Squarespace vs Webflow: Which Website Builder is Best in 2025?
Webflow and Squarespace emerge as distinct instruments Created for disparate audiences. Webflow, a tool synonymous with the realm of designers, assumes the role of a sophisticated platform dedicated to intricate website design and editing. In stark contrast, Squarespace positions itself as an amalgamation of a straightforward website constructor and an all-encompassing business solution.
The differences between the platforms are glaringly obvious at first glance. Webflow is a serious tool for serious work, a serious company for designers, freelancers, and agencies looking for a serious online presence. Conversely, Squarespace takes a route of simplicity, presenting a more accessible entry point for newcomers who desire a business-centric online presence, replete with a dazzling selection of templates and embedded business functionalities.
Which one you choose ultimately depends on your goals and preferences. For such an in-depth contrast between the app of Webflow vs Squarespace, I set my two introductory sites, one for each of the frameworks! In this discussion, I will walk you through my experiences, covering aspects like pricing structures, ease of use, template variety, business features, and overall performance for each platform.
Squarespace Overview
Squarespace is a popular website builder known for its sleek, design-forward templates and user-friendly interface. It’s an all-in-one platform that caters to individuals, creatives, and small businesses looking to build professional websites without extensive technical knowledge. Here's an overview of Squarespace's key features, pros, and cons:
Key Features
Beautiful Templates:
Squarespace offers a wide range of professionally designed, modern templates.
Templates are fully customizable and responsive, ensuring they look great on all devices.
Drag-and-Drop Editor:
The intuitive interface allows users to easily add and arrange elements like text, images, and videos.
No coding skills are required, making it accessible for beginners.
All-in-One Platform:
Includes hosting, domain registration (with annual plans), and SSL certificates.
Built-in tools for SEO, analytics, and marketing.
E-Commerce Functionality:
Supports online stores with features like inventory management, payment processing, and shipping tools.
Ideal for small to medium-sized businesses.
Blogging Tools:
Robust blogging features, including scheduling, categories, tags, and social sharing.
Mobile Optimization:
All templates are mobile-friendly, and the platform offers a mobile app for managing your site on the go.
Third-Party Integrations:
Connects with tools like Google Workspace, Mailchimp, and social media platforms.
Customer Support:
24/7 customer support via email and live chat.
Extensive help center with tutorials and guides.
Pros
Design-Focused: Squarespace is known for its visually stunning templates and design flexibility.
Ease of Use: The drag-and-drop editor makes it easy for beginners to create professional websites.
All-in-One Solution: No need to worry about hosting, domain setup, or security—everything is included.
Reliability: Squarespace provides stable hosting with excellent uptime.
Scalability: Suitable for personal projects, portfolios, and small to medium-sized businesses.
Cons
Limited Customization: While beautiful templates can feel restrictive for users who want advanced design control.
No Free Plan: Squarespace doesn’t offer a free plan, only a 14-day free trial.
Higher Pricing: Compared to some competitors, Squarespace can be more expensive, especially for e-commerce plans.
Learning Curve: While user-friendly, some features (like the block editor) may take time to master.
No Third-Party Apps: Unlike platforms like WordPress, Squarespace doesn’t support third-party plugins or apps.
Pricing (as of 2025)
Personal Plan: $16/month (billed annually) – Best for simple websites.
Business Plan: $23/month (billed annually) – Adds e-commerce and advanced features.
Basic Commerce: $28/month (billed annually) – For small online stores.
Advanced Commerce: $52/month (billed annually) – For larger e-commerce businesses.
Who is Squarespace Best For?
Creatives: Photographers, artists, and designers who want to showcase their work.
Small Businesses: Businesses looking for a professional online presence with minimal hassle.
Bloggers: Those who want a visually appealing blog with built-in tools.
Portfolio Builders: Individuals need a simple, elegant way to display their work.
Webflow Overview
Webflow is one of the most valuable website builders, which is built for designers, it serves the power of custom code and harnesses the power of the designer into the experience like a visual editor. It’s perfect for designers, developers, and businesses who want to control the design and functionality of their website, without having to write code. So here’s a rundown of Webflow’s features, pros, and cons:
Key Features
Visual Design Editor:
A drag-and-drop interface that allows you to design websites visually while generating clean, semantic code (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript) in the background.
Full control over layout, typography, animations, and interactions.
Responsive Design:
Built-in tools to create fully responsive websites that adapt to different screen sizes (desktop, tablet, and mobile).
CMS (Content Management System):
A flexible CMS for managing dynamic content like blog posts, portfolios, and product listings.
Customizable content structures and fields.
E-Commerce Functionality:
Supports online stores with customizable product pages, shopping carts, and checkout processes.
Includes tools for inventory management, tax calculations, and shipping.
Hosting and Security:
Webflow provides fast, reliable hosting with global CDN (Content Delivery Network) and SSL certificates.
Automatic backups and versioning.
Interactions and Animations:
Advanced tools for creating custom animations and interactions without coding.
Third-Party Integrations:
Connects with tools like Zapier, Google Analytics, Mailchimp, and more.
Ability to embed custom code for additional functionality.
Collaboration Tools:
Team collaboration features for designers and developers working together on projects.
Role-based permissions for clients and team members.
Export Code:
Option to export your website’s code for use elsewhere, giving you full ownership of your design.
Pros
Unparalleled Design Freedom: Webflow offers complete control over design, making it ideal for custom, pixel-perfect websites.
No Coding Required: Despite its advanced capabilities, Webflow’s visual editor allows users to build complex websites without writing code.
