Squarespace is undoubtedly a popular website builder, especially for its sleek templates and user-friendly interface. Nonetheless, if you demand more than just these features, exploring Squarespace alternatives can open up a world of possibilities better suited to your specific needs and budget.
In this article, LitExtension – #1 eCommerce Migration Expert, will compile a list of our top 15 best alternatives for Squarespace, along with our thoughts and recommendations.
Why Should You Consider Squarespace Alternatives?
#1 Squarespace lacks a free plan
One of the primary reasons for considering Squarespace alternatives lies in its pricing structure. While Squarespace's visually appealing templates are undeniably attractive, their pricing plans can pose limitations, particularly for budget-conscious businesses or individuals just dipping their toes into the online world.
Meanwhile, there are several Squarespace competitors that offer more competitive pricing tiers, providing greater value for investment. Some even provide free plans equipped with a decent set of features, allowing e-merchants to launch their website without incurring upfront costs.
#2 Squarespace features are quite limited
Squarespace certainly has a lot to offer, but online sellers might find themselves wanting more flexibility or specialized tools that it doesn't provide. Therefore, beyond the price tag, exploring Squarespace alternatives can uncover a greater depth of features and customization options.
One area where Squarespace falls short is in design flexibility. While its pre-made templates offer a polished starting point, it might be challenging to perform advanced customization. This platform doesn’t allow store owners to break the mold; they might have to work around the existing structure with less personalization abilities.
Furthermore, Squarespace’s eCommerce features, while adequate for smaller shops, lack the robustness of dedicated eCommerce platforms. Limited payment gateway options, restricted product display customization, and fewer built-in marketing tools can hinder businesses with ambitious online selling goals.
#3 Squarespace offers limited SEO capabilities
We have to say that while this platform delivers a streamlined website-building experience, its limitation in SEO capabilities might be a factor that urges online sellers to seek other sites like Squarespace.
As we mentioned above, due to its inflexibility, store owners on Squarespace can not access the website’s core code. As a result, they cannot optimize their code to improve the website’s speed, and this may affect their ranking on SERP.
Besides, its limited support in SEO plugins might require users to perform advanced on-page techniques, like creating XML files or redirecting URLs, by themselves.
Top 7 Squarespace Alternatives for Your Business
#1 Wix – All-rounder Squarespace alternative
When it comes to versatile website builders, Wix consistently ranks among the top Squarespace alternatives. What makes Wix a true all-rounder is its remarkable blend of ease of use and powerful functionality, making it suitable for a diverse range of users, from complete beginners to experienced web creators.
Wix shines brightest with its intuitive drag-and-drop editor, arguably the most user-friendly in the market. This feature grants users unparalleled freedom to design their websites precisely as they envision. Unlike Squarespace's structured editor, Wix allows you to place elements anywhere on the page, pixel by pixel, providing granular control over your site's layout and aesthetics.
Beyond its intuitive design interface, Wix also stands out among the best Squarespace alternatives for offering a free pricing plan. Though Wix only provides a limited selection of features in this plan, store owners can take great advantage of this opportunity to test out the water before committing in the long term.
Pros | Cons |
- Powerful website builder tools (Wix ADI, Wix Editor, Wix Editor X) and a drag-and-drop mechanis for pixel-perfect control. | - Limitation in template switching after adding to website. |
- Competitive pricing structure with a free plan and five premium options. | - Limited customer support on lower tiers. |
- Wide selection of free website templates for different categories. | - High monthly cost when you want to have eCommerce feautres to sell online. |
- Vast App Market to help expand your website's functionality. | |
- Decent built-in marketing tools (email marketing, social media, and SEO possibility). |
Wix pricing: $0 – $159/per month
#2 Shopify – Best for eCommerce features
While Squarespace offers solid eCommerce functionality, Shopify is the dedicated platform built specifically for online businesses. If your primary focus is selling online and scaling your store, Shopify certainly stands out among the superior Squarespace alternatives.
What we like best about Shopify is its robust feature set designed to streamline every aspect of running an online store. From inventory management and order fulfillment to abandoned cart recovery and multi-channel selling, Shopify provides an unparalleled toolkit for eCommerce success. The platform seamlessly integrates with a plethora of payment gateways, shipping providers, and marketing tools, allowing you to automate processes and optimize your store for conversions.
