Squarespace vs WordPress.com
Squarespace is a closed all-in-one box with the best templates in the category. WordPress.com is managed WordPress on an open source core, with plugin installation on every paid plan and a documented route to self-hosted WordPress. Owners who want a finished-looking site with few decisions choose Squarespace; owners who want plugins and an exit route choose WordPress.com.
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Choose Squarespace ifyou want a good-looking small business site with hosting, templates and selling included from the entry plan, and you do not expect to restructure it or move it elsewhere.
Choose WordPress.com ifyou want the option of moving to self-hosted WordPress one day, and you value plugin access, unlimited users and a free plan to start on.
Squarespace and WordPress.com side by side
| Squarespace | WordPress.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Our website builder rank | #9 of 12 | #11 of 12 |
| Established in | United States | United States |
| Pricing | Per month by plan, published; 14-day trial only | Free tier; paid plans per month, published |
| List price, 30 September 2026 | Basic: €12 per month billed annually, or €17 paid monthly (no free plan, 14-day trial) | Personal: US$4 per month billed annually, or US$9 paid monthly, excl. taxes; free plan available |
| Free tier | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Self-hostable | — | Yes |
| Built for | A small business that wants a good-looking site with no decisions | Anyone who wants the option to move to self-hosted WordPress later |
| Not for | A site that needs custom structure or a real CMS | A team that wants plugins without paying: the free plan has none |
Both are reviewed in full in our website builder ranking: Squarespace and WordPress.com.
Where they differ
Squarespace 1 · WordPress.com 2 · open 1- 01
Keeping your options open
WordPress.com has a built-in export of posts, pages and comments, and documents a migration plugin route that moves the whole site, theme and plugins included, to any other WordPress host. Squarespace exports an XML file aimed at WordPress that leaves out store pages, style settings and custom CSS. For anyone who treats a website as an asset to own, this round is not close.
Edge: WordPress.com
- 02
How the site looks on day one
Squarespace is known for the best templates in this category and for being easy for non-designers, and it is genuinely difficult to produce a poor-looking result with it. WordPress.com offers themes, patterns and an AI-guided site builder, but only a selection of premium themes on Personal and the full set from Premium. On appearance with minimal effort, Squarespace leads.
Edge: Squarespace
- 03
What the entry plans include
Squarespace Basic, €12 a month billed annually, covers templates, two contributors and selling with a 2 per cent store fee. WordPress.com Personal, US$4 a month billed annually, covers 6 GB of storage, unlimited users, no adverts and plugin installation, and a free plan sits below it. Squarespace has no free plan, only a 14-day trial. Which bundle is worth more depends on whether you sell.
Depends on the buyer
- 04
Room to extend
WordPress.com says every paid plan can install any of more than 60,000 plugins or upload one directly, on top of an open source core. Squarespace offers Extensions, a collection of third-party connectors it calls its equivalent of plugins, and allows custom CSS and JavaScript from the Core plan. For a site that will need functions not foreseen today, WordPress.com has the longer runway.
Edge: WordPress.com
When neither fits
A designer or agency wanting full control of layout will find both too constraining and is better served by Webflow. A publication that needs only posts and paid newsletters is a closer match for Ghost, which can also be self-hosted.
Squarespace or WordPress.com: questions
4 answersWhich is easier for a small business owner, Squarespace or WordPress.com?
Squarespace, in our assessment. It is built for non-designers, bundles hosting and templates, and removes most decisions. WordPress.com is managed, so there is no server to run, and includes an AI-guided site builder, but it still leaves you more choices about themes and plugins.
Can a Squarespace or WordPress.com site be moved to another host?
A WordPress.com site can: its export tool covers posts, pages and comments, and a migration plugin can carry the entire site to self-hosted WordPress. Squarespace exports an XML file for WordPress with text, images and one blog, so a move means rebuilding design and structure.
Do I get plugins on Squarespace or WordPress.com?
WordPress.com states that plugin installation is available on every paid plan, starting with Personal, with access to over 60,000 plugins; the free plan has none.
Squarespace has Extensions, third-party tools for tasks such as tax, shipping and marketing, plus custom CSS and JavaScript from its Core plan.
How much do Squarespace and WordPress.com cost?
Squarespace showed Basic at €12 a month billed annually or €17 paid monthly, and has no free plan. WordPress.com lists Personal at US$4 a month billed annually or US$9 paid monthly, before taxes, and has a free plan with adverts and a wordpress.com subdomain.
Sources
Checked 30 September 2026- Squarespace pricing page: Squarespace plan prices, contributors, store fee, no free plan, trial, Extensions and CSS/JavaScript on Core.
- Squarespace help: Exporting your site: what a Squarespace export contains and omits.
- WordPress.com pricing page: WordPress.com plan prices, plugins on every paid plan, themes per plan, storage, unlimited users, free plan limits.
- WordPress.com support: Export your website's content: standard WordPress.com export covers posts, pages and comments, not theme or plugins.
- WordPress.com support: Export an entire website with a plugin: a migration plugin moves a whole WordPress.com site to another WordPress host.