Webflow vs Squarespace: A no-BS Comparison

Ani Gasparyan

Last updated on June 18, 2024 | 17 min read

DesignGuideIT marketWebflow

Having a solid online presence is essential for businesses of all sizes. Webflow and Squarespace have emerged as two of the most popular website builder platforms, allowing individuals and companies to create visually stunning websites without extensive coding knowledge. This comprehensive comparison aims to help readers choose the right platform for their needs by delving into their key features, strengths, and limitations.

Let’s start with Squarespace and Webflow usage statistics provided by BuildWith.

Comparison chart: Webflow vs Squarespace

Overview of Webflow and Squarespace

While Webflow and Squarespace share the goal of enabling users to build websites without coding, they cater to different target audiences and offer varying levels of design flexibility and feature sets. Webflow, with its advanced drag-and-drop capabilities and extensive customization options, is geared toward web designers, agencies, and those with prior design experience. In the first quarter of 2024, Webflow stores experienced significant growth, increasing by 84% year-over-year. Among these stores, 11.2% specialize in selling business and industrial products, 10.4% focus on Internet products, and 6.6% offer computer products. This diversification across various sectors highlights Webflow’s expanding presence in different markets and its growing appeal to various online retailers.

In contrast, Squarespace is a beginner-friendly platform that prioritizes ease of use, making it an ideal choice for individuals, small businesses, and those with limited design expertise. Squarespace is the second most popular builder worldwide and holds the top spot in the United States. A substantial 71.8% of Squarespace’s total revenue comes from the U.S. market. Globally, Squarespace is used by 3-4% of all websites that utilize a content management system (CMS), making it the fourth most widely used CMS.

Ease of use

User experience and ease of use are crucial factors when selecting a website builder. Squarespace offers an intuitive and user-friendly interface that allows even those with little technical knowledge to create a website quickly. The platform’s streamlined approach and pre-designed templates make the website-building process relatively straightforward. On the other hand, Webflow’s advanced features and extensive customization capabilities come with a steeper learning curve, requiring more time and effort to master the platform’s intricacies.

Webflow offers greater design control and flexibility, yet it may require more time and effort to master, especially for those without prior design experience. Squarespace, on the other hand, excels in providing a beginner-friendly platform that allows users to create a functional website quickly, albeit with some limitations in terms of customization.

SEO and marketing features

Both Webflow and Squarespace offer a range of SEO and marketing tools to help businesses optimize their online presence and attract more website visitors. Regarding SEO capabilities, Webflow allows users to create custom sitemaps, edit meta tags and header tags, and implement structured data markup. These features provide greater control over how search engines crawl and index website content, potentially improving search rankings and visibility.

While generally SEO-friendly, Squarespace has a more limited set of SEO tools than Webflow.
For instance, Squarespace offers built-in SEO features like meta descriptions and URL slugs but doesn’t provide advanced keyword analytics or image alt texts. Hence, it lacks the robust SEO tools and flexibility that Webflow provides, particularly for those looking to optimize for more competitive keywords or manage complex site structures. However, recent updates have added support for custom sitemaps and meta-tag editing, which can help improve a website’s search engine optimization.

Regarding marketing features, both platforms offer tools for email marketing, social media integration, and analytics tracking, although the specific capabilities may vary.

E-commerce capabilities

For businesses looking to establish an online store or sell products and services, both Webflow and Squarespace offer robust e-commerce capabilities. Webflow’s e-commerce features include product management tools, support for various payment gateways, customizable shopping carts, and secure checkout processes. However, transaction fees may apply depending on the specific e-commerce plan chosen.

Squarespace, on the other hand, offers a more budget-friendly e-commerce option. Its e-commerce plans do not charge transaction fees, and businesses can sell unlimited products or services. Additionally, Squarespace provides tools for inventory management, order tracking, and customizable product pages.

Pricing

Webflow and Squarespace offer different pricing models and plan options to cater to various business needs and budgets.

Webflow’s pricing is divided into Site plans and Workspace plans. Site plans, which allow for website design and publishing, start at $14 per month for a custom domain name and increase based on additional features like CMS functionality and visitor limits. Workspace plans, focused on collaboration and site management, start at $0 for the free plan and go up to $39 monthly for the Business plan. The platform also provides an Enterprise plan.

Squarespace, on the other hand, offers a more straightforward pricing structure with four main plans: Personal, Business, Basic Commerce, and Advanced Commerce. All plans include unlimited bandwidth, SSL security, and a custom domain.

