If you’re looking for the best ecommerce platform to host your company’s online store, you’re definitely not alone. Choosing the right platform is no small decision, nor is it easy. There’s a lot of things to consider, from layout to price. Squarespace and WordPress are both powerhouses in the age of digital marketing, both making the top five list (内容管理系统) 作为 2022, with WordPress coming in at first place.
![CMS technologies Web Usage Distribution on the Entire Internet](https://don16obqbay2c.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/CMS-technologies-Web-Usage-Distribution-on-the-Entire-Internet-1648623053.png)
Distribution for websites using CMS technologies. 数据源.
The Brief History of WordPress
- WordPress market share: 45%
- Websites in the world: 30.5+ mln
If you’re anything like us, you remember when WordPress的 started back in 2003. Back then, they were marketed as a blog website. If you remember that, you’re a dinosaur like us. 然而, it is no longer strictly a blog website! It is now a multi-purpose CMS that powers more than 45% 所有网站的, not just blogs.
![WordPress的- market-share](https://don16obqbay2c.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/WordPress_share11.04-1652441213-1024x915.png)
WordPress Yearly Market Share 2010–2022 (Sources: W3techs)
The Brief History of Squarespace
Websites in the world: 2.9+ mln
方形空间 launched back in 2004, one year after the birth of WordPress. Created in the dorms of the University of Maryland, Squarespace started as a sort of “do it yourself” drag and drop website. It saw major growth after its initial launch, even being able to secure Super Bowl advertising spots from 2014 至 2018. 有趣的事实, Squarespace’s 2017 commercial won an Emmy for Outstanding Commercial.
![Squarespace-market-share](https://don16obqbay2c.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/Squarespace_-market-share11.04-1652446998-1024x915.png)
Squarespace Yearly Market Share 2011–2022 (Sources: W3techs)
There ya have it, a brief history of Squarespace you can drop at your next dinner party!
WordPress 与. Squarespace Round One: Cost
Let’s break down the major pros and cons of each of these platforms. 第一的, 钱. Cost is a major factor when considering which ecommerce platform is the best fit for your website.
Squarespace is a paid service; 但, to their benefit, their pricing is extremely straightforward and easy to understand. They do not offer a free plan. 然而, they do offer a free 14-day trial. After the 14 天, should you choose to continue with a paid plan, each premium plan comes with a custom domain (which is free for one year), an SSL security certificate, unlimited bandwidth and storage, 24/7 客户支持, and basic website metrics. There are different plans you can pay for: personal, 商业, basic commerce, and advanced commerce. These all come with different advantages best suited for different sizes of business.
WordPress的, 另一方面, is free. 然而, you will likely still run into costs associated with running an ecommerce website. It’s important to consider the pricing of things such as hosting, choosing a web domain, themes, plugins, and development. 然而, because WordPress is so heavily reliant on third-party plugins, there is a very solid chance you will not have to pay for the development (and many plugins on WordPress are free).
Who do you think the winner is? To us, it all depends on how you play your cards. Regardless, we think the winner is WordPress due to their plugin options—as we think it will give you more value for your money.
Squarespace vs. WordPress Round Two: 搜索引擎优化
Search engine optimization (搜索引擎优化) is an important way to get your business out in the web-o-verse. Search engine optimization doesn’t take a long time to learn. 然而, there are tools to help you better optimize your business.
Both Squarespace and WordPress come with built-in SEO tools. 然而, they both offer different things. Squarespace offers meta title and description customization, custom URLs, alt text editing abilities for photos on your website, page redirects, and automatic sitemaps. WordPress的, 另一方面, is a bit more customizable due to their plugin capabilities (Yoast is a very popular plugin to use).
After going head-to-head, who do you think the winner is? We’re considering round two a tie; both Squarespace and WordPress offer equally awesome (but very different) capabilities.
Squarespace vs. WordPress Round Three: Mobile Experience
Around a decade ago, the norm was to have a cell phone for texting and calling, and having some way to access the Internet at your house, whether it was through a laptop or a desktop. 如今, most of us use our phones for everything from calling our best friends to browsing for groceries. Because of this cultural shift, it’s become almost a necessity that ecommerce sites provide us with smooth mobile experiences.
谢天谢地, both SquareSpace and WordPress offer mobile apps for store owners! 然而, their capabilities vary greatly. SquareSpace’s mobile app offers a vast array of capabilities. Their app allows you to edit your brand’s website on the go, add new images, and even write and edit blog posts! Their app also allows you to view your website’s analytics. WordPress’ mobile app is sufficient; 然而, when compared to SquareSpace, it doesn’t really hold up. WordPress offers blog writing and editing, lists new products, processes orders, and watches your real-time analytics. 然而, due to layout, their app is best for editing and maintaining a blog while on the go.
After finishing the third round, we have to say that Squarespace takes the battle. Their store maintenance capabilities are better for the ecommerce action, in our humble opinion.
Squarespace vs. WordPress Final Round: Overall Ecommerce Experience
For our fourth and final round, our heavyweight champions will be going head to head for the title of Ecwid’s Pick for Best Ecommerce Site. Who will win? The anticipation must be killing you, so we’ll get right to the point.
Reflect on the packages we discussed earlier for Squarespace. From the business plan and onward, you will have access to amazing sales tools. You are able to choose from a number of excellently designed store templates. Other amenities include a user-friendly shopping cart experience with multiple ways to pay, no transaction fees, access to automatic abandoned cart recovery emails, 礼品卡, discount codes, built-in tax tools, the ability to imbed media, product catalogs, 库存管理, 调度, 和运输选项.
Squarespace also allows for a range of monetization options. WordPress的, 另一方面, has no built-in ecommerce capabilities. 反而, the user relies on plugins such as Ecwid. Ecwid allows you to sell your products, 订阅, or merch. They make it possible to operate your store right from your dashboard. 最好的部分是, a lot of plugins (including Ecwid) are free!
Our winner for the final round is WordPress. WordPress does not put a limit on ways to pay, whereas users of Squarespace are limited to Stripe, 贝宝, 和广场. 所以, while it may be ok for a small store, it doesn’t allow for growth the way WordPress (与 Ecwid) does.
Pros of Squarespace
Squarespace comes with many distinct advantages. Their editor is easy to use, and they offer a plethora of built-in features and gorgeous templates to make your shop aesthetically appealing. They give you access to unlimited storage and bandwidth, and they offer easy-to-understand, transparent pricing. 最后, Squarespace offers wonderful image editing and you will not have to worry about security updates.
Pros of WordPress
WordPress offers very flexible CMS for any size website and store. Their basic framework is free to download and run, and you have complete control over what you spend your money on. They have a massive support network; you can switch themes whenever you want; 和, when you use plugins such as Ecwid, you have access to powerful ecommerce websites.
常见问题解答
Is Squarespace free?
不, Squarespace is not free. 然而, they do offer a 14-day free trial and transparent pricing options.
Is WordPress safe?
是的, WordPress is safe. They have good security practices and measures.
全面的
全面的, we consider WordPress to be the better fit for those who want maximum customization for their websites.
With their expansive amount of plugins, they simply offer more than Squarespace can. If you feel confident with your abilities to design and customize without a lot of experience, WordPress is the best way to go. 然而, if you are looking for ease of use without having to worry about much, you may want to go with Squarespace.