Powerful CMS: The CMS is highly flexible and customizable, making it great for blogs, portfolios, and dynamic content.
Professional-Grade Hosting: Fast, secure, and scalable hosting with global CDN.
SEO Tools: Built-in SEO features for optimizing your website’s performance on search engines.
Active Community: A large, active community of designers and developers, along with extensive tutorials and resources.
Cons
Steeper Learning Curve: Webflow’s advanced features can be overwhelming for beginners.
Higher Cost: Pricing can be expensive, especially for e-commerce and team plans.
No Built-In Email Marketing: Unlike some competitors, Webflow doesn’t offer native email marketing tools.
Limited E-Commerce Features: While capable, Webflow’s e-commerce functionality may not be as robust as dedicated platforms like Shopify.
Pricing (as of 2024)
Webflow offers two types of pricing: Site Plans (for hosting and features) and Workspace Plans (for team collaboration).
Site Plans:
Basic: $14/month (billed annually) – Simple websites with basic CMS.
CMS: $23/month (billed annually) – For blogs and content-driven sites.
Business: $39/month (billed annually) – For larger sites with higher traffic.
E-Commerce Plans:
Standard: $29/month (billed annually) – For small online stores.
Plus: $74/month (billed annually) – For growing businesses.
Advanced: $212/month (billed annually) – For large-scale e-commerce.
Workspace Plans:
Starter: Free – For individuals learning Webflow.
Core: $19/month (billed annually) – For freelancers and small teams.
Growth: $49/month (billed annually) – For larger teams with advanced collaboration needs.
What Is Squarespace Best For?
Website design is in a league of its own, and Squarespace features creative elements to make your digital vision a reality. Its design philosophy focuses on everyone, offering a drag-and-drop interface that makes it suitable for both novices and professionals. Its diverse template library is a highlight, catering to various industries and styles and acting as a canvas for your unique brand identity. Responsive design is recognized in the new site and all Squarespace sites will work well on different types of screens.
If you desire even more customization, you can inject your own CSS to achieve exact branding through the platform. Simplicity also applies to visual features with solid tools like those to handle high-quality images and videos while maintaining the best performance. Superb squarespace features make each design even better than what is expected by the audience.
Squarespace Templates
It's not easy to find out exactly how many templates Squarespace offers, and those that venture a guess have offered a ballpark of 100–140 templates. Yet, while exploring it seemed like more than a few hundred options were available as I scrolled. The good thing is that a lot of these templates can be used free of charge — the big advantage is, however, that you can browse and preview and test without putting any money upfront! This is appealing for a wide range of users, especially those who prioritize affordability, are budget-conscious, or simply want to experiment with different designs without incurring financial risk.
The system is refined with plate searches also featuring filtering and categorization options for user expediency. These filters allow you to sort templates by industry, style, features, and other criteria to make the selection process easier. Users This degree of customization allows users to search for templates tailored specifically to their needs and edit them so that they fit the needs of the well-defined projects they are working on.
So keep in mind that Squarespace templates are adaptable but don’t provide the same level of customization as a site like Webflow. While you can do certain things with layout, content, and style, it is all done through a very limited interface within Squarespace unlike the immense customization capabilities you have in Webflow. If you have very specific design or functionality requirements that the template cannot provide, Squarespace can also have its limitations.
What is Webflow Best For?
If you’re now getting to know Webflow, you’ve probably heard all the buzz about the drag-and-drop capability that allows users to generate a unique experience. But, to truly leverage the power of Webflow, it helps to have a basic understanding of web concepts, especially HTML, CSS, and JS.
While it is marketed as a no-code tool, a strong understanding of code will greatly improve how you work in Webflow. It has a steeper learning curve than many other website builders, so is best suited to individuals with a more technical background.
Squarespace usually works best for designers because of its ease of use. They first make their websites in something like Figma or Adobe XD and then seamlessly translate these designs over onto Squarespace to create fully functional websites. The pre-made elements that Squarespace offers allow experienced web designers, who know how to code, to maximize and supersize their website offering.
But if you want more control without getting into heavy Custom CSS or Javascript, Webflow is still a much better choice. This makes it a powerful solution for both designers looking to bring their complex designs onto fully functional websites, and developers looking for the most flexibility in their web development.
