Squarespace makes good-looking sites, but people outgrow it: they want more freedom, more selling power, a site they can take with them, or a website that actually brings in customers. Here are the options, and what each is best at.
By the Votrix team · Updated October 2026
The short answer
The right Squarespace alternative depends on what you've outgrown.
More freedom and apps Wix: free-form editing and a large app market.
Full control and ownership WordPress: open source, endless plugins.
Long-term customer growth Votrix AI: a website plus SEO, AI search and social run every week, with every visitor tracked.
Selling a lot of products Shopify: the strongest store and checkout.
Designers Webflow or Framer: precise control and animation.
Lowest cost or one page Hostinger for a cheap bundle; Carrd for a single page.
Why people switch
Why people look for a Squarespace alternative
No free plan. Squarespace offers a 14-day trial, then a paid plan; there's no free tier to keep a simple site on.
Structured editing. Sections keep pages tidy, but you can't place things freely or build unusual layouts.
Limited export. Squarespace exports only part of a site (mainly pages and blog posts) to WordPress; designs and many content types stay behind.
Selling has limits. Every plan can sell, but larger catalogs, many apps and complex checkout usually fit Shopify better.
A nice site isn't the same as customers. Squarespace gives you the site; getting found, tracking inquiries and bringing people in are still on you.
How we picked
What we looked at
Who does the work
Do you build and maintain the site, or does a dedicated team run it?
Selling and booking
Payments, bookings and orders the way a small business needs them.
Leaving later
Can you take your site or code with you?
Bringing in customers
Does it help people find you and get in touch, and can you see it working?
Open-source software that runs a large share of the web. Use it hosted on WordPress.com, or install it on your own host and extend it with themes and plugins.
Good
Tens of thousands of plugins
You own the site and can move hosts
Developers are easy to find
Watch out for
Steeper to learn than drag-and-drop builders
You keep WordPress, the theme and plugins updated
Security and hosting are on you when self-hosted
Pick it if you have a developer, or you're comfortable maintaining software.
Best for: Businesses that grow through their website, SEO, AI search and social over the long term
Votrix builds your website as the front door for all your marketing. Maya designs each page around how customers reach you (calls, quote forms, bookings and payments), publishes it on your domain and tracks every visitor, source and inquiry. Riya, Rebecca and Victor send people to it from Google and AI search, social media and outreach.
Good
Built for calls, quotes, bookings and payments
Every visitor, source and inquiry tracked, with a funnel report
Traffic from search, AI answers, social and outreach sent to it
Nothing to build or maintain; changes by message, code yours
Pick it if you need your website to bring in customers, not just look good.
Long-term growth: website, SEO, AI search and social
Maya, for you
Through your Shopify store
Full source code is yours
Webflow
Designers
You or a designer
Ecommerce plans
Stays on Webflow if you use its hosting
Framer
Animated, modern sites
You
Not built in
Hosted on Framer
Hostinger
Lowest-cost bundle
You, from an AI draft
Higher plans
Stays on Hostinger
Carrd
One-page sites
You
Not built in
Hosted on Carrd
Details from each company's own website and help pages, October 2026.
Questions
What is the best alternative to Squarespace?
For more freedom and apps, Wix. For control and ownership, WordPress. For selling many products, Shopify. If you need the site to bring in customers without building it yourself, Votrix.
Is there a free alternative to Squarespace?
Wix has a free plan with Wix branding. WordPress software is free, but you pay for hosting. Votrix is free to start: you see your homepage before you pay anything.
Is Wix better than Squarespace?
Wix gives you more freedom and more built-in apps; Squarespace keeps design tidier with less effort. Neither builds the site for you.
Can I move my Squarespace site?
Squarespace exports only part of a site, so most moves mean rebuilding pages. Votrix's Maya rebuilds a Squarespace site from its live pages, shows you a preview, then moves your domain with redirects.
Which Squarespace alternative is best for an online store?
Shopify, if selling products is the main job. Votrix builds your storefront and connects Shopify, so the rest of the site is built to bring in customers too.
Riya · SEO
Maya · Web
Rebecca · Social
Victor · Leads