Top 10 Squarespace Alternatives

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Author Jason Moth
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Squarespace is one of the most popular website builders around and it’s pretty easy to see why. The platform comes with some of the most beautiful templates out there, allowing even completely inexperienced users to create a professional-looking website.

The builder’s intuitive drag-and-drop functionality coupled with the wide range of creative tools makes it an excellent choice for artists, musicians, photographers or anyone else who wants to create a website that catches the eye and captures the imagination of visitors. But even though Squarespace has a lot to offer, the platform is certainly not without its drawbacks. The high prices make it difficult to recommend for users on a budget while the templates, while great looking, aren’t really suitable for all types of websites. In other words, Squarespace isn’t the best choice for everyone.

With that in mind, we decided to test some of the other platforms out there and use the information we gathered to create a comprehensive list of Squarespace alternatives. Many of the companies on this list are just as specialized as Squarespace while others are a bit different and try to appeal to a wider audience. Here’s a quick look at what we believe to be the best Squarespace alternatives of 2024:

  • Wix – The best Squarespace alternative in terms of price, design flexibility, and ease of use.
  • Weebly – A very close second pick that stands out thanks to its massive app marketplace.
  • Shopify – The best builder on this list for eCommerce-focused websites.
  • WordPress – More complex than Squarespace but also a lot more flexible.
  • Jimdo – A very good choice for multilingual sites that offers a neat logo creator.
  • SiteGround – Combines the benefits of WordPress and all-in-one builders like Squarespace.
  • Bluehost – Very popular hosting provider that integrates well with Weebly and WordPress.
  • iPage – Surprisingly robust site builder with plenty of interesting features.
  • Webnode – Missing some key features but otherwise a decent option.
  • HostGator – Good for small businesses and stores that sell physical goods.

We took a lot of factors into consideration while compiling this list, including price, features, ease of use, customer support, and more. This list is primarily meant to help the average user so we tried to stick to alternatives that are fairly accessible. But don’t worry if you’re an experienced webmaster because we also have a few picks that you’re definitely going to love.

Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at each of the platforms on our list so you can get a better idea of what they offer. Here’s our overview of the top 10 best Squarespace alternatives of 2024:

1. Wix

Wix is one of the most user-friendly website builders on the market right now. The platform is an excellent Squarespace alternative for anyone who wants to create a new website quickly and easily. Not to mention cheaply. If you’re thinking about switching from Squarespace, you’ll find the transition to Wix to be very smooth because the two platforms share a lot of similarities.

Wix Homepage
Wix Homepage

Wix brings to the table a very flexible drag-and-drop editor that comes with very few limitations. There are no sections or blocks to worry about so you are free to place elements virtually anywhere on a page and customize them as you see fit. There’s also a fully-featured “Dev Mode” that gives experienced users complete control over the backend along with an artificial design intelligence (ADI) system that acts as a guiding hand for newcomers. That combination makes Wix the perfect Squarespace alternative for newbies and veterans alike.

Another important reason why you may want to choose Wix over Squarespace is the price. Similar to a few of the other companies on this list, Wix offers a free plan that you can use for as long as you want. The plan comes with certain restrictions but is still very useful for those who want to build a small website or blog without having to spend a penny. As far as the paid prices are concerned, Wix’s cheapest package will only set you back $4.50, which is almost three times less than what Squarespace charges.

Hundreds of Templates to Choose From

Very few site builders can give Squarespace a run for its money when it comes to beautifully-designed templates. Wix is one of them. Not only are Wix’s templates very close in terms of quality to those offered by Squarespace but the company also offers a lot more of them. All in all, you’ve got over 500 templates to choose from and the best part is that none of them are locked behind a paywall. You’ll get full access to the entire template library even with the free tier. A lot of companies go either for quality or quantity when it comes to templates but Wix manages to offer both.

