Squarespace vs WordPress?
If you are considering a new website, the choice of a content management system (CMS) is important. In recent years, more and more people are considering Squarespace or WordPress.
After working with DNN and WordPress, in 2013 we switched to Squarespace. We have developed over 600 websites based on this platform, and we are still as enthusiastic and impressed with a tool that is virtually bug-free and free of technical issues! Here you can find an overview of the main differences between the tools. The way we see it!
IMPORTANT: This is not a "test". We are very clear that you can create great websites in WordPress, and it's a great tool to work with. But there are differences in the way Squarespace and WordPress are built, and below we have picked out the most relevant differences:
1. Concept - Open source
WordPress is based on open source code and the publishing tool itself can be downloaded for free by anyone. Then you have to buy "plugins" for e.g. image galleries, forms and other functionality. Today there are about 55,000 different plugins available, but many are of poor quality. Squarespace is owned by Squarespace, the development is controlled by Squarespace and all functionality is built into the tool. One click and you have access to all the functionality! Squarespace has a lot in common with Apple. User-friendly, sufficient functionality - and everything works (Squarespace is good at testing!)
2. Easy to use
There is no disagreement here: Squarespace is significantly easier to use than WordPress. Adding photos, video, audio is easier, and with drag-and-drop functionality, it's very easy to build great-looking pages. All functionality can be accessed in Squarespace by clicking on the + sign.
3. Flexibility
This is where WordPress clearly wins. The concept of a free "core" and plugins that can be connected makes the system extremely flexible. But our experience after more than 20 years in the industry is that most people will have their needs covered in Squarespace. And then it is of little interest if WordPress has 1200 different image gallery modules. You will usually only use one, and those who run the web host want to keep the number of plugins to a minimum to make upgrades easier.
4. Security
With WordPress being hosted by thousands of different web hosts and with thousands of different plugins that need to be updated all the time, security is perhaps the biggest "Achilles heel" of WordPress. Squarespace has centralized hosting, high uptime and everything is always up to date. Follow the status of the operation here.
5. Inline editing
Squarespace: Inline editing - you always see the webpage you are editing. Drag and drop on any element!
With Squarespace, you see the entire webpage you are about to change. Click on the element, make changes, drag and drop. With WordPress, you get the text in your own screen. With the latest version of WordPress, you get some of this functionality by seeing the whole website and "drag & drop" there. Inline editing is perhaps the point our customers appreciate the most, as you work faster and see the changes immediately.
6. Design templates
Access to design templates is not relevant to us at Gasta. We develop our own customized design for all our websites.
7. Online shop
Here WordPress has more functionality. Without a doubt. But Squarespace has invested heavily in online shopping in recent years and Squarespace eCommerce is very easy to set up and use.
8. Blogging
WordPress has versioning, so you can "roll back" to an older version of the blog post. Squarespace does not.
9. Search engine optimization
This is the area Squarespace has focused on the most in recent years. All the functionality to succeed on Google is now easily accessible and you don't need plugins or to be an expert. In January 2019, Squarespace made changes to the so-called "trailing slash". This has previously caused Squarespace sites to score poorly on SEO analytics, but this has now been adjusted. 2018 also saw the important integration of Google Search Console into Squarespace. With the click of a button, you can access all Google Search Console data inside Squarespace!
10. Updates
Here the concept behind Squarespace is completely superior! Everything related to operations and updates is taken care of by Squarespace. If Google, for example, makes changes to its algorithms, you can rest assured that Squarespace quickly adapts. With WordPress, both the core software (WP) and about 55,000 plugins need to be updated.
11. Newsletter
After GDPR, we find newsletters to be a more effective channel! Squarespace has just (test) launched the newsletter function integrated in the tool. A couple of keystrokes and you have set up a newsletter with a link to your latest blog posts. Easier and faster than Mailchimp!
Conclusion
We find that simple and user-friendly solutions like Squarespace are a great fit for most small and medium-sized businesses or organizations.
Feel free to ask yourself three questions:
How much time and capacity does your organization have to update the website?
What functionality do I need on the website?
What is your budget?
