Squarespace is one of the
most famous website builders worldwide, and the site builder allows users to
design their websites without web design or programming knowledge. Squarespace
has multiple features and functionalities and has excellent customer support.
I have analyzed Squarespace’s most
significant competitors and have compiled a list of alternative page builders based on
pricing, features, and reputation. Whether you want to start
a blog and earn some additional income or wish to start an
online store, I’ve got you covered.
Why You Should
Consider Squarespace Alternatives
Some people are actively searching for
alternative site builders because:
- Squarespace
doesn’t offer a free trial period, and for those who prefer testing the
waters before upgrading to a paid subscription, it is a deal breaker.
- The
platform doesn’t allow third-party applications and is a deal breaker for
users who prefer customizing their site to suit their preferences.
- Squarespace
doesn’t grant users backup or restore options which can prove troublesome
should your website be victim to hacks or a data breach.
On the other hand, other website
builders offer their clients responsive themes, pre-built templates, eCommerce,
and blogging features that are better than those provided by Squarespace.
Squarespace
Alternatives
Systeme.io is the best website builder
because it’s the only platform that offers everything needed to build and scale
a successful online business or eCommerce store.
They also offer the following:
- Sales
Funnels – Thanks to their proven high-converting
templates, they have the most straightforward funnel builder you’ll ever
use.
- Email
Marketing – Store up to 2,000 emails and send
unlimited emails monthly
- Online
courses – You can launch and host an online
course using systeme.io. They also offer payment gateways like PayPal,
Stripe, and Visa that help you monetize your digital products and course
content.
- Website
builder – You can use numerous high-converting
templates to create blogs, eCommerce stores, real estate pages, landing
pages, opt-in forms, squeeze pages, fitness pages, etc.
- Affiliate
management – With systeme.io, you can build your affiliate
army and track their performance and progress within the platform. You can
also integrate your payment system, email list, and membership sites
within the platform.
- Marketing
automation – Automate your business by leveraging all
the necessary marketing tools under one roof. It’s possible to use
integrated emailing and funnels to automatically capture leads, automate
email sequences for courses and products, and trigger course access and
emails.
Pros
- Start
a blog, and deliver informative content to your audience
- Create
and deploy any website using numerous in-built templates and a simple
drag-and-drop editor.
- Use
proven templates to speed up the design process or start customizing from
scratch using their components.
- Integrate
your payment system, email list, and online courses within one platform.
Cons
Their free plan limits one to 2,000
email contacts and doesn’t offer free migration should you want to transfer
your business to systeme.io
The page builder is suitable for
entrepreneurs, freelancers, consultants, or bloggers who want to scale their
businesses without incurring additional costs associated with using other tools
since it’s an all-in-one marketing suite.
Price
It’s worth noting that systeme.io offers a free forever plan but to
take advantage of more robust features and functionality, you’ll have to
upgrade your membership. The good news is that it’s one of the most affordable page
builders since their basic plan starts at $27/month.
Wix
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Like systeme.io, Wix is one
of the most affordable Squarespace alternatives thanks to its free forever
plan. The website builder is simple to use and has an intuitive drag-and-drop
interface that makes it straightforward to create a website.
Pros
- 24/7
customer support that is always eager and prompt to provide timely
feedback on any inquiries.
- Over
700 pre-built templates that you can use to personalize your site
- Compared
to Squarespace, it is more customizable
- They
offer $600 in ad vouchers to help you get a head start in your advertising
campaigns
Cons
- Limited
file storage
- It’s
a bit expensive compared to Squarespace
- Their
free plan has Wix branding and displays ads which can be a dealbreaker if
you want to establish a reputable brand.
Price
Depending on your needs, their price
ranges from $0 - $59 monthly. Their eCommerce features start at $27/month
WordPress.org
If you’re on a budget and want to
launch a website immediately, I recommend starting with WordPress.org
since 43% of sites are built on the platform.
The conventional niches for pages
launched on WordPress are
blogging and online magazines, but the site can be tailored to handle any
market, thanks to plugins. The Squarespace alternative has powerful SEO
features that can be used to rank on search engines, a commenting system, and
an intuitive editor.