Quick Comparison:
SS Vs WF |
Squarespace |
Webflow |
|---|---|---|
Pricing: |
Squarespace offers the best value for money among tested builders. Take advantage of its 14-day free trial to explore its features risk-free. It's an ideal choice for both experienced builders and beginners seeking affordability and functionality. | Webflow's plans are not as budget-friendly as Squarespace, with its highest-tier plans being notably more expensive. However, Webflow does provide a free plan, offering users an option to get started without incurring any costs. While Squarespace excels in affordability, Webflow's pricing structure may suit those looking for a more specialized and flexible web design experience. |
Ease of Use: |
Squarespace's user-friendly drag-and-drop editor is specifically designed with beginners in mind, offering an intuitive interface that makes the process of setting up a stylish website incredibly easy. Whether you're new to website design or a seasoned user, Squarespace's editor ensures a seamless and straightforward experience, empowering you to craft a visually appealing and professional-looking website with utmost ease. | Webflow's editor provides users with complete creative control, offering extensive customization options. However, it can be overwhelming, especially for individuals unfamiliar with web design. The platform caters to those seeking in-depth customization but may pose a steeper learning curve for beginners in the web design domain. |
Design and Features: |
Squarespace boasts the market's best templates, providing a superior foundation for your website. Its templates offer unparalleled quality and customization options, allowing you to seamlessly inject your brand identity into the design with remarkable ease. | Webflow offers a diverse selection of over 2,000 templates, but it's important to note that only around 50 of these are available for free use. While the range of choices is extensive, users looking for free options should be mindful of the limited selection within this category. |
Ecommerce: |
Squarespace provides three ecommerce plans, with prices ranging from $23/month to $49/month. Notably, all three plans offer the advantage of unlimited products, a feature not available in Webflow's offerings. This makes Squarespace a compelling choice for businesses looking for scalable ecommerce solutions without product limitations. | Webflow offers three ecommerce-specific plans, with prices ranging from $29/month to $212/month. These plans cater to various business needs, providing a range of features and capabilities at different price points. It allows users to select a plan that aligns with their ecommerce requirements and budget constraints. |
Marketing and SEO Tools: |
Squarespace excels in SEO features, providing robust tools to enhance your website's visibility on search engines. From customizable meta tags to clean URL structures, Squarespace empowers users to optimize content for better search engine rankings. Its intuitive platform also supports sitemaps, mobile responsiveness, and other key elements crucial for a strong SEO foundation. With Squarespace, you have the tools to elevate your website's search engine performance effectively. | Webflow offers a comprehensive suite of SEO features to optimize your website for search engines. From customizable meta tags and clean URL structures to sitemaps and mobile responsiveness, Webflow provides essential tools for effective search engine optimization. Its intuitive interface allows users to seamlessly integrate SEO best practices into their website design, ensuring better visibility and ranking on search engine results pages. |
Blogging: |
Squarespace offers powerful blogging features with an easy-to-use interface. Users can effortlessly manage and publish content, with support for social media integration. Customizable layouts ensure visually appealing presentations, making Squarespace an ideal platform for individuals and businesses alike to create and share engaging blog posts. | Webflow's blogging features offer an intuitive platform for efficient content creation and publication. With customizable layouts and seamless social media integration, it caters to both individual bloggers and businesses, providing a user-friendly solution for sharing engaging content. |
Apps and Integrations: |
Squarespace Extensions presents a curated selection of almost 40 apps meticulously chosen to elevate the overall performance and user experience of your website. These diverse applications cover a range of functionalities, providing users with valuable tools to enhance various aspects of their online presence. | Webflow addresses any shortcomings in built-in functionality by providing users with a robust integration library. This expansive collection allows users to seamlessly incorporate a variety of third-party tools and features into their Webflow projects, ensuring a versatile and customized web design experience. |
Performance and Security: |
Squarespace prioritizes website security with SSL encryption, DDoS protection, and regular updates. Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of login security, ensuring a safe online environment for your website. | Webflow ensures website security through SSL encryption, regular updates, and two-factor authentication. This combination of measures provides users with a safe and protected online environment. |
Switching: |
The transition to Squarespace requires a manual process, ensuring a careful and personalized migration. However, for those venturing into the realm of online stores, Squarespace offers a convenient feature – the ability to import products directly from Etsy. Whether you're migrating content or establishing an e-commerce presence, Squarespace provides the tools to simplify the process | Shifting to Webflow encompasses a fairly manual process, requiring users to actively engage in the migration journey. It allows for a thoughtful and deliberate migration, enabling users to fine-tune their content, design, and functionality as they make the move to Webflow. Though it requires a hands-on approach, this manual process empowers users to craft a seamless and tailored transition to the Webflow platform. |
Help and Support: |
Squarespace provides a comprehensive support system, including live chat support on weekdays, around-the-clock email assistance, and a detailed Help Center. This multifaceted support structure ensures users have access to real-time assistance, continuous email support, and a wealth of resources in the Help Center for self-guided solutions. | For assistance with Webflow, users can reach out via email or utilize its comprehensive help center, known as Webflow University. These avenues offer effective ways to seek support and access a wealth of resources for self-guided solutions. |
Pricing and value for money
Squarespace Pricing and plans :
Squarespace offers four distinctive monthly plans:
Personal — Priced at $23 per month
Business — Valued at $33 per month
Basic Commerce — Tagged at $36 per month
Advanced Commerce — Commanding a fee of $65 per month
For those inclined towards fiscal prudence, an annual payment option is available, resulting in substantial savings ranging from 24% to 30% compared to the monthly counterpart. On an annual basis, the respective costs for the four plans translate to $16, $23, $27, and $49 per month.
(Simultaneously, Squarespace bestows upon you a complimentary custom domain name—your very own your site name.com—during the inaugural year of service.)
Pricing intricacies of Squarespace on a monthly basis.
Configuration of Squarespace's monthly pricing model.
The determination of Squarespace's suitability for your needs can be deliberated upon during a generous 14-day trial period, conveniently accessible through the Squarespace website.
In tandem with the plans elucidated earlier, there exists a bespoke 'Squarespace Enterprise' option tailored for corporate entities. This specialized plan encompasses heightened levels of security, design, and SEO support, with a flexible pricing structure open to negotiation.
Delving into the nuances of the primary Squarespace plans catering to the average user, key considerations involve:
The permissible count of users that can be incorporated into your site
The feasibility of incorporating CSS and JavaScript components into your site
Compatibility with third-party applications
Access to online retail capabilities and advanced e-commerce features (inclusive of abandoned cart retrieval, customer accounts, advanced shipping alternatives, etc.).
In broad strokes, an escalating financial commitment corresponds to an augmentation in all the aforementioned features and capabilities!
