When people get sick of WordPress, Squarespace is usually the next thing they look at. It is genuinely simpler. It is also a different shape of trade-off than people realise until they are eighteen months in.
What Squarespace gets right
A non-technical owner can build a credible-looking site without breaking anything. The templates are tasteful. The editor is usable. Nothing needs updating because Squarespace updates everything for you. If you are starting from scratch and want a site live this weekend, it is a sensible call. Around $20 a month gets you a brochure site that just works.
If you like dragging blocks around in a browser, you will like it. We are honest about that. We do not have a drag-and-drop editor and we do not pretend to.
What it costs you longer term
You cannot really leave. Squarespace’s export gives you the text, not the layout, not the styling, not the structured data. Two years from now, when you want a redesign, you are starting over rather than evolving what you have.
The design ceiling is the template. You can adjust within the bounds Squarespace allows. You cannot have something bespoke that looks like your business and not like a Squarespace site. A trained eye recognises a Squarespace site at fifty paces.
The bill creeps. The cheapest plan lacks things most small businesses end up wanting (email campaigns, advanced analytics, more than one editor). Most settle around the Business plan, around $300 a year. With a commerce add-on, more.
The SEO has a ceiling. It is decent out of the box and worse than custom-built. For a business where organic search is the primary lead source, this matters eventually.
Where we sit
WPGone sits between WordPress and Squarespace. We give you:
- Zero maintenance, like Squarespace. The site does not update itself because there is nothing to update.
- A bespoke design, like a WordPress build. Not a template. Built to match your brand and the way your customers actually use the site.
- No subscription lock-in. The managed plan is $19 a month with a 12-month minimum, then month-to-month. Or buy outright for $900 and walk away.
What we do not give you is a self-edit interface. You email us, we ship the change within a working day. For most owners this is a relief; for owners who genuinely enjoy fiddling with their site, it is the wrong fit and Squarespace is the better answer.
What we would actually recommend
- Starting a new site, you want to fiddle yourself, Squarespace.
- Existing WordPress site you are tired of, come to us.
- Genuine application (memberships, large e-commerce, complex logic), stay on WordPress and hire properly.
See the pricing or send us your URL. We rebuild your site for free and you decide once you have seen it.