Custom WordPress Development vs. Squarespace

Question: Is Squarespace Better Than WordPress?

Why We’ll Take Custom WordPress Over Squarespace Any Day (And So Should You)

Let’s cut straight to it: Squarespace looks slick. It’s got the moody fonts, big images (bigger ad budgets) and drag-and-drop bits that make you think, “Hey, I’ve made a website!” and sure, if you’re a hobbyist it’s fine. But if you actually want your site to do something, like rank on Google, grow with your business, or avoid giving you an aneurysm every time you try to change a layout – then custom WordPress development is where it’s at.

We’ve been building websites for 18+ years and worked with huge bands like Nine Inch Nails and Green Day, and tiny start-ups still figuring out their colour palette. We’ve seen it all and trust us, we’ve had our fair share of rescue missions from the clutches of drag-and-drop platforms.

So, here’s why we always recommend custom WordPress over Squarespace (and what this chap has to do with anything).

1. SEO on Squarespace? Meh.

If you want to play the Google game, Squarespace shows up wearing flip-flops. It’ll give you a few meta fields and a handful of settings but when it comes to the real Search Engine Optimisation nitty-gritty — schema markup, advanced redirects, speed optimisation, full control of robots.txt — you’re locked out faster than a band losing their tour bus keys.

We’ve had clients come to us saying:

“I’ve been blogging for two years and I’m still not ranking for my own name.”

Spoiler: Squarespace had throttled their sitemap and didn’t allow proper indexing for key content. Switched them to a custom WordPress build, plugged in Yoast, cleaned up the crawlability and boom, they were visible in weeks.

2. Custom = Scalable. Squarespace = Painted Corner.

Need to add a members area? An API integration? A complex booking system with conditional logic and dynamic pricing? Squarespace just shakes its head and offers you another gallery block.

With WordPress we can build whatever you need. We’ve built merch stores, custom subscription systems, content portals, gated fan areas, Spotify-integrated landing pages, all using custom post types, fields and crispy clean code. It’s not just scalable, it’s built your way.

3. Design Freedom (aka, We’re Not Stuck with Squarespace’s Templates)

Ever tried to make a Squarespace template not look like a Squarespace template? Yeah, us too. It’s like trying to give a pigeon a mohawk… it’s not impossible but definitely not worth the stress.

With WordPress we design from scratch. Want a hand-drawn map that animates as you scroll? You got it. Want typography inspired by 1983 gig posters? Hell yes. With full control of HTML, CSS and JS, we’re not dragging and dropping, we’re crafting.

4. Performance: Built to Be Fast, Not Just “Pretty”

Squarespace sites are loaded with bloated scripts you can’t turn off, whether you’re using them or not. That means slower load times, higher bounce rates and frustrated users.

With WordPress we use only what you need. Clean code, optimised assets, server-side caching and hosting that doesn’t suck. Result: faster sites, happier users, better rankings.

5. Ownership and Portability

You don’t own your Squarespace site. If you want to move it then tough luck. You’re tied to their hosting, their infrastructure, their rules.

With WordPress it’s yours. You can host it anywhere, back it up, export the database, rebuild it, clone it, whatever you need. It’s like renting a flat vs. owning a house. With Squarespace you’re not even allowed to paint the walls.

6. Our Favourite Anecdote: “The Band Who Couldn’t Add a Gig”

A few years ago, a client (a touring indie band we won’t name) came to us panicked. Their Squarespace site didn’t let them easily add upcoming gigs in multiple cities without hacking together text blocks and hoping it lined up on mobile.

We built them a custom gigs manager in WordPress. They could add show dates, link to ticket sales, tag locations and even filter past vs. future events. Bonus: It pulled dynamically into their homepage, updated in real-time, and ranked on Google for “tour dates near me”.

The lesson? Platforms like Squarespace are fine until you actually need your website to work for you.

Custom WordPress Is Built for Serious Websites

If your website is more than a digital business card, if it’s your shop, your gig poster, your booking engine, your brand’s front line then you need flexibility, speed, control and scalability. And that means custom WordPress every time.

Squarespace has it’s place but not for this developer.

So yeah, Squarespace is pretty. But WordPress? WordPress works.