Squarespace is a subscription-based website builder tool with drag-and-drop elements and pre-built templates that is used to create webpages. It also allows you to create a website using your browser without coding.
Squarespace also has Ecommerce and marketing features that allow you to build an online store and run digital campaigns for your business.
It costs $16 to $49 if you pay annually and $23 to $65 if you pay monthly.
What we cover
Why Use A Squarespace Alternative?
While Squarespace has a simple interface and an easy learning curve, there are a few things to consider when looking for a website building tool. It does not have an autosave, undo, or site version or history feature that you can go back to when you want to reset your site to an earlier version.
Squarespace is also not suitable for huge websites that require sophisticated menus because of its navigation limitations. If these features are important to you then it is better to look for an alternative.
Best Free Alternatives
1. Wordpress.org
WordPress is an open-source website building tool that was widely used to create blogs and websites. WordPress is under a general public license which means that it can be modified and used for free.
WordPress offers built-in themes and templates that you can use to easily design your website. There are plenty of themes to choose from so you will never run out of design ideas. WordPress is completely for free.
PROS
- Free and open-source – WordPress is feature-filled and absolutely free. Since WordPress is an open-source platform, it makes it easy for developers to share code with each other, with clients, or with third-party.
- User-friendly – WordPress has a very easy learning curve. It can be used even by people with no website building experience since it has very simple navigation.
- Third-party integrations –WordPress is open-source which means that a lot of developers and users have created plugins and third-party tools that allow you to add more functionality to your WordPress site. There are currently over 55,000 Plugins available for WordPress.
- Easy to design – There are a lot of themes and templates you can select to design your website. These themes and templates are designed to be very responsive on both desktop and mobile.
CONS
- Website vulnerability– One downside of being open-source is that it could potentially be hacked by anyone.
- Updating websites can be difficult – Paid themes usually release updates regularly and not all updates are friendly to your site. Some updates can hinder some website functionality so updating it can be risky.
2. Wix
Wix is a web-based website building tool that is used to build websites even with little to no design and coding experience. Wix offers both free and paid plans and it is all feature-rich. It offers a huge selection of templates, features, and built-in search engine optimization tools for your website to gain visibility.
PROS
- Has a free plan – Wix can be used for free, with limitations such as ads and inability to connect a domain name to your website.
- Paid subscriptions are affordable – Premium plans start from $4.50 up to $24.50 a month for individual plans and $17 to $35 per month for Businesses and Ecommerce.
- Large selection of design choices – There are 800 templates to choose from that are very responsive and packed with features.
- Third-party integration – Wix offers an app market where you can download extensions or plugins to integrate with third-party products.
- Live customer support – Wix offers live customer support via phone. Most competitors do not offer this.
CONS
- Inability to change design choices– Once you have selected a template and published your design, there is no option to change the template of the published site.
- Limited storage offerings – The highest paid plan only offers up to 35GB of storage space, other competitors do not have this limitation.
- Free plan is riddled with ads – You cannot get rid of ads unless you pay for a subscription plan.
3. Weebly
Weebly is a website building tool that is perfect for beginners. It has a very simple interface and it is really easy to use. The free plan offers a free domain and SSL security, free SEO tools, and customer support.
Weebly has a free plan and costs from $10 to $38 per month for paid subscriptions.
PROS
- Free plan is feature-rich – Weebly’s free plan offers free storage, SSL security, SEO tools, domain, lead capture and contact forms, customer support and many more.
- Community-driven – Weebly has a huge Community forum where you can ask for help. They also have helpful guides and FAQs that can help you when building your website.
CONS
- Limited customization options- Since Weebly’s interface is simple, it does not have a lot of design options.
- Poor mobile support – Mobile version of websites made on Weebly can be a little non-responsive and sometimes formatted incorrectly.
- Only offers basic design templates- Pre-made templates are very basic unlike other competitors.
Best Premium Alternatives
1. Adobe Dreamweaver
Adobe Dreamweaver is a premium website building tool that is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, it integrates with most Adobe software and makes it easy for users to transfer assets between the software suite. It has very high customizability and is best for building websites with complicated design.
Adobe Dreamweaver costs $19.99 a month for the standalone subscription, or $59.99 a month as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite.
https://www.adobe.com/products/dreamweaver.html
PROS
- Adobe Creative cloud integration – Assets are accessible between the Adobe Creative cloud suite.
- Very high customizability – You can build sophisticated websites with Adobe Dreamweaver. You can also maximize its features if you have a lot of coding experience.
- Code assistance – If you are a beginner coder, Adobe Dreamweaver has a code assist feature which lets you choose from a list of automated code suggestions and it will create the code for you.
