Squarespace vs Webflow: which is better for a small business website?

Squarespace and Webflow are both hosted website platforms. You pay a subscription, the platform handles hosting and security, and there are no plugins to update. The difference is who each one is built for. Squarespace is designed so a business owner can build a good looking site from a template without help. Webflow is a professional design tool that gives a designer full control over the layout, and then lets the owner edit the content.

SiteHike builds on Webflow and is a Webflow Partner, so we have a stake in this. Squarespace is the better fit in several cases, and we list those below.

The short answer

• Squarespace is usually the better fit if you want to build the site yourself this weekend, you're happy with a template, and the site only needs a handful of pages.
• Webflow is usually the better fit if someone else is building the site, you want a custom design, or the site needs many service and town pages to rank in local search.

Ease of use

Squarespace is easier for a beginner. You pick a template, replace the text and photos, and publish. Most owners can get a basic site live in a day or two.

Webflow has a steeper learning curve because it works like a professional design tool. Most business owners don't build their own Webflow site. A designer builds it, and the owner or office staff update text, photos and blog posts in the Webflow Editor without touching the layout.

Design control

Squarespace templates look polished, and many small business sites start from the same few templates. You can change fonts, colors and sections, but the layout options stay within what the template allows.

Webflow has no template limits. A designer can build any layout, and the site still produces clean code that loads quickly. This matters when you want the site to look like your business rather than like a template.

SEO

Both platforms cover the basics: page titles and descriptions, clean URLs, an automatic sitemap, redirects and mobile friendly pages. Google doesn't prefer one over the other.

The difference shows up as the site grows. Local SEO for a service business usually means a page for each service and each town you cover. Webflow's CMS makes it practical to build and manage dozens of those pages with consistent layouts and structured data. On Squarespace this is possible but more manual. Our local SEO page explains why those pages matter.

Cost

Both platforms charge monthly or yearly plans, and both change their pricing from time to time, so check their pricing pages for current numbers. For most small businesses, the plan price on either one is small next to the cost of design work or the time you spend building the site yourself. Our guide to what a small business website costs covers the full picture.

Upkeep and security

This is a tie. Both platforms handle hosting, SSL, security and backups on their side. Neither one needs plugin updates, which is the biggest practical advantage both have over a typical WordPress site.

Moving later

Neither platform lets you pick up the whole site and move it to another host. Squarespace can export some content, mainly blog posts and basic pages, in a format WordPress can import. Webflow can export the site code and CMS content as CSV files on paid plans. In both cases, moving to a new platform means rebuilding parts of the site. Whichever you choose, keep the domain registered in your own name.

Which one to choose

• Choose Squarespace if you're building it yourself, a template fits your business, and you need a simple site with a few pages.
• Choose Webflow if you're hiring someone to build it, you want a custom design, or you plan to grow the site with service and town pages for local search.

We also compared Webflow and WordPress and Wix and Webflow. We build websites for contractors and local businesses on Webflow with no build fee and local SEO included. If you already have a Squarespace site, request a free audit and we'll tell you whether it's worth rebuilding or better to improve what you have.