Wix absolutely dwarfs Squarespace and many of its other competitors when it comes to apps and widgets. Apps like Site Booster and Visitor Analytics are included by default with certain plans but you can get many more by accessing the Wix App Market. The market contains more than 200 apps, many of which are available for free. Among other things, these apps allow you to integrate your site with PayPal, AdSense or Amazon, improve your SEO, stream music, display social media feeds, and more.

Wix is a very well-rounded site builder that tries (and succeeds) to appeal to a much wider audience than Squarespace. One of the main reasons why Wix is our number one pick is because this is a risk-free builder that doesn’t come with many drawbacks. It’s also one of the easiest to use platforms of its kind and it offers a free tier so there are many reasons to check it out.

2. Weebly

Weebly is another very popular Squarespace alternative with plenty to offer. In our recent Squarespace vs. Weebly comparison, we found the two platforms to be extremely closely matched, with Weebly winning by just a hair in most categories. If you’re not a big fan of our first pick we strongly recommend checking out Weebly because it might be exactly what you’re looking for.

Weebly Homepage
Weebly Homepage

Weebly has a very streamlined editor that does its best not to overwhelm users. There are quite a few elements to play around with but there are no hidden options to worry about and the editing process is overall very intuitive. Just like Squarespace, Weebly comes with drag-and-drop functionality and allows custom edits via HTML or CSS code injection. The template selection is a bit less impressive when compared to that of Squarespace but you still have a good amount of designs to choose from. And, of course, plenty of options that allow you to customize the templates as you see fit.

Price-wise, Weebly is a lot more similar to Wix than it is to Squarespace. Namely, there’s a free plan that comes with non-removable ads and a very limited amount of storage, as well as a cheap premium package priced at only $5 per month. The more expensive plans were designed with online stores in mind and offer many of the same features you’ll find with Squarespace’s own eCommerce plans. Weebly is slightly better than Squarespace for online stores, but there are other platforms on this list that are far superior to both in this department.

Apps Galore

At first glance, it may seem like Weebly doesn’t give you as much to work with as Squarespace but that’s definitely not the case. The company has a massive marketplace consisting of over 350 apps that you can use to enhance your sites with a tremendous amount of additional functionality. There’s an app for just about everything here and, just like Wix, most of the apps offered by Weebly are completely free. The company uses a simple but effective sorting system for its app center and there’s also a search function to make it even easier to find the exact app you’re looking for.

One of the most important features offered by Weebly, and one that’s severely missing from Squarespace, is the ability to create manual backups of your site. Sure, most site builders will automatically back up your site at regular intervals, but I can’t stress enough how important it is to also have the option to manually back up your content whenever you want. Moreover, Weebly’s backup feature is easily accessible from the admin panel so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding it quickly.

Weebly is another cheap Squarespace alternative that’s just as easy to use as Wix and comes with an even more impressive app marketplace. Weebly can be used to build pretty much any type of website but it‘s especially useful for bloggers and small to medium-sized businesses. The platform may not be as stylish as Squarespace but it’s far superior in terms of functionality, provided you put the app center to good use.

3. Shopify

Shopify is a specialized website builder designed exclusively for online stores. The platform is often referred to as the king of eCommerce and with good reason. Shopify is a great Squarespace alternative for physical stores that want to expand their presence into the digital realm or for users to want to build a serious (and sizeable) eCommerce business from scratch.

Shopify Homepage
Shopify Homepage

Shopify can feel somewhat intimidating to users switching from Squarespace because the platform is a bit more complex than your regular site builder. Luckily, the editor itself isn’t that much more difficult to use thanks to its drag-and-drop functionality. Users who don’t want to take the time to learn all of Shopify’s little intricacies don’t have to because the platform gives you access to a very solid pre-configured storefront. This storefront gives you a basic structure that you can then build upon by playing around with the available themes, customizing some of the elements and, of course, adding your own products.

