WordPress vs Squarespace is the choice most small businesses end up with. Squarespace is an all-in-one website builder: you pay a monthly fee and it then handles hosting, security and updates. WordPress is free software you run on your own hosting: more freedom and lower running costs, but you look after it.
The short answer
- Squarespace: beautiful templates, nothing technical to manage, from £12 a month paid yearly (£16 paying monthly).
- WordPress: more features and control, usually cheaper to run, but needs updates and backups.
- Pick Squarespace for a simple, good-looking site you never want to maintain. On the other hand, pick WordPress if you want to grow, own your site or keep costs down.
Side by side
| WordPress (self-hosted) | Squarespace | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Free software on hosting you choose | Paid all-in-one builder |
| Starting cost | Hosting + domain, from a few pounds a month | £12 a month paid yearly, £16 paying monthly |
| Design | Thousands of themes, fully customisable | Fewer, very polished templates |
| Ease of setup | More steps at the start | Sign up and start editing |
| Features | Almost anything through plugins | What Squarespace builds in |
| Updates and security | Your job (or a care plan) | Handled by Squarespace |
| Selling online | WooCommerce or other plugins | Core plan and up, no store transaction fees |
| Moving away later | Easy: take your files and database | Harder: limited export |
Squarespace prices in the UK
| Plan | Paid yearly | Paid monthly | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | £12 a month | £16 a month | 2 contributors, 2% fee on online store sales |
| Core | £17 a month | £24 a month | No store transaction fees, card rates from 2.0% + £0.25 |
| Plus | £29 a month | £36 a month | Card rates from 1.7% + £0.25 |
| Advanced | £79 a month | £89 a month | Card rates from 1.5% + £0.25 |
There is a 14-day free trial. Plans list a free custom domain, which comes with conditions, so read the details when you sign up. So over a year, Basic paid yearly is £144 and Core is £204.
Where Squarespace wins
- No upkeep. Hosting, security and updates are done for you. Nothing to break after an update.
- Design out of the box. The templates also look professional with very little effort.
- One place for help. One company, one support team.
- Quick start. So you can have a decent site live in an afternoon.
Where WordPress wins
- Flexibility. If you need a feature, then there is almost always a plugin for it.
- Ownership. You can also move host, change designer or take a full copy at any time.
- Running costs. Basic hosting usually costs less than a Squarespace plan. Also, there are no store transaction fees on top of your card fees.
- SEO control. You also get full control over titles, URLs, structured data and speed.
- Size. Finally, big blogs, large shops and complex sites are easier on WordPress.
Which one for which business?
| Your business | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Photographer, artist, designer with a portfolio | Squarespace | Beautiful galleries, little upkeep |
| Café, salon or trades business with a simple site | Either | Squarespace for no upkeep, WordPress for lower cost |
| Blog or content-heavy site | WordPress | Built for publishing, better SEO control |
| Growing shop with lots of products | WordPress (or Shopify) | More room to grow, fewer platform fees |
| You want bookings, memberships or custom features later | WordPress | Plugins for almost anything |
Moving between them
Moving from Squarespace is the hard part: you can export some content, but the design stays behind and you rebuild it. On the other hand, moving from WordPress is easy because you own the files. If you think you might outgrow a builder, starting on WordPress saves a rebuild later.
Still deciding? See WordPress pros and cons and the four-way comparison in WordPress vs Squarespace vs Wix vs Shopify. If WordPress is your pick, our starter website service builds it for you.
Sources
Prices were read on each provider’s UK pricing page on 13 November 2026. They change often, may not include VAT and can include first-year offers, so check the provider’s page before you buy. We build and look after WordPress sites, so we have tried hard to be fair to the other platforms.
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