Selection/Options
WORDPRESS
This site-building tool has always been based around the core value of allowing anyone to start their own blog for free, which is the main distinction between them and Squarespace. With nearly 400 different themes to choose from, you can build your site as basic or as meticulous as you prefer, and if you know some code or learn to use the tools provided with your account, you’ll have considerable freedom to customize your design. At the same time, this platform was created for bloggers, not businesses; so, even though you can create a perfectly functional business site through WP, the themes they provide may be a little lackluster if your goal is to impress customers.
SQUARESPACE
Although a limited selection of templates are provided, the ones they do have are sleek, simple, and functional, with business sensibility in mind. The idea seems to be: Give people the tools needed to efficiently set up a site, while avoiding comprehensive options that complicate the process of quickly creating a great-looking, highly-functional business website. Meanwhile, there is nothing stopping you from building something entirely original with the use of the Developer Platform, which provides a more experienced designer with complete code-writing freedom.
Setup
WORDPRESS
A WordPress account is fairly painless to set up, but it can be a little confusing for a newcomer to navigate. Once you reach your editing page with your chosen theme, after a step-by-step, guided startup process, you are presented with a large variety of widgets, menus, and design tools. It doesn’t take a professional web designer to complete, but it can be time-consuming, depending on how involved you want to get with your design.
SQUARESPACE
This is the ultimate DIY business site-builder. Setting up a website for your business with minimal or no experience in web design can be very intimidating, but Squarespace’s online workshop sets your mind at ease. There are no distractions or cluttered content on their pages to slow you down, and you can be up and running in as little as 30 minutes. That’s what makes this platform great; WordPress works, but if you need a good-looking business website with straightforward functionality to go live right now, Squarespace gives you the tools to create it, and fast. It’s so easy that, even if you didn’t need a website for anything, you will want to build one on the spot just for fun.
Plans & Features
WORDPRESS (3 Plans)
Free:
For basic blogs; minimal storage; ads on pages; unlimited contributors allowed for all plans; $0.
Premium:
Freedom to customize; 13 GB of storage; $99/year.
Business:
150 premium “themes” included; supports ecommerce; unlimited storage; $299/year.
Overview
Although you can build a site here to suit your needs, you can do better for your business website. WordPress has always been the perfect place to create a personal or professional blog, and that’s what they excel at. Signing up for their “Business” plan is the only way to build an adequate website for business, at a cost that is a little on the steep side of $299 per year.
SQUARESPACE (2 plans)
Personal:
20 pages, galleries, and blogs; unlimited storage; 24-hour support; fully-integrated ecommerce (1 product); 3% transaction fee, mobile-optimized, $96/year or $12/month.
Business:
Includes standard features from Personal plan; unlimited pages, galleries, blogs, and storage; sell up to 25 products; 2% transaction fee, professional Gmail; $100 Google AdWords credit; $216/year or $26/month. Our pick for Business Websites
Overview
Squarespace was founded in 2004, soon after the inception of WordPress.org, and they have since brought site-building for businesses down to a science. They give you an exceptional platform to build your site, with standard features for which other services like WordPress will charge you extra fees. Squarespace provides cost-effective, uncomplicated, beautiful design, and super-fast setup. Your site can go live in as little as 30 minutes, or you can opt for their “Developer Platform,” which gives developers a blank canvas and complete HTML and CSS code control.
Stephanie
Stephanie is the Marketing Director at Talkroute and has been featured in Forbes, Inc, and Entrepreneur as a leading authority on business and telecommunications.
Stephanie is also the chief editor and contributing author for the Talkroute blog helping more than 100k entrepreneurs to start, run, and grow their businesses.