Another outstanding feature that Shopify offers is its wide selection of 8,000+ third-party extensions. It allows you to customize your store with specialized functionalities like loyalty programs, product reviews, or advanced analytics. This level of extensibility ensures that your store can adapt and grow alongside your business.
Pros | Cons |
- Unrivaled eCommerce features and toolkit for online selling. | - Quite expensive. |
- Wide selection of third-party extensions to enhance the business's capability. | - High transaction fee on lower plans. |
- High scalability for large businesses and enterprises. | - Steep learning curve for advanced features. |
- Extensive support available on live chat, phone call, and email. | |
- Powerful multichannel selling features to expand your business. |
Shopify pricing: $5 – $2,000+ per month
#3 WordPress – Best Squarespace alternative for customizability
Squarespace offers sleek templates and an intuitive interface, yet WordPress stands tall as the undisputed champion of customization. If you crave absolute control over your website's design, functionality, and growth, WordPress is certainly among the best Squarespace alternatives in this aspect.
The open-source nature of WordPress opens for its unparalleled customizability. Unlike Squarespace's closed ecosystem, WordPress provides access to its core code, allowing developers to modify and extend its functionality without limitations. This means you can tailor every aspect of your website, from its visual appearance to its underlying code, to perfectly match your vision.
Additionally, unlike other Squarespace alternatives, WordPress truly excels in SEO capability. It offers granular control over your site's structure, content, and meta information, along with integration with powerful SEO plugins. This makes it easier to optimize your site for search engines and attract organic traffic.
Pros | Cons |
- Unlimited customization to modify every aspect of your site. | - Steep learning curve and in-depth technical skill required to master WordPress. |
- Large plugin library with thousands of third-party extensions. | - High effort required for security updates and maintenance. |
- Great SEO capability that provides extensive control over site structure and content. | - Potentially higher cost due to the stackup of hosting, premium theme, and third-party integration. |
- Complete control over website data and monthly expenses. | |
- Thriving community for extensive resources and support. |
WordPress pricing: As an open-source platform, WordPress doesn't set a fixed subscription fee. Your monthly cost depends on your choice of hosting, premium theme, and any plugin that you install. In other words, WordPress grants users complete control over their pricing.
#4 Weebly – Best for limited-budget sellers
Weebly shines as a free Squarespace alternative by offering a robust free plan and budget-friendly paid options. While it may lack design sophistication and some advanced eCommerce features, Weebly provides a user-friendly platform for entrepreneurs on a budget to build a functional and attractive online store. If cost is a significant concern and you're seeking a gentle entry point into the world of e-commerce, Weebly appears as an excellent Squarespace alternative to consider.
Weebly's most significant advantage lies in its free plan. Unlike Squarespace, which only offers a 14-day trial, Weebly allows users to build and publish a basic website entirely free of charge. This plan provides access to essential features like drag-and-drop editing, SSL security, and basic SEO tools, making it an excellent starting point for businesses testing the waters of eCommerce. While the free plan limits customization options and displays Weebly ads, it's a powerful tool for establishing an online presence without spending a dime.
Beyond its free plan, Weebly offers several affordable paid tiers with increasing functionality and features. These plans unlock advanced eCommerce capabilities such as abandoned cart recovery, integrated shipping labels, and multiple payment gateway options.
Pros | Cons |
- Significantly more affordable, especially for users on a tight budget. | - Limited design flexibility and poor theme selection. |
- Free plan available for building a basic website and online store. | - Fewer built-in features for marketing and SEO than Squarespace. |
- User-friendly interface for eCommerce starters. | - Limited advanced eCommerce features to operate online stores. |
- Decent customer support options available via phone, email, and chat. | |
- Sufficient features to build a basic storefront for online selling. |
Weebly pricing: $0 – $26 per month (if billed annually)
#5 Webflow – Best for simplified storefront creation
When it comes to building visually stunning and highly functional online stores, Webflow stands out among powerful Squarespace alternatives, particularly for users who prioritize simplified storefront creation. Webflow achieves this through its intuitive visual editor, which empowers users to design and launch bespoke eCommerce experiences without writing a single line of code.
