Squarespace looks finished the minute you pick a template. WordPress asks for a few more choices on day one, and then the whole site is yours to keep. This Squarespace vs WordPress guide uses the plans, fees and export rules we checked on the official sites in September 2026. Choose once, and skip the rebuild next year.
Last updated 14 September 2026. Prices and features checked on squarespace.com, wordpress.org and woocommerce.com.
Quick answer
Choose WordPress if you want to own your site, grow a blog that ranks on Google, or sell with no platform fee on your sales.
Choose Squarespace if you want a small, simple site live this week, with hosting in one plan, and you accept its export limits.
Still weighing WordPress vs Squarespace? Book a free call with a team that builds only on WordPress.
Squarespace vs WordPress: the numbers that decide it
$0
WordPress: price of the software, which is open source
$19
Squarespace: lowest plan price a month, billed yearly, with no free plan
2%
Squarespace Basic: fee Squarespace takes on every online store sale
1 blog
Squarespace export: the most blog pages one export file can carry
0%
WooCommerce on WordPress: revenue share on your store sales
Squarespace vs WordPress: the basic difference
One site you rent, one site you own
WordPress is free, open-source software for building websites. You install it on hosting you choose, and the files, the database and your content stay with you. In this guide, WordPress means that self-installed version from WordPress.org, not the paid WordPress.com service.
Squarespace is a hosted website builder. You pay a monthly or yearly plan, and Squarespace runs the servers, the security and the software for you. Templates, a drag-and-drop editor and 24/7 support come with every plan.
That split shapes the rest of the WordPress vs Squarespace choice. Squarespace trades control for convenience. WordPress hands you the control and lets you pick who does the upkeep: you, a freelancer or a care plan.
Ease of use: Squarespace vs WordPress
A fast start, and room to grow after it
You want the site live without learning a new trade. Squarespace gets you there fast: pick a template, drag blocks into place and publish. WordPress takes a little more setup on day one. After that, a page builder such as Elementor gives you the same drag-and-drop editing with far more freedom. We build only on WordPress, and we say so up front.
Squarespace
- Templates, a drag-and-drop editor and hosting come in one plan.
- A 14-day free trial, with no credit card needed.
- The Basic plan allows only 2 contributors.
- Code injection needs the Core plan or higher.
- You can't edit the sitemap or a page's source code.
WordPress
- The software is free and open source.
- Any theme or page builder, including Elementor, can shape your pages.
- Add as many users as you need, each with the role you choose.
- Full code access, so any feature can be added.
- Your whole site can move to another host whenever you like.
- Someone has to pick good hosting and run the updates.
If WordPress wins on ease for you, decide who runs the updates before launch day. Our WordPress website maintenance checklist lists the monthly jobs, so you can judge the work before you commit.
Squarespace vs WordPress pricing, checked September 2026
What you pay in year one, and every year after
Money is the first worry for most owners, so start here. Squarespace prints one plan price that covers hosting and software, and the price climbs with the features you need. WordPress costs nothing to download, and you pay for the parts around it instead.
Squarespace plans next to WordPress, US prices checked 14 September 2026
Plan
A month, billed yearly
Month to month
Fee on online store sales
Worth knowing
Squarespace Basic
$19
$25
2%
2 contributors, no code injection, 7% fee on digital content and memberships
Squarespace Core
$29
$39
0%
Unlimited contributors, code injection, 5% fee on digital content and memberships
Squarespace Plus
$49
$65
0%
1% fee on digital content and memberships
Squarespace Advanced
$99
$139
0%
No fee on digital content and memberships
WordPress
$0 for the software
$0 for the software
0% with WooCommerce
You pay for hosting, a domain and any paid theme, plugin or care plan
Card processing fees are extra on both platforms. Squarespace’s yearly plans include a free custom domain for the first year.
Squarespace Core comes to $348 a year when billed yearly, and that bill repeats for as long as the site stays live.
On WordPress, the software stays free forever. Your yearly bill is the hosting, the domain and the help you choose, and you can switch any of them for a better deal.
For a fair WordPress vs Squarespace cost check, add up a full year of both, including store fees if you sell.
Want a WordPress site without the tech work?
Still torn between Squarespace and WordPress? Talk it through with a team that builds only on WordPress.
Squarespace vs WordPress SEO tools
Squarespace vs WordPress SEO: more controls, more ways to be found
You want customers to find you on Google without paying for every click. Both platforms cover the basics. Squarespace lets you edit page titles, SEO descriptions and URLs, set up redirects and run an SEO report that flags missing alt text.
The gap in Squarespace vs WordPress SEO shows once you want more control. On Squarespace, you can’t edit the sitemap or a page’s source code. On WordPress, an SEO plugin such as Rank Math handles titles, sitemaps and redirects, and adds schema: extra code that tells search engines what a page is about.
