TL;DR: WordPress and Squarespace both leave the building to you. If you’d rather not, WebZum builds a multi-page site for you for $19/mo, paid month to month, and you can see it free before you pay. If you do want to build it, WordPress gives you low running costs and the freedom to move your site anywhere, but you handle updates and plugins; Squarespace hosts, secures and styles everything, but it’s hard to leave because it only exports part of a site. WordPress.com starts at $4/mo billed yearly; Squarespace starts at $19/mo billed yearly or $25/mo month to month.
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Disclosure: WebZum publishes this blog and makes a competing AI website builder. WordPress, Squarespace and hosting prices and rules below come from those companies’ own pricing and help pages, linked inline.
Verified October 27, 2026. Prices are US list prices shown that day and can change.
Is WordPress or Squarespace better for a small business?
WordPress is better if you want control and low cost; Squarespace is better if you want a polished site without touching anything technical.
They aren’t the same kind of product. WordPress is open-source software that runs 39.6% of all websites; Squarespace is a hosted builder that runs 2.4%, according to W3Techs on October 27, 2026 (W3Techs). You can install WordPress on almost any host. Squarespace only runs on Squarespace.
We judged them the way a local business owner would (a roofer, a salon, a bakery), not a developer:
- What it costs to run on your own domain.
- Who does the upkeep: updates, security, backups.
- What happens if you change your mind: refunds, redesigns, leaving.
- How much of the building you do yourself.
Which WordPress are we comparing?
Both, because they’re different deals. WordPress.com’s own help page says “the main difference is hosting. WordPress.com includes managed hosting, while WordPress.org requires you to find and manage your own” (WordPress.com Support).
- WordPress.org (self-hosted). The software is a free download (version 7.1.3 today, WordPress.org). You install it on a host that runs PHP 8.3 or newer, MySQL 8.0 or MariaDB 10.11 or newer, and HTTPS (WordPress.org). WordPress.com describes this route as needing “intermediate technical knowledge,” with “no dedicated support” (WordPress.com Support).
- WordPress.com (hosted). Automattic runs the hosting, security and core updates, and every paid plan can install plugins, “over 60,000” of them (WordPress.com pricing).
If what you like about Squarespace is not having to think about hosting, WordPress.com is the fairer comparison.
How much do WordPress and Squarespace cost in 2026?
WordPress is cheaper at every level. Squarespace costs more but puts hosting, design and upkeep in one bill.
Self-hosted WordPress costs whatever your host and domain cost. For example, DreamHost’s WordPress Hosting Launch plan was on sale at $1.99/mo for the first 4 years, paid up front, renewing at $7.99/mo (DreamHost). A free domain is included for the first year; DreamHost lists a .com renewal at $21.99/yr (DreamHost domains).
WordPress.com, billed yearly: Personal $4/mo, Premium $8/mo, Business $25/mo, Commerce $45/mo. Month to month: $9, $18, $40 and $70 (WordPress.com pricing). The free plan uses a yoursite.wordpress.com address, shows WordPress.com ads, and can’t install plugins.
Squarespace lists Basic at $19/mo billed yearly or $25/mo month to month, Core at $29 or $39, Plus at $49 or $65, and Advanced at $99 or $139, and says paying yearly saves “up to 36%” (Squarespace pricing). There’s no free plan, just a 14-day trial. If you sell online, Basic adds a 2% transaction fee on store sales, on top of card rates from 2.9% + $0.30 (Squarespace pricing).
One warning that applies to the cheap-host route, in WordPress.com’s own words: “Many hosts display their lowest ‘on sale’ price, with the fine print revealing that it’s only valid for one billing cycle” (WordPress.com Support). Check the renewal price before you pay.
What does each one cost over 36 months?