Shopify is one of the more expensive Squarespace alternatives on this list but that’s to be expected from a specialized eCommerce platform that excels at what it does. The entry price of $29/mo isn’t actually that bad for an eCommerce-specific builder considering what you get in return, but the cost can reach up to $299 if you go for the most expensive plans. Moreover, Shopify also sells premium themes and apps so the monthly investment can potentially get even higher than that. Having said that, Shopify does offer an interesting option for users on a budget in the form of the $9/mo Shopify Lite plan. This plan doesn’t allow you to build an online store by itself but is more like an add-on that you can use to transform an existing website into an online store.

Incredible eCommerce Tools and Features

Very few Squarespace alternatives can hold a candle to Shopify when it comes to eCommerce features and tools. You can use the platform to sell physical and digital goods and services pretty much anywhere in the world. In addition, Shopify supports more than 100 types of payment gateways whereas Squarespace only supports PayPal and Stripe. The only downside is that customers are required to use Shopify’s own payment gateway if they want to avoid transaction fees. While some plans give you more features than others, you can ship products worldwide using major carriers like DHL or UPS even with the cheapest package. Meanwhile, Squarespace doesn’t unlock that feature unless you subscribe to its most expensive plan.

As far as marketing tools are concerned, the sky’s the limit in the case of Shopify. The platform lets you sell products and services directly on 10 different social media platforms (as opposed to Squarespace’s one platform) and offers plenty of apps that allow you to reach an even wider audience. Shopify also includes a tool that can be used to launch powerful email campaigns targeted at potential customers. And if you have really big plans for your eCommerce platform, you can integrate your site with huge marketplaces like eBay and Amazon.

Despite being a fairly expensive builder, Shopify is miles ahead of Squarespace in terms of eCommerce. If you’re thinking about opening an online store, we recommend not bothering with all-purpose builders like Squarespace because you’ll get a lot more out of a specialized platform like Shopify, albeit at a higher cost. If eCommerce isn’t a priority for you, on the other hand, you should check out some of the other alternatives on this list.

4. WordPress

WordPress powers around 35% of all websites on the internet so this is a pretty obvious choice. The great thing about WordPress is that it gives you two platforms to choose from. One of them is a SaaS (Software as a Service) while the other is a CMS (Content Management System). Both of them are good Squarespace alternatives but each has its own pros and cons.

WordPress Homepage
WordPress Homepage

WordPress can be a bit difficult to wrap your head around at first, but the platform offers a great deal of flexibility. The page editor is block-based and quite similar in many ways to the one used by Squarespace. In addition, there’s also a second editor that lets you make changes to your site as a whole. WordPress is actually not that complicated in its base form but things get a lot more complex once you switch to a new theme and begin installing plugins. The good news is that you can find guides and tutorials on all things related to WordPress so learning how to use the platform can be quite easy if you’re willing to do a bit of research.

One of the most appealing things about WordPress is its accessibility. The CMS is an open-source platform that you use without ever having to spend a penny. Sure, there are plenty of premium themes and plugins you can buy but you can just as easily find free versions of both. The only real financial concern to consider is the hosting, which you’ll have to purchase separately. Alternatively, you can opt for the more restrictive WordPress SaaS that acts like an all-in-one package complete with web hosting, just like Squarespace. The paid plans start at only $4 per month and there’s also an ad-supported free tier you can try.

Unlimited Customization

WordPress may have been primarily aimed at bloggers at launch but nowadays the platform can be used to build virtually any type of website. You do need to invest a lot of time and effort in order to create something truly unique but the results are well worth it. Thanks to the myriad of plugins available for the platform, users can enhance their websites with any number of interesting features with just a few clicks. Moreover, some of the best themes come with built-in tools that streamline the customization process so you don’t necessarily have to be a tech wiz to create a great looking WordPress website.

If you are a tech-savvy user, however, the possibilities are pretty much endless. Thanks to the fact that this is an open-source platform, you have full access to all the code and can modify every piece of it to your liking. WordPress supports several scripting languages, including HTML, CSS, and PHP. The WordPress SaaS doesn’t give you quite as much freedom as the CMS, however, you can still expect it to have more functionality and customization potential than Squarespace.

