WordPress vs. Squarespace in 2025: Which Platform Is Right for Your Business?
As someone who’s owned and operated agencies working in both WordPress and Squarespace, I’ve seen the strengths—and the headaches—of both platforms. In the early 2010s, my team built exclusively on WordPress and Shopify. At the time, Squarespace wasn’t mature enough to handle our clients’ needs.
Back then, most website projects cost $25,000–$50,000 and took 3–6 months to roll out. That was a lot of time, a lot of pressure, and a lot of ongoing support—for everyone involved. We’d often have to manage plugin updates, security, and hosting for our clients long after launch. That kind of maintenance wasn’t just tedious—it was stressful and expensive.
WordPress: A Powerful Tool (That Can Be Too Much for Most Businesses)
WordPress is still one of the most powerful content management systems on the internet. It powers massive content hubs like CNN, Rolling Stone, and Time Magazine. It’s flexible, highly customizable, and supported by a massive open-source developer community.
But for most small businesses, WordPress is honestly more muscle than they need.
Maintenance is a huge issue.
WordPress requires regular updates—not just to the core platform, but to all the plugins that make your site functional. If you don’t stay on top of it, your site becomes vulnerable to attacks. I had a client site hacked years ago because a plugin wasn’t updated on time, and it was a nightmare—for both of us.
Plugins can be powerful but risky.
You usually need tools like YoastSEO, Advanced Custom Fields, and more just to make WordPress feel manageable. But managing all of those pieces adds complexity and risk.
Hosting isn’t simple.
You have to choose your own host, pay for it separately, and make sure it supports your site’s needs. You also have to manage SSL, caching, and performance. That might work for a tech-savvy founder—but most of our clients don’t want to be part-time web admins.
Developer Dissonance
And recently, even the developer community has been uneasy. In 2024, the widely-used plugin Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) was temporarily pulled from WordPress.org, raising concerns about plugin governance, support, and long-term sustainability. When the ecosystem starts fighting itself, that’s a red flag for everyday business owners.
Squarespace: Simpler, Smarter, and Built for 2025
Squarespace has come a long way since its early template-driven days. Today, we build exclusively on Squarespace—and not because we’re cutting corners.
It’s just easier—for everyone.
Clients don’t need to worry about hosting, SSL, or updates. It’s all included in their subscription.
It’s secure and low-maintenance.
There has only been one major update to Squarespace in the past 5 years (from version 7.0 to 7.1), and it wasn’t even required. No plugin juggling. No emergency patching.
It’s client-friendly.
The backend is easy to use. We include training videos with every site we launch, and our clients actually use them. They feel empowered to make changes themselves, which builds trust and keeps us from becoming a bottleneck.
It’s more flexible than ever.
Today, I often tell clients: "We’ll build you a site that doesn’t feel like a Squarespace site." And we deliver. Modern Squarespace is capable of custom layouts, dynamic content, SEO optimization, animations, and more. Check out some of our work to see what’s possible.
And SEO? We’ve got that covered.
With our certification through SEOSpace, we’re now offering SEO services tailored to Squarespace. That used to be a WordPress advantage—but not anymore. Learn more about Squarespace Analytics in this post.
Wordpress vs Squarespace in 2025 - A Comparison
| Feature / Factor | WordPress | Squarespace | What That Means for You |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup & Launch Time | 3–6 months (custom dev) | 1–2 weeks (template or custom build) | Faster time-to-market = faster ROI |
| Maintenance & Updates | Manual updates, frequent plugin patches | Auto-managed by Squarespace | No tech headaches, lower risk of site issues |
| Hosting & Security | Requires third-party provider & setup | Included in your subscription | One less thing to pay for or worry about |
| Design Flexibility | Unlimited, but requires dev skills | Highly flexible with modern tools | Get a custom look without coding |
| Ease of Use (Post-Launch) | Complex backend, hard to self-manage | Intuitive editor with built-in training support | You can actually make your own updates |
| SEO Tools | Requires Yoast and configuration | Built-in + SEOSpace optimization | Strong SEO without extra plugins |
| Cost Over Time | $10k+ build + ongoing plugin/hosting fees | $20–$40/mo all-in (plus optional pro services) | Predictable, scalable pricing |
| Best Use Case | Large content hubs, dev-led teams | Small-to-mid service-based businesses | If you're not CNN, this one's for you |
Frequently Asked Questions
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Not anymore. While WordPress has long been known for strong SEO capabilities (especially with plugins like Yoast), Squarespace has caught up—especially with tools like SEOSpace (which we’re certified in). With the right setup, Squarespace sites can rank just as well as WordPress sites, and they’re easier to maintain without constant plugin updates.
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Not at all. Squarespace has come a long way in the last few years. With version 7.1 and custom code injections, it's possible to create beautiful, fully customized websites that don’t feel like templates. At Known Creative, we regularly build Squarespace sites that people can't even tell were built on Squarespace.
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WordPress is still a great option for complex websites, especially those with large content libraries or advanced functionality that requires custom development. But for most small businesses, it's overkill. It requires more time, money, and technical support than most owners are prepared for.
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Yes—but it’s not a direct one-click migration. We regularly help clients rebuild their WordPress sites in Squarespace, making the most of existing content while streamlining the backend and improving the user experience. It’s often a great move for businesses looking to simplify. Book a call if you want to discuss a move like this.
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Yes. Squarespace handles all security, updates, and hosting in-house. There’s no need to manage plugins or third-party servers, which reduces the risk of vulnerabilities. Unlike WordPress, you don’t need to worry about constant updates or potential plugin conflicts.
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Squarespace has a simple monthly fee ($20–$40/month for most sites) that includes hosting, security, and access to all design tools. WordPress itself is free, but you'll need to pay for hosting, premium themes, plugins, and likely development support—making the real cost much higher over time.
Final Thoughts: WordPress vs. Squarespace in 2025
If you’re a media company, a content giant, or a brand with massive internal dev resources—sure, WordPress still makes sense.
But for most small businesses, Squarespace is the smarter, simpler choice. It’s everything you need, nothing you don’t.
That’s why we’ve fully transitioned Known Creative to be a Squarespace-only studio. Our goal isn’t just to build beautiful websites—we want to create low-stress, high-performing systems that let our clients focus on their business, not their backend.
