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CMS (content management system) software · 12 alternatives

Squarespace alternatives: 12 compared

Sebastiaan Smits Editor Sebastiaan Smits · Published October 19, 2026 · Updated October 19, 2026

Squarespace owners look elsewhere when the template system stops fitting, when store and digital-content fees add up, or when they want a site they can take with them. Most move to Webflow for design control, to WordPress for ownership, or to Ghost when the site is mostly publishing.

Short answer: The closest replacements for Squarespace in our CMS (content management system) software ranking are Webflow, WordPress and Ghost. Choose Webflow if you want pixel-level layout control and accept a steeper learning curve than a template editor. All 12 alternatives below are ranked products from Best CMS (Content Management System) Software in 2026, and each says where it differs from Squarespace and when Squarespace is still the better choice.

Visibility in our rankings can be paid for. Payment moves a vendor's position within the shortlist; it never adds a vendor, and it never changes a word of the review or of this page. The first three alternatives go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category, wherever the category has them; the established names follow in their ranked order. How it works: placement disclosure · editorial process.

Squarespace at a glance

  • Headquarters: United States
  • Pricing model: Per site / month
  • Pricing: Published plans are billed per site with no permanent free tier, only a 14-day trial; every plan includes a store, with a 2% store fee on Basic that Core and higher plans remove.
  • Free option: Free trial
  • Built for: Design-conscious small businesses and creatives
  • Wrong for: A team needing deep customization, a large plugin ecosystem, or structured content reusable across channels should look at WordPress or a headless CMS instead.
  • Place in our ranking: #11 of 14
  • Website: squarespace.com

Facts from our CMS (content management system) software ranking, last checked October 19, 2026.

Why buyers look past Squarespace

  1. Fees sit on top of the plan

    The pricing page we fetched shows Basic at a 2% online store fee and a 7% fee on digital content and memberships, with Core at 5% on the latter. Only the higher plans bring the store fee to 0%. A seller pays the plan and a cut of sales.

  2. Customization is gated by tier

    Code injection is documented as available on Core, Plus and Advanced, and the pricing table lists custom CSS and JavaScript as not included on Basic. Basic also allows up to two contributors. A site that needs a tracking script or a third editor must upgrade first.

  3. The exit is narrow

    The help center says the export is a WordPress-format .xml file. It carries layout pages, one blog and text and image blocks, but not store pages, style settings or custom CSS. It cannot be made from a trial site.

12 alternatives at a glance

Closest replacement first. The last column is our place in the full 14-product ranking.

#AlternativeHeadquartersPricingKey differenceSwitch ifOur rank
1WebflowUnited StatesPer site + per seat / month; free planVisual, no-code web design with a full CMS underneathyou want pixel-level layout control and accept a steeper learning curve than a template editor#1
2WordPressUnited StatesOpen source + paid tiers; open sourceOpen-source CMS powering a large share of the entire webyou want to own the files and database and can handle hosting, updates and backups#4
3GhostSingaporeOpen source + paid hosting; open sourceOpen-source publishing platform with built-in newsletters and membershipsthe site is mainly a blog, newsletter or paid publication, and you want no platform cut#8
4WixIsraelPer site / month; free planAll-in-one, AI-assisted website builder with CMS featuresyou want another hosted builder with a free tier and broader app options#10
5HubSpot CMS (Content Hub)United StatesPer seat / month; free planCMS built into the HubSpot CRM and marketing platformyour site exists to capture leads that should land straight in a CRM#12
6DrupalUnited StatesOpen source + paid hosting/support; open sourceOpen-source CMS built for complex, high-governance sitesyou need structured content types, fine-grained permissions or a multilingual site run by developers#6
7UmbracoDenmarkOpen source + paid tiers; open sourceOpen-source .NET CMS with a friendly editing experienceyour team already builds on .NET and wants a CMS it can host and extend itself#7
8StrapiFranceOpen source + paid tiers; open sourceOpen-source, self-hostable headless CMS with a Node.js corea developer will build the front end and you only need a content back end with an API#3
9SanityNorwayPer seat / month; free planCustomizable, open-source headless CMS studio with real-time editingcontent must feed several channels and you have developers to model and render it#5
10ContentfulGermanyPer API usage / month; free planAPI-first headless CMS built for multi-channel contentan engineering team will render the site and wants managed content infrastructure#2
11JoomlaUnited StatesOpen source + paid extensions; open sourceOpen-source, community-governed CMS between WordPress and Drupalyou want a self-hosted, GPL-licensed CMS with built-in user and access management#9
12Adobe Experience ManagerUnited StatesQuote only; noneEnterprise digital experience platform inside Adobe Experience Cloudyou are a large organization that needs enterprise workflows and an integrator to run them#13

What each alternative does differently

1. Webflow

Visual, no-code web design with a full CMS underneath · United States

A visual builder that exposes the box model and class system, so layouts are not limited to a template's section choices. Site plans are priced per site, with a separate ecommerce tier and paid Workspace seats. The Starter plan is free. Code export exists, but dynamic CMS content cannot be exported.

