Choosing your website platform: compare WordPress vs Squarespace vs Shopify

What’s the difference between them, and which one is right for you?

How to choose the right website platform for you

You’re ready to build your website but not sure where and with what?

As a business-owner it can be tough (and time-consuming!) to sift through all the information, misinformation and many, many opinions to get a straight answer on what’s right for your business.

There’re so many articles out there comparing platforms, and even as a developer it’s sometimes hard to tell what is unbiased versus factual, and to find information that applies to your specific needs.

I’ll be upfront here, I do prefer WordPress. As a developer I find it offers more freedom and less frustration than other platforms, plus I have more experience with it than the others. However, I’m also a Shopify Partner and am happy to work with whatever platform my clients prefer. Whether that’s Squarespace or Shopify (or Wix, Cargo, Vimeo OTT or others), I aim to recommend based on whichever one fulfils the specific needs of each client or their business.

So, acknowledging that all website builders and SaaS (Software as a Service) platforms have their own pros and cons, below I give a run-down on a few things I recommend everyone consider before choosing or moving to a new service.

Compare platforms at a glance

Squarespace

Easy designs

Stylish, modern designs that are easy to update, ideal for people who want to DIY

People using Squarespace:
 

Shopify

Easy ecommerce

Dedicated to making ecommerce simple for everyone, ideal for basic online stores

Big Shopify stores:

WordPress

Ultimate flexibility

An open-source platform that has grown to power over 30% of the web

Powered by WordPress:

Squarespace

Stylish, modern designs that are easy to setup and update, ideal for portfolio sites and people who want to DIY without the learning curve

Overview

Squarespace Pros

stylish, modern themes
user-friendly to make simple changes
security and updates are managed for you
low upfront cost for most

Squarespace Cons

no built-in customisation for responsive mobile design
no site backups or rollbacks
reliant on integrated functionality
you’re renting the service and don’t own it

Breakdown

FeaturesSquarespace
Ease-of-useSimple & straightforward
Themes & TemplatesFree & Paid
Design optionsLimited by the theme
Requires HTML/CSS knowledge or a developer for customisation
Mobile responsive designDependent on theme
Requires HTML/CSS knowledge or a developer for customisation
Ecommerce enabledYes, as an extra cost
Allows custom developmentNot really
Updates & SecurityAuto-updates
Store backupsExport data only
App/Plugin optionsExtensions store, limited options
SEO customisationLimited
Dedicated supportYes
Upfront DIY costFree until site published
Upfront done for you costCustom design &/or website setup – from $1k to $10k 1
Ongoing costsMonthly plans – from $16 to $52
Transaction fees – Card fee + Squarespace 3% for non-commerce plans
Extensions – $0 to ??
Domain name purchase – first year free with plan
Email hosting – included on some plans
  1. Costs depend on: your choice of developer/designer, custom or customised design, required functionality and number of products setup

Shopify

Dedicated to making ecommerce simple for everyone, ideal for basic online stores

Overview

Shopify Pros

easy to manage and update products
user-friendly for making simple changes
automatic security and updates (kind of)
low upfront cost for most stores

Shopify Cons

needs a paid app for just about everything
subpage default layouts are very basic
you’re renting the service and don’t own it (Shopify can cut you off at anytime – rare, but it happens)

Breakdown

FeaturesShopify
Ease-of-useSimple & straightforward
Themes & TemplatesFree & Paid
Design optionsLimited by the theme
Only the homepage has the visual builder
Requires developer for customisation
Mobile responsive designDependent on theme
Requires developer for customisations
Ecommerce enabledYes
Allows custom developmentRequires a developer with knowledge of liquid
Updates & SecurityCore Shopify auto-updates
Apps & themes must be manually updated
(Settings and custom development lost when updated)
Store backupsManual or requires paid app
App/Plugin optionsApp store
Majority have a monthly cost
SEO customisationLimited without an app or developer
Dedicated supportFree from Shopify
Custom changes are limited to simple requests and 1 hr/mth
Upfront DIY cost2 week free trial for setup
Upfront done for you costUnlimited development time (through a Shopify Partner site)
Custom design &/or store setup – from $200 to $10k 1
Ongoing costsMonthly plans – from $29 to $299+
Transaction fees – Card fee + Shopify fee for non Shopify Payments
Apps – $0 to $1000 per month 2
Domain name purchase – from $10/yr 3
Email hosting – from $6/mth per email 4
  1. Costs depend on: your choice of developer/designer, custom or customised design, required functionality and number of products setup
  2. Up to $200/month is average for most stores and includes things like: advanced shipping options, gift options, product bundles, accounting sync, inventory sync, etc
  3. Domain costs change depending on what extension you use, a .com is usually the cheapest, .com.au is a little bit more, something like .store or .studio is more again
  4. Email is sometimes included with domain purchase, but for reliability a dedicated email host is recommended

WordPress

A blogging platform that has grown to include advanced functionality and power around 30-40% of the web

Overview

WordPress Pros

scalable when your business grows and needs change
can handle nearly any function or design
free options for most plugins
you own the site

WordPress Cons

not so user-friendly – can be a learning curve
requires regular maintenance, updates, security checks
often a relatively high upfront cost

Note that WordPress.com and WordPress.org are two different things, just to make it more confusing! WordPress .com is managed SaaS just like Squarespace or Shopify, whereas .org is the self-hosted solution that most people refer to when discussing WordPress.

Breakdown

FeaturesWordPress
Ease-of-useLearning curve
Themes & TemplatesFree & Paid
Design optionsUnlimited (depending on theme/page-builder)
Mobile responsive designYes(depending on theme/page-builder)
Ecommerce enabledFree with Woocommerce plugin
Allows custom developmentYes
Updates & SecurityDIY manual
Automatic with paid maintenance plan
Website backupsAutomatic with plugin or hosting
App/Plugin optionsThousands of options, free and paid
SEO customisationDIY with plugin
Unlimited with developer
Dedicated supportNone, unless
Included with Managed WordPress hosting
Included with Maintenance Plan from a developer
Upfront DIY costWordPress is free
Hosting – $5 to $200 per month
Upfront done for you costCustom design &/or store setup – from $500 to $25k 1
Ongoing costsHosting – $5 to $200 per month 2
Ecommerce transaction fees – Card/Payment Processor fee
Maintenance Plan – DIY free, $50 to $200/mth
Plugins – $0 to $500 per year 3
Domain name purchase – from $10/yr 4
Email hosting – from $6/mth per email 5
  1. Costs depend on: your choice of developer/designer, custom or customised design, required functionality and number of products setup
  2. Many sites can get away with cheap hosting, for those with a lot of visitors or extra security requirements premium is recommended
  3. For most functions there’s a free plugin available, ecommerce usually requires paid options
  4. Domain costs change depending on what extension (TLD) you use, a .com is usually the cheapest, .com.au is a little bit more, something like .store or .studio is more again
  5. Email is sometimes included with hosting or domain purchase, but for reliability a dedicated email host is recommended

Got questions?

Did I miss something you want to know about for your website?

Shoot me a message through my contact form and we can go over your website needs.

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