Picking the best platform for your business is a key aspect in creating your online presence. As a service-based creative – such as copywriters, designers, photographers, event planners, VAs, OBMs, etc. – you’re most likely weighing Squarespace vs Showit for your website.
As a brand and web designer who has worked with countless creatives over the years, I’ve been able to get the inside scoop on how each of these platforms function and the key factors that can help guide you in the right direction.
So, here is my breakdown of Squarespace vs Showit and what each platform brings to the table.
Also, this post contains affiliate links. That means I get a small kick-back if you purchase the products linked below. You can read my privacy policy for more info. Keep reading to learn all about the difference between Showit vs WordPress.
Showit vs Squarespace: Customization vs Convenience
Design Flexibility
When you are looking to create a design for your website that is truly unique and makes you and your business stand out, especially in the online space, design flexibility is most likely going to be at the top of your mind.
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Showit offers unparalleled, user-friendly design flexibility. There are not many platforms out there that offer the level of control you see on Showit, without requiring you to know code.
With this platform, you can create pixel-perfect layouts using its drag-and-drop editor. Each and every element can be precisely placed with ease. If you have ever used a program like Canva, Showit is very similar in its freedom and flexibility.
When it comes to Squarespace, you do have more design flexibility than you may see on some platforms, but you do also run into some restrictions. This platform also features a drag-and-drop editor; however, you are confined to a grid and may encounter issues when placing elements exactly where you want them.
All-In-One Solution
Squarespace is an excellent option if you are looking for an all-in-one platform. Now, when I say that, I truly mean that you can do everything right in the same place.
With Squarespace, you can use templates, create stores and memberships/courses, create an email list, blog, purchase and manage your domain, and more. This makes it truly easy to keep all the different parts of your business in one place.
Showit, on the other hand, has some of these abilities, but you may also have to integrate different platforms to do everything that you want to. For example, if you’re going to have an email sign-up, you’ll need to use an external program (such as Kit or Flodesk) and embed the form on your site.
Both of these platforms give you a ton of flexibility when it comes to integrations, and they make it very easy, actually, to add them to your website. But, for an all-in-one experience, Squarespace is a great option.
Ease of Use
In general, both of these platforms are likely to be easier to use for someone without website experience than some of the other options available (like WordPress). So, if you are looking to create your site on your own or make changes after it has been designed without too much of a learning curve, you can pick up the basics of using both platforms without too much trouble.
When we are looking at Showit vs Squarespace, there are really two main differences when it comes to ease of use. The first is going to be the dashboards themselves.
On Squarespace, the dashboard is a bit more straightforward. When you are editing the page, all you see is the page itself, and you can quickly add any elements you want to the different sections.
With Showit, the details are a bit more extensive, and you have more options to choose from when it comes to the various canvases/elements on the page, as well as the customization options available.
The second difference is mobile optimization. Both of these platforms allow you to customize mobile separate from desktop which is great, especially as we are seeing so many people visit sites on mobile.
Squarespace also has a bit of an advantage here with mobile optimization. On both platforms, you need to edit both desktop and mobile versions, but Squarespace generally sets up the mobile site more optimally automatically.
Showit does have a feature that can help layout a mobile design based on the desktop design, but it’s not perfect and still requires customization.
Design Capability
If you’re looking at the breakdown of how you actually design sites on both of these platforms, Showit again gives you so much control and so many options. Everything is laid out really easily, and you are able to customize individual elements without needing any code.
While there are some unique features that you can add to Showit with code, you can create a unique and standout site without needing to know any code at all.
Showit is also consistently adding new features and elements to the platform, making designing on it even easier. Buttons are the latest features that have recently been added and not only can you create default button styles in your design settings (simliar to what you would see in Squarepsace) but you are also able to edit every single piece of individual buttons once they are on the page (as opposed to Squarespace where that would require individual coding).
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On the other hand, Squarespace enables you to create simple sites with minimal effort. However, if you are looking for something truly custom, it will require a more in-depth design and additional customizations. (But don’t worry, we’re pros at that, so you can always reach out to us! Once the site it set up, it will still be easy to pop in and make changes. No scrolling pages of code here.
Now there are features that one has that the other doesn’t (like the option to do individual galleries on Showit but not Squarespace, or easily having multiple colors of text in a single text box on Squarespace when that requires coding on Showit). Still, in general, Showit does have greater design capabilities without code
Blogging
The great thing about both of these platforms is that you can have a blog. However, there is one main difference in the function of the blogs between the platforms. As we mentioned earlier, Squarespace has a built-in blog feature that is integrated directly into the platform.
Showit, however, uses WordPress for blogging. This means that the actual design of your blog is through Showit, but you have a separate WordPress dashboard where you actually write and upload your blog posts.
This means you have two separate places for your website as a whole. However, having the blog on WordPress also means you have access to WordPress plugins that you can use as well.
Showit will also migrate your blog posts for you if you are moving your site from Squarespace or WordPress. This means that your posts will be transferred from your old site to your new one. With that in mind, there can be times when the content does need to be edited after it is migrated.
Most of the time, this happens when you are moving from a WordPress builder that has different code used in the blog posts themselves. For example, if you previously used Flothemes and you have Flothemes blocks on your blog posts, that content will need to be updated.
Price
Now to dive into everyone’s favorite question: What is the price difference of Squarespace vs Showit? These prices are subject to change over time, but here is the current breakdown of the monthly price if you pay annually for either of these platforms.
Squarespace
For most service-based creatives, you will most likely be choosing between the bottom two tiers of Squarespace’s options. These are their Basic and Core plans. The Basic plan breaks down to $16/month, and the Core plan breaks down to $23/month.
In my experience, most of my clients opt for the Core plan, as it offers a few more customization options for the design.
Showit
Showit offers three different pricing options for you to choose from. If you don’t need a blog at all, the Showit plan is perfect and breaks down to $19/month.
For anyone who wants to start a new blog on Showit (meaning you start with a completely blank Wordpress blog), you’ll want the Showit + Basic Starter Blog plan which breaks down to $24/month.
Finally, we have the Showit + Advanced Blog plan. This is perfect for anyone who wants to migrate their existing blog to Showit or if you want the option to use the full library of plug-ins on WordPress. This plan breaks down to $34/month.
SEO
Finally, let’s talk about SEO. Both of these platforms are well-suited for SEO capabilities. It really comes down to how you actually implement your strategy on your website.
This means ensuring you have keywords on your website, you are optimizing your images and adding alt text, blogging, etc. However, with the right strategy, you can rank very well on either of these platforms, and they both make it easy to implement your strategy as well.
Squarespace vs Showit: Which is Right For You?
Hopefully, this breakdown helps you as you weigh Squarespace vs Showit. As a service-based creative, you really can’t go wrong with either of these platforms, and you can create sites that not only look great but also function well.
If you are ready to take the plunge and create a brand and website that truly represents you and your business, helping to attract your ideal clients, I’d love to chat. You can click here to learn more about my design services or head over here to get in touch!
