Webflow vs Squarespace: Which is Better for you?

Comparing Webflow vs Squarespace? 

Looking for the next perfect website builder for your needs?

In this comparison, we’ll be taking a look at Webflow vs Squarespace to help you choose the next best website builder. 

To make this comparison, we thoroughly tested out both platforms. We’ve compared templates, CMS, eCommerce functionalities, SEO capabilities, ease of use, and more. 

Using either of these, you can easily create visually stunning websites. 

Ready to learn? Let’s get started!

Quick Overview of Webflow vs Squarespace

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Designed for design professionals, independent contractors, and agencies, Webflow intends to be powerful technology. However, Squarespace serves as a straightforward, web designing solution. 

Webflow was founded in 2013, and Squarespace was founded in 2003. Squarespace has more industry experience behind the name. Moreover, it has a higher number of customers. 

Currently, there are over 3 million websites on the web called Squarespace. Webflow on the other hand has around 400,000 websites. 

Squarespace is the larger company out of the two options. That doesn’t mean Webflow is a small company. Webflow has just received $140 million in funding and it has a current valuation of $4 billion. 

Pros of Webflow

• No Plugins
  For a website to run properly, Webflow does not need plugins. Due to the continual adjustments and micromanagement, they demand, as well as the fact that they make the site sluggish and sometimes even crash it, they make websites less reliable. 

• Quick Development Time
  As a result of the designs' inherent responsiveness, everything made for a desktop automatically adapts for use on tablets and mobile devices. To make sure it is accurate and suits your sense of style, you may change the elements.

• Secured Platform
  With its free SSL certificate, the secure hosting platform Webflow provides a high degree of protection. You can limit access to the backend on the platform, which meets security requirements.

• User-friendly
  Drag-and-drop visual builders are available in Webflow, making it simple to create intricate designs. The fact that Webflow is a no-code platform alters the way you create websites and makes the procedure simple.

• Price Flexibility
  They provide a variety of alternatives, from free plans for those learning Webflow to premium solutions for freelancers, startups, businesses, and agencies.

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Cons of Webflow 

• No Mobile App
  Webflow does not have a mobile app, but Squarespace does. You need a desktop or laptop is required to make any changes to your website.

• Complicated Pricing
  It could be difficult to understand the several price options offered by Webflow. Choosing a plan that works for your business may be difficult for you.

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Pros of Squarespace

• Easy to Use 
  Squarespace allows you to build websites with ease. The UI is intuitive and user-friendly. 

• Stunning Designs
  Squarespace is well known for offering visually stunning templates. They have the best-looking templates out of all website builders.

• Integrated Approach
  If you utilize this builder, you won't need to bother about third-party plugins, widgets, or applications. 

• Value for Money
  Prices range from $16 - $49/month. Excluding eCommerce websites, Webflow is cheaper compared to Squarespace. 

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Cons of Squarespace

• Limited Design Freedom
  Squarespace’s pre-built templates offer limited design flexibility. Apart from the template, there’s limited room to change things as per your preference. 

• Scalability Issues
  Squarespace is not the right website builder if you want to manage a large website. 

• No Automatic Saves
  You’ll have to save all the work you do manually. There’s no autosave option.

Webflow vs Squarespace - Ease of Use

Squarespace is better to use than Webflow. You can easily create an account and sign up on the website with ease. 

When you sign up with Squarespace, the platform will take you on a quick walkthrough of the template editor. If you have experience with website builders, you can skip this tutorial. 

You’ll then be taken to the dashboard, where you can choose a template and start building your website. 

Webflow will just ask for your email address, and then ask a couple of questions about your project. Webflow will also ask you about your experience with website builders. After that, you’re all done.

Webflow vs Squarespace - Editing Capabilities

Squarespace’s website editor looks clean and is super easy to use. You can add page elements to your Squarespace template.

One thing that you will find frustrating about the template editor is you can’t place elements exactly where you want. 

The templates are pre-designed and you can’t change how elements are placed on the website. You can only change the content in these elements (text, images). You may feel you have limited design flexibility, but your website will end up looking incredible. 