If search traffic is how you plan to win customers, WordPress wins this round of the Squarespace vs WordPress SEO match-up. Our WordPress SEO team can set it up with you.
Pro tip
Before you judge Squarespace vs WordPress SEO tools, list the five pages you most want to rank. Each one needs its own title, description and clean URL, and on WordPress you can add schema to each one too.
Blogging tools compared
Squarespace vs WordPress for blogging: room for every post you write
Your blog is where readers meet you before they need you. For Squarespace vs WordPress for blogging, start with the writing tools. WordPress gives writers categories, tags, scheduled posts and a revision history that restores any saved version of a post.
Squarespace has blog pages too, with comments and a clean editor. In a Squarespace vs WordPress for blogging test, the catch shows when you leave: one export file carries one blog page, and your drafts stay behind.
So Squarespace vs WordPress for blogging comes down to how long you plan to write. For a blog you will keep for years, WordPress keeps every post portable. Our guide explains why content-led sites choose WordPress as their CMS.
Design and customization: WordPress vs Squarespace
Make the site look like your business, not a template
Your site should feel like your brand from the first click. Squarespace’s templates look polished, and you design inside the layouts they offer. Every plan has a CSS editor, and the Core plan adds code injection for custom scripts.
WordPress sets no ceiling on design: any theme, any page builder, any layout, with full code access when a page needs something unusual. Our team designs each WordPress website around your brand.
On Squarespace, you rent a finished room. On WordPress, you own the house and choose every wall.
Selling online: Squarespace vs WordPress
Sell without handing over a share of each sale
Every paid Squarespace plan can sell products and services, so a small shop is easy to start. On Basic, Squarespace takes a 2% fee on each online store sale, and Core and higher remove it.
Selling courses or memberships? Squarespace’s fee on digital content and memberships starts at 7% on Basic and falls to zero only on Advanced, its most expensive plan.
WordPress sells through WooCommerce, a free plugin that takes no revenue share and adds no fee for the payment provider you pick. Your shop can grow without a plan upgrade to cut the fees. See how we build WooCommerce stores.
Squarespace vs WordPress features side by side
Everything that matters, in one table
Squarespace vs WordPress at a glance, checked 14 September 2026
Squarespace
WordPress
Price
Plans from $19 a month billed yearly; no free plan
Software free; hosting, domain and extras paid
Hosting
Included, on Squarespace servers only
Any host you choose, and you can move later
Design
Templates, drag-and-drop editor, CSS editor
Any theme or page builder, with full code access
SEO control
Titles, descriptions, URLs and redirects; sitemap can't be edited
Titles, descriptions, URLs, redirects, sitemaps and schema through a plugin such as Rank Math
Blogging
Blog pages; one blog page per export
Categories, tags, scheduling and revisions; every post portable
Store fees
2% on Basic store sales
0% revenue share with WooCommerce
Add-on features
Squarespace Extensions and built-in blocks
The largest directory of free and open-source plugins
Team access
2 contributors on Basic
As many users as you need, with roles
Leaving later
Partial XML export; store pages stay behind
Your files and database, on hosting you control
Best for
A small, simple site with nobody to run updates
Most small business sites, blogs and stores
Security and upkeep: WordPress vs Squarespace
Who keeps the site safe after launch?
A hacked or broken site costs you calls and sales. Before you choose a platform, decide who watches for that.
Squarespace
- SSL certificates, a web application firewall and DDoS protection come with the plan.
- Squarespace runs the software updates.
- You can't choose your own servers or security tools.
- Staff logins and any code you add are still your risk.
- You can't take the site to another host.
WordPress
- You choose the host, the backups and the security tools.
- You have full access when something breaks.
- Security fixes arrive through regular WordPress updates.
- A care plan can hand the updates to a team you pick.
- Updates to WordPress, themes and plugins need someone to run them.
Our WordPress security best practices guide covers what you can do yourself. To hand off the updates and backups, our WordPress care plans start at $49 a month.
Squarespace vs WordPress vs Wix compared
Squarespace vs WordPress vs Wix: two you rent, one you own
Wix often joins the shortlist, and the choice becomes Squarespace vs WordPress vs Wix. Wix and Squarespace are both hosted builders: hosting comes inside the plan, and your site lives on their servers. Wix offers a free plan, while Squarespace offers a free trial instead.
Squarespace vs WordPress vs Wix in one table, checked 14 September 2026
Squarespace
Wix
WordPress
What it is
Hosted website builder
Hosted website builder
Open-source software you install
Free start
14-day free trial
Free plan
Free software; hosting paid
Where your site runs
Squarespace servers
Wix servers
Any host you choose
Design
Templates and drag-and-drop editor
Templates and drag-and-drop editor
Any theme or page builder, with full code access
Best for
Simple sites with nobody for updates
Simple sites that start free
Sites you plan to grow and own
On a Squarespace vs WordPress vs Wix shortlist, WordPress is the only one you can take to any host you like. Our WordPress and Wix comparison goes deeper on Wix.
