WordPress vs Squarespace: which is right for you?
Squarespace is the fastest way to get a pretty site live. WordPress is the platform you keep for the next ten years. Pick Squarespace if you will never outgrow it. Pick WordPress if there is any chance you will.
- ✓ You want to own your content forever and move hosts any time
- ✓ You are running an agency or managing multiple client sites
- ✓ You need a real e-commerce store (WooCommerce scale, Stripe, subscriptions)
- ✓ You need a plugin the Squarespace ecosystem does not have
- ✓ You care about technical SEO and page speed at scale
- ✓ You want to add a forum, LMS, social network, or custom functionality
- ○ You want a beautiful site live this weekend with zero technical decisions
- ○ You will never outgrow a template-based design
- ○ You do not want to think about plugins, security, or updates
- ○ Your site is a small portfolio or personal brand and will stay small
- ○ You want a single monthly bill that includes hosting, design, and commerce
Migrating from Squarespace?
Squarespace provides an XML export of posts, pages, and products. We import that into WordPress, then rebuild any custom functionality as WordPress plugins or blocks. Most sites migrate in a single afternoon. We do not charge for the migration work itself; you only pay for the new plan.
Questions, answered.
Is WordPress harder to use than Squarespace?
In the first hour, yes. Squarespace gives you a live preview editor with no setup. WordPress requires picking a host, installing a theme, and learning the block editor. After a week, the curves cross. After a year, WordPress is the easier platform because it can do anything.
Is WordPress more expensive than Squarespace?
No. The entry-level Leapjuice plan is $8/mo. Squarespace Personal is $16/mo (and $23/mo for Commerce). At any tier where you are actually running a real business, WordPress on Leapjuice is the same price or cheaper, and you keep everything.
Can I move my Squarespace site to WordPress later?
Yes. Squarespace supports XML export, and we have migrated hundreds of sites. The content comes over cleanly. The design does not (templates are not portable), but a Squarespace design usually does not need to be portable because most people want a redesign at migration time.
Will my SEO suffer if I move to WordPress?
Usually it improves. WordPress on Leapjuice runs on Google Cloud with edge caching and full technical SEO control. Squarespace is fine for the first year; for a content site that needs to rank, WordPress is the better long-term home.
Make the switch.
Free migration help. From $8/mo. 7-day refund. 0% sales tax.