WordPress is the quintessential website builder that’s very easy to recommend to newcomers and veterans alike. We didn’t put it higher up on our list because it’s definitely less user-friendly and more difficult to work with than Squarespace. If you can get past the relatively steep learning curve, however, you’ll quickly realize that there’s a very good reason why WordPress is by far the most popular site builder around. As a side note, we recommend trying to learn how to use the CMS because the WordPress SaaS has a lot of drawbacks.

5. Jimdo

Jimdo is not quite as big as Squarespace but the company definitely has a lot to offer. The platform is perhaps best known for supporting a wide variety of different languages, which makes it a good choice for non-English speaking users. In addition, Jimdo has a free tier and a few neat features that make it perfect for mobile-focused websites.

Jimdo Homepage
Jimdo Homepage

Jimdo is a very easy to use Squarespace alternative that comes with a WYSIWYG (What You See is What You Get) site editor complete with drag-and-drop functionality. This allows you to see all the changes you make before updating or previewing your website. One fairly important drawback is that Jimdo’s templates are not as flexible as those offered by Squarespace. This is likely due to the fact that all Jimdo websites are mobile responsive and being able to move elements anywhere on a page might interfere with that feature.

The free plan offered by Jimdo is similar to those you can find at Wix or Weebly. Namely, you’ll have to deal with ads and settle for a .jimdosite.com domain in exchange for building a site for free. As far as premium plans are concerned, there are three to choose from ranging in price from $9 to $39 per month. The entry price is quite a bit higher compared to some of the other builders on this list but still cheaper than Squarespace.

Quick Logo Creator

One of the most interesting tools offered by Jimdo is a logo creator. The logo you can make using this tool won’t be as flashy as those created by designers, however, they will look nice enough for most websites. Much like the site builder, the logo creator is extremely easy to use and the resulting logos do a pretty decent job at making your site look more professional. Plus, the tool is free and you can use the logos even on sites that aren’t hosted by Jimdo.

All in all, Jimdo is a very easy to recommend Squarespace alternative thanks to its multilingual support and simple site editor. Not to mention the fact that the site builder is mobile-friendly and has a free version. We wouldn’t necessarily recommend it over something like Wix or Weebly, but if those platforms aren’t your cup of tea, Jimdo might be the builder you’ve been looking for.

6. SiteGround

SiteGround is a very solid hosting provider known for offering good performance and lots of features at a very affordable price. The hosting provider doesn’t have an in-house builder but allows you to integrate your site with Weebly or WordPress. SiteGround is a great Squarespace alternative for users who value performance and functionality above all else.

SiteGround Homepage
SiteGround Homepage

The amount of useful features you get with a SiteGround plan is quite impressive. Among other things, you can expect to be able to benefit from daily backups, email accounts, SSL certificate, unlimited MySQL databases, and a free Cloudflare CDN account. Even more impressive is the fact that you get all these features (most of which are not offered by Squarespace) even with the most basic shared hosting plan. If you’re willing to spend a couple of extra bucks per month, you also benefit from a wide selection of advanced features like WordPress staging sites, white-label site management, SuperCacher, free site transfer service, and more.

It may seem like all those advanced features would cost quite a bit but that’s not really the case. SiteGround’s prices for shared hosting plans are pretty standard and range between $3.95 and $11.95 per month. By comparison, Squarespace’s cheapest package costs $12/mo so there’s clearly a big price difference here. With SiteGround you do have to manage more things, however, it’s not as difficult as you may think because the provider includes an intuitive and easy to use cPanel. And if you choose to pair the provider with Weebly, you also get a very user-friendly site builder.

Just as Easy to Use as Squarespace

SiteGround offers multiple types of hosting to choose from. Newcomers tend to go for a shared hosting plan but you can just as easily grab a dedicated or cloud hosting package if you can afford it. In addition, you can also find managed WordPress hosting and managed WooCommerce hosting plans. If you’re switching from Squarespace, we recommend going with a managed WordPress hosting plan because it comes with an easy one-click installer for the CMS.