Moving from Squarespace to WordPress
Change platforms later without starting over
Plenty of owners start on Squarespace and outgrow it. If your answer changes, a clean move runs in five steps.
1
Export what Squarespace allows
In the Import & export content panel, click Export, then the WordPress icon, to get an .xml file.
2
Import it into WordPress
Go to Tools, then Import, then WordPress, to bring in posts, pages, comments and categories.
3
Rebuild what stays behind
Store pages, index pages, product blocks, video blocks and custom CSS don’t export. Images may not come across either, so plan to upload them.
4
Set 301 redirects
Point each old page address to its new one. Google advises keeping these redirects for at least a year.
5
Test, then switch the domain
Check every page, form and link before you point your domain at WordPress.
Moving a whole site? Our website redesign team rebuilds it on WordPress and moves your old content across.
WordPress vs Squarespace: our verdict
So which one should run your website?
Pick the platform that fits the business you plan to run in two years, as well as today. After this Squarespace vs WordPress check, we pick WordPress for most small business sites, because you own every file and every post stays portable. Squarespace fits a smaller group: owners who want a simple site live fast and have nobody for updates.
Three example sites (made up, to show the thinking)
A wedding photographer who needs a five-page portfolio this week and has no plans to blog. Squarespace. The templates suit image-led sites, and nobody has to run updates.
A therapist who wants to write weekly articles and be found on Google. WordPress, the clear winner of Squarespace vs WordPress for blogging. An SEO plugin, categories and saved versions help each post work harder, and every post stays portable.
A bakery selling cakes online and planning baking classes next year. WordPress with WooCommerce. No platform fee on orders, and a booking or course plugin can join the same site later.
Go with Squarespace if…
- You want a small site live this week, with hosting in one bill.
- Nobody on your team will run updates, and you don't plan to move the site.
Our pick for most small business sites
Go with WordPress if…
- You want to own the site, its files and its content.
- Google traffic and a growing blog matter to your business.
- You plan to sell and want no platform fee on your sales.
- You want the freedom to change host, design or team later.
Picked WordPress?
What happens after you say yes
If WordPress comes out ahead in your Squarespace vs WordPress comparison, our team can handle the build and the upkeep for you. WP BigBang is a WordPress-only team with 500+ websites built.
1
We look at your pages, your content plans and anything you want to sell.
2
The right plan
Our Business website plan starts at $587, one-off, with a blog and the first year of hosting included.
3
Design and build
We design the site around your brand and build it on WordPress.
4
Your old content, moved
Leaving Squarespace? Our redesign plans move your old content across.
5
Hand over
The files, the database and the domain are yours the day the site is finished. A care plan stays your choice.
Need a smaller site first? Our affordable WordPress website design plans start at $245 for 3 pages.
Frequently asked questions
WordPress vs Squarespace questions, answered
WordPress vs Squarespace: which is better?
For most small business sites, yes. WordPress gives you ownership, deeper SEO control and no platform fee on store sales. Squarespace suits a simple site you want live fast, with no updates to run.
Is Squarespace cheaper than WordPress?
Not over time. Squarespace plans start at $19 a month billed yearly, and there is no free plan. WordPress software is free, so your yearly cost is hosting, a domain and any paid themes, plugins or care you choose.
Squarespace vs WordPress SEO: which gives you more control?
WordPress. Both platforms edit titles, descriptions, URLs and redirects. WordPress goes further: plugins such as Rank Math add schema and sitemap control, while Squarespace does not let you edit the sitemap or a page’s source code.
Squarespace vs WordPress for blogging: which is better?
WordPress, for a blog you plan to keep. It gives you categories, tags, scheduled posts and revisions, and your posts stay portable. A Squarespace export carries one blog page, and drafts stay behind.
Squarespace vs WordPress vs Wix: which should a small business choose?
WordPress, if you want to own the site and grow it. Squarespace and Wix are both hosted builders that keep your site on their servers. They suit owners who want a simple site with hosting inside the plan.
Does Squarespace charge transaction fees?
Yes, on some plans. Basic adds a 2% fee on online store sales, and every plan below Advanced adds a fee on digital content and membership sales. WooCommerce on WordPress takes no revenue share.
Can I move my site from Squarespace to WordPress?
Yes. Export an .xml file from Squarespace, import it with the WordPress importer, then rebuild the pages that don’t export, such as store pages. Set 301 redirects, permanent forwards from each old link to its new page, so visitors and Google still find you.
Is WordPress hard to use?
Not with the right setup. With a page builder such as Elementor, you edit pages by dragging blocks, much like on Squarespace. The harder part is upkeep: updates, backups and security, which you can run yourself or hand to a care plan.
