Bluehost and Squarespace are both great options to build a website, whether you’re starting a blog, starting an online business, or just creating a website.
This article will compare Bluehost vs Squarespace and show you which one is right for you. But spoiler, it probably depends on what you want to use it for.
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- Understanding Bluehost
- Understanding Squarespace
- Comparing Bluehost and Squarespace
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Which website builder is better for e-commerce, Bluehost or Squarespace?
- What are the key differences between Bluehost and Squarespace?
- Can I use Squarespace with Bluehost hosting?
- What are the advantages of Squarespace over Bluehost?
- Is Squarespace easier to use than Bluehost for beginners?
- Which website builder offers better design options, Squarespace or Bluehost?
Squarespace vs Bluehost – Quick Comparison
Bluehost is a web hosting service that provides the infrastructure for your website. It offers a range of hosting plans, including shared hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated hosting. It’s affordable–cheaper than Squarespace–AND it comes with WordPress built in, which is the web’s best content management system.
Squarespace is a website builder that lets you build drag-and-drop websites quick. It’s got a bunch of templates to choose from, and the designs are solid.
Bluehost is better for someone who wants a content-heavy site with lots of text and pages: say a blog or business page with lots of articles. Squarespace is best for someone who wants either a simple business page or ecommerce features.
Bluehost Overview
Here are some of the features of Bluehost.
- Free domain name: Bluehost offers a free domain name for the first year of service.
- One-click WordPress installation: Bluehost makes it easy for users to install WordPress with just one click.
- 24/7 customer support: Bluehost provides 24/7 customer support via phone, email, and live chat.
- Unlimited bandwidth: Bluehost offers unlimited bandwidth, which means users can handle high traffic without worrying about their website going down.
- Free SSL certificate: Bluehost offers a free SSL certificate to ensure that users’ websites are secure.
Find your domain name on Bluehost
Pricing of Bluehost
Here’s a breakdown of Bluehost’s pricing, BUT there are different prices and upsells based on what you want.
| Plan | Price (per month) | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $2.95 | 1 website, 50 GB SSD storage, unmetered bandwidth, free SSL certificate |
| Plus | $5.45 | Unlimited websites, unlimited SSD storage, unmetered bandwidth, free SSL certificate |
| Choice Plus | $5.45 | Unlimited websites, unlimited SSD storage, unmetered bandwidth, free SSL certificate, CodeGuard Basic backup |
| Pro | $13.95 | Unlimited websites, unlimited SSD storage, unmetered bandwidth, free SSL certificate, dedicated IP, CodeGuard Basic backup |
Pros and Cons of Bluehost
Here are some pros and cons of using Bluehost:
Pros
- Bluehost offers affordable pricing plans. It’s really cheap to get started.
- Bluehost provides reliable and fast hosting services with unlimited bandwidth.
- Bluehost offers a free domain name for the first year of service and a free SSL certificate.
- Bluehost provides 24/7 customer support via phone, email, and live chat.
- Bluehost comes with WordPress, which is my favorite CMS.
Cons
- Bluehost charges a fee for website migration.
- Bluehost does not offer a website builder, unlike some other hosting providers.
Squarespace Overview
Squarespace is a website builder that allows users to create a professional-looking website without any coding knowledge. It has a bunch of great templates that are visually appealing and easy to customize. It’s really good for small businesses and entrepreneurs who want to create an online presence quickly and easily.
Here are some of the features:
- Drag-and-drop website builder: Squarespace’s drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to create a website without any coding knowledge.
- Mobile-responsive templates: All of Squarespace’s templates are mobile-responsive, which means that they will look great on any device.
- Customizable design: Squarespace allows users to customize their website’s design, including fonts, colors, and layouts.
- eCommerce functionality: Squarespace offers eCommerce functionality, which allows users to create an online store and sell products.
Pricing of Squarespace
Squarespace offers different pricing plans to suit different needs and budgets.
- Personal: $16 per month
- Business: $23 per month
- Basic Commerce: $27 per month
- Advanced Commerce: $49 per month
Users can save money by paying annually instead of monthly. Squarespace also offers a 14-day free trial, which is a good chance to try the platform before committing.
Pros and Cons of Squarespace
Here are some of the pros and cons of Squarespace.
Pros:
- Easy to use: Squarespace’s drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to create a website without any coding knowledge.
- Visually appealing templates: Squarespace’s templates look great and easy to customize.
- eCommerce functionality: Squarespace offers eCommerce functionality, which allows users to create an online store and sell products.
Cons:
- Limited flexibility: Squarespace’s templates are easy to customize, but users are limited by the platform’s design options.
- Limited integrations: Squarespace has fewer integrations than some other website builders, which can make it difficult to connect with other tools and services.
Bluehost vs Squarespace: Compared
Okay, so if you’re still with us, lets run through one final comparison.
Ease of Use
Both Bluehost and Squarespace are known for being user-friendly platforms. However, Squarespace is a drag and drop website builder that is–straight up–easier to use. Bluehost is awesome, but it’s got a much bigger learning curve. I happen to think it’s worth it, because WordPress is the best CMS — BUT you choose what’s most important to you.
Design Flexibility
When it comes to design flexibility, Squarespace is better. Or at least, it’s easier to get a better design. Because it’s drag-and-drop. Bluehost can create amazing designs, but you’ll need to do the work to customize it. I use Elementor to build Roostervane, which turns WordPress into a drag-and-drop website.
E-commerce Capabilities
If you’re planning to sell products or services online, both Bluehost and Squarespace offer e-commerce capabilities. However, Squarespace is better or e-commerce. It comes built-in, and frankly, WooCommerce (that connects with Bluehost) isn’t as good.
Performance and Speed
When it comes to website performance and speed, both Bluehost and Squarespace are reliable platforms. However, Bluehost is known for its fast loading times and reliable uptime. It also offers advanced features such as content delivery network (CDN) integration and caching, which can improve website speed.
Bluehost is WAY better for a content site that needs SEO and organizes lots of content pages.
Conclusion
In conclusion, both Bluehost and Squarespace offer excellent services for website hosting and building respectively. But choose Bluehost if you want an awesome content management system with lots of pages and better SEO functionality. A blog or a business website that wants lots of web traffic organically would be better off with Bluehost. Choose Squarespace if you want a simple website that looks great, that you can set and forget.
By the way, I wouldn’t compare either of these on pricing. The different in pricing is so negligible at this point–I’d choose based on the features you need. Good luck!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which website builder is better for e-commerce, Bluehost or Squarespace?
Both Bluehost and Squarespace offer e-commerce solutions, but Squarespace is the better option for building an online store. Squarespace has a more intuitive and user-friendly interface for managing products, orders, and payment processing plus better features for e-commerce, such as abandoned cart recovery and gift cards.
What are the key differences between Bluehost and Squarespace?
Bluehost is primarily a web hosting company that offers website building tools and WordPress install, while Squarespace is a website builder that includes hosting as part of its service.
Can I use Squarespace with Bluehost hosting?
No, you cannot use Squarespace with Bluehost hosting.
What are the advantages of Squarespace over Bluehost?
Squarespace offers a more intuitive and user-friendly interface, more built-in features and templates, and better e-commerce solutions.
Is Squarespace easier to use than Bluehost for beginners?
Yes, Squarespace is considered to be easier to use than Bluehost for beginners. Squarespace has a more streamlined and intuitive interface, while Bluehost offers more flexibility and customization options.