Switch from Squarespace if you want pixel-level layout control and accept a steeper learning curve than a template editor.

Pricing: Site plans are billed per site on a published table: a free Starter on a webflow.io domain, Basic without the CMS and Premium with it; ecommerce plans and Workspace seats are priced separately. (free plan)

Full review: #1 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Webflow →

2. WordPress

Open-source CMS powering a large share of the entire web · United States

The open source core is licensed under GPLv2 and costs nothing to run yourself, so you own files and database. You then pay for hosting, themes and plugins, and handle updates and backups. WordPress.com sells a hosted version, with plans that allow plugin installs from its marketplace.

Switch from Squarespace if you want to own the files and database and can handle hosting, updates and backups.

Pricing: The core software is free and open source to self-host; hosting, premium themes and plugins are paid separately, and WordPress.com offers a separate managed hosting product with its own free and paid tiers. (open source)

Full review: #4 of 14 in our ranking · Visit WordPress →

3. Ghost

Open-source publishing platform with built-in newsletters and memberships · Singapore

Built for publishing: posts, newsletters and paid memberships. Hosted Ghost(Pro) plans are priced by members and staff users, with 0% transaction fees from Ghost on its paid plans and CSV member import and export. It is not a general page builder or a store for physical goods.

Switch from Squarespace if the site is mainly a blog, newsletter or paid publication, and you want no platform cut.

Pricing: The core software is free and open source under MIT license to self-host; Ghost(Pro) managed hosting is priced by number of members and staff users on a published table, from the Starter plan billed yearly, and takes no transaction fee. (open source)

Full review: #8 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Ghost →

4. Wix

All-in-one, AI-assisted website builder with CMS features · Israel

The nearest hosted rival, with a drag-and-drop editor and a plan table that includes a free tier with Wix branding. Paid plans are billed per site and tiered by storage and collaborators. Like Squarespace it is closed, so the move changes tools without giving you the files.

Switch from Squarespace if you want another hosted builder with a free tier and broader app options.

Pricing: A free plan is available with Wix branding and a Wix subdomain; paid Premium plans are billed per site on a published table, adding a custom domain, storage and removing ads. (free plan)

Full review: #10 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Wix →

5. HubSpot CMS (Content Hub)

CMS built into the HubSpot CRM and marketing platform · United States

A CMS inside a CRM. HubSpot describes a free tier with a theme library, drag-and-drop editor and hosting, and paid Content Hub tiers above it. Its value is tying pages to contacts and email; as a stand-alone portfolio or shop it is a poor fit.

Switch from Squarespace if your site exists to capture leads that should land straight in a CRM.

Pricing: A free plan covers up to two users; paid Starter, Professional and Enterprise tiers on Content Hub are billed per seat or per core seat on a published table, with included HubSpot Credits. (free plan)

Full review: #12 of 14 in our ranking · Visit HubSpot CMS (Content Hub) →

6. Drupal

Open-source CMS built for complex, high-governance sites · United States

Open source software distributed under the GPL, with, in the vendor's words, no licensing fees. You host it or buy hosting from a provider. It models structured content and permissions in depth, at the cost of a developer-led setup that a one-person business will find heavy.

Switch from Squarespace if you need structured content types, fine-grained permissions or a multilingual site run by developers.

Pricing: The core software is free and open source to self-host; Acquia, its main commercial backer, sells managed cloud hosting and enterprise support on quoted contracts, alongside other Drupal hosting providers. (open source)

Full review: #6 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Drupal →

7. Umbraco

Open-source .NET CMS with a friendly editing experience · Denmark

An open source CMS built on Microsoft's .NET, so it suits teams with .NET developers. The vendor also sells Umbraco Cloud for hosting, and positions the CMS around editors working in a back office. It assumes a developer to build templates; it is not a drag-and-drop tool.

Switch from Squarespace if your team already builds on .NET and wants a CMS it can host and extend itself.

Pricing: The core CMS is free and open source under MIT license to self-host; Umbraco Cloud adds managed hosting, and paid support and training are available separately. (open source)

Full review: #7 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Umbraco →

8. Strapi

Open-source, self-hostable headless CMS with a Node.js core · France

A headless CMS: it stores content and serves it over REST and GraphQL, and you build the front end yourself. The Community edition is open source under the MIT license; the Growth plan is listed at $45 per month with three users. There is no page editor for visitors' pages.

Switch from Squarespace if a developer will build the front end and you only need a content back end with an API.

