Webflow vs. Squarespace
In this post, we’ll discuss the contrasting nuances of Webflow versus Squarespace, and why we continue to utilize both. There’s much in common between these industry-leading website platforms, and while they serve different markets at their core, they remain similar in their approach to delivering custom Web experiences for digital marketing professionals and end-users alike. Let’s delve in.
How they Differ
It’s important to, firstly, recognize the differences between each to know which is optimal for your particular use case.
Squarespace is a do-it-yourself, drag-and-drop, and primarily block-based platform. What this translates to is a relatively easy-to-use (although we prefer to say, simple-to-use) CMS with some rigid boundaries contouring site design, layout, and page structuring. As such, business owners and non-profit organizations will often independently manage their site when using this content management system, regardless of their technical background. Large strives have been made by Squarespace to join the no-code movement as of recent, launching what they decided to label Fluid Engine. It’s essentially a more user-friendly (albeit more restricted and less granular) version of Webflow’s design editor, but it gets the job done in terms of personalization.
Whilst Webflow is known for having keen design prowess, it especially excels in content management (both on-page and within the interface), in our opinion. Tiered pages (i.e., nested folders), section/side-wide elements (such as mobile-responsive sidebars), multiple menu bars (and mega-menus, as well as uniquely-placed/horizontal menus), intrinsic design (i.e., true 2D content, or, in lay terms, sideways-enabled scrolling), and more is available at a couple of clicks/drags of a mouse. This makes it extremely powerful, and one of the many reasons why even major enterprises are now shifting their site-building efforts to Webflow.
How they’re Alike
Behavioral elements (such as animations, interactions, transitions, etc) are commonly found throughout the various editors offered by both Webflow and Squarespace. They breathe life into sites that would otherwise appear static for lack of a better word. They’re not vitally important, but it’s a nice touch on each of their parts to include them.
Both platforms are founded on WYSIWYG (i.e., what-you-see-is-what-you-get) principles. Typically, this sort of design blueprint results in countless bugs and, therefore, lackluster site performance… but they do it well, to say the least. Editing on-page content on-page (no pun intended) feels intuitive and practical at the same time. So much so that it makes developing sites, dare we say, fun.
Webflow and Squarespace are equally complete in that they support most types of content (i.e., free, paid/premium, gated, etc) through their many facets. They also have strong e-commerce functionality, allowing their customers to sell physical products and digital goods (including membership paywalls) as well as receive donations, offer (and, naturally, be compensated for) services, etc.
Why Each is Great
We’re not mincing words when we say that each of them is a tour de force in their own right. But the devil is in the details. Squarespace offers considerably more marketing and business/sales features (such as email marketing/newsletters, unbranded video player, even domain names, etc); Webflow, on the other hand (and as we’ve already pointed out), offers better design and content management features. Hence, the former tends to attract the DIY community (i.e., bloggers and other e-business owners, very lean startups, local mom-and-pop shops on a budget, creatives/artists, service-sellers, etc) — while the latter targets Web designers/developers/strategists along with several inbound marketing experts.
We use both platforms because each client project will have requirements that clearly gravitate toward one or the other. There’s enough of an overlap to make either work in the majority of scenarios, but this only aids in the decision process (i.e., there’s no real pressure since you virtually can’t go wrong when choosing). Squarespace is all-in-one/all-inclusive, and Webflow is the comprehensive choice for advanced content initiatives (and/or originality in design)… plain and simple.