Webflow Pricing and Plans:
Webflow presents a selection of seven primary plans, comprising four 'general' site plans and three tailored for 'ecommerce' endeavors. The pricing structure unfolds as follows:
Starter — Priced at $0
Basic — Commanding $14
CMS — Tagged at $23
Business — Valued at $39
E-commerce Standard — Set at $29
E-commerce Plus — Priced at $74
E-commerce Advanced — Carrying a fee of $212
However, the 'Starter' plan from Webflow, although free, primarily serves as an introductory exploration tool for understanding the platform's fundamentals. This plan confines users to create sites with a mere two pages, adorned with Webflow branding, and lacking the capability to connect to a custom domain. While suitable for crafting a modest personal website, its utility remains limited.
Monthly pricing insights for Webflow's general site plans.
Insights into monthly pricing for Webflow’s general site plans.
Similar to Squarespace and many other web builders, Webflow extends enticing discounts when opting for an annual payment scheme, ranging from 22% to 30%, contingent on the chosen plan.
Noteworthy disparities between the paid Webflow plans encompass:
Monthly allowance for site traffic
Allocated bandwidth and storage space
Permission for site editing by multiple individuals
Accessibility to Web flow's comprehensive content management system (restricted in the 'Basic' plan)
Limitations on editable 'CMS items,' encompassing dynamic content like blog posts and galleries
Quotas on products available for sale and associated transaction fees.
Webflow further introduces an 'Enterprise' plan featuring custom pricing, offering assured server uptime and tailored features catering to the scalability requirements of large enterprises.
The 'Webflow Enterprise product is finely tuned for website designers engaged with substantial corporate projects.
Contrasting Squarespace with Webflow in terms of pricing, a salient distinction emerges — Squarespace provides unlimited bandwidth across all plans, while Webflow imposes bandwidth limits. For instance, the 'Basic' plan in Webflow extends a monthly bandwidth cap of 50 GB, with the 'CMS' and 'Business' plans imposing limits of 200 GB and 400 GB respectively. Exceeding these limits prompts Webflow to prompt users to upgrade to a more extensive plan.
A tabular representation elucidating Webflow's bandwidth and traffic constraints for its general site plans.
Webflow’s bandwidth and traffic constraints for its general site plans.
Additionally, Squarespace offers a more cost-effective approach to accommodating multiple contributors to a website compared to Webflow. With the 'Business' plan and above, Squarespace permits an unlimited number of contributors (two for the 'Personal' plan). Conversely, Webflow's 'CMS' and 'Business' plans allow for 3 and 10 additional contributors respectively, but these are designated as 'guest editors' with limited editing rights. For broader editing permissions, users must opt for one of Webflow's 'Workspace' plans, incurring an additional cost.
Several noteworthy observations regarding Squarespace vs. Webflow pricing include:
When comparing Squarespace vs. Webflow pricing, there are several noteworthy observations to consider. Both platforms cater to different audiences and offer varying levels of flexibility, features, and scalability. Here’s a breakdown of their pricing structures and key differences:
1. Pricing Transparency
Squarespace:
Squarespace offers straightforward pricing with four main plans: Personal, Business, Basic Commerce, and Advanced Commerce.
All plans include hosting, SSL certificates, and access to templates.
Pricing is clearly listed on their website, making it easy to compare plans.
Webflow:
Webflow’s pricing is more complex, with separate Site Plans (for hosting and features) and Workspace Plans (for team collaboration).
Site Plans are divided into general website plans and e-commerce plans, each with multiple tiers.
The pricing structure can be confusing for beginners, as it requires understanding both Site and Workspace Plans.
2. Entry-Level Pricing
Squarespace:
The Personal Plan starts at $16/month (billed annually) and is ideal for simple websites.
Includes basic features like a custom domain, SSL security, and access to templates.
Webflow:
The Basic Plan starts at $14/month (billed annually) for simple websites.
However, Webflow’s free plan (with limitations) allows users to explore the platform before committing.
Observation: Squarespace’s entry-level plan is slightly more expensive but includes more features out of the box, while Webflow offers a free plan for experimentation.
Ease of Use :
The content editing interfaces diverge significantly between Squarespace and Webflow.
Squarespace, akin to many contemporary website builders, empowers users with a 'drag-and-drop' interface for constructing their sites. The 'Fluid Engine,' Squarespace's drag-and-drop editor, facilitates seamless content editing, styling of site elements, and effortless rearrangement of content across pages. This editor, characterized by its adaptability, allows users to position and overlap content at will, enhanced by an intelligent 'snap-to-grid' feature ensuring precise alignment of content items.
Squarespace's innovative 'Fluid Engine' layout editor in action.
Squarespace’s innovative 'Fluid Engine' layout editor.
In Squarespace, the process of incorporating elements and images involves a straightforward click on a section of the page, adding a new 'content block,' while styling is achieved through the user-friendly 'site styles' control panel.
Conversely, Webflow introduces a distinctive design interface, departing from the conventional drag-and-drop paradigm common in hosted website builders. Instead, its interface is grounded in the 'box model' of website design, where users place elements within HTML boxes, utilizing Webflow to craft page layouts.
The Webflow designer features a central canvas where site design unfolds. Elements are added to the page from the left side of the canvas, and styling is executed through controls on the right. A set of 'breakpoint' controls at the top of the Webflow interface enables modifications to accommodate seven different screen sizes, ranging from ultra-wide monitors to mobile portrait screens.
The intricate Webflow designer interface in action.
The intricate Webflow designer interface.
While this approach affords immense flexibility in page design, it demands a considerable learning curve.
Webflow provides an array of learning materials and free courses to mitigate this challenge. Nonetheless, mastering the Webflow interface may take a few weeks for a design novice to navigate confidently.
