In this post, I wanted to share my personal experience using Squarespace and WordPress and which one worked better for me. Just to clarify, I’m talking about the SaaS version of WP, the wordpress.com, not the self-hosted version.
I’ve worked on a few projects where I had to choose between these two platforms. My first experience was with my photography company, Bearashkin. After trying out Drupal, WordPress, and Squarespace, we went with Squarespace because it was simple and allowed us to create a basic website with multiple pages like services, about, blog, contact form, and portfolio.
For my face painting company’s website, I went with Squarespace again because of my past positive experience. It was a simple one-page website with a contact form and Squarespace made it a breeze to create.
And finally, there’s the MishkinArt website you’re reading right now. It started out on Squarespace, but as the blog hit 30k monthly organic visitors, I felt it was ready for more. So, I switched to WordPress while there were still a relatively low number of articles to transfer. And that’s where I thought I could share my experience with these two platforms.
My thoughts
Squarespace
Squarespace is an outstanding platform for those looking for a simple and user-friendly website solution. Whether you need a website for your business or for personal use, Squarespace is an excellent option. Compared to WordPress, Squarespace is much simpler and easier to use, making it the perfect choice for portfolios, blogs, and business websites that need to showcase projects and employees.
One of the best things about Squarespace is that it provides a complete solution. When using Squarespace, you don’t have to worry about the technical aspects of website creation. You don’t have to think about how the website works, what settings to change, or what updates are necessary. Squarespace takes care of all of that, allowing you to focus on the content of your website.
Another reason why Squarespace is such a great platform is its handling of images and portfolios. Uploading images is simple and straightforward, and once you’ve uploaded them, you can forget about them. If you want to make an image clickable on the full screen, all you need to do is activate the appropriate setting. Squarespace makes it easy to showcase your work in a professional and attractive manner.
Finally, Squarespace is constantly improving. New features are introduced on a monthly basis, making it an ever-evolving platform that adapts to the changing needs of its users. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced website builder, Squarespace is an excellent choice that provides all the tools you need to create a successful website.
WordPress
When it comes to website building platforms, I have a fondness for WordPress.com for its extra flexibility and being a SaaS platform at the same time. However, it does require a bit of extra time to set up as there are many settings to adjust and change. Although the process is straightforward, it’s important to understand what you’re clicking on.
One of the major benefits of WordPress is its increased flexibility compared to Squarespace. There are a vast number of plugins and themes to choose from, but with this flexibility comes added responsibility. It’s not always a good idea to install everything you come across, and you need to keep in mind future maintenance and compatibility.
If you’re looking to build a relatively large website with extensive customization options, I would recommend going with WordPress. There are many more things that can be done with it.
Comparison
I will not be assigning points to each service as the decision of which one to use should be based on your individual needs and preferences. It is up to you to determine which features and capabilities are most important to you.
Simplicity
Squarespace wins hands down when it comes to ease of use. The platform strikes the perfect balance between simplicity and functionality, with intuitive design and no complicated settings to worry about. There’s very little that can go wrong, making it a great option for those who are new to website building.
WordPress can be a bit more challenging, especially for beginners. It requires a bit more time and effort to get the hang of, and the initial learning curve may be frustrating. However, once you get past that, it is also a relatively simple service to use.
Themes
Squarespace has a single, highly customizable theme that allows for a wide range of design options, resulting in diverse-looking websites.
In contrast, WordPress has numerous themes. However, switching themes in WordPress requires starting from scratch with adding elements like the header, footer, and menu, which can be time-consuming. Nevertheless, since we don’t change themes frequently, it’s not a major issue.
Working with images
Back up
Squarespace, as a website builder, has a significant drawback when it comes to backup options. Unlike WordPress, Squarespace does not allow you to download your website as a backup file. The only option available to users is to export the website, but that too is only for the purpose of importing it to a WordPress website. This limitation can be a major issue for those who require backup options for their website in case of any unexpected events such as data loss or hacking.
On the other hand, WordPress provides its users with automatic backup options. The platform creates backups on a regular basis and users can easily download these backups if needed. These backups can be useful in case you want to install your WordPress website on a dedicated virtual machine.
While the lack of backup options on Squarespace may seem concerning, it is important to note that both Squarespace and WordPress employ efficient duplication processes to prevent data loss. In the unlikely event of any data loss, the duplication processes ensure that a backup is always available.
Plugins
Squarespace falls short in its lack of support for any modules that allow for expanding its functionality. While it does offer some limited “plugins,” the options pale in comparison to those available in WordPress.
User interface
Overall, SQSP appears to be a finished and completed service.
WP, on the other hand, seems to be WP with multiple plugins. What is Jetpack? What is WooCommerce? Why is there an “Inbox” tab? Is Fiverr necessary? And so on.
User management
Both WordPress and Squarespace offer user management features, but WordPress has a more advanced system. If you’re planning a blog with a large number of articles and multiple authors, WordPress is the way to go.
Squarespace’s user management can be a bit quirky – for instance, you can’t grant a user permission to post without allowing them to edit others’ posts.
SEO
WordPress and Squarespace come with built-in SEO support, and both perform well in this regard. While WordPress has a plethora of plugins available for even more advanced SEO optimization, they are primarily meant for very large websites that require fine-tuning. For most websites, the built-in SEO support of either platform should suffice.
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