Squarespace vs. Wordpress: The best web development platform for your start-up business
Disclaimer: We may serve as an affiliate for some of these products or services on the website. As an affiliate partner, we might profit off from your purchases from third-party websites, however, we do not charge you extra in the process. Read my Disclaimer Policy here.
There is a big debate about whether you should use Squarespace or Wordpress or other web development platforms to design and manage your website and blog.
I’ll be honest, I started out learning about blogging in Wordpress. When I first started learning about blogging, about a decade ago, Wordpress was the most common web development platform that I could use so I knew it was vital I understood how. Add in the fact that I was using my blog as part of a class, rather than a start-up business venture, but being able to refer to a book, like WordPress All-In-One For Dummies , allowed me to shake the learning curve a bit.
After about 5 more years, I found Squarespace. I essentially thought Squarespace was easier to use. I still used Wordpress; as it was and still is a powerhouse for a lot of businesses in the journalism industry. I found it easier to use a book, like Building Business Websites with Squarespace 7 - Second Edition: Master the Squarespace platform to build professional websites that boost your businesses , to learn all that I could about the website development platform since I thought it would be similar to Wordpress.
After sifting through other website platforms, like Blogger and Wix, I ended up sticking with Squarespace.
If you’re debating about starting a blog or designing a website, I’d look into various factors for each type of website platform. I’d stick with Wordpress or Squarespace as your website platforms, however, due to each’s abilities to be responsive for desktop, laptop, and mobile screens. Other web development platforms do not offer the same responsive flexibility.
With Squarespace and Wordpress being some of the best web development platforms, it isn’t a complete surprise that many people compare the two. Many bloggers have a personal preference on which you should use but it’s just that, personal preference.
Here are some of the key differences between these two best web development platforms:
Web Development Feature: Security
Answers: Which web development platform allows outside influences on their sites?
Web Development Platform: Squarespace
Squarespace is one of the best-known web development platforms that is known for having higher security.
Squarespace is known as a closed-source platform, meaning it is harder for others to go into the code and systems to make unauthorized changes. This includes you, to some degree, so you aren’t able to go in and change the options you have for your website design.
Only the upper-level developers at Squarespace are able to change the options that you have to choose from within Squarespace’s templates. You’re able to design your own site on Squarespace, however, you are limited to what is available to you to place or install within your web design.
Web Development Platform: Wordpress
On the other hand, Wordpress is an open-source platform.
It’s fairly easy for people to find something they think will be well received on their start-up business’ website and they have the capability to insert that function onto their Wordpress site.
While this might seem great, as an open-source web development platform, you could install any number of plug-ins for your website. This isn’t always the best option for your start-up business’ website. Since Wordpress is an open-source platform, anyone can make or install a plug-in but not all plug-ins are trustworthy or dependable. Make sure you install at your own risk with many questionable plug-ins.
Best Web Development Platform: Squarespace
Web Development Feature: Flexibility
Answers: Which website development platform allows me flexibility in my website design?
Web Development Platform: Squarespace
Website design is very easy on Squarespace’s website development platform. You might not even need Building Business Websites with Squarespace 7 - Second Edition: Master the Squarespace platform to build professional websites that boost your businesses but it might help you when you learn how to build your business website. Squarespace basically just has you drag and place your features onto a blank page or pick a website template to determine how you want your start-up business’ website to look and you’re done.
If you want to go into your design tab, you can easily change fonts, colors, and more, which are already primed for optimal web design.
While it’s helpful to have some coding experience when building your website, Squarespace’s website development platform is flexible enough to design a website without knowing any code.
Web Development Platform: Wordpress
Wordpress’ website development platform is fairly rigid when it comes to their website design. You will have to know some code to insert and set up your website design. If you aren’t designing anything elaborate on your website, it won’t be too much of a learning curve, but otherwise, you will have to learn all of this to function on your website.
When designing a website on Wordpress, you are going to have to learn how to code. Wordpress requires some coding knowledge when inserting blogs posts and designing your start-up business’ site.
Even if you learn from WordPress All-In-One For Dummies, you’ll have enough knowledge beforehand to design a great website for your start-up business.
Best Web Development Platform: Squarespace
Web Development Feature: Price
Answers: Which web development platform costs more?
Web Development Platform: Squarespace
Squarespace prices its web platform on a series of tiers to fit your start-up business’ needs. Prices can range anywhere from about $20-40 on a monthly basis. Each tier divides into personal, business, and levels of features your web design package might need.
Due to Squarespace’s closed-source platform, you won’t need as many plug-ins or hosting services. Squarespace takes control of all those aspects itself.
As far as domains and email sources, you are able to buy these, but they are also included for the first year of your website. After, it might be an additional $10-20 depending on your needs.
Web Development Platform: Wordpress
While Wordpress is advertised as free, you are expected to buy a lot of features after the fact. Domains, web hosting, and themes are extra and usually vary in cost. Usually, domains will cost about $10-20, web hosting can cost as low as $3.95, and themes can range from $20-40.
Many Wordpress plug-ins have a free version but many have upgrades that will cost you money and might be vital or better for your business website. This is probably where you will need WordPress All-In-One For Dummies because you will need to find out how to install and upkeep additional plug-ins.
In the beginning, you might find cost-effective way to save money when starting your blog. In the end, it will probably cost you about the same as a Squarespace website, if not maybe more.
Best Web Development Platform: Tie
Web Development Feature: Usability
Answers: Which web development program is easiest to use?
Web Development Platform: Squarespace
Just like with Squarespace’s flexibility, Squarespace usability is very user-friendly. If you want to know every nook and cranny, I’d suggest investing in Building Business Websites with Squarespace 7 - Second Edition: Master the Squarespace platform to build professional websites that boost your businesses to get more experience. Otherwise, you should be able to design a business website with little know-how.
Squarespace has mostly drop-and-drag pieces for all your pages. You can even modify templates to fit your own website design needs by adding, deleting or changing an element or two.
If you want to change a design element, like a font or color, you’d go to the design tab on your homepage and can either click the element you want to be changed on the sidebar or on the webpage itself. Keep in mind, you’ll be changing the design element across the entire website and not only the web page you are on.
Web Development Platform: Wordpress
As previously stated, you will have to learn how to code to change design elements in Wordpress. It’ll be handy to keep WordPress All-In-One For Dummies close by when you want to change anything when you first learn how to start a blog or business website.
Since you have to learn how to code when you use a Wordpress web development platform, it’s better to keep things simple until you understand and learn how to code. It’s not impossible to add creative elements or complex web design elements, but you will have to learn how to add them within your Wordpress theme.
If you don’t have a lot of time to learn how to code, you can always hire someone to help design your business website for you, however, you might not have the money to do that yet either. This doesn’t allow you to have complete control over your website, compared to when you invest in learning how to code for yourself.
Best Web Development Platform: Squarespace
Overall, I would still pick Squarespace for its usability alone. I know basic coding so learning more about Wordpress would not be unheard of, but I’d rather feel stress-free when designing my website. Add in a copy of Building Business Websites with Squarespace 7 - Second Edition: Master the Squarespace platform to build professional websites that boost your businesses and you’ll have your Squarespace site up and running seamlessly in no time.
Need more help setting up your web development platform or designing your website for your start-up business? Join my free e-newsletter for easy tips for your start-up business website and business needs.
