If you are into web design and development, chances are, you have heard the words Godaddy and Squarespace before. Want to know more about these two web development tools? Then you have come to the right place.
In this blog post, we will be explaining all you need to know about Godaddy and Squarespace, their uses, and the difference between them. With that said, let’s get to it!
Squarespace vs Godaddy: What Are They?
If you have been exposed to the world of web development for any period, you probably know a bit about these two tools. In this section, we will be trying to broaden that knowledge.
What is Squarespace?
Squarespace is a web builder or website building tool, i.e., it is an all-in-one solution that helps you create a website from scratch to finish. Squarespace lets users (both professional web developers and the average everyday person) build professional websites using pre-built, customizable website templates and then helps them host the created website. There are some alternatives to Squarespace that you may find useful.
What is Godaddy?
Godaddy is referred to as a web hosting service and an internet registrar. It is a web development tool used for hosting websites and getting domain names.
With Godaddy, you can get a website you created launched on the internet as well as get a custom domain address to which the website can be linked as well as through which your website can be accessed over the internet.
Or at least, that was Godaddy a few years ago. Today, things are quite different.
Godaddy released a new and updated web-building tool that pretty much can compete with some of the big names in the industry. So while Godaddy remains popularly known for its web hosting and domain name services, the Godaddy of today is now as much a site builder as Squarespace.
Squarespace vs Godaddy: What’s the Difference
Now you might be wondering, if both these tools are site builders, then what is the difference between them? Well, while both of them essentially do the same thing, there are quite a number of differences worthy of note.
The major difference between Godaddy and Squarespace, at least in my eyes, is what you might consider the nature of these two website builders. One look at Godaddy’s website builder, and you can tell it was designed to go all out on marketing features. From its business-first approach to the many business-friendly features made available by this site builder, one can easily tell that this site builder was designed specifically to build the business performance of websites built on it.
Squarespace has another specialty in mind, however, and that is flexibility. While Godaddy is heavily marketing and business-focused, Squarespace is more concerned with the flexibility of design and customization. With Squarespace, you get much more freedom to customize your website and have control over a lot more.
But this is only one of several differences. In the coming sections of this blog, we will be providing a more detailed analysis of the differences between the two website builders.
Squarespace vs. Godaddy: Difference based on Pricing
There is no doubt that GoDaddy is the cheaper of the two web builders when it comes to pricing. With a price range ranging from $6.99 to $14.99 per month accompanied by a 30-day free trial, GoDaddy takes the lead over Squarespace’s $12 to $40 a month and 14 days free trial.
Cheaper doesn’t always mean better, though, and neither does more expensive. So if you would be going for either of these web builders because of their prices, having a better understanding of the value they each offer for your money is a much better way to choose. That being said, let’s have a more in-depth look at the subscription plans of each of these web builders.
GoDaddy’s Subscription Plans
| Basic Plan | Standard Plan | Premium Plan | eCommerce Plan |
| $6.99/month | $10.49/month | $13.99/month | $14.99/month |
| Let’s you build your site from scratch, and connect to your domain and a social media platform. Allows you to send up to 100 marketing emails. | Includes SEO features, allows for up to 3 social network platforms, and up to 500 marketing emails. | An unlimited number of social media platforms allows up to 25,000 marketing emails and offers advanced appointment features. | Includes additional eCommerce-related features to features offered on the premium plan. |
Squarespace’s Subscription Plans
| Personal Plan | Business Plan | Commerce Plan | Advanced Commerce Plan |
| $12/month | $18/month | $25/month | $40/month |
| Offers free custom domain on every site, unlimited bandwidth, and storage, and added SSL security. | Includes advanced analytics and eCommerce features with a 3% transaction fee. | No 3% transaction fee, offers added eCommerce features, and includes complete HTML, CSS, and JavaScript customization. | Additional advanced features, including advanced shipping and selling subscriptions. |
We wouldn’t tell you which is better since the better option might vary depending on your needs and preferences. With that in mind, compare your options properly before choosing. GoDaddy’s basic plan might seem cheaper than Squarespace’s basic plan, but if you don’t already have a custom domain and would need to purchase one, either way, Squarespace might be a more reasonable choice.
Squarespace vs. Godaddy: Ease of Use
There’s no doubt that both Squarespace and Godaddy are pretty easy to use. With any of these web builders, any absolute beginner can very easily create a decent website from scratch. That being said, there are a few things to consider here.
First is the amount of web-building and editing tools and features this software offers. GoDaddy, on the one hand, keeps things simple. There are few templates available and limited options for customization. This makes building a fully functional website not just easy but also quick. Since you have limited options, there’s very little to consume your time.
On the other hand, Squarespace offers you a variety of website-building and editing tools and features. While this takes the customization experience to a whole new level, it somewhat adds to the complexity of creating a website using this platform.
There is also the user interface of each of these web builders. GoDaddy has a pretty simple user interface, partly due to the limited amount of web building and editing tools and features it offers and partly due to the genius of its web builder’s design. The builder’s UI makes it easy to locate what you need quickly.
Squarespace has a really beautiful user interface as well. In fact, for a web builder that offers as many features and tools as Squarespace does, the software’s design is a pretty user-friendly one. That being said, the sheer amount of tools this builder has to offer can be a bit intimidating for some beginners.
Considering all these, it’s safe to say GoDaddy is the easier web builder to use for complete beginners. If you would love to have some solid customization on your site, though, Squarespace is by far the better choice.
Squarespace vs Godaddy: Domain and Hosting
It is safe to say GoDaddy has the upper hand over Squarespace when it comes to hosting. This is mostly because of one feature GoDaddy has that Squarespace doesn’t; hosting on different platforms. You see, while both software offer shared hosting, i.e., they let you host more than one website on the same server, only GoDaddy lets you go for other hostings like WordPress and VPS. With Squarespace, you can only host on the platform.
That being said, these two offer pretty much top-quality hosting services, the quality of which increases the higher the subscription package you choose.
The two are pretty much evenly matched with domain names and even have similar prices and everything.
Can You Use a Squarespace Domain on GoDaddy?
Yes, you can use a Squarespace domain on Godaddy. You can also use a GoDaddy domain on Squarespace. Provided you already own the domain you are looking to use, it is possible to transfer a domain from one software to a website created on the other software.
Conclusion
Squarespace and GoDaddy are similar in a lot of ways. They are both web builders and offer web hosting and domain registrar services. They are both easy to use, and the domain from one of these software can be used on another. Nevertheless, there are several significant differences between both these web builders.
GoDaddy is a heavily business-focused web builder with many features provided for marketing and business purposes. Squarespace is more customization-focused and provides an abundance of tools and features designed to make customization more advanced and enjoyable.
On the other hand, GoDaddy is a bit more streamlined in its web editing features, making it relatively easier to use and faster at creating working websites. At the same time, this makes it less customizable.
So if you are looking for speed and efficiency, GoDaddy is the way to go. Still, suppose you are looking for a unique website with advanced customization features. In that case, Squarespace is the right choice for you.