Beyond its simplified design process, Webflow shines with its impressive design flexibility. Unlike many website builders that rely heavily on pre-designed templates, Webflow provides complete control over every element of your storefront. This granular control allows users to craft truly unique and engaging shopping experiences tailored precisely to their brand identity and target audience.
Additionally, Webflow comes with a decent set of eCommerce features, including customizable product pages, secure checkout options, and integrated payment gateways, making it a viable solution for small and inexperienced businesses.
Pros | Cons |
- Highly intuitive visual editor for simplified storefront creation. | - Steeper learning curve compared to Squarespace. |
- Sufficient set of eCommerce features for small businesses. | - Potentially more expensive than Squarespace. |
- Fast website loading speed. | - Limited selection of pre-designed templates. |
- Good design flexibility. |
Webflow pricing: $0 – $39 per month. Custom pricing for high-volume store is also available.
How We Tested and Selected Best Squarespace Alternatives
At LitExtension, we understand that choosing a website builder is a significant decision, and our goal is to equip you with the knowledge and confidence to select the platform that aligns perfectly with your vision, needs, and business goals.
Our evaluation process begins with a team of experienced reviewers, each well-versed in the intricacies of website building. We go beyond simply listing features and specifications; we rigorously test each platform across a comprehensive set of criteria:
- Ease of use: We believe building a website should be intuitive and enjoyable. We assess the user interface, drag-and-drop functionality, and overall user experience to determine how easily even beginners can navigate the platform.
- Design and customization: A website should reflect your unique brand identity. We examine template options, design flexibility, customization features, and the ability to create a visually appealing and engaging website.
- Features and functionality: Every website has different needs. We explore the depth and breadth of features, including blogging tools, e-commerce functionalities, marketing integrations, SEO options, and more, to assess their suitability for various purposes.
- Pricing and value: We believe in transparency. We analyze pricing plans, value for money, and any hidden costs to help you make informed decisions that align with your budget.
- Customer support: Reliable support is essential. We evaluate customer service responsiveness, available support channels, knowledge base resources, and overall helpfulness to ensure you have access to assistance when needed.
Our reviews are grounded in practical, real-world testing. We don't just skim through marketing materials; we roll up our sleeves, build websites, and put each platform through its paces. This hands-on approach allows us to provide you with authentic insights, highlighting both the strengths and weaknesses of each Squarespace alternative.
Squarespace Alternatives – FAQS
Why shouldn't use Squarespace?
There are several reasons why Squarespace is not your ultimate choice:
- It limits the ability to customize your store.
- Squarespace is quite expensive because its pricing plans range from $16-$49 while other solutions may allow you to create a website at no cost.
- It lacks phone call support, which is a disadvantage when you need your problem solved immediately.
What is Squarespace competitors?
The competitors of Squarespace are Wix, Shopify, WordPress, Weebly, Webflow, BigCommerce, Magento,... Each of these Squarespace alternatives comes with a more affordable price and/or high usability for bigger business sizes.
What opensource platforms are alternatives to Squarespace?
WordPress and Magento are two names that appear on the top of this list. WordPress is quite easy to use for beginners and even non-coders. Meanwhile, Magento requires you to have a firm technical base. However, Magento is especially suitable for big brands thanks to out-of-the-box features for high sales volume.
Final Words
Among all the factors discussed above, we are sure that you have a better understanding of Squarespace’s disadvantages and why you should go for other platforms. Also, we hope that our recommendations for the top Squarespace alternatives will help you somewhat to take the hassle out of choosing a more suitable one.
If Squarespace is no longer up to snuff, proper migration would be beneficial for you and your business. You can choose to migrate from Squarespace to any platform in the market automatically, accurately, and securely with LitExtension.
With more than 10 years of experience, LitExtension is proud to be the #1 Shopping Cart Migration Expert. We have successfully performed 200,000+ store migrations for 100,000+ customers from all over the world. Besides dedicated support, LitExtension also offers 10+ Additional Options that extend the migration possibility. In addition, you're able to migrate products, orders, customers, multiple languages, and the list goes on.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact our customer support team. We are 24/7 available to get all your problems solved as quickly as possible! Besides, don’t forget to join our Facebook community where thousands of store owners and marketers share tips and news about eCommerce.