Regarding value for money, Squarespace’s pricing may be more attractive for small businesses and individuals on a budget, as it offers unlimited bandwidth and storage even on its lower-tier plans. However, for larger companies or those requiring advanced design capabilities and collaboration features, Webflow’s higher-priced plans may be more suitable despite the additional costs.

Pricing comparison

Key differences

After examining the pricing chart, let’s have a look at several key differences between Webflow and Squarespace:

• Webflow’s free plan is suitable for hobby or staging sites, while Squarespace offers a free trial to test their platform.
• Webflow’s CMS plan is designed for content-driven sites, whereas Squarespace’s Business plan includes additional features for small businesses.
• Webflow’s Business plan caters to larger sites with higher traffic, and Squarespace’s Commerce plans are tailored for online stores. There is a Basic plan and an Advanced Commerce plan, the latter of which offers more comprehensive e-commerce features.
• Enterprise plans in Webflow are custom-priced to fit the needs of large businesses, while Squarespace does not specify enterprise options.

Design and customization

The design and customization capabilities of Webflow and Squarespace are crucial differentiators between the two platforms.

Thanks to its powerful drag-and-drop builder, Webflow is renowned for its highly flexible and customizable design options. Users have complete control over the placement and styling of every element on their website, from text and images to forms and navigation menus. This level of customization allows for creating truly unique and tailored designs.

In terms of templates, Webflow offers over 2,000 templates, with around 40 of them being free to use. While the templates serve as a starting point, the real strength lies in the ability to modify and customize them to fit specific design requirements extensively.

Squarespace, on the other hand, takes a more structured approach to design. While it offers a wide range of over 200 professionally designed templates, the level of customization is more limited compared to Webflow. Users can change colors, fonts, and layout elements to a certain extent, but the overall design flexibility is somewhat restricted.

Customer support and resources

Webflow and Squarespace provide various customer support options and resources to assist users throughout their website-building journey. In addition, Webflow offers a variety of plugins that allow users to extend the functionality of their websites, enabling custom integrations and advanced features. These plugins help users optimize their sites for performance, design, and user experience, providing greater flexibility and control over their projects.

Webflow offers email support from Monday through Friday. Additionally, the platform provides extensive documentation, tutorials, and a community forum where users can seek guidance and share their experiences.

Conversely, Squarespace offers 24/7 support via email, social media, or live chat. Like Webflow, Squarespace also provides a knowledge base, video tutorials, and community forums to help users troubleshoot issues and learn more about the platform’s features.

Summary chart

Conclusion

When choosing between Webflow and Squarespace, it’s essential to consider your specific needs, skillset, and budget. Your decision will depend on your requirements, design preferences, and budget. Squarespace is an excellent choice for small teams prioritizing affordability and quick setup, providing a user-friendly platform for fast website deployment. Conversely, Webflow suits detail-oriented users who are willing to invest more time in creating and optimizing a high-quality website. Assess your needs carefully, explore the platforms’ features and resources, and potentially take advantage of free trials or demos before committing to either platform.

As an IT recruitment agency with an extensive database of over 65,000 pre-vetted tech professionals, including web developers and designers, DevsData LLC is well-positioned to assist businesses seeking to build high-performing teams of Webflow or Squarespace developers.

Whether you require a skilled Webflow developer with expertise in creating highly customized and visually stunning websites or a Squarespace specialist adept at crafting user-friendly and responsive designs, DevsData LLC can connect you with the right professionals. Their rigorous recruitment process, which includes a comprehensive technical evaluation and assessment of communication skills and cultural fit, ensures that they present only the most qualified candidates to clients.

Moreover, DevsData LLC can provide end-to-end services to support your Webflow or Squarespace projects. Their team of experienced developers can work closely with the recruited talent to ensure seamless integration and efficient project execution. They understand the nuances of these platforms and deliver high-quality solutions tailored to your specific requirements.

By partnering with DevsData LLC, you gain access to a wealth of talent and expertise in the Webflow and Squarespace ecosystems. Their commitment to excellence makes us the ideal choice for businesses seeking to build exceptional web development teams and projects.

Contact DevsData LLC today at general@devsdata.com or visit the website at www.devsdata.com to learn more about how they can support your Webflow or Squarespace development needs and unlock the full potential of these powerful no-code platforms.

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Ani Gasparyan Senior copywriter and marketer

Ani is a marketing enthusiast and content writer. With 5+ years of expertise in marketing, she succeeded in developing engaging marketing collaterals, including blog articles, social media content, and other promotional materials. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for storytelling, she thrives in crafting compelling content that resonates with the target audience.

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