Plain math at today’s list prices, on your own domain. WebZum Basic is the one row on a WebZum address; it’s here as the option where you don’t build anything. Taxes, paid themes, plugins and email aren’t included, so treat these as floors.
| Option | Listed price | Cost over 36 months | Refund window | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⭐ No-DIY pick: WebZum Basic (built for you, WebZum address) | $19/mo, month to month | $684 | 30 days, every plan | WebZum |
| WebZum Professional (your own domain) | $34/mo, month to month | $1,224 | 30 days, every plan | WebZum |
| WordPress.org on DreamHost Launch | $1.99/mo, 4 years paid up front | $95.52 up front (covers 48 months) + $43.98 for two .com renewals = about $140 | 30 days | DreamHost |
| WordPress.com Personal | $4/mo yearly or $9/mo monthly | $144 yearly / $324 monthly, plus domain renewals | 14 days yearly, 7 days monthly | WordPress.com |
| WordPress.com Business | $25/mo yearly or $40/mo monthly | $900 yearly / $1,440 monthly | 14 days yearly, 7 days monthly | WordPress.com |
| Squarespace Basic | $19/mo yearly or $25/mo monthly | $684 yearly / $900 monthly | 14 days, yearly plans only | Squarespace |
| Squarespace Core | $29/mo yearly or $39/mo monthly | $1,044 yearly / $1,404 monthly | 14 days, yearly plans only | Squarespace |
To be fair: if you’ll build it yourself, self-hosted WordPress is far cheaper than anything else here, and WordPress.com Personal is close. Squarespace Basic paid yearly costs the same as WebZum Basic. The difference with WebZum is that it writes and builds the site for you, there’s nothing to update, and you can leave any month.
Can I get a refund?
Yes, but the windows are short, and Squarespace never refunds monthly plans.
Squarespace refunds “annual website subscriptions canceled within 14 days of purchase.” It doesn’t refund annual plans after 14 days, “monthly plans,” or renewals, and if you cancel a yearly plan inside the window, “the cost of the domain is deducted from your refund” (Squarespace Help). WordPress.com refunds yearly plans within 14 days, monthly plans within 7, and domains only within 96 hours (WordPress.com Support). DreamHost lists a 30-day money-back guarantee (DreamHost). WebZum gives every plan, monthly included, a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Can I leave Squarespace for WordPress later?
Partly. This is the biggest practical difference between the two, and most comparisons skip it.
Squarespace’s export makes a WordPress-format .xml file, and Squarespace says plainly that “some content doesn’t export” (Squarespace Help). Basic pages, one blog, and text and image blocks come across. These don’t:
- store, portfolio, album, index and calendar pages
- more than one blog
- product, video and audio blocks
- headers, footers and sidebars on specific pages
- your style settings and custom CSS
You also can’t export from a trial site, and if you import into self-hosted WordPress, Squarespace warns your images might not move and can break once you cancel. Its fix is to import into WordPress.com, which copies the images over (Squarespace Help). WordPress.com keeps a step-by-step guide for that move, last reviewed October 22, 2026 (WordPress.com Support).
WordPress goes the other way: you can move a WordPress site between WordPress.com and any other host (WordPress.com Support). The design comes with you, because the theme is part of the site.
Can I change my design later?
On both, yes, in different ways.
On WordPress you can switch themes from the Appearance menu whenever you like (WordPress.org). Squarespace 7.1 has “no template switching,” because every 7.1 site shares the same features and styles (Squarespace Help). That’s less of a limit than it sounds: you can restyle the whole site’s fonts, colors and themes at any time without rebuilding (Squarespace Help).
Is WordPress harder to keep safe than Squarespace?
Self-hosted WordPress needs more upkeep, mostly because of plugins. Squarespace and WordPress.com handle it for you.
Patchstack, a WordPress security company, counted 11,334 new vulnerabilities in the WordPress ecosystem in 2025, up 42% from 2024. In its report, 91% were in plugins, 9% in themes and only 6 in WordPress core (Patchstack, State of WordPress Security in 2026). That’s Patchstack’s own count of reported flaws, not hacked sites, but every plugin is one more thing to keep updated. On a self-hosted site, plugin auto-updates are something you switch on plugin by plugin (WordPress.org). WordPress.com says every plan includes malware scanning, a firewall and automated core updates (WordPress.com pricing). On Squarespace there are no plugins to keep updated.
Which is easier to use?
Squarespace, for most first-timers. You work inside sections and site-wide styles, so it’s hard to make a mess. WordPress has more moving parts: a host, a theme, plugins and a busy dashboard.
Both offer AI to get started. Squarespace has Blueprint AI for a starting design (Squarespace Help), with credits metered by plan: Basic gets 10 once, Core 20 a month (Squarespace pricing). WordPress.com has a guided AI builder with usage limits (WordPress.com pricing). After that first draft, you’re writing and arranging pages yourself either way.
Can Squarespace do Arabic or Hebrew?
