launched in 2019, so it can boast its modern, easy-manageable dashboard. Via it, you’ll be able to maintain all processes on your website easily.
- Payment Options. Hostinger Website Builder supports 70+ payment gateways, including PayPal, AfterPays, Stripe, and many others.
- Excellent Loading Speed. A website based on the Hostinger Website Builder platform is sure to load and fulfill all the operations fast.
Pricing
There are two available plans at Hostinger Website Builder that will cost you $2.79 and $3.99 per month, respectively. The site offers a 30-day refund option.
Who Is Hostinger Website Builder Best For?
Hostinger Website Builder positions itself as a quality all-in-one solution that offers a web design platform and hosting options at a time. The software is a nice pick for individuals, small business owners, freelancers and budget-conscious users looking for a user-friendly and affordable platform to get started with their projects.
Even if you are a non-coder, you will quickly get used to the platform. Offering drag-and-drop functionality, pre-designed templates, and a variety of customization options, Hostinger website builder makes it easy to set up personalized websites without the need to write a line of code.
For those users who are pressed for budget, the system offers cost-effective pricing plans and features required to establish quality web presence. These include responsive design, SEO tools, eCommerce capabilities etc.
Weebly – For Affordable eCommerce
| Product Name: | Weebly |
| Official Website: | weebly.com |
| Founded: | 2007 |
| Number of Websites: | 1,718,762 |
| Complexity: | Medium |
| Free plan: | Yes |
| Paid plan: | From $10/mo |
Weebly – seems to be a more modest competitor when compared with Squarespace. However, this is a powerful instrument for businesses that they can afford to use for a reasonable price. 40+ million websites are based on Weebly today.
What Is Better in Weebly?
Weebly and Squarespace are similar in their functional organization. Still, you can expect the following advantages on the part of Weebly:
- Ease of Use. Although Squarespace is also a Drag & Drop website constructor, the Weebly Editor is simpler to use. Its interface is clear (there are no tricky buttons here), and you can place blocks and elements anywhere on your website.
- Custom Code. Are you a coding pro? Weebly will let you customize HTML/CSS for your website.
- Automated Tax Calculator. It will be available for US online stores.
- Payment Options. Stripe, Authorize.net, PayPal, and Square are supported on the platform, while Squarespace supports only Stripe.
- Features and Add-ons. Weebly has a number of unique features. For instance, you can run well-organized campaigns via Weebly Promote. Moreover, the site builder supports 250+ plugins and extensions that really can raise your website’s productivity.
Pricing
Weebly offers a free plan you can use as long as you wish. The cheapest prepaid plan, Personal, will cost you $10 p.m. The other two are Professional ($12/mo) and Performance ($26/mo).
Who Is Weebly Best For?
Weebly is a DIY website builder that was initially created for blogging purposes. As the software developed, it started gaining popularity with users worldwide. Later on, it was acquired by Square and has gained an eCommerce focus. Thus, the platform is now used to set up personal and business websites, including web stores.
Entrepreneurs find Weebly advantageous due to its user-friendly interface and comprehensive features. It offers customizable themes, drag-and-drop functionality along with eCommerce tools. The system is also known for its affordability and quick setup process.
Need to set up a blog or a portfolio? Then Weebly has much to offer here as well. The system offers user-friendly content creation tools, responsive design and blogging features, letting individuals showcase their work or easily share their ideas.
Adobe Dreamweaver – For Web Designers
| Product Name: | Adobe Dreamweaver |
| Official Website: | adobe.com |
| Founded: | 1997 |
| Number of Websites: | 4,654,223 |
| Complexity: | Complex |
| Free plan: | Free 7-day trial |
| Paid plan: | From $20.99/mo |
When Adobe products like Illustrator, After Effects, or Photoshop are routine apps in your creative work, Adobe Dreamweaver might be your #1 site-building solution. It can be purchased as part of the Creative Cloud package, so you’ll get access to a fully-equipped platform with all the tools necessary for a web designer ready to be used.
What Is Better in Adobe Dreamweaver?
Adobe Dreamweaver is not for complete newbies. However, professional designers will find a number of advantages here:
- Easy Coding. Wish to edit HTML, CSS, or JavaScript in the easiest way possible. The updated version of Adobe Dreamweaver is right for you.
