Squarespace vs GoDaddy: Which Is Best for You in 2021

Squarespace and GoDaddy appear to be very similar website builders, and yet below the surface, the two are actually quite different. So while both are often regarded as one of the top solutions for small business, which is the best will depend on your unique set of website needs, budget, time. To find the clear winner for you, we put the two in a head-to-head comparison, analyzing them across a number of key factors that matter most to businesses.

• Squarespace: Best in terms of web design and maximum capabilities, as well as for those selling products online
• GoDaddy: Best in terms of ease of use, making it ideal for beginners as well as for those selling services online

Squarespace vs GoDaddy at a Glance

*GoDaddy’s built-in appointment booking system is available with all plans. However, to accept payments with online bookings, you’ll need to opt for the $19.99 per month plan.

How We Evaluated Squarespace vs GoDaddy

Squarespace and GoDaddy both appear to be nearly identical website builders in terms of everything—from template options to pricing. With such seemingly similar offerings, it can be difficult to determine which provider is best for your website. So we put the two to the test by comparing them based on a number of key factors, such as price, ease of use, storage and bandwidth, features and inclusions, customer support, and customer reviews.

Click the tabs below for more information about our evaluation criteria:

Most Affordable: GoDaddy

Squarespace and GoDaddy are similarly priced, with just a $2 per month difference between comparable plans. GoDaddy is also cheaper for its ecommerce-enabled plans that let you sell and process payments online. Granted, Squarespace plans come standard with unlimited storage, as well as a free domain name (approximately $12 per year value), so if you don’t already have a domain, the difference between entry-level business plans is really just $1 per month.

Squarespace vs GoDaddy: Pricing & Features

*Unmetered bandwidth indicates that the speed of data transfer is not monitored, whereas unlimited bandwidth indicates that there is no limit (within reason) to the amount of data that can be transferred within a period of time, such as a month.

Winner: GoDaddy offers cheaper plans for both standard business websites and for those looking to sell online. However, GoDaddy doesn’t offer month-to-month plans, so if you’re not interested in an annual commitment, choose Squarespace.

Best for Design: Squarespace

Squarespace has made a name for itself for its professionally crafted designs that are notorious for looking expensive. However, you may be surprised to learn that GoDaddy also offers tons of great-looking templates to choose from. Squarespace has far more built-out templates, but it comes with the drawback that you can’t change templates once you start editing one. So while you’re less likely to want to change a Squarespace template, you can’t even if you do want to.

Winner: With nearly double the templates to choose from, and award-winning design, it’s got to be Squarespace.

Easiest to Use: GoDaddy

While both Squarespace and GoDaddy are designed to give users an easy way of building a professional business website, GoDaddy is easier to use. GoDaddy’s artificial intelligence (AI)-powered interface is very intuitive, and the platform requires almost no learning curve. On the other hand, Squarespace has more customization capabilities, making it a better choice for those with some technical expertise and customization demands.

Building a Site With Squarespace

Squarespace is highly regarded as an easy-to-use, drag-and-drop website builder. Users get to choose from dozens of professionally designed templates with vast customization capabilities, including the ability to add custom code. The platform does require a bit of a learning curve for those new to it, whereas GoDaddy’s platform is a little more straightforward, making it the overall easier-to-use website builder.

Interested in learning more about what’s involved with creating a Squarespace site? Get the step-by-step details on how to build a website with Squarespace.

Building a Site With GoDaddy

GoDaddy’s website builder is powered by artificial intelligence (AI), and it shows. It’s not only very easy to use, requiring little to no learning curve, but it automatically connects relevant features and tools based on your business type. And unlike Squarespace, templates are interchangeable so you can always change out templates without losing any of your work.

For example, a user who indicates that they are building a website for a restaurant will be given a list of features that they would likely be interested in, such as menus, an online reservation system, and the ability to accept online orders for delivery. If you decide you don’t love your chosen template, you can try other templates.

Want more insight? Check out the step-by-step instructions on how to build a GoDaddy website.

Winner: GoDaddy is the more beginner-friendly site builder.

