Squarespace Competitors and Alternatives For Business Websites
Squarespace is one of the best website builders available for business owners looking to build their own site. But, the complexities of Squarespace aren't for everyone.
We at TRUiC have dedicated time and resources to testing website builders to help you find the right fit for your business. If you’re thinking about building a business website with Squarespace, or are considering switching to a different platform, this guide of Squarespace alternatives is for you.
Recommended: For those looking to build websites like Squarespace, we found GoDaddy to be the best Squarespace alternative.
8 Best Squarespace Alternatives
- GoDaddy - Best Website Builder Overall
- Web.com - Best For Included Services
- Weebly - Best For Affordability
- Wix - Best Free Alternative
- Shopify - Best For Ecommerce
- WordPress - Best For Customization
- Zyro - Best For Functionality
- Duda - Best For Beginners
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
 |
Best Website Builders |
|---|---|
GoDaddy
4.7/5 |
Best Website Builder Overall
|
Web.com
4.5/5 |
|
Squarespace
4.4/5 |
|
|
Wix
4.4/5 |
|
Shopify 4.3/5 |
Best for Ecommerce
|
WordPress 4.1/5 |
|
GoDaddy comes out ahead of Squarespace, and often ranks at the top of our list for best website builder. And with good reason, it’s one of the simplest tools on the market, and it also offers some of the best services of any website builder we’ve tried.
However, there are other good options as well. Below, we’ll review these eight great Squarespace alternatives. We’ll discuss their pros and cons as well as let you know which business they might suit best. By the end, you’ll have a clear idea of which website builder you need.
1. GoDaddy - Best Website Builder Overall
GoDaddy was built with ease of use in mind. The platform is intentionally and proudly light on features. GoDaddy templates are designed to need very little modification so you can get your website up and running in as little as five minutes. While that may seem incredibly low, it isn’t an exaggeration, and service-based professionals or artists creating a portfolio for their content can have a website up and running in under an hour.
GoDaddy Pros
- Fast: You can have a working website in fewer than five minutes.
- Easy: It’s a great tool for those more concerned about the basics and less about endless customization.
- Scalable: It gives you access to powerful search engine optimization (SEO) features, email marketing tools, and social media posting — even on the lower-end packages.
GoDaddy Cons
- Limiting: Not the best fit for those concerned about finite design changes.
- Menial Ecommerce: Its ecommerce functionality is a good start, but other tools may better suit your needs if you’re serious about creating an online store with lots of items.
We found GoDaddy to be more effective at matching templates and themes to specific industry categories, and GoDaddy templates are also generally easier to use than Squarespace themes. Not only that, the prefilled content is so well-tailored to the needs of a variety of industries, the changes you’ll need to make are minimal.
While Squarespace might offer flashier templates, GoDaddy is cheaper and generally easier to use. GoDaddy offers enough integrations to help you build and scale your business and website.
Get Started With GoDaddy
GoDaddy is a great platform to get your business website set up for success in a short amount of time. TRUiC readers receive a discount on any GoDaddy plan, automatically applied by clicking the button below.
More resources on GoDaddy:
2. Web.com - Best For Included Services
Web.com is a popular website builder that’s easy to use, with templates and a drag-and-drop functionality. Web.com is an excellent choice for any small business owner with no previous experience building a website.
Web.com Pros
- User-Friendly: Web.com’s editor makes setting up your website a breeze.
- Advanced Templates: Web.com boasts dozens of attractive and customizable templates to help add sleek functionality to your business website.
- Premium Image Library: Access thousands of professional photos through Web.com’s Site Editor.
Web.com Cons
- Slow Load Times: Web.com’s servers aren’t as fast as others, and this can lead to your webpage taking longer to load.
- No Free Trial: Even though Web.com offers a discounted 30 day trial period, and a no-risk money-back guarantee, it does not technically offer a free plan.
Web.com also has plenty of unique and responsive templates to help your website shine, no matter what device it’s being viewed on. Plus, Web.com boasts some of the best customer service reviews.
Web.com does not offer a free trial, but plans start at $1.95 for the first 30 days, making it possible to try this website builder without a huge initial investment. Plans can be canceled at any time if you are unsatisfied with the service. Learn more by checking out our full Web.com review.
Get Started With Web.com
See what Web.com has to offer your business and website. Begin with an hour of expert help and a free domain name.
More resources on Web.com
3. Weebly - Best For Affordability
Weebly is one of the easiest and most affordable website builders, especially for ecommerce. If you own or manage a small business and don’t have the resources to hire a web developer, Weebly is a great tool to use. With its drag-and-drop editor, mobile-responsive themes, and wide range of apps for added functionality, you’ll have your website up and running in no time.