Webflow is incredibly user-friendly, especially if you’re completely inexperienced with website builders. The tutorial is great, and the tips make it easy to understand the website building process. 

Webflow vs Squarespace - Domain Setup

On every plan of your website, Squarespace offers a free custom domain. You can register and purchase the domain on Squarespace itself. You don’t have to go through the trouble of purchasing a domain from some other site. 

Squarespace makes sure it's easy to manage your domain and website from the dashboard. But do keep in mind that the domain costs are higher than third-party service providers like GoDaddy. 

Webflow relies on third-party services like Google and GoDaddy to purchase domains.

‍Once you have booked a domain name, you will have to update your domain’s settings so you can connect it to Webflow’s site. 

Even though Webflow allows you to use custom domain names, Squarespace makes the process much easier. 

Webflow vs Squarespace - Website Designing Capabilities

Squarespace requires limited technical knowledge compared to Webflow. But the limited technical knowledge requirement means that you get limited design customization. Similar to any other website builder, Squarespace allows you to change fonts, choose color schemes, and change page layouts. 

With Squarespace, your website's result could end up looking different than the original template. 

Webflow’s website templates are brilliant to look at and easy to set up.  Moreover, you get more design flexibility, and your result ends up looking more like your imagination. 

Webflow vs Squarespace - Value for Money

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Webflow has a cheaper starting plan compared to Squarespace. Here’s what you’ll get with both the starter plans:

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Squarespace offers better value for money on the starter plan. With the cheapest plan, you can get a free domain, a lot of storage, and endless bandwidth. 

Webflow offers 50 GB bandwidth which is more than good enough for most websites. 

If you care more about flexibility and design freedom, then Webflow is the right choice for you. 

Webflow vs Squarespace - Plan Comparison

Squarespace’s all plans come equipped with everything you need to build your website. There are no additional hidden costs. All the additional costs are optional. You can choose to get additional features if you need them, but Squarespace won’t push you on it. 

Webflow’s plans are limited. They don’t offer you everything in a single plan. When it comes to additional costs, Webflow offers a range of alternative products. It is a more advanced content management system (CMS). You can use this CMS instead of normal website builder plans. 

Webflow vs Squarespace - eCommerce Functionality

Both Squarespace and Webflow offer few eCommerce-specific plans. You can use these plans to set up an eCommerce website. These plans come with more features than a regular site. Here’s what you would get with the cheapest eCommerce plans from both providers:

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Squarespace has better eCommerce features on the cheapest plan compared to Webflow. When it comes to eCommerce websites, Squarespace is better in terms of pricing, and the number of products offered, but the design flexibility and customization are better in eCommerce plans. 

Webflow vs Squarespace - Customer Support

Customer support is an important element when it comes to choosing the ideal website builder. While Squarespace has been pretty great, the customer support is pretty normal. Plus, compared to Webflow, you’ll be able to reach a customer support representative easily. 

Webflow has fewer options to reach the customer support team. You can reach out to them via email, and you have to wait 24-48 hours for a response. 

FAQs

Do I need to use templates with Webflow and Squarespace?

You have the choice to use templates on both platforms. If you don’t want to use templates, you’re free to create your website from scratch. 
If you don’t know coding, and don’t want to spend money on a web designer then templates are quick and easy way to kick start your website. ‍

Is Webflow harder to use than Squarespace?

No. Webflow’s UI and UX are far easier to use. You can set up your website within minutes and there are hundreds of features on your website. Squarespace is also user-friendly, but there are some methods of editing sites that can be considered complex.‍

What is Webflow not good for?

If you’re looking to set up an eCommerce website and you’re tight on budget, you’re better off using any other CMS tool. Webflow’s eCommerce plan is far more expensive compared to Squarespace.

Conclusion

This is it! Here’s a complete look at Webflow vs Squarespace. In most categories, both website builders are toe to toe. 

But, if you want functionality and design flexibility over everything else, you should go with Webflow. If you don’t need too much design customization, or just want ready-made templates then go with Squarespace.

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