Not just that but this plan also includes a tool known as WordPress Starter, which allows you to choose the design and features of your future site. The tool then automatically installs the relevant template and plugins while also taking care of the customization, giving you access to a brand new and fully-functional WordPress site in just a few minutes. In other words, SiteGround offers the same level of accessibility as Squarespace via the WordPress Starter tool. And, of course, the functionality and customization potential you get from WordPress itself are far superior.

7. Bluehost

Bluehost continues to be one of the most popular hosting providers on the market even in 2024. The company doesn’t have its own website builder but it does provide good integration with Weebly. But if you’re already somewhat experienced when it comes to site building, we recommend pairing Bluehost with WordPress instead because the two make a great team.

Bluehost Homepage
Bluehost Homepage

Since Bluehost isn’t really a site builder, it may seem strange to have it on this list as a Squarespace alternative, however, there’s a good reason why we chose to do that. For one, Bluehost offers significantly better performance than Squarespace, particularly if you go with a VPS or dedicated hosting plan. Furthermore, you get access to several important features that are not available with Squarespace, including MySQL databases, mailboxes, a manual backup system, better SEO tools, and much more. The only downside is that you’ll have to work with two platforms (Bluehost and a site builder) instead of just one.

Choosing a hosting provider like Bluehost over a regular website builder also makes a lot of sense in terms of pricing. Bluehost packages start at only $3.95 per month and reach only as high as $13.95 per month if you stick to shared hosting. Naturally, you’ll also need to factor in the cost of the website builder but the math on that is actually pretty easy since you can just integrate with WordPress for free. As mentioned, Bluehost also integrates with Weebly but the caveat is that it’s only the basic version of the builder, which comes with quite a few restrictions. You can upgrade to a better Weebly plan while still being hosted by Bluehost but going with WordPress would be a cheaper option.

Award-Winning Customer Support

Squarespace’s customer support is pretty good, particularly its help center, but the company doesn’t offer phone support while its live chat isn’t available 24/7. Bluehost, on the other hand, does have 24/7 support across all channels, including phone and even offers a special number for international (non-US) customers. Bluehost has its own comprehensive knowledge base you can browse for additional information on the platform along with plenty of tutorials and video guides.

The main reason why we put Bluehost (and a few of our other picks) lower on the list is that creating a website via a hosting provider involves a couple of extra steps. Meanwhile, Squarespace is an all-in-one-platform so you don’t have to worry about the hosting part. If you’re willing to undergo the extra steps, however, you’ll find Bluehost to be a very solid and much cheaper alternative to Squarespace, particularly when combined with the WordPress CMS.

8. iPage

iPage is another company primarily known for its hosting services but what a lot of users may not know is that the provider also has its own website builder. In addition, the company offers a 1-click installer for WordPress and supports many other content management systems like Joomla, Drupal, and Magento.

iPage Homepage
iPage Homepage

iPage launched its website builder back in 2017 with the aim of giving users all the tools they need to create a professional-looking site. The builder is easy to use, mobile-friendly and comes with over 100 customizable templates. Unlike some of the other companies on this list, iPage allows users to switch templates or reset them to their default settings at any time without losing content. This gives you a lot of freedom to experiment with your site without having to worry about breaking something. Likewise, there is a Revision History feature that you can use to revert to a previous automatically-saved version of the site in case you made a mistake but don’t want to start all over again.

The basic version of the site builder is available for free but there a couple of little caveats. First, you’ll need to purchase a hosting plan in order to use it. Shared hosting plans at iPage start at only $1.99 per month (first term) so you’re looking at a very small investment. However, the other caveat is that the basic version of the builder can’t be used to create sites with more than 6 pages. If you want to remove the page limit and unlock various other features, you can upgrade to the Professional or Business versions of the builder, which cost $6.99/mo and $15.99/mo, respectively. When you also factor in the hosting costs you’re looking at a maximum total price that’s similar to the one Squarespace charges for its own Business tier, but with a lot more features and functionality.

