9 Best Squarespace Alternatives

Squarespace is a powerful website builder, but it’s not for everybody. These Squarespace alternatives offer better/more features for building your website

With the invention of website builders such as Squarespace, it has become possible for virtually anyone to build a strong online presence. I mean, you can basically create your own website in no more than a few hours.

And you don’t even need any tech skills to do so. Simply sign up to Squarespace or one of the best Squarespace alternatives listed below, follow the prompts, and start designing. It really isn’t that hard.

Best Squarespace Alternatives in 2021

The best Squarespace alternatives are Wix (best overall alternative), Zyro (best budget alternative), and Shopify (best alternative for selling online):

1. Wix (best alternative)

• Website: https://www.wix.com
• Industry-leading design flexibility
• Huge template library with 500+ designs
• Fully functional free forever plan
• Excellent design tools and custom code support

Wix is arguably the world’s most popular website builder, and for good reason. It offers the best design flexibility I’ve seen through its drag-and-drop editor, and the template library contains more than 500 attractive designs.

On top of this, the Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) tool is designed to help absolute beginners get online as fast as possible.

There are numerous ecommerce tools available that you can use to create an online store, and the Wix App Market contains numerous third-party plugins that you can use to enhance your site’s functionality.

Wix pros:

• Excellent template library
• Industry-leading design flexibility
• Huge range of plugins available

Wix cons:

• Editor can take some getting used to
• Premium plans are a little expensive
• Very average customer support
• For good Wix alternatives go here

Wix pricing plans:

The free forever plan is a little limited, but it includes everything you need to test the platform. The four website-specific plans range from $10 to $27 per month, while the three business and ecommerce plans range from $18 to $38 per month.

Why Wix is a good alternative to Squarespace:

Wix is an excellent alternative for those who value design flexibility and customizability above all else. It’s cheaper than Squarespace, has more templates, and boasts a fully-functional free forever plan.

For an in-depth Squarespace vs Wix comparison go here.

2. Zyro (best cheap alternative)

• Website: https://zyro.com
• Best cheap alternative to Squarespace
• Decent blogging tools
• Very affordable online store solutions

Despite being a relative newcomer to the website building world, Zyro has fast become one of the most popular choices for beginners who want to get online fast.

I particularly like its extremely competitive prices and the suite of advanced features on offer.

Choose from a selection of attractive templates and put your site together using the drag-and-drop editor. Add an ecommerce store if you want to sell online, take advantage of a free domain for the first year, and more.

Zyro pros:

• Allows you to get online fast and with minimum fuss
• Very beginner-friendly editor
• Extremely competitively priced
• Attractive ecommerce features

Zyro cons:

• Editor is a little simplistic
• No free plan but no-questions-asked 30-day money-back guarantee
• Limited resources with Basic plan

Zyro pricing plans:

Zyro offers four subscription options, with prices start at $2.90 per month for an initial four-year plan. Expect to pay more with shorter subscriptions.

Right now you can get a further 10% off by clicking this link

For more details about Zyro’s pricing plans go here.

Why Zyro is a good alternative to Squarespace:

Its extremely low prices and beginner-friendly editor make Zyro one of the best alternatives to Squarespace that we’ve used.

3. Shopify (best ecommerce alternative)

• Website: https://www.shopify.com
• Industry-leading ecommerce platform
• Selection of online store templates
• Excellent inventory management tools

If you’re looking for the best Squarespace competitor with a focus on ecommerce, you simply can’t go past Shopify. It comes with absolutely everything you need to start an online store, along with a decent store builder and a suite of management tools.

Take advantage of multi-channel selling, a suite of inventory management tools, and more. There are numerous online store templates available, and the entire system is targeted at beginners who want to start selling online.

Shopify pros:

• Online store templates
• Excellent inventory management tools
• Huge number of third-party apps
• For more pros read my Shopify review

Shopify cons:

• Quite expensive
• No free plan
• Store editor is a little limited

Shopify pricing plans:

There are three Shopify plans available, with prices ranging from $29 to $299 per month. You will also have to pay transaction fees on every sale. Fortunately, there is a 14-day free trial available so you can test the platform before committing to a subscription.

Why Shopify is a good alternative to Squarespace:

Shopify is designed specifically for those who want to build an online store. It offers significantly more advanced ecommerce features than Squarespace or any other website builder on this list.

4. Site123

• Website: https://www.site123.com
• An excellent choice for absolute beginners
• Simple online store integrations
• Fully responsive templates and web design

Site123 certainly isn’t the most advanced website builder available, but I’d argue that it’s one of the most beginner-friendly in the world.

To create a new site, simply select a template, populate it with your own content, and hit the publish button. It’s perfectly reasonable to expect to be online within a few hours.

Site123 pros:

• Extremely beginner-friendly editor
• Range of attractive templates available
• Decent free forever plan

Site 123 cons:

• Relatively low bandwidth and storage limits
• Expensive compared to some competitors
• Many features are quite basic

Site123 pricing plans:

Along with a limited free forever plan, Site123 offers four paid options. Prices range from $12.80 to $34.80 per month with an annual subscription.

