Webflow vs Squarespace: Which Is Right for Your Website?
If you’re launching a website for your business, chances are you’ve come across two popular options: Webflow and Squarespace. While both platforms offer no-code website building, they’re built for very different types of users—and outcomes. If you’re a creative business or service provider looking for a high-performing, visually custom, and scalable site, Webflow stands far above Squarespace.
Here’s why.
1. Webflow Gives You Full Design Control
Squarespace is a great tool for spinning up a site quickly, but it’s template-driven. Even with customization, you’re often boxed into a rigid grid system. You can change fonts, colors, and some layout elements—but you’re limited to the confines of your template.
Webflow, on the other hand, offers complete control over your layout and visual design. It works like a visual version of coding. If you can imagine it, you can build it—without touching a single line of code. This is a huge advantage for businesses that want a custom look that truly represents their brand.
2. Better Site Performance and SEO
When it comes to SEO, Webflow has the edge. You have full control over:
- Title tags and meta descriptions
- Alt text and schema markup
- Clean HTML and CSS structure
- Fast load times and optimized image delivery
- Automatic sitemaps and 301 redirects
Squarespace offers some basic SEO tools, but much of its code is bloated, and you don’t have the same granular control. For businesses serious about ranking on Google and improving site performance, Webflow is far more SEO-friendly out of the box.
3. Webflow Offers Cleaner Code and Faster Load Times
Because Webflow exports clean, semantic HTML and CSS, sites tend to load faster and run smoother. Squarespace, like many template-based platforms, injects a lot of unnecessary code that slows down performance. This matters more than ever with Google’s Core Web Vitals now being a ranking factor.
If you’ve ever clicked on a Squarespace site and noticed lag or odd spacing between sections, that’s a side effect of template limitations and heavy code.
4. Webflow Makes Advanced Functionality Possible (Without Plugins)
Webflow includes built-in functionality like:
- Custom animations and interactions
- CMS (Content Management System) for blogs, portfolios, and directories
- Responsive breakpoints
- E-commerce
- Logic-based workflows and form handling
- Memberships and gated content (with third-party tools)
To do anything even moderately advanced in Squarespace, you usually have to install third-party plugins or upgrade to higher tiers. Webflow bakes in most of what a professional site needs from the start, which means fewer moving parts and more stability.
5. CMS Power for Dynamic Content
For businesses that want to publish regular content—like blog posts, team bios, real estate listings, or case studies—Webflow’s CMS is unbeatable. You can create fully custom CMS templates that update automatically with each new item. It’s structured, scalable, and perfect for SEO.
Squarespace does have a blog and product database, but the structure is more rigid and not nearly as customizable in design or layout.
6. Webflow Is Built for Professionals and Agencies
Squarespace is user-friendly and built for non-designers. If you want a simple, attractive portfolio or a site for a small personal project, it may do the trick.
But Webflow is made for designers and developers who want full creative and strategic control. It’s used by agencies, freelancers, and in-house marketing teams to build production-grade websites that perform.
That’s why so many businesses start on Squarespace and eventually move to Webflow once they outgrow it.
7. Webflow's Designer-Client Workflow is Seamless
Webflow allows designers to build fully custom sites and then hand off editing access to clients via the Editor, which is extremely intuitive. Clients can update text, swap images, or manage blog content without affecting the structure of the site.
In Squarespace, edits are made in the same visual environment as the design—which often leads to layout issues or styling errors when clients make changes.
8. Webflow Grows With Your Business
As your company scales, you’ll need better tools, performance, and integration options. Webflow is more future-proof because it integrates with tools like:
- Google Tag Manager
- HubSpot and Mailchimp
- Zapier
- Memberstack, Jetboost, Finsweet
- Analytics and A/B testing platforms
Squarespace is harder to integrate with tools outside of its native ecosystem, which can limit growth.
Final Thoughts: Is Webflow Worth It?
If you’re building a basic website with little intention to scale, Squarespace may work fine. But if you're serious about growing your brand, ranking on Google, and having a site that reflects your uniqueness—Webflow is the smarter investment.
At Vacant Creative, we exclusively build on Webflow for a reason. It gives our clients a professional online presence that performs just as well under the hood as it looks on the surface.
Want a Custom Webflow Site?
We help Southern California businesses (and beyond) level up with high-performing, strategy-driven Webflow websites. Whether you’re switching from Squarespace or starting from scratch, we’ll guide you every step of the way—from design and development to SEO and content strategy.
