Compare
Squarespace vs WordPress
Two ways to build it yourself: Squarespace's templates and editor, or WordPress.com's plugins.
By the Nightly team · Checked 4 November 2026
The short answer
Which one fits you
Choose Squarespace if
Squarespace
You want templates, one editor and a store on every plan, and don't need plugins.
Choose WordPress if
WordPress.com
You want plugins for almost anything, unlimited pages, or a free plan with ads to start.
Side by side
Squarespace and WordPress.com
| Feature | Squarespace | WordPress.com |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No free plan: a 14-day free trial | Free plan, with WordPress.com ads |
| Cheapest plan | Basic: £14.40 a month, billed yearly, VAT included. Core: £20.40. | Personal: £3.60 a month with VAT, billed yearly, shown as a saving. Or £9.60 billed monthly. Check what it renews at before you buy. |
| AI to get you started | Yes. Built-in AI tools on every plan. Basic has 10 AI credits, one-time. | Yes. A guided builder on every paid plan; an AI site assistant from Business. |
| Editing | Yes. A drag-and-drop editor. | Yes. The WordPress editor, with unlimited pages and posts. |
| Your own web address | Yes. On every plan. Free for the first year on yearly plans. | Yes. Every paid plan. A domain is free for a year. |
| Online store | Yes. On every plan. Basic adds a 2% transaction fee. | Yes. A WooCommerce store, on Commerce. |
| Take payments | Yes. On every plan, through Squarespace Payments. | Yes. Payment buttons, from Premium. |
| Pages | Up to 1,000 pages. | Unlimited pages and posts. |
| A plan for your business's own files | No. Not on its pricing page. | No. Not on its pricing page. |
✓ yes, ✗ no. Read from each company's own pages (sources below). UK prices include VAT.
Where Nightly fits
If you'd rather not build it
Or have it made for you
Both Squarespace and WordPress are for building it yourself. Nightly builds the website from your own answers, in your own words, and you change what you like. It includes search basics, blog drafts and Business Brain, a plan for your business's own files. It doesn't have a store yet, and costs more than their cheapest plans.
Questions answered
Squarespace or WordPress
Is WordPress free?
The WordPress software from WordPress.org is free, but you buy hosting elsewhere. WordPress.com has a free plan that shows its ads to your visitors. Squarespace has no free plan, only a 14-day trial.
Which has a store?
Both. Squarespace has an online store on every plan, with a 2% fee on Basic. WordPress.com has a WooCommerce store on its Commerce plan.
Which one is cheaper?
WordPress.com's paid plans start lower when billed yearly, and it has a free plan. Its page shows the yearly price as a saving, so check what it renews at before you buy.
Sources
Where these facts come from
Each company's own pages, read on 4 November 2026 unless a date says otherwise. Prices and plans change, so check their pages before you choose. Squarespace and WordPress.com are trademarks of their owners, and Nightly isn't connected with any of them.
Squarespace
- Pricing, trial, domains and AI toolssquarespace.
com/ pricing - AI website buildersquarespace.
com/ websites/ ai-website-builder - Acuity Schedulingsquarespace.
com/ scheduling - Page limitssupport.
squarespace. com/ hc/ en-us/ articles/ 206543087-Page-limits
WordPress.com
- Plans and priceswordpress.
com/ pricing
Compare
More comparisons
Start your website now
- Free to see
- No card
See your own website first
Tell Nightly about your business and it builds your website from your answers. Free to see for 14 days, no card.