Weebly Pros
- Flexible Layouts: Weebly allows you to drag and drop content blocks to the exact area where you want them to appear on your site.
- Themes: If you decide the original Weebly theme you chose isn’t working for you, you can swap it out.
- App Store: The Weebly App Center allows you to easily add functionality to your website.
Weebly Cons
- Blogging Limitations: Weebly’s blogging capabilities aren’t robust enough if blogging is the sole focus of your business.
- No Mobile Editing: Weebly doesn’t allow users to edit on the go, you must use your desktop for accurate website building.
Created specifically for less tech-savvy users, the Weebly website builder makes tasks as simple as possible. Because too many options can lead to confusion, Weebly limits the number of options. For example, Weebly offers 40 well-designed themes while Squarespace offers more than 500 templates.
Weebly offers a great platform for small business owners who need a simple website for their business. It’s fast, flexible, and inexpensive with plans ranging from $6 to $26 per month - and all plans include ecommerce capabilities. Read our full Weebly Website Builder Review to learn more.
Get Started With Weebly
Weebly provides a great tool for the many small businesses that want to support their business with a website and common marketing solutions.
More resources on Weebly:
4. Wix - Best Free Alternative
Squarespace and Wix have both been around for a while, and both platforms have done a relatively good job of staying current. Wix offers a popular, versatile web builder that can meet the needs of just about any LLC or small business. With an easy editor and hundreds of unique themes, Wix streamlines how to create a website that showcases your talents, services, and products. Even better, Wix is one of our top choices for best free website builder.
Wix Pros
- Storage: Every Wix plan comes with enough storage to house plenty of images and media, allowing for gorgeous sites.
- Security: All Wix plans come with a secure sockets layer (SSL) certificate, ensuring your site and the data of your visitors are kept safe.
- Support: Wix’s support staff are well-trained and you have access to priority support with an upgraded plan.
- Free Plan: Wix has one of the best free plans around, use it to get comfortable with the builder and upgrade whenever you're ready.
Wix Cons
- Slow Loading Speeds: Unfortunately, the sophisticated templates offered by Wix end up slowing most of its sites down.
- Difficult Migration: Wix notoriously makes it challenging to migrate any Wix site to a separate web hosting provider.
- Overly Basic Metrics: Even at higher plans and price points, Wix’s analytics aren’t very robust. For those needing more detailed metrics, you’ll have to install and connect Google Analytics to your Wix website.
With Wix, you can create a website without charge by choosing the free plan at signup. You also can add basic features and customize your site before you start the building process. This includes incorporating chat capabilities, appointment-booking tools for service and hospitality businesses, and much more.
Should you be entertaining the idea of adding some limited ecommerce features, Wix offers plans for websites with and without online stores. It also provides an intuitive website-building interface and lots of customization options.
Get Started With Wix
Wix is one of the most popular free website builders on the market. See what you can create by clicking the button below to begin.
More resources on Wix:
5. Shopify - Best For Ecommerce
Shopify is one of the best ecommerce platforms available, especially for small businesses. Shopify plans cover several tiers of service so you can choose one that fits your business and your budget. With hundreds of professional themes, intuitive analytics, room for tons of unique customizations, and a reliable SSL-protected online storefront, Shopify makes it easy for anyone to build their own online store.
Shopify Pros
- Unlimited Storage: With Shopify, you’ll never face any restrictions on how many items you can sell in your online store.
- Intuitive Controls: The Shopify dashboard makes navigating your business’s metrics a breeze. It’s also easy to use Shopify’s customization menus for building your website.
- Integrated Features: Shopify enables you to connect and manage your business’s social media accounts as well as any other alternate sales channels.
Shopify Cons
- No Autosave: Users must regularly save their work to avoid losing their changes.
- App Costs: Shopify has an app store with thousands of plugins to help you create your ideal website, but some come at quite the recurring cost.
- Transaction Fees: Unless you use Shopify Payments, you’ll be charged a transaction fee every time you accept money for your products.
Shopify offers a 14-day free trial with no pressure to choose a plan beforehand. All you need to do is answer a few questions about your business, enter basic contact information, and then begin building your professional online store.
Adding and listing products is easy with the Shopify dashboard. This feature has menus, forms, and customizable options to help you grow and maintain your website and business. There are even ways to add themes or connect your personal domain if you already have one.
Get Started With Shopify
Begin building a beautiful online store for your ecommerce business with Shopify. Click the button below to test out a free trial.