Best for Ecommerce: Tied

While both Squarespace and GoDaddy are ecommerce-ready platforms that make it easy to create product listings, manage inventory, and process purchases, they’re very different when it comes to the price you need to pay to get these features. With Squarespace, you can sell online with its $18 per month plan, whereas with GoDaddy, you’ll be paying $24.99 per month for the ability to sell products online.

However, if you’re selling your services online, it’s a whole other story. GoDaddy offers the ability to accept online appointments and bookings with its entry-level plan that costs just $9.99 per month. And if you’re looking to sell tickets to group events, set up recurring bookings and payments (or memberships, say if you’re a fitness center), or send automated appointment reminders via email and text, GoDaddy offers all of these features for $19.99 per month.

Winner: Squarespace wins for those selling products, and GoDaddy wins for those selling services.

Most Capabilities: Squarespace

Both site builders offer a solid list of features and capabilities that will meet the needs of most small businesses. However, it’s worth noting that Squarespace does have a more comprehensive list of built-out capabilities and features. This is largely due to the fact that it has a large number of third-party integrations and apps available. So whether you’re looking for more marketing and sales tools or the ability to sell with dropshipping suppliers, Squarespace is the better option.

Winner: Squarespace has a lengthy list of integrations, making it a far more flexible site builder.

Best Customer Support: GoDaddy

Squarespace offers highly rated customer support via live chat and email. Support is available 24/7 via email, and live chat is available weekdays from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time. Unlike GoDaddy, it does not offer support via phone. However, it does offer a comprehensive help center that is packed with resources where users can troubleshoot issues on their own. It also has an active community forum where users can post questions and get answers from others.

GoDaddy wins in terms of customer service because it offers support 24/7 via phone. It also offers assistance via live chat for those who do not wish to speak to a customer service representative. What’s unique about GoDaddy’s customer support, beyond offering support via phone, is that it also offers support lines for a number of different countries, making it a good choice for those who live outside of the U.S. or those who frequently travel internationally.

Winner: GoDaddy has phone support, and Squarespace doesn’t, so GoDaddy is the winner.

Best Alternatives

Not sure if neither Squarespace nor GoDaddy are quite right for your website needs? There are dozens of leading content management systems (CMS) and all-in-one site builders on the market—each with its own set of unique features and selling points. So if you’re still on the fence, consider your alternatives.

Here are the best alternatives to Squarespace and GoDaddy:

• Wix: Best for those who want the ease of use of GoDaddy with maximum design freedom within a drag-and-drop site builder
• Shopify: Best for those who need more dropshipping integrations than Squarespace offers
• Weebly: Best for those looking to sell online but need a more affordable option
• Webnode: Best for businesses that need a simple site at the lowest price
• WordPress: Best for businesses that need more capabilities than Squarespace and GoDaddy can offer and don’t mind investing time in learning the CMS

Still not sure which is quite right for your business? Check out the best overall Squarespace alternatives.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are the best website builders?

There are many high-quality website builders that make it easy for nearly anyone to build a professional business website without code or web design experience. The top website builders include Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, Shopify, and WordPress (with drag-and-drop website builder plugins). Learn more about the best website builders to find which one is right for your budget, skill level, and website needs.

Which is better: Squarespace or Shopify?

Squarespace and Shopify are both top website building platforms with one major difference: Squarespace can be used to build an informational business website or an online store, whereas Shopify is only used for building an online store. Discover which platform best suits your needs by reading the complete breakdown of Shopify vs Squarespace.

What’s the best way to build a small business website?

Businesses have a number of options when it comes to building a website, from fully customizable sites built with a content management system, such as WordPress, or quickly and easily using a drag-and-drop site builder, such as Squarespace or Wix. Which method is best for you will depend on your individual needs, web design experience, time frame, and budget. Find out which best fits your business and learn how to build a small business website.

Bottom Line: Squarespace vs GoDaddy

The question of Squarespace vs GoDaddy isn’t necessarily easy as they are both leading all-in-one website building solutions. While they’re very similar platforms in terms of price and design, GoDaddy is the best for budget-conscious beginners and those selling services online, whereas Squarespace is best for those who need vast customizations, top-notch design, and sell products online.

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