In summary, the Webflow editor stands out for providing extensive flexibility in crafting unique layouts compared to Squarespace. However, Squarespace's editor excels in user-friendliness, adeptly covering design basics with a gentler learning curve. For those new to web design seeking a swift and straightforward start, Squarespace emerges as the preferred choice in ease of use.
Design And Features :
With Webflow you have maximum freedom in every design decision. Users can begin from scratch, select a template, or choose a preset layout. Every visual aspect, from content to placement, styling, and interactions, can be fine-tuned in Webflow’s drag-and-drop editor. You can also embed custom HTML, CSS, or JavaScript code. You can edit designs across seven breakpoints, which offers you the flexibility to customize mobile experiences.
By contrast, Squarespace provides greater restrictions over design. Templates provide a baseline set of styles and layouts to help maintain consistency in design, but customization points are often limited. Customization is possible but within limits. It would be possible to override styles with code on Squarespace's Business plan, but the customization experience likely won't be the best.
The Squarespace editor is section-by-section and doesn’t have real drag-and-drop functionality. To achieve precise element placement, you can use columns as well as spacer elements. While the Squarespace template system has come a long way since version 7.1, it still lacks Webflow's flexibility.
Though Squarespace offers the option to upload custom fonts, the design flexibility enabled by Webflow certainly outperforms that of Squarespace bringing Squarespace down to a 2:1 ratio in favor of Webflow..
Video Backgrounds:
When it comes to video backgrounds, Squarespace, and Webflow allow users to add video backgrounds to their websites.
Squarespace makes this easy by letting users upload their videos or embed video URLs from YouTube or Vimeo. That being said, one big caveat: If you decide to upload videos to Squarespace, all plans have a video limit of 30 minutes. If users need longer video uploads, they will have to invest in a Squarespace Members Area plan.
In contrast, Webflow allows the upload of user-owned videos, with a size limit of 30 MB, for backgrounds.
Typefaces:
Fonts have an important role in designing a website and both design platforms contain thousands of them, integrating Google Fonts and Adobe Fonts into projects.
Squarespace has a more intuitive interface, with over 1,000 Adobe and 1,500 Google ready to go. Webflow, on the other hand, comes with 27 fonts out of the box in its designer interface. Though that might seem restrictive, adding anything from Google Fonts and access to the more than 20,000 typefaces available via Adobe Fonts is as simple as a few clicks to add the greatest library of typefaces in the world.
This is a pretty easy win for Webflow which offers way more typeface options and allows for the easy addition of a diverse range.
Stock Photos and Image Settings:
The incorporation of high-quality stock images is a crucial aspect of website enhancement. Squarespace excels in this regard, providing a seamless experience by granting access to an extensive selection of free or paid stock images directly within its interface.
Conversely, Webflow lacks an integrated stock image option, requiring users to source images externally and subsequently upload them to their accounts.
Animations and Effects:
Both Squarespace and Webflow allow users to add animations to their websites, but the options are less sophisticated.
With 'site styles,' Squarespace makes this pretty easy, letting you apply the animation settings across the site with just a few clicks. It provides some basic animation controls (five types of background animation: "liquify," "film grain," and parallax scroll, etc.
Webflow, on the other hand, takes animation to the next level. Thanks to its ‘Webflow interactions’ functionality, the platform comes with around 20 preset animation types, ranging from ‘fade’ to ‘shrink’ to ‘pulse’ to ‘bounce. What makes Webflow different from the rest is that it allows custom animations, giving near-limitless flexibility. Animation triggers can be defined based on any user interactions like page load, scroll, mouse click, mouse hover, or scroll into view.
While Squarespace does enable users to do some animation, the range of animations Webflow supports is unrivaled, giving users a 'no-code' solution to render different and complex website animations.
Mobile Responsiveness and Template Behavior:
Many website builders, including Squarespace and Webflow, allow you to build fully responsive websites that automatically adjust to different devices. Both platforms give you full control over how your mobile sites look, but Webflow lets you have more options and flexibility.
SquareSpace Mobile Templates Customizing element placement and size on both desktop and mobile versions is supported with the 'Fluid Engine' page editor of SquareSpace. Webflow, on the other hand, has more sophisticated capabilities, including the ability for users to preview their sites on particular types of smartphones and greater control over hiding and replacing elements from the mobile version.
Their mobile editing — proven by detailed previews for a variety of phone models and a bevy of display controls — far surpasses rather any available options for Squarespace. Webflow simply offers a better toolset for building responsive, optimized mobile experiences.
E-commerce :
Squarespace and Webflow, renowned for their robust design tools, extend their capabilities beyond aesthetics, offering comprehensive features for online product sales. Delving into the e-commerce arena, let's explore how these platforms compare.
To unlock ecommerce features on Squarespace, the $33 per month 'Business' plan technically supports product sales. However, for optimal functionality and to circumvent transaction fees, dedicated Squarespace ecommerce plans are recommended: the $36 per month 'Basic Commerce' plan or the $65 per month 'Advanced Commerce' plan.
Webflow presents three ecommerce plans – 'Standard,' 'Plus,' and 'Advanced,' priced at $42, $84, and $235 per month, respectively.
Squarespace facilitates a more budget-friendly entry into ecommerce, with its 'Basic Commerce' plan being $6 per month cheaper than Webflow's 'Standard' ecommerce plan.