- Templates. Together with coding options, the program offers ready-to-use templates. They will be useful for web design amateurs. Using such a template will let them create a multi-page website with quite a consistent layout.
- Automatic Updates. Be sure that updates will uniquely touch your content – they won’t damage your website’s code.
- Built-In FTP. This option will let you upload files right to your website.
- Customization. Surely, Adobe Dreamweaver will let you customize your website just the way you want. However, your success with the soft depends highly on your skills.
Pricing
When choosing the Teacher & Student edition, your subscription to Dreamweaver will be $19.99 p.m. The common version of the app is $20.99. You can also subscribe to the Creative Cloud plan, with 20+ apps included, for $54.99.
Who Is Adobe Dreamweaver Best For?
Adobe Dreamweaver is a professional web design software that targets experienced web designers and those who have a solid understanding of HTML, CSS, and web development concepts.
The platform provides a comprehensive code editor with syntax highlighting, code suggestion, and auto-completion tools. It is ideal for writing and editing complex HTML, CSS, and JavaScript codes.
Web design agencies and professionals looking for advanced customization options will also benefit from using Adobe Dreamweaver. Among the benefits they will avail here, it makes sense to mention extensive project customization options. These are responsive design, media queries and integration with various web technologies.
Finally, Dreamweaver’s integration with other Adobe Creative Cloud apps like Photoshop and Illustrator makes it suitable for designers who need websites with complex graphics and animations.
Instapage – For Web Campaigns
| Product Name: | InstaPage |
| Official Website: | instapage.com |
| Founded: | 2012 |
| Number of Websites: | 58,591 |
| Complexity: | Average |
| Free Plan: | 14-days trial |
| Paid Plan: | From $199/mo |
InstaPage – is a premium-class landing page builder with the help of which you can organize various marketing campaigns. This tool will let you build smart landing pages, create popup/lead forms, conduct A/B testing, and many more.
What Is Better on Instapage?
Squarespace also allows the creation of landing pages, so the comparison of both brands is reasonable. Instapage beats Squarespace here in many respects:
- 120+ landing page templates will be at your disposal at Instapage.
- An excellent Form Builder. Be sure to get a powerful tool with fantastic widgets (Instablocks) and easy instruments. The key options include the mobile view editor.
- Great Analytics. Instapage offers several built-in analytical tools like conversion tracking, heatmaps, A/B test reports, etc.
- Integration Power. The number of apps and services you can integrate with Instapage is really impressive. Whether you wish to connect an analytical, advertising, email marketing, eCommerce, or CRM tool, be sure to have the broadest choice of solutions.
- Workspaces. This option will let you add members of your team and/or specialists/customers so that you can easily collaborate within your project.
Pricing
The starting plan for Instapage is available for $149 per month. It goes with a 14-day free trial. The company can offer you a fully customized plan if you’re looking for an even more tuned-up solution for your needs. Its benefit is that you can try it in free demo mode.
Who Is Instapage Best For?
Instapage is a landing page builder, which makes it a smart choice for online marketers, advertisers and entrepreneurs. The software is great for optimizing digital advertising campaigns and creating high-converting pages.
The platform offers a drag-and-drop editor, customizable templates along with A/B testing capabilities. This eventually allows marketers to create and test various variations of landing pages to boost conversion rates.
Are you an advertiser looking to improve your digital ad campaigns? Instapage provides integrations with popular advertising software like Google Ads and Facebook Ads. This allows for seamless campaign tracking and retargeting.
With Instapage, you can set up websites to generate leads, promote products or launch marketing campaigns. With this purpose, you can create lead capturing forms, use advanced analytics and conversion tracking tools. This makes it possible to effectively measure the success of your landing page.
Verdict
Squarespace is a reliable website builder which covers all the basic needs of a standard business, eCommerce, or personal blog website. You can expect a good price/value ratio from the tool. However, there are better alternatives to Squarespace, like Wix, in the first place, Weebly, or Shopify.
Each of the Squarespace competitors we have introduced in this review can offer specific benefits for your website, depending on its aims and limitations. Hopefully, we have extended your idea of any website builder’s possibilities, and you will be able to pick the most suitable solution for your project now.