Pros
- Over
55,000 plugins and 3,000 themes to choose from
- Since
the page builder is free, users have the freedom to use their domain
- Its
popularity means it seamlessly integrates with most software tools and
third-party applications.
Cons
- It’s
important to note that in as much as the website builder is free, one has
to incur costs related to web hosting. Some plugins also require purchase
or a monthly fee before use.
- You’ll
have to do site maintenance and back up your data manually, which can be
challenging if you have no experience or technical knowledge.
Weebly
Weebly is an excellent
user-friendly Squarespace alternative that offers
customers a free plan and a ton of eCommerce functionalities and features like
unlimited items, a shopping cart, coupons, and inventory management.
Weebly’s downside is that you can’t use a
custom domain and are forced to receive Square ads on your page. To get rid of
the ads, you’ll have to upgrade to their monthly plan, which starts at
$12/month, but you’ll enjoy the ability to use a custom domain.
Upgrading your membership also grants
you access to features such as shipping labels, phone support, and site stats.
For anyone who’s searching for a
website builder with eCommerce functionality, Weebly is an excellent choice.
Pros
- Beginner
friendly as anyone with design experience can use the builder
- You
can sell online without upgrading from their free plan
- Offers
clients a free forever plan
- All
membership plans come with a free SSL certificate
- Can
display HD videos on your site
- Access
to a third-party app marketplace with over 350 apps
Cons
- Their
$6/month plan displays ads on your website, which can be unsettling if you
want to maintain a professional brand image.
- You
can’t use a custom domain on their free plan
- Their
personal and free plan doesn’t offer cell phone support which can be
frustrating if you want a prompt response to an inquiry.
Price
Weebly has a free forever plan and pay
monthly options, with their basic plan starting at $7/month and their most
expensive subscription costing $30
Shopify
For those who have an online store or
want to launch an online store, Shopify is an excellent Squarespace
alternative. Many page builders offer clients eCommerce features and
functionality, but Shopify takes the crown in terms of its top-tier payment
gateway and inventory management.
Shopify is also packed with many
in-built features like abandoned cart recovery, manual orders, 24/7 customer
support, marketing automation, and gift cards.
Pros
- Shopify
has essential eCommerce integrations with online marketplaces like eBay
and Amazon, as well as Google Analytics, to help you monitor and optimize
your store’s performance.
- Apps
marketplace that can be seamlessly integrated into your store to permit
functions like abandoned cart follow-up and accounting.
- Wide
template variety to create an eCommerce store in your desired niche.
- Shopify
is a recognized and famous brand making it an excellent choice for
entrepreneurs who want to start an online store or shop.
Cons
- You’ll
have to pay a monthly fee regardless of if you sell any products
- Doesn’t
offer a free forever plan, but they have a 14-day trial period that
doesn’t need your credit card details to use the platform.
- Doesn’t
support blogging functionality which is a vital aspect of brand promotion
and SEO.
Price
Shopify’s basic subscription plan
starts at $29/month, and its most advanced plan costs a whopping $299/month.
Webflow
Webflow is a Squarespace alternative that
web developers and designers adore. If you have expert web design know-how and
are serious about building a website from scratch, then Webflow’s the perfect
page builder.
Pros
- Offers
flexibility to designers with expert knowledge in HTML, JavaScript, and
CSS
- Web
hosting capability
- Permits
integration with CMSs (Content Management Systems) to help organize and
manage blog posts.
- The
builder has a front-end personalization option for users without
programming or web design knowledge.
Cons
- Compared
to other Squarespace alternatives listed in this post, it’s expensive.
- Has
a steep learning curve and isn’t ideal for users who want to set up and
deploy a website in hours.
- Doesn’t
have a wide variety of templates
- Doesn’t
support eCommerce functionality
Price
Webflow has two pricing plans:
eCommerce website plans and Site plans, all of which offer a 15% savings on the
yearly subscription.