Lots of Great Features

iPage’s hosting plans are known for their great features and the website builder is no different. Some of the highlights include built-in SEO tools, Google Analytics integration, PayPal integration, and eCommerce functionality if you opt for the Business package. You can also expect a domain name, email accounts, SSL certificate, unlimited MySQL databases, and much more. The eCommerce features are pretty basic but you can definitely create a fully-functional, albeit small, online store using iPage’s website builder.

iPage may not be a traditional Squarespace alternative and that’s exactly why we chose to include it on our list. The platform isn’t all that cheaper than Squarespace when you factor in the costs of hosting but you get a lot of good value in return. In addition, the performance is quite a bit better as well and you get valuable features that are not available at Squarespace. Ultimately, we don’t think iPage is the best alternative for everybody but some users will certainly love it.

9. Webnode

Webnode is another Squarespace alternative that many users tend to overlook while searching for a website builder. That’s probably because Webnode launched in 2009 while Squarespace has been around since 2003 so there’s a bit of an age difference between the two. But you should definitely give Webnode a chance even if it doesn’t have quite as much experience as Squarespace.

Webnode Homepage
Webnode Homepage

Similar to Jimdo, Webnode is a great choice for small businesses and multilingual sites. The platform comes with a section-based site editor that’s remarkably similar to Squarespace in terms of functionality. Some of the features are pretty lackluster, especially those related to blogging, but for the most part, you’ll find all the elements and tools you would expect from an all-purpose site builder like this. The quality of the templates is very solid and you have almost 100 of them to choose from, which is about the same as what you would find at Squarespace.

Webnode offers a free plan for users who want to experiment with the platform along with a couple of very cheap premium packages priced at $3.95 and $5.95, respectively. Unfortunately, certain key features like the ability to remove ads aren’t unlocked until the $11.95 tier. That’s a bit of a shame because that puts Webnode’s Standard plan on par with Squarespace’s basic plan in terms of pricing. Allowing users to remove ads starting with the $5.95 tier would have swayed more users away from the competition. On the bright side, Webnode includes free email accounts starting with the second paid plan, which is a feature that Squarespace doesn’t include for free at all, except as a limited trial.

Still Missing Some Key Features

Even though Webnode is a good Squarespace alternative in some respects, there’s still plenty of room for improvement in certain areas. The blogging features and very basic, with the platform currently being unable to support comments and tags. There’s also no proper social media integration and the eCommerce functionality is not very robust at the moment. Webnode doesn’t have an app marketplace either so it’s pretty much impossible to compensate for the missing features with third-party plugins or extensions.

Webnode remains a very good Squarespace alternative for certain types of websites but we can’t really recommend it for blogs or online stores, for obvious reasons. Unlike Squarespace, Webnode features a fully-functional backup & restore tool and allows users to set up email accounts for free. And, of course, you can use the platform without spending a penny if you don’t mind the ads. There are clearly pros and cons to Webnode but this is ultimately a risk-free option so there’s nothing to lose by checking it out.

10. HostGator

HostGator is a popular hosting provider that also offers a very interesting website builder. Known simply as Gator, the builder is very reminiscent of Wix in many ways, though it doesn’t come with nearly as many features. Still, Gator is very easy to use and a lot cheaper than Squarespace, which is why we decided to include it on this list.

HostGator Homepage
HostGator Homepage

Gator is a straightforward builder that comes with drag-and-drop functionality and tons of customizable templates. The templates aren’t quite as nice as those offered by Squarespace but they are very good in their own right. Plus, Gator allows for more customization so you can definitely create a great looking website using this builder. Although there’s no full-fledged backup system, Gator does include a very useful Site History feature, which is very similar to the one offered by Wix. This feature allows users to revert their site to a previous version in the event that something goes wrong with the current one.