Why Site123 is a good alternative to Squarespace:

Site123 is up there with the easiest website builders we’ve used. It’s a great option for those who simply want to get a basic site online fast.

5. Jimdo

• Website: https://www.jimdo.com
• A beginner-friendly option for small business users
• Simple online store with zero transaction fees
• Everything you need to build an online presence for all types of websites

Although Jimdo is far from my personal favorite website builder, it still has plenty going for it. With an AI-based builder, attractive templates, and a beginner-friendly editing interface, it’s certainly one of the best Squarespace alternatives available.

One thing I do like about Jimdo is its focus on security. In short, you can rest assured that all-important data and information will be fully secure at all times. It also boasts excellent multi-lingual customer service, which is nice to see.

Jimdo pros:

• Excellent AI-based website builder
• Attractive, modern designs
• Mobile editor available

Jimdo cons:

• Quite limited editing features
• Very average for SEO
• No way to add custom code snippets

Jimdo pricing plans:

Jimdo offers a simple free forever plan, along with three website plans costing from $9 to $39 per month and three online store plans costing from $15 to $39 per month.

Why Jimdo is a good alternative to Squarespace:

If you want a website builder that’s going to do the hard work for you, Jimdo is a great option. Its AI-based builder is designed to streamline the site creation process, theoretically letting you get online in as little as a few minutes.

6. WordPress.org

• Website: https://wordpress.org
• The pinnacle of design flexibility
• Thousands of templates and plugins available
• The only limitation is your imagination

WordPress.org (not to be confused with the limited WordPress.com builder) is the world’s most popular content management system. Although it isn’t a drag-and-drop builder like Squarespace, it still comes with everything you need to start your own website.

In short, WordPress sits at the pinnacle of design flexibility. It can be used to create virtually any type of website. There are thousands of templates available in the WordPress library, along with countless plugins to add functionality to your website.

WordPress.org pros:

• Virtually no limitations
• Full code access
• Free, forever

WordPress.org cons:

• Steep learning curve
• Not the most beginner-friendly platform
• Limited drag-and-drop editing
• Takes some time to set up

WordPress.org pricing plans:

WordPress.org is an open-source program that’s 100% free, forever. However, you will have to pay for hosting, a custom domain name, and any premium plugins or themes. Expect to pay anything from a few dollars to thousands per month.

Why WordPress.org is a good alternative to Squarespace:

When looking for sites like Squarespace, design flexibility and attractive templates are two important things that you have to consider. WordPress.org delivers in both respects, with thousands of designs and the ability to customize literally every aspect of your website.

7. Webflow

• Website: https://webflow.com
• Very tidy user interface
• Great range of tutorial videos
• Build your own templates
• Loads of advanced tools

Using a Squarespace alternative like Webflow can streamline the entire website creation process. The Webflow University contains an impressive number of tutorial videos, along with various other types of self-help resources.

But just because Webflow is easy to use doesn’t mean that it’s overly simplistic. In fact, it supports full HTML, CSS, and JavaScript coding. On top of this, there are numerous marketing, ecommerce, SEO, and other tools available to help you grow your online presence.

Webflow pros:

• Full code support for advanced users
• Excellent suite of integrated tools
• Comprehensive video tutorials covering every aspect of the builder

Webflow cons:

• Can’t import existing code
• No way to add content from another CMS
• Quite expensive

Webflow pricing plans:

Webflow offers three website plans, three ecommerce plans, and enterprise-level solutions for high-end sites. There are also options available for those who would like to create a site and then export the code to a different platform, with prices here starting from $16 per month.

Why Webflow is a good alternative to Squarespace:

Webflow provides a significant amount of design flexibility through its unique drag-and-drop interface. It’s a great option for those looking for a little more power and advanced features.

8. Strikingly

• Website: https://www.strikingly.com
• An excellent option for streamlined landing page creation
• Designed for single-page sites
• Mobile app so you can edit on the go

Like many of the other options on this list, Strikingly is targeted at beginners looking to get online in a fast, hassle-free manner. It’s an excellent choice for single-page websites such as landing pages, and many of its templates focus on one-page design.

It comes with a suite of features, including the ability to add a simple store or blog to your site, advanced analytics, and a smart social feed. You will also find a selection of design tools in the Strikingly editor, which is among the simplest I’ve used.

Strikingly pros:

• Attractive one-page templates
• Simple store, blog, and lots of features
• Very beginner-friendly editor

Strikingly cons:

• Not suitable for larger sites
• Significant storage and bandwidth constraints
• Free version is very limited

Strikingly pricing plans:

Strikingly offers a selection of subscription options, along with a basic free forever plan. Prices for an annual plan range from $8 to $49 per month, with significant discounts available for two, three, or five-year subscriptions.

Why Strikingly is a good alternative to Squarespace:

Strikingly is an excellent alternative for those looking to create attractive, fully functional single-page websites.