In terms of ecommerce features, both platforms provide:
Ability to sell physical goods, digital goods, services, and subscriptions
Customer carts and checkout tools
Acceptance of credit card payments via Stripe and PayPal
Inventory management features
Multiple product options and variants
Automatic tax calculation tools
Shipping features
Member areas for selling premium content
A notable point is that on the cheaper ecommerce plans – Webflow's 'Standard' plan and Squarespace's 'Business' plan – transaction fees of 2% and 3%, respectively, apply to each sale.
Neither platform includes out-of-the-box multi-currency selling tools, making alternative solutions like Shopify and BigCommerce preferable for international sales.
The most significant divergence lies in the unlimited product offering by Squarespace on its main ecommerce plans, whereas Webflow imposes 'item' limits, allowing the sale of 500, 5,000, and 15,000 products across its three ecommerce plans. Product options or variants in Webflow contribute towards the item limit, potentially diminishing it further.
Squarespace excels in several ecommerce aspects compared to Webflow:
Abandoned cart recovery tool on Squarespace's 'Advanced Commerce' plan.
Hosting digital products directly on Squarespace, eliminating the need for external cloud storage.
Point-of-sale functionality (POS) for US-based users, absent in Webflow.
Enhanced dropshipping options through available apps in Squarespace's extensions store.
Selling gift cards feature in Squarespace, lacking an equivalent in Webflow.
Store-wide promotions via Squarespace's 'advanced discount' feature, exclusive to the 'Advanced Commerce' plan.
In summary, Squarespace emerges as the superior ecommerce solution, offering a cost-effective entry, extensive tools, unlimited product sales, and additional features, including POS capabilities and advanced promotional options.
Marketing and SEO Tools
Squarespace and Webflow proficiently manage the fundamentals, granting substantial control over various 'on page' SEO components within their platforms.
Both tools facilitate effortless modification of essential elements, including:
Page URLs
Page titles
Headings
Meta descriptions
301 redirects
Image alt text
Webflow extends its capabilities by granting users full authority over the robots.txt file, dictating which pages Google should exclude from indexing.
While both platforms deliver fully responsive websites—earning favor from Google's search algorithms—Squarespace distinguishes itself by supporting the 'accelerated mobile pages' (AMP) format for blog posts. AMP significantly diminishes content loading times, potentially elevating page rankings in search results.
A pivotal SEO consideration involves evaluating Squarespace and Webflow against Google's 'Core Web Vitals' tests—criteria encompassing a website's speed, responsiveness, and visual stability. Successfully meeting these benchmarks can result in preferential treatment in search results, particularly in highly competitive niches.
Encouragingly, both Squarespace and Webflow surpass many competing hosted solutions in the realm of Core Web Vitals. Adhering to prudent practices, such as maintaining reasonable image sizes and avoiding excessive plug-ins or animations, ensures satisfactory Core Web Vitals performance on either platform.
While Squarespace impressively upholds its hosting speed, Webflow gains a slight edge. The option to build a site in Webflow and subsequently export it for hosting elsewhere provides greater control over site speed. Opting for exceptionally swift hosting can significantly contribute to favorable Core Web Vitals results.
It's crucial to note that Squarespace's hosting dictates the speed of the site entirely, albeit reasonably swift in its own right. The nuances in Core Web Vitals performance underscore the intricate interplay between these platforms and their impact on SEO outcomes.
Squarespace:
In the ever-evolving digital landscape, Squarespace stands out not just as a website builder but as a comprehensive platform with integrated marketing and SEO tools. Let's explore how these features can boost your brand's visibility.
Squarespace simplifies marketing with built-in tools seamlessly woven into its platform. From the start, users can navigate effortlessly to enhance their marketing efforts.
SEO Fundamentals
Optimizing your site for search engines is made easy with Squarespace. It offers built-in features for meta titles, descriptions, and URLs, alongside automatic sitemap generation for efficient crawling and indexing.
Analytics Insights
Unlock the power of data with Squarespace's comprehensive analytics dashboard. Gain insights into visitor behavior, popular content, and more to refine your marketing strategy.
Email Campaigns
Effortlessly integrate email marketing into your strategy. Squarespace allows seamless connections with popular email marketing platforms, empowering users to execute effective campaigns.
Social Media Integration
Connect your site with social platforms easily. Squarespace's integration not only expands your reach but also fosters a sense of community around your brand.
Squarespace and Google
Tap into Google's influence by integrating Squarespace with various Google services. Optimize your content for Google search to enhance your website's visibility.
E-Commerce SEO
For online businesses, Squarespace provides specialized tools for optimizing online stores. From product descriptions to image alt texts, it ensures your e-commerce site ranks well.
Mobile Optimization
Ensure a seamless user experience across devices with Squarespace's responsive design. Mobile-friendly sites positively impact user experience and SEO.
Plugins and Extensions
Explore third-party plugins to extend functionality. Squarespace's plugin marketplace offers tools for advanced SEO, e-commerce features, and more.
Community Building
Engage with your audience through comments and forums. Squarespace fosters community building, creating a loyal customer base.
Case Studies
Explore real-world success stories to understand the impact of Squarespace's tools. Learn from businesses that have thrived using its diverse features.
Squarespace's marketing and SEO tools offer a comprehensive solution for businesses seeking to enhance their online presence. By incorporating these tools into your strategy, you can effectively reach your target audience and drive meaningful engagement.
Webflow:
Webflow transcends conventional website building by seamlessly integrating marketing and SEO tools into its platform. Discover the potential to enhance your online presence right from the inception of your site.
SEO Optimization
Webflow simplifies the intricacies of SEO with user-friendly features. Optimize meta titles, descriptions, and URLs effortlessly. Enjoy the added advantage of automatic sitemap generation for efficient search engine crawling and indexing.