Purchasing a Gator plan will only set you back between $3.84 and $9.22 per month, depending on which package you choose. There isn’t a huge difference between the first two plans in terms of features while the third one’s main appeal is the eCommerce functionality. Similar to Squarespace, Gator includes a number of freebies like web hosting, domain name, SSL certificate, a website analytics tool, and more. There aren’t that many interesting features to look forward to but that’s to be expected given the very low asking price. In addition, Gator has very good 24/7 customer support via email, phone, and live chat.

A Constantly Evolving Site Builder

HostGator’s site builder is a fairly recent addition to its roster of products and services. As such, the builder is still a work in progress and currently missing quite a few important features. Similar to Webnode, Gator isn’t a very good choice for blogging or online stores. Blog owners don’t have a way to schedule posts or add a native commenting system, though the builder does allow Facebook comments. Meanwhile, Gator comes with very limited eCommerce functionality that only allows you to sell physical goods.

Do we still recommend Gator as a Squarespace alternative in spite of its drawbacks? Absolutely, but only to certain types of users. The builder is very good for business websites and can also support online stores that only sell physical products. It’s certainly not the ideal Squarespace alternative but it’s much simpler to use and won’t cost you nearly as much. If the price if your biggest worry, you can get an even better deal by signing up for a HostGator hosting plan (starting only at $2.75/mo) and building your website with a third-party CMS like WordPress.

A Few Reasons for Looking Into Squarespace Alternatives

One of the main reasons for looking into alternatives is the price. Squarespace is one of the most expensive site builders out there and, unlike direct competitors like Wix and Weebly, doesn’t offer a free plan. There is a free 14-day trial that lets you test the platform but that’s about it. Although you do get good value for your money with Squarespace, we think the entry point of $12 per month is a bit too high.

Another thing to consider is the fact that Squarespace is one of the most complex all-purpose builders on the market, even though it may not seem like it at first glance. The builder’s minimalistic approach is a bit misleading because there are many hidden buttons and options that are not noticeable at first. Granted, using Squarespace is still simpler when compared to open-source platforms like WordPress but some of the alternatives on this list are a lot more user-friendly.

Squarespace isn’t winning any awards when it comes to performance either. That’s likely due to the fact that most of its templates rely heavily on high-resolution images, which tend to affect page loading speeds. You can, of course, customize templates and completely remove some of the image blocks but even with fewer images, Squarespace still tends to be slower than many of its competitors.

The last factor we wanted to mention is the lack of certain important features, especially a proper backup system. While most users can live without having access to databases or free email accounts, not having a backup system is a serious oversight in our opinion. Squarespace makes automatic backups of all sites but there’s no actual restore function. The automatic backups are there as a contingency plan, just in case, Squarespace needs to restore sites after a serious server issue. The responsibility of backing up site content lies entirely on the user, which isn’t the case with most other builders.

Final Thoughts

Even though we focused a lot on the drawbacks of Squarespace in this article, we do want to stress that we actually love the platform. However, Squarespace clearly isn’t perfect and there are plenty of companies out there that surpass it in certain areas. We tried to add a bit of variety to the list and not make it strictly about regular site builders because there’s more than one way to create a website and some websites require specialized platforms.

If you want to make the transition from Squarespace to a similar site builder as seamless as possible, your best bet is to go with Wix or Weebly. WordPress is another good option that gives you great flexibility but requires more time and effort to learn. Meanwhile, Shopify is by far the best choice for eCommerce out of all the companies on our list.

The companies on the bottom half of our list are not to be overlooked either. Pairing a hosting provider like Bluehost and SiteGround with a third-party website builder can yield very good results and tends to be cheaper. These types of platforms are also a lot better in terms of performance and features. Alternatively, you can always use the website builders offered by hosting providers like iPage and HostGator to try and get the best of both worlds.

Winner – Each of the companies on this list has something interesting to offer but we think Wix is the overall best Squarespace alternative currently available. Wix is an easier to use platform that comes with tons of useful apps and templates that are very close in terms of quality to those offered Squarespace. Perhaps even more important, the builder has a free plan and many premium packages that are much cheaper than Squarespace’s plans.

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