9. GoDaddy

• Website: https://www.godaddy.com/websites/website-builder
• Very intuitive user interface
• Get online fast and with minimal fuss
• Mobile-friendly website editor

The GoDaddy website builder is quite simple, but it remains a beginner-friendly option for those with few tech skills. I can comfortably say that you won’t have any trouble at all using it, no matter how inexperienced you are.

With a free site, you will get access to everything you need to build an online presence. Upgrading to a premium subscription will give you access to things like an online store, multi-channel selling, and the ability to accept online appointments.

GoDaddy pros:

• Fully functional mobile editor
• Very beginner friendly
• Built-in marketing tools

GoDaddy cons:

• Poor SEO tools
• Basic website editor
• Limited integrations and no third-party apps

GoDaddy pricing plans:

GoDaddy offers quite a basic free forever plan, along with four premium options that range in price from $9.99 to $24.99 per month.

Why GoDaddy is a good alternative to Squarespace:

If you’re looking for the pinnacle of simple, beginner-friendly web design, you simply can’t go past the GoDaddy website builder.

What is Squarespace?

Squarespace is, without a doubt, up there among the top few website builders in the world. It’s known for its extremely attractive, professionally designed templates, excellent features, and decent ecommerce tools.

I’ve used the platform a few times in the past, and I have to say that I love it. I mean, who wouldn’t enjoy using a website builder that caters to users in virtually any niche?

The Squarespace template library certainly isn’t huge, but its designs are heavily targeted and all bring something special to the table.

For example, the online store themes come with subtle design elements to encourage people to purchase your products or services. Similarly, I’ve found that the portfolio templates offer an excellent way to present your work to prospective clients.

Squarespace features and pricing

There are four different Squarespace plans targeted at different user groups. A 14-day free trial is available, but a free-forever option is notably absent. This is something most of the best Squarespace alternatives offer, and something I’d really like to see in the future.

Squarespace pricing is straightforward.

A Personal plan will set you back $16 per month, but it doesn’t include any marketing or ecommerce tools. Upgrading to a Business plan ($26 per month) adds basic online selling features, along with access to a powerful analytics portal and the ability to add pop-ups and banners to your site.

If you want to sell online, I’d highly recommend upgrading to one of the Basic Commerce ($30 per month) or Advanced Commerce ($46 per month) plans. They include a suite of tools to help you get the most out of your store.

Discounts of up to 10% are available with annual subscriptions. And what’s more, Squarespace also offers a suite of professional services, along with a powerful logo maker.

Pros and cons of Squarespace

For me, Squarespace’s standout feature is its exceptional template library. Sure, it doesn’t offer as many designs as some competitors, but the themes that are available are honestly among the best I’ve seen.

On top of this, I love the fact that Squarespace offers a huge range of native tools and built-in search engine optimization and social media integration.

Rather than relying on plugins or third-party add-ons like many other website builders, it aims to provide you with everything you need to create your own site from the comfort of one central hub.

However, the platform certainly has its downsides as well. I find the editor quite confusing, and it’s certainly not as powerful as platforms like Wix.

It still uses a drag-and-drop editing interface, but you won’t be able to place design elements in pixel-perfect positions. Instead, you will be confined to pre-coded layouts that you can rearrange as required.

Overall, though, there’s a reason why Squarespace is one of the highest-rated website builders on the market. The pros far outweigh the cons, and I don’t think you will find too much to dislike here.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Squarespace?

Squarespace is a popular website builder for individuals and businesses that's known for its attractive site templates and impressive ecommerce features, among other things.

What are the pros of Squarespace?

An excellent template library with highly professional designs. Advanced native integrations for almost anything you can imagine. Excellent ecommerce tools to help you sell online. Fast, responsive live chat support.

What are the cons of Squarespace?

Somewhat confusing site editor. Limited design flexibility compared to some competitors. Poor performance can be an issue. Single-level navigation options.

Does Squarespace have a free plan?

No there isn't a free plan. But Squarespace offers a 14-day trial, and you don't need a credit card to sign up for the free trial.

What are the best alternatives to Squarespace?

The best overall alternative to Squarespace is Wix. Shopify is a great option for ecommerce, and Zyro is worth considering if you have a tight budget.

Summary

Despite its popularity, I simply can’t recommend using Squarespace when there are so many better alternatives available. In my opinion, its user interface ease of use is just too confusing to be bothered with. Not to mention its limited capabilities.

If you’re looking for a powerful option that leads the industry on the design flexibility front, I’d highly recommend giving Wix a go. Its template library is huge, and it even offers a free forever plan so you can familiarize yourself with the editor.

For online stores, you can’t go past Shopify, the platform that powers a massive percentage of the world’s ecommerce. It is a little expensive, but its online selling features are unrivaled.

Options like Zyro are worth considering if keeping costs to a minimum is your focus, while platforms like GoDaddy and Site123 make it easy to get online fast.

At the end of the day, most Squarespace alternatives offer some sort of free trial or free forever plan. I’d recommend shortlisting a few of your favorites and testing them out before making a final decision.