The primary site plan starts at
$12/month, whereas the eCommerce website plan starts at $26/month
GoDaddy
It’s easy to use GoDaddy to design a
website since the platform boasts a straightforward and intuitive dashboard
that showcases the tools and components required to create a page. You can use
their drag-and-drop editor to customize the templates available to attain
preferred results.
GoDaddy offers all the features for small
businesses and entrepreneurs who want to deploy a website with no frills.
Pros
- The
platform has a free forever plan
- Simple
to use drag-and-drop editor
- 24/7
customer support on all their membership plans
- All
their plans come with an SSL certificate
- Perfect
fit for eCommerce portfolios or sites
- Can
switch themes anytime
- Offers
SEO tools to help rank on search engines like Google
Cons
- To
sell anything, you have to pay for their highest membership plan
- Their
basic plan only allows integration into one social media platform
- Compared
to systeme.io and Wix, their templates offer limited customization ability
Price
The platform’s basic plan starts at
$9.99/month, and its highest plan costs $24.99 monthly.
Duda
Duda is a website builder and a
collaboration and client management tool. Agencies widely use it because it has
no cap on the number of client logins you can have.
The website builder’s features include
responsive sites, custom 404 pages, a photo editor, sliders, and video
backgrounds. It’s also possible to leverage the platform when creating widgets.
Pros
- Supports
multilingual sites
- Has
backup and restore functionalities
- Supports
collaboration and communication with team members when using the site or
accessing CSS code or HTML.
- Has
custom options like discounts and offers to help market and promote your
products and services
Cons
- It’s
relatively expensive compared to other Squarespace alternatives
- Doesn’t
have access to an app marketplace
- Once
your website has been published, you can’t choose another theme
Price
Duda’s price is higher than other
Squarespace alternatives, but they offer a decent 25% discount on all annual
subscriptions. Their plans start at $14/month.
Webnode
Webnode might not be widespread in the
website builder space, but it has over 40 million users globally. The
Squarespace alternative has in-built website statistics, sleek modern
templates, and a free image gallery.
Despite their unique features, the
Squarespace alternative isn’t suitable for everyone because all their
membership plans offer limited storage space. However, Webnode’s decent pricing
for the appropriate customer can prove advantageous compared to competitors.
Pros
- A
wide variety of pre-designed templates and pages to help you get set up
and started in minutes
- Supports
multilingual websites
- Modern
and professionally designed templates
- Like
systeme.io, Webnode offers email account functionality on most of their
plans
- They
offer their clients a free plan that doesn’t flood your website with
advertisements
Cons
- You
cannot add tags or comments on your blogs
- Lacks
essential features like a search bar, social media widgets, and access to
a third-party marketplace
Price
Webnode has a free plan, but their
basic plan starts at $3.99/month.
Strikingly
Strikingly is your solution if you want to
set up a website quickly because it’s one of the fastest page builders
globally. It’s possible to deploy a site within minutes of using Strikingly
because of its straightforward drag-and-drop editor.
The Squarespace alternative allows
users to use custom domains and set up membership sites which is an advantage
compared to previously mentioned website builders.
Strikingly offers a reliable solution
of fast and high-quality site building for startups or entrepreneurs who don’t
want to deal with the complexities of setting up a page.
Pros
- 24/7
live chat customer support
- Offers
attractive discounts for customers who choose to pay for one to five years
of usage
- Has
a free plan
- No
transaction fees charged on its VIP membership plan
Cons
- Limited
features and functionalities for its price
- Strikingly’s
Limited plan charges a 5% fee which is a relatively high tag
Price
The website builder’s month-to-month
plan starts at $12/ month, and they have a free program that enables users to
have unlimited free websites, with the only caveat being that they’ll have a
domain at strikingly.com.
Final Remarks: The
Best Squarespace Alternative?
Which website builder wins the battle
between Squarespace or systeme.io? What about Wix vs. Squarespace?
It all boils down to what type of
website owner you are and your budget.
Alternative Reading: Best Drag and Drop Website Builder For Your Business Venture
Disclaimer: Some of the links in the post contain affiliate links and I
might receive commissions if you use them. Many thanks
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