Pricing: The core is free and open source under MIT license to self-host; paid self-hosted Growth and Enterprise plans add features, and Strapi Cloud sells managed hosting per project on a published table. (open source)

Full review: #3 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Strapi →

9. Sanity

Customizable, open-source headless CMS studio with real-time editing · Norway

A hosted headless content platform with a real-time content database and visual editing tools. The free plan lists up to 20 user seats; Growth is $15 per seat per month. Content is modeled in code, so a non-technical owner cannot launch a site from a template.

Switch from Squarespace if content must feed several channels and you have developers to model and render it.

Pricing: A free plan covers up to 20 seats with document, API and bandwidth quotas; Growth is billed per paid seat on a published table with pay-as-you-go overages, and Enterprise is quoted. (free plan)

Full review: #5 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Sanity →

10. Contentful

API-first headless CMS built for multi-channel content · Germany

An API-based content platform aimed at teams that separate content from presentation. We could not fetch its pricing page (the server refused automated requests), so we rely on the category entry: usage-based tiers and a free Community tier. It ships no website theme, so a developer is required.

Switch from Squarespace if an engineering team will render the site and wants managed content infrastructure.

Pricing: A free Community tier covers a small team and limited API calls and records; paid tiers scale by API request volume, environments and users, with Enterprise quoted separately. (free plan)

Full review: #2 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Contentful →

11. Joomla

Open-source, community-governed CMS between WordPress and Drupal · United States

A GPL-licensed CMS run by the nonprofit Open Source Matters, with thousands of extensions, most of them free under the GPL. You provide hosting and maintenance. It has a smaller template and plugin ecosystem than WordPress, and no hosted store or editor bundled in.

Switch from Squarespace if you want a self-hosted, GPL-licensed CMS with built-in user and access management.

Pricing: The core software is free and open source under GPL to self-host; hosting, extensions and templates are paid separately through a marketplace of third-party developers. (open source)

Full review: #9 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Joomla →

12. Adobe Experience Manager

Enterprise digital experience platform inside Adobe Experience Cloud · United States

An enterprise platform sold as Adobe Experience Manager as a Cloud Service, with Cloud Manager for CI/CD and a built-in CDN, per Adobe's documentation. It is run through developers and integrators. For a Squarespace-sized site the implementation effort outweighs any gain.

Switch from Squarespace if you are a large organization that needs enterprise workflows and an integrator to run them.

Pricing: Quote-only annual contracts, typically implemented alongside other Adobe Experience Cloud products through a certified systems integrator. (none)

Full review: #13 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Adobe Experience Manager →

When Squarespace is still the right choice

Squarespace is still the right choice when you want a good-looking site built from templates, hosted and maintained by one vendor, with a store, scheduling and email under one login. A plan covers one site, cancellation is allowed at any time, and a 14-day trial costs nothing. If you rarely touch code, moving gains little.

What to expect when you switch from Squarespace

  1. Export what the tool lets you export

    Run the WordPress-format export from the Import & export content panel, then copy anything it skips by hand: store pages, video and audio blocks, drafts, styles and custom CSS. Download images manually, because linked images stop working after you cancel.

  2. Keep the site live until the new one is tested

    Cancelling stops service at the end of the billing cycle, and an expired site shows a Website expired message. Rebuild, set redirects on the new host, then move the domain. Squarespace documents both transferring a domain and keeping it connected.

Questions and answers

What can I export from Squarespace?

You can export an .xml file in WordPress format containing layout pages, one blog with up to 1000 comments per post, and text and image blocks. Store pages, other page types, styles, custom CSS, drafts and video blocks are not exported.

Can I export from a trial site?

No, the help center says you cannot export content from a trial site. The site must be published and set to public before the Export option works, so upgrade before you plan the move.

Does Squarespace refund when I cancel?

Only inside the refund window or when the law requires it. The terms say that after cancelling you will not receive a refund except at Squarespace's discretion or if legally required. Cancelling a plan stops service at the end of the billing cycle.

Will the price change at renewal?

Possibly. The terms say fees may change with advance notice, and you can reject a change by cancelling before the next payment date. The plan guide also states that discounts apply to the first payment and the next renewal is charged at full price.

What happens to my domain when I leave?

The domain is a separate subscription. Squarespace documents transferring a domain to it or connecting an outside one, and says domains it hosts stay manageable after the site is cancelled in the Domains & Email panel.

Is there a free Squarespace plan?

No. The pricing page FAQ says there is no free plan, only a free trial with no credit card required. Wix, Webflow and the open source options each have a free entry route.

Sources

Prices, plan limits and product facts about Squarespace on this page were checked against the vendors' own pages on October 19, 2026. Vendors change both without notice, so treat the figures as of that date.

Who wrote this

Sebastiaan Smits Sebastiaan Smits, Founder, wrote, edited and fact-checked this page. Founder of The Interregnum and of 2 Steps Ahead, an AI search visibility agency. Editorially responsible for every page here; research and drafting are AI-assisted. Last reviewed October 19, 2026. How we review.