- You can code and design at the same time – Adobe Dreamweaver allows you to see your design in real-time while you code.
CONS
- No free version – Dreamweaver only offers a free trial period and you have to pay to continue using it once the trial period has expired.
- Expensive – The software costs from $19.99 to $59.99
- Very steep learning curve – Dreamweaver could be hard to learn especially if you are not familiar with the Adobe Creative Cloud suite.
2. Hubspot CMS Hub
Hubspot CMS Hub is a website building tool geared towards marketing, sales, and content-focused websites. It has integrated lead management, marketing, and analytics tools.
Hubspot CMS Hub has a free version and costs $23 to $360 per month for individuals and $360 to $1200 for businesses.
https://www.hubspot.com/products/cms
PROS
- Built-in lead management, marketing, and analytics– It is very easy to generate traffic with the built-in tools and see the stats of your website.
- Built-in SEO – One of the biggest strengths of CMS Hub is its SEO tools as it helps developers create a more meaningful and effective content
- Premium content management- You can modify content schedules and shift your content around automatically.
- Great knowledge-base- CMS Hub offers training materials and documentation to be successful with the platform
CONS
- Expensive – CMS Hub costs $23 up to $1200 if you want to have comprehensive features.
- Steep learning curve- Some users find the software difficult to learn
3. Webflow
Webflow is a web-based website building tool and content management system that lets you build and modify websites without the need to code. It combines the design, content management, and marketing processes into one platform. Webflow also offers hosting the site for you.
Webflow has a free version and costs from $14 to $212 a month for paid subscriptions.
PROS
- Easier connection with clients– With Webflow, you can present your site to your clients and even bill them directly through the platform.
- Great knowledge-base – Webflow offers videos, articles, courses, and even forums to answer all your questions.
- Stable and reliable- Weblow has a service level agreement indicating that your site will be up 99.99% of the time, or else you’ll get your money back.
- High customizability- Webflow provides full control of the design of your website. You can also import or export your website code so it is easier to collaborate with third-party developers.
CONS
- Steep learning curve- Although Webflow offers plenty of ways to find information about the tool, it would still take time to learn how to use it.
- Limited third-party integrations – Webflow has very limited integration with third-party tools and vendors.
- Basic e-commerce and SEO tools – Webflow severely lacks marketing and SEO tools to boost your site’s engagement.
- Limited customer support – Webflow does not offer live customer support and can only be reached via email during weekdays.
4. Duda
Duda is a website building tool that allows you to easily create websites that are compatible with desktop and mobile. It is very easy to learn and can be used even without any design or coding knowledge. It offers plenty of templates, customizability features, and e-commerce tools
Duda costs from $14 to $74 a month.
PROS
- Great website stability- Websites built on Duda are incredibly stable and responsive no matter how much content you put in.
- Mobile compatibility – Published websites look great on both desktop and mobile, you can also import non-mobile friendly sites into a mobile friendly one.
- Easy to learn and use- Even entry-level designers can build a professional looking website using Duda.
- Unlimited storage and data transfers for any plan – Some competitors are limited when it comes to storage and bandwidth, with Duda it is all unlimited!
CONS
- No free option – Unlike other competitors, Duda does not offer free subscriptions.
- Inability to switch templates – Once a website is published, you cannot change your template into a different one.
- Limited plugins and widgets- Duda doesn’t offer much when it comes to third-party integrations.
5. Shopify
Shopify is a website building tool that is built for E-commerce. Shopify offers the ability to build online stores and has a large selection of templates to easily design your website. Shopify also offers SEO and marketing tools to boost engagement for your website. They also offer third-party integrations for you to sell your products in site partners and payment-processing options.
Shopify costs from $17 to $266.
PROS
- E-commerce focused – All of the tools that Shopify offer are geared towards E-commerce and building online stores.
- Built-in web hosting – Shopify offers hosting your websites with no extra cost.
- Great customer support– Shopify can easily be reached via live chat, phone, email, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
CONS
- Pricing – Shopify is pretty expensive compared to its competitors
- No Email hosting– Shopify does not provide email addresses for your business so you are required to look somewhere else to host it.
- Websites are locked within Shopify – You cannot export your website somewhere else, so it is best to only build a website on Shopify if you intend to be on the platform for a long time.
FAQs
Are there any free website builders?
WordPress, Weebly, and Wix all offer a free subscription.
What is the best website builder in 2023?
Wix currently dominates the market with 45% of the market share. It is by far the best website builder available.
Can you move your website from Squarespace?
Yes, as long as it does not have an active 60-day lock.
For more information please visit: support.squarespace.com
Does Squarespace have a free plan?
Unfortunately, Squarespace only offers paid subscriptions.
