If you’re new to website design and you’re looking for a platform to build your first (or next) website on, look no further than Squarespace and WordPress.
These two web-hosting platforms are at the top of the game when it comes to design and functionality. It can be hard to decide which one is right for you.
I’ve used WordPress in the past, but nowadays I find myself clinging onto a flashy Squarespace website. One is not better than the other, though, which is why I’m going to give you a brief comparison of the two.
A Brief Comparison
In terms of functionality and features, Squarespace is the winner.
It offers a lot more in-house resources than WordPress. It allows you to host your own email campaigns straight from the website, sync your website’s content with Dropbox, and much more.
WordPress relies a lot on plugins, which means that the web host is dependent on other sources. For example, if anything were to happen to WordPress’ ecommerce platform, the company would likely have an uphill battle to overcome.
Furthermore, Squarespace is a lot easier to use than WordPress if you don’t know how to code. I have a few friends who own Squarespace accounts and they do know how to code. Their websites are a lot prettier than mine, so I will say that knowledge of coding can enhance your website on any platform. It’s less necessary, however, if you host your website on Squarespace.
In Summary…
Squarespace’s goal is to allow people to build beautiful websites without needing coding skills. WordPress, on the other hand, tries to give its users total freedom over their goals by providing much more functionality than Squarespace.
Over 32% of the websites on the internet currently use WordPress. It’s a much better (and cheaper) platform than Squarespace if you’re looking for functionality.
I, for one, am not a coder, nor am I interested in becoming one, so I switched from WordPress to Squarespace to avoid the hassle.
And that is just it – the key is understanding that both web hosting platforms have different target audiences. Identifying which target audience you belong to will determine which platform is better.
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, what’s important is understanding where you’re at. There are a lot of web hosting companies and even though it initially seems like they’re all providing you with the same service, their goals are very different from each other.
If you have knowledge of coding and web development, you should consider WordPress. If you haven’t the slightest idea about coding or you have no desire to actively manage and maintain your website, go for Squarespace.
Regardless, the decision you make can always be reversed. A lot of web platforms allow plugins/information synchronization between them. This means that you can never truly go wrong with either of these platforms.
