Best alternatives to Squarespace in 2022

If you're about to get started on creating your own website, you might be on the hunt for the best alternatives to Squarespace.

For anyone who is inexperienced, creating a website can seem more like delving into strings of codes and programs that require advanced knowledge, than the process of virtually putting together Lego blocks that fit perfectly.

Squarespace provides a platform, where users with little to no HTML, coding, or web design knowledge, can create a website from scratch. It is well known for its drag-and-drop functionality that lets the user customise their website’s appearance and functionalities with so much ease. That’s a combination of convenience and aesthetics you can give your own site. 

But there are advantages to looking at other services - for one thing, it could make your site look and feel different to the myriad of others who seem to follow very similar templates because they all work from the same service. Looking at alternatives could give your brand that unique style you’re after, making it stand out from the crowd. With that in mind, here are our top five Squarespace alternatives.

We've put this list together by taking a deep dive into the functions that will prove key to the look and feel of your site, and also the user experience. So read on for an in-depth guide as to each provider's template and theme selection, customer support, analytics and data provision, and of course, cost.

Wanting to create a site to showcase your work? Here are the best portfolio builder websites of 2023 

Best alternatives to Squarespace of 2023 in full

Wix may just be the next best thing to Squarespace, but it’s had its fair share of critics as well. Regardless, it still makes it past all the other alternatives with flying colours, because of its awesome design features that make website creation a whole lot easier and intuitive. At the end of the day, it’s having a stunning website to greet your customers with that’s a priority. And Wix understands that.

The service can be free, makes website creation surprisingly easy, and will not require advanced coding skills. Your site will also be hosted by Wix itself, making the process even smoother and more effective since their hosting platform is among the fastest in the market. With them, you can easily create a functional professional-looking website, and choose from a massive stockpile of stunning themes. 

Getting stuck at any of the steps in building your website is sometimes inevitable, but with Wix’s 24/7 support, that won’t be a problem. They will give you not just a stunning website but also a domain and Google Analytics (for premium plans), a lightning-fast hosting service, and a good amount of storage. There’s a drawback if you opt for the basic or starter plan, which is having to put up with their ads, not to mention an incredibly long domain name. If that doesn’t bother you, you’re all set. If it does, there’s always the premium option.

Read the full review: Wix

WordPress.org is not to be confused with WordPress.com which is a web hosting service, WordPress.org is one of the most popular website builders that powers more than 60 million websites across the globe. That equates to 37% of the websites we have today. 

Offering endless possibilities in customisation, WordPress.org is often preferred when it comes to website design and creation. Though stacking costs due to separately billed app integrations is a fairly common scenario, this service remains one of the most powerful website creation solutions in the world. 

If you’re after full control of your site and the ability to scale your online presence to its maximum potential, WordPress is your best option. Any extras may be charged, i.e., plug-ins, apps, etc., but the platform itself is free to use. It’s perfect if you think your site will require tons of features other than the basic ones, and if you’re planning on building a larger site with more specific features to make your viewers’ experience more seamless and intuitive. Any extra charges are likely worth every penny, so if you don’t mind shelling out cash every now and then, you can generally have a powerful and professional website in no time.

GoDaddy is an extremely well known domain name and hosting provider, but you might not be aware of their Website Builder service. Their interface is very simple to use and understand: to edit a page, simply mouse over a section. As it highlights, click on it. The tools you need either appear in the sidebar, or hover near the highlighted section itself. This makes it one of the easiest website builder platforms around, and provides the tools you’ll need to quickly build your website.

The blogging section is quite nice, and if your needs are simple, you’ll be very happy with this feature. Everything you require to create a blog is right there: adding headings, URLs, bold, italicise, bullet points or numbered list, you’ve got it.

Activating the Shopping section is done differently than any other, but for such a complex addition to any site, it looks pretty simple to use. If you’ve got a Square account, you can import your inventory from there, which would be an excellent time saver. CSV files are also supported.

If you’re on the lookout of a service that allows you the flexibility and creativity to design your own web presence, with a flexible layout that will look good on any screen, you should definitely take a look at GoDaddy’s web builder offering.

Read the full review: GoDaddy Website Builder

Website Builder’s got the perfect name. Talk about doing what it says on the tin! The initial creation process is straightforward and easy: just move through the steps and fill in the right information for your business, such as what it’s about, your company name, select a background image (your own or one from Unsplash), your preferred font (from a list of 6), your choice of colours, and your contact details. Once you’ve created an account, you’ll be good to explore the service’s ‘Intelligent Builder’.

Sections (known as blocks in other similar services) are a great way to build a page quickly. As you browse through the various categories, you’ll notice that the templates are merely variations on a theme, with minor changes. There are limits to what you can change regarding the structure of the section, but you have a lot more freedom when it comes to customising the content.

One major aspect of a website is usually its blog, and Website Builder has you covered. Editing is very simple, just type away and insert images and videos at your convenience. Another great addition is e-commerce. Its payment system is managed through PayPal, and all accounts can make use of this feature, even the free one, although you’re limited to only being able to sell three products.

Website Builder is an excellent service which enables you to create a site for your business in very little time. It comes with interesting tools to help you run your business more efficiently, and is good value for money.

Web.com doesn’t offer a free trial, nor does there seem to be a money-back guarantee. You have to commit to at least four weeks, but on the plus side, that first payment is only $1.95. This could put off a few people, but as the focus of this service is on businesses, the initial outlay is tiny for what you’re being offered.

The customisation process is done using templates, of which you have more than a hundred to choose from, all broken down by categories. The whole concept of web.com’s website creation process is centred around dragging and dropping ‘features’ or ‘blocks’.

Blogging itself is pretty straightforward. You add a title, write your piece, and pepper it with images. Adding an online store isn’t included with the standard plan, and is only available with the E-Commerce package. You’re able to sell physical and digital products, deal with taxes, handle shipping options, and set up electronic payments, as you’d expect.

We found web.com to be a very good website builder. Its features and blocks allow you to create a unique and visually interesting page (or series of pages) in minutes. Beefing up the blogging, and offer bulk product imports for the online store, would make it even better. It’s a simple, and affordable solution.

Read the full review: Web.com

The best alternatives to Squarespace: How we test

We've taken a robust and detailed deep dive into some of Squarespace's rival website-building platforms and compared each according to their respective strengths and weaknesses. 

For those with little or even no budget to play with, we've considered the costs of each builder and listed where some come with free trial periods or even longer-term freemium versions. We've compared the levels of customisation offered, and whether the templates at your disposal cover a wide array of topics and services, or whether the selection is limited. We've also considered ease-of-use, such as whether each builder features beginner-friendly drag-and-drop functionality, or whether a more advanced knowledge of coding is required.

To whittle down our list of best alternatives to Squarespace (opens in new tab), we also examined compatibility with popular add-ons and services, such as PayPal and Google Analytics. 

We've also featured the best web hosting and the best website builder