Analytics Insights
Unlock valuable insights into your website's performance through Webflow's intuitive analytics dashboard. Gain a deeper understanding of visitor behavior and popular content to fine-tune your marketing strategy.
Email Campaigns
Integrate email marketing seamlessly into your strategy. Webflow facilitates smooth connections with popular email marketing platforms, empowering users to execute impactful email campaigns.
Social Media Synergy
Elevate your brand's social media presence with Webflow's seamless integration. Connect your website effortlessly with various social platforms, expanding your reach and fostering a vibrant online community.
Webflow and Google Harmony
Harness the influence of Google by integrating Webflow with various Google services. Optimize your content for Google search, enhancing your website's visibility on this widely-used search engine.
E-Commerce Excellence
Webflow provides specialized tools for optimizing e-commerce websites. From detailed product descriptions to strategic image alt texts, ensure your online store ranks well on search engines.
Mobile Optimization Mastery
Ensure a seamless user experience across diverse devices with Webflow's responsive design. Prioritize mobile optimization to enhance user experience and positively impact SEO.
Plugins and Extensions
Explore an array of third-party plugins to extend the functionality of your Webflow site. From advanced SEO tools to additional e-commerce features, Webflow's plugin marketplace caters to diverse needs.
Content Creation Wizardry
Crafting SEO-friendly content is a breeze with Webflow's intuitive editor. Strike the perfect balance between creativity and optimization to attract organic traffic to your site.
Community Building
Engage with your audience through comments and forums on your Webflow site. Foster a sense of community around your brand, creating a loyal customer base.
Webflow's integrated marketing and SEO tools provide a comprehensive solution for businesses seeking to enhance their online presence. By leveraging these tools, you can effectively reach your target audience and drive meaningful engagement.
Blogging:
Blogging stands out as a prime method for cultivating organic traffic to your website, and both Squarespace and Webflow come equipped with integrated blogging tools.
Categories and tags are at your disposal in both platforms to enhance the organization of your blog posts, complemented by the provision of RSS blog feeds for seamless content dissemination.
Yet, the divergence emerges in the nuanced features within the realm of blogging. Squarespace takes the lead in three pivotal aspects: contributors, comments, and publishing limits.
Webflow imposes constraints with 3 allowed on its $29 'CMS' plan and 10 on the $49 'Business' plan. In contrast, Squarespace's $33 'Business' plan and above liberates you with an unlimited number of contributors.
Unveiling formatting options in a Squarespace blog underscores the platform's commitment to providing bloggers with a diverse toolkit.
Turning attention to the discourse surrounding comments, Squarespace seamlessly integrates a blog comments feature, configurable within your site's settings. Conversely, Webflow leaves this fundamental feature unaddressed, necessitating the procurement of a third-party plugin like Disqus for fostering visitor engagement.
Squarespace adopts a permissive stance, exempting blog posts from the overarching site page limit of 1,000 pages. Effectively, Squarespace extends an open invitation to publish an unrestricted number of blog posts on its platform.
In stark contrast, Webflow adheres to stringent post quotas. For instance, the $20 'CMS' Webflow plan accommodates the publication of 2,000 items, with this cap escalating to 10,000 on the $49 'Business' plan.
While these limits may initially appear generous, the discerning eye of professional bloggers, prolific in their daily content output, may foresee challenges as they approach and potentially surpass these thresholds. The intricate dance between these features delineates the unique blogging landscape each platform offers to content creators.
Apps and Integrations
Here comes the excitement of enhancing the functionality of your squarespace or web flow site with third-party apps and tools.
For example, Squarespace allows you to embed apps and services into your website with Squarespace's premium blocks, which is part of the 'Business' plan and higher, you can embed things like Amazon, Mailchimp, OpenTable, ChowNow, and many others into your website.
On the other hand, the extension store at Squarespace showcases a wide variety of 36 extensions that are designed to make your site better with essential capabilities like dropshipping, inventory management, and automated accounting features.
If you want more customizability, Squarespace plugins — small pieces of code — also allow you to add a feature that is not built-in. It allows users who must customize their Squarespace site to fit certain needs.
On Webflow's side, the 'Integrations Resource' page acts as a directory — a massive collection of integrations with over 250 tools from third-party providers — which is light-years ahead of of Squarespace. These devices allow you to easily connect your Webflow sites to email marketing services, the biggest social network due to an extensive series of tools to improve Webflow CMS functionalities such as the incredibly good Finsweet applications to work with product and blog collections.
A standout feature includes an integration with Shopify that allows users to pull in products from a Shopify store onto a Webflow site by way of an embeddable Shopify widget. This merger allows users to take advantage of Webflow's most convenient design on the front end while leveraging Shopify's powerful back-end inventory and store management system.
That said, certain product restrictions that come with Webflow are still alive and kicking when talking about integration with platforms like Shopify.
If users require integrations beyond what the native offerings provide, both Squarespace and Webflow support the third-party syncing tool Zapier. You would have access to thousands of more services and automations through this invaluable source ensuring a versatile, expansive ecosystem spreading over either network.
Squarespace boasts a trio of necessary mobile apps that enable seamless remote management:
Squarespace: The main app allows users to edit pages and posts, manage ecommerce transactions, and check out Squarespace analytics – all while in the palm of your hand.
Schedule Admin: The app is meant to manage client appointments that you have organized through your Squarespace site.
Client Scheduler: Another one that helps users manage appointments they book through their Squarespace site.
