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Comparison

Squarespace vs WordPress: when is it time to move?

Squarespace suits a small team running a simple site. Organizations usually outgrow it when more people edit the site, the CRM has to connect, or the data has to stay in Canada. We've moved clients off it, SocialNext among them.

Rated 5.0 out of 5,63 Google reviews320-999 8 St. SW, CalgaryUpdated November 14, 2026

The short answer

Squarespace is a hosted website builder: one monthly plan, no updates to run and polished templates. WordPress is open-source software you host where you choose, with custom blocks, any integration and a whole site you can take with you.

Stay on Squarespace while one or two people run a brochure site and a blog. Move when the site has to do more: tiered tickets, donor or member data in a CRM, English and French, hundreds of resources, or data that has to stay in Canada.

Squarespace and WordPress side by side

Compared onSquarespaceWordPress
Running costOne monthly plan covers hosting, security and support.The software is free. You pay for hosting and for someone to keep it updated.
EditingDrag and drop, so any editor can restyle a page.Custom blocks built for your brand, so pages stay consistent with many editors.
IntegrationsBuilt-in commerce and forms, plus a set of extensions. Anything else goes through embeds or Zapier.Connects directly to CRMs, donation platforms, booking and ticketing.
Owning your siteSquarespace hosts it. The export covers basic pages and one blog, not the design, products, events or most images.You own the code and the database and can move them to any host.
Where data livesSquarespace's privacy policy says it stores and processes data in the United States.Any host, including Canadian data centres.
English and FrenchTwo copies of each page, or a paid translation add-on such as Weglot.One site with linked English and French versions, through a plugin such as WPML or Polylang.
Large content librariesFine for a blog. Filtering hundreds of resources gets clumsy.Custom content types, categories and search.
UpkeepSquarespace handles it.Your team, a managed host such as WP Engine, or an agency on a plan.

Stay on Squarespace if…

  • One or two people run the site

    Squarespace is at its best with a small team and no developer.

  • It's a brochure site and a blog

    A few pages, a blog and a contact form don't need more.

  • Donations and tickets work through embeds

    If an embedded form does the job, there's nothing to fix.

  • You'd rather not pay for upkeep

    Squarespace looks after hosting and security for one monthly fee.

What moving off Squarespace involves

Squarespace's export gives you basic pages and one blog. The design, products, events and most images stay behind, so a move is a redesign and rebuild.

We list every page and URL, redirect each old URL, reconnect forms to your CRM, move images and documents, and train your editors. When SocialNext outgrew Squarespace, we scripted their data out and rebuilt it on a platform they own, with its own ticket checkout.

Move to WordPress if…

  • Several people edit and pages drift off brand

    Custom blocks give editors layouts to fill, not a blank canvas.

  • Your CRM needs the form data

    Donor, member and enquiry details can go straight to the CRM instead of a spreadsheet.

  • Events need tiered tickets or member pricing

    Ticket tiers and member prices need a real checkout, which embeds struggle with.

  • You need English and French

    One bilingual site is easier to keep in step than two copies.

  • Your data has to stay in Canada

    Privacy rules or funders may require it, and WordPress can be hosted here.

  • The resource library keeps growing

    Hundreds of reports or articles need categories, filters and search.

What about Wix or Webflow?

Wix is in the same family as Squarespace, with the same trade-offs on ownership and export. Webflow sits between Squarespace and WordPress: it's hosted, but a developer builds it on a design system, so editors can't break the layout. See WordPress vs Webflow. If the site needs a custom application, like SocialNext's checkout, we build on Sanity with Next.js.

Organizations we've moved or built for

We moved SocialNext off Squarespace. YWCA Calgary and the Regional District of Central Kootenay run on WordPress their teams manage.

Related

Squarespace vs WordPress questions

What are the downsides of Squarespace for a growing organization?

Editors can restyle pages freely, so the site drifts off brand. Integrations rely on embeds. Data is stored in the United States. And the export leaves the design, products and events behind, so leaving takes a rebuild.

Is Squarespace still good in 2026?

Yes, for what it's built for: a small team running a brochure site, portfolio or simple shop without a developer.

Can we move our Squarespace site to WordPress ourselves?

Basic pages and one blog will import into WordPress. The design, products, events and most images have to be rebuilt or moved by hand. For a few pages that's manageable. For an organization's site, it's a project.

Will we lose our search rankings if we move?

Not if every old URL redirects to its new page. We map them before the build, so links keep working.

Is WordPress more expensive to run than Squarespace?

Usually, yes: you pay for hosting and upkeep instead of one plan. A WordPress build with us starts at $25,000 CAD, registered charities and nonprofits get 10% off, and hosting and support Plans start at $350 a month.

Is Squarespace or WordPress better for a nonprofit?

Squarespace, while one or two people run a simple site. WordPress, once donor or member data has to reach a CRM, several staff edit, or the site needs English and French.

What about Wix vs WordPress?

Much the same as Squarespace: easy to start, limited when you leave. WordPress gives you ownership, direct integrations and your choice of host.

Outgrowing Squarespace?

Tell us what the site has to do next and we'll tell you whether it's time to move, and to what.

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320-999 8 St. SW
Calgary, Alberta T2R1J5