Not well. Squarespace’s help center says “there isn’t currently a built-in way to add right-to-left (RTL) text to a Squarespace site,” and its workaround for longer text is custom code that “isn’t guaranteed to work” (Squarespace Help). On WordPress, right-to-left support depends on the theme and plugins you pick. WebZum builds Arabic and Hebrew sites fully right to left, including the menu, footer and chat widget.
What’s the third option if I don’t want to build or maintain a site?
WordPress hands you a toolbox and Squarespace hands you a style system. WebZum writes and builds the pages from a description of your business, and then you change things by typing what you want. There’s no theme to pick and nothing to update.
Changing the look is a good example, since that’s where WordPress (switch themes) and Squarespace (edit site styles) differ most. Here’s what it took on our own demo sites (screen recordings, October 2026):
- A bolder look in one message. On our Ridgeline Handyman demo we typed “Give the site a bolder look: deep navy and warm orange colors, and a stronger, chunkier font for the headlines.” WebZum restated the plan and offered an Update Theme button. About 30 seconds later the page reloaded with orange buttons, a cream background and a heavy slab font for headlines. The text and layout stayed the same.
- Undo, by asking. We typed “undo that,” clicked Undo, and the old colors and font were back within seconds.
- Matching a logo. On our Harbor Light Bike Repair demo, “Change the site colors to match our logo: teal as the main color and orange for buttons and highlights” was applied about 13 seconds after the click.
When is WebZum the better pick?
- You don’t want to build or design the site yourself. WebZum writes the pages, picks the photos and builds the menu.
- You’d rather change things by typing than learn an editor or a dashboard.
- You don’t want to manage a host, a theme or plugins.
- You want to be able to leave any month. Plans are month to month ($19 or $34), with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- You want to see it before you pay. The preview is free.
When should I stick with WordPress or Squarespace?
- You want the cheapest possible site and don’t mind the work. Self-hosted WordPress or WordPress.com Personal costs much less.
- You want a full online store, or a portfolio-heavy design site. WooCommerce on WordPress, or Squarespace Core and up, are built for that; WebZum connects outside booking and payment tools instead.
- You need custom code or full control of your hosting. That’s what self-hosted WordPress is for.
How do I get a WebZum site?
- Go to webzum.com/free-website and type your business name and what you do.
- WebZum asks a few questions, then writes and builds a multi-page site in about five minutes.
- Look it over and change anything by typing it, like you’d text someone.
- The preview is free while you decide. Basic is $19/mo; Professional, with your own domain, is $34/mo. Both are month to month with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Comparing more platforms? See WordPress vs Wix, Wix vs Squarespace, our best website builder for small business guide and the small business website cost breakdown. Side by side: WebZum vs Squarespace and WebZum vs WordPress.
FAQ
WordPress vs Squarespace: which is better?
WordPress is better if you want low cost, full control and the freedom to move hosts. Squarespace is better if you want one company to handle hosting, security and design and you don’t want plugins. WordPress.com starts at $4/mo billed yearly; Squarespace starts at $19/mo billed yearly or $25/mo monthly (WordPress.com, Squarespace). If you’d rather not build either, WebZum builds the site for you from $19/mo with a free preview.
Is Squarespace cheaper than WordPress?
No. Self-hosted WordPress can run about $140 over 36 months on a sale-priced host, and WordPress.com Personal is $144 over 36 months billed yearly. Squarespace Basic is $684 over the same 36 months billed yearly (DreamHost, WordPress.com, Squarespace). Squarespace includes hosting, design tools and upkeep in that price.
Can I move my Squarespace site to WordPress?
Some of it. Squarespace exports pages, one blog, and text and image blocks as a WordPress file, but not store pages, extra blogs, video or product blocks, or your styles and custom CSS (Squarespace Help). Expect to rebuild the design.
Is WordPress harder to use than Squarespace?
Usually, yes. Self-hosted WordPress means choosing a host, a theme and plugins and keeping them updated; Squarespace handles that for you. WordPress.com sits in between: hosted, but with the full WordPress dashboard.
Do I need a developer for WordPress?
Not to start, but WordPress.com says the self-hosted route needs “intermediate technical knowledge” and has “no dedicated support” (WordPress.com Support). Many small businesses end up paying someone for updates and fixes.
Want a site without picking a platform, a host or a theme? Get your free WebZum preview. It takes about five minutes.