All three apps have also earned favorable ratings, with all receiving over 4 out of 5 stars in Apple and Google app stores, reflecting Squarespace's dedication to mobile accessibility.
Mobile App Availability Vs Webflow Webflow's biggest shortcoming is its desktop-only platform as it does not have a mobile app to work on the go, which can be an inconvenience considering how highly the platform promotes flexibility in design control. Although you can log in to your Webflow account from a mobile browser, the process of editing a Webflow site in such a way turns out to be a significant struggle.
Squarespace wins when it comes to on-the-go site management — it has a full suite of mobile tools that serve the diverse needs of users, whereas Webflow struggles with the lack of dedicated mobile editing.
Performance and Security
In the area of website performance and security, we found the platforms to be surprisingly similar even, but Webflow is the winner by featuring automatic backups and autosave as opposed to manual saving on Squarespace.
An SSL certificate is a cornerstone in protecting online platforms, and both Webflow and Squarespace include them across all of their plans.
Regarding uptime, the metric that measures the percentage of time a website is expected to be available in a given year, they also both perform admirably, with at least 99.90% uptime guaranteed. Less than nine hours of downtime in a year, and the real number tends to be significantly better than the absolute minimum targets, all of which serve to bolster the credibility of these web construction options.
Webflow provides the Holy Grail of backups — automated ones. If you are using the free plan, you can still restore your site to the latest two backed-up versions. Conversely, in Squarespace, users must manually save, this can be a friction point but, is offset by their solid backup policy. Squarespace produces backup copies of all websites, which are stored on both primary and secondary servers, and it also enables users to restore pages that have been deleted within a generous 30-day window.
The autosave feature highlights the differences between the platforms, but Squarespace's robust backup policy serves as an important counterbalance, giving users reassurance in case of unexpected problems. Ultimately, the Webflow vs Squarespace battle in this department comes down to a matter of convenience — if you appreciate the ability to work with backups you never have to think about, Webflow wins, but if you like the permanence going hand-in-hand with the manual effort required by Squarespace, that’s your pick.
Switching
Webflow, and Squarespace for that matter not only make the onboarding process easy, but they are both a manual yet straightforward process.
Traditionally, this process involves the manual copy and paste of content through their import tools (webflow) or block imports (squarespace), whereas images need to be re-uploaded. The downside of this process is that it is somewhat manual and tedious, but the good news is, that it requires no coding skills and hence can be done by a relatively large number of users.
The good news is that if you're starting your first online store and already sell on the popular Etsy marketplace, Squarespace offers a seamless solution. Thanks to this feature, products can be imported directly from an Etsy account, which allows for a frictionless process of migration and saves users time and effort.
If you're considering making a change from one of these platforms to either Webflow or Squarespace, the most important thing to remember is that Webflow offers a much larger set of advanced features and with that will likely draw your way of thinking closer to the functionality of their editor. Differently, Squarespace considers itself a user-friendly platform, where simplicity and stylish designs are the strengths, but that omnipresent trade-off—a less creative freedom than the first Webflow brings. Ultimately however, the decision between Webflow and Squarespace depends on the users– if they prefer the unique features and design-focused approach integrated into the Webflow platform, or if they would rather have an easy-to-navigate, its design-focused Squarespace.
Help and Support:
Squarespace emerges as a standout in the sector of help and support, offering some of the best assistance in the market. Users benefit from various communication channels, including live chat, 24/7 email support, and access to a comprehensive Help Center.
Squarespace's commitment to user support positions it at the pinnacle, sharing the top position with Wix and IONOS in our evaluations. It attains an impressive score of 4.8 out of 5 in the research category, attributing this success to the availability of live chat (Monday to Friday), round-the-clock email support, and the resource-rich Help Center.
While Webflow may not be as competitive in this testing area, it does provide avenues for assistance. Users can reach out to the Webflow team via email, although a response may take 24-48 business hours. In our evaluation, Webflow secures a solid score of 4 out of 5 in the help and support category.
For those inclined to troubleshoot independently, Webflow University offers a wealth of detailed guides and tutorials across various subjects.
In the comparison between Squarespace and Webflow in the realm of support, Squarespace presents a more accessible route to reaching a real representative, ensuring a smoother experience for users seeking assistance.
Conclusion:
Squarespace steals the show pretty handily in the Squarespace vs Webflow battle, though Webflow shines in some regards as well.
Webflow stands out from the crowd with an incredibly flexible design allowing users to manage every possible detail of their websites. One of the key features to highlight is the animations via 'Webflow interactions' which allow professionals to provide a new and innovative user experience. Another feature that Webflow does particularly well is responsive design which gives you precise control over how a site looks on seven different screen sizes, thus allowing you to reach pixel-perfect designs.
On the other hand, Squarespace is an all-in-one website builder that shines in many areas. It has a user-friendly interface and gentle learning curve, making it accessible to many, even those new to web design. The beauty of Squarespace lies in its ease of use — allowing anyone to build beautiful business, portfolio or even music websites with little effort.
What sets Squarespace apart is its advanced ecommerce toolset. It’s faster than Webflow, allowing for unlimited products to be sold, slashing dropshipping time, and it doesn’t enforce any sales limitations. Squarespace, though, gives the majority what they want with quick design fulfillment, even if they lack the design flexibility of Webflow.
In addition, given its three mobile apps, Squarespace sets the bar for on-the-go site management, setting itself up for more accessible mobile support down the road.
However, Squarespace is likely to be the better choice for most of the users, thanks to its simple, all-in-a-basket bundling, ease of use, and a greater spectrum of advanced ecommerce capabilities.