More resources on Shopify:
6. WordPress - Best For Customization
WordPress websites are highly flexible and can scale to meet the changing needs of your business. The platform is especially suited to creating eye-catching blog pages, which can help a small business to attract traffic and create brand awareness. However, it’s not the most user-friendly, especially for beginners.
WordPress Pros
- Affordable: WordPress is technically free. However, you will have to purchase a domain name and find a reliable host.
- Customizable: Since WordPress is technically an open-source, content management system (CMS) the level of customization available is limitless.
- Plugins: Gain access to the WordPress Repository, an extensive suite of integrations and plugins allowing you to endlessly perfect your site.
WordPress Cons
- Confusing: Navigating WordPress can prove deeply challenging, especially for beginners.
- Limited Free Features: You may run into trouble trying to install your own themes and plugins to your business website without purchasing top-tier WordPress.com plans.
- Hidden Costs: Premium WordPress plans are expensive, particularly for those accustomed to the software being free.
Of the Squarespace competitors on this list, WordPress is the least welcoming to new users. However, those who power through, are rewarded with unparalleled customization capabilities. If you’re a blogger or want complete control over every aspect of your website, then WordPress is the right platform for you.
Getting started with WordPress requires you to purchase a domain name and secure a web host. We’ve found that GoDaddy, Bluehost, and Kinsta are some of the best all-in-one options for these tasks. To learn more, be sure to read our Best Web Hosting Providers Review.
More resources on WordPress:
7. Zyro - Best For Functionality
Zyro offers a user-friendly editor dashboard, convenient drag-and-drop functionality, and enough visual options to make it a reliable Squarespace alternative. Zyro websites are easy to build and customize at a very affordable rate. You can design a fully functional business website on Zyro in a single afternoon, even if you have no experience creating websites.
Zyro Pros
- Easy: The Zyro Editor Dashboard is very user-friendly, even for beginners.
- Affordable: Zyro is one of the most cost-effective platforms on the market.
- Useful Tools: Gain access to artificial intelligence (AI) tools for generating a logo, writing content text, and importing pages.
- Free Image Library: Easy access to royalty-free images within the Zyro Editor Dashboard.
Zyro Cons
- Limited: Zyro template customizability is somewhat inhibited, especially compared to competitors.
- No Free Plan: You can design a page for free but must subscribe to a paid plan to publish your website.
- Generic: Some of the AI-written content feels overly basic.
Zyro is among the easiest and most intuitive platforms to use. Plus, Zyro provides an extensive collection of articles and tutorial videos to help beginners navigate the platform.
Even though Zyro websites do not offer some of the customization options found on other platforms, it’s still an incredible value.
Get Started With Zyro
Zyro offers some of the lowest pricing on the market. Click the button below to get a free domain and test out the builder with a money-back guarantee.
More resources on Zyro:
8. Duda - Best For Beginners
Duda is so easy-to-use that complete beginners can quickly get the hang of it. Duda also includes plenty of beautifully-made templates, with a wide variety of widgets to add necessary functionality to your business website. Additionally, Duda includes instructive design guidelines with every template, allowing you to construct your website as quickly as possible.
Duda Pros
- Templates: Duda templates come stocked with a wide variety of features you can add to suit your needs.
- Sleek Designs: Duda templates offer unique and eye-catching designs.
- Intuitive: Duda keeps things simple by sticking to design guidelines for each template, allowing you to build a website in minutes.
Duda Cons
- No Free Plan: This can get costly quickly, especially if you need to connect ecommerce capabilities to your plan.
- Limited SEO: Duda doesn’t offer much in the way of search engine optimization.
- Restrictive: If total creative freedom is what you want, Duda may not be for you. Its templates can be clunky and limiting.
Duda is a great Squarespace alternative for business owners looking to create a functional website very quickly. Though it’s a little light on a few key features, Duda is still an easy-to-use platform that allows small professionals to offer a wide variety of services to their clients — and is perfectly capable of scaling at pace with your business model.
Get Started With Duda
Duda is a great option for beginners looking to build a business website with little effort. Get started with a Duda free trial by clicking the button below.
More resources on Duda:
Moving Forward
No matter what, you shouldn’t be made to feel trapped by Squarespace. And just because Squarespace isn’t the right fit for you, that doesn’t mean that your perfect match isn’t out there. There are tons of website builders, and we’ve picked out the top eight Squarespace alternatives for you to consider.
In most cases, we’d expect GoDaddy to be the ideal Squarespace alternative for you. It’s easy to use and it’s very affordable.
Ready to Try the Best Squarespace Alternative?
GoDaddy is easy to use, has scalable website tools, and offers a deal to TRUiC readers. Get a discount on any GoDaddy plan of your choice by clicking the button below.
