Squarespace vs GoDaddy Comparison 2023: Which is better GoDaddy or Squarespace?

Do you want to skip the read and get right to my winner? Squarespace is the Winner within this Squarespace vs GoDaddy comparison platform test.

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Introduction to our Squarespace vs GoDaddy Comparison:

In this review, we are taking on two of the most popular: Squarespace vs GoDaddy.

With many businesses shifting to eCommerce due to the pandemic, long-time service providers are stepping up their game and offering more elaborate site-building and eCommerce deployment suites to customers. So which is better GoDaddy or Squarespace?

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Overview: Which is the better website builder of choice?

Here are the two platforms – GoDaddy and Squarespace – in a nutshell:

Squarespace:

Since 2014, Squarespace Commerce has been used to create and host more than 100,000 online stores worldwide. It has a solid following with the global creatives community. Many visual artists and photographers have been using it to host galleries to display and sell their work. Musicians and composers have also given it their vote as it helps them schedule gigs and sell downloads.

GoDaddy:

Since 1997, GoDaddy has been the hosting provider of choice for many personal and professional websites. Statistics show that one out of every twenty sites currently online was either built or hosted on the platform. To date, GoDaddy boasts of hosting over 80 million unique domains.

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Ease of Use:

Comparing GoDaddy versus Squarespace, which one is more user-friendly?

Squarespace:

There’s a learning curve involved in getting started with Squarespace. The challenge factor is doubled because the menus are configured so that common tools and elements aren’t usually where you would usually find them. Still, when you do find your way around, it’s easy enough to use.

GoDaddy:

While it’s one of the oldest site builders and hosting services in existence, GoDaddy has caught up with the times by offering an artificial design intelligence (ADI)-driven builder similar to that deployed by Wix. It makes site building much easier than in its previous iterations.

Winner – GoDaddy! GoDaddy easily takes the ‘Ease of Use' round in this Godaddy versus Squarespace comparison.

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Features and Flexibility:

What features can you expect from both GoDaddy and Squarespace?

Out-of-the-box:

Squarespace:

If you look closely at GoDaddy and Squarespace, functionality is really what you get when it comes to the Squarespace eCommerce site builder. It has maximum flexibility when it comes to design – and this is something that Squarespace has consistently excelled at. Aside from numerous aesthetic themes, it also offers numerous tools and solutions for creating and managing a fully functional online store next to no time.

GoDaddy:

Signing up for GoDaddy? Good luck: the number of features and functional items you get is dependent on the subscription package you opt for. To be fair, though, you do get its AI-driven creation platform with which to create a working site. Anything else, however, needs to be paid for.

Squarespace vs GoDaddy Themes and Templates:

Customers are lured by stunning websites. So which between GoDaddy vs Squarespace can give you that visual advantage?

Squarespace:

There is a reason why Squarespace is a great favourite with the creative community, particularly those in graphic design and the visual arts. It currently has one of the biggest theme galleries in the industry: over 100 templates bundled with its standard site builder. Squarespace also boasts of industry- and product-specific templates to help out those running online stores.

check the latest squarespace Themes and templates now

GoDaddy:

Between GoDaddy versus Squarespace, Squarespace has a leg up in this match-up. It offers numerous themes organised among over 1,500 business sectors, ranging from service providers and retailers of all sorts to philanthropic templates for charitable organisations and non-government organisations.

check the latest godaddy Themes and templates now

Customisation Tools:

Which platform allows you to customise your website to your heart's content – Squarespace vs GoDaddy?

Squarespace:

Along with aesthetic customisation tools built into its UI, Squarespace also enables enhancements for site functionality with a range of solutions, including widgets and social media feeds that can be taken from its in-platform marketplace.

GoDaddy:

Customisation tools for both form and functionality may not be built into the GoDaddy UI. Still, it offers various integrations ranging from Adobe Color and Canva for aesthetic do-overs to widgets that will help create a more meaningful – and profitable – user experience (UX) for your customers.

GoDaddy and Squarespace 3rd Party Integrations:

How many apps can Squarespace GoDaddy interface successfully?

Squarespace:

Squarespace’s in-platform marketplace – Squarespace Extensions – offers over 3,000 third-party apps and software programmes for enhancing the functionality of one’s website or online store. The variety offered here includes marketing tools for online and social media deployment, payment solutions, scheduling tools for those working in the gig economy, and international taxation and shipping solutions. Global brands with products that integrate with the platform include Google, Trello, PayPal, and MailChimp, among a host of others.

GoDaddy:

GoDaddy’s range of third-party integrations are no where near as extensive as Squarespace. In fact GoDaddy currently revolves around 130 apps and software programmes which are more for developers using their hosted platforms. They include Python, MySQL, cPanel and other CMS edition solutions.

Hosting:

Which is better at hosting your site – GoDaddy versus Squarespace?

Squarespace:

Having started as an independent site hosting service, Squarespace has grown out of content delivery network (CDN) hosting to a more resilient option: data centre-redundant cloud hosting. Doing so ensures constant uptime for users even if neighbouring sites hit a spike in traffic.

GoDaddy:

Considered one of the world’s leading hosting platforms, GoDaddy hosts its sites on a cloud server. In times past, this has assured users of 99% uptime and quick loading pages. However, recent assessments we’ve done for the purpose of comparison have seen uptime dropping between 92 and 98% of the time and a significant lag in loading time.

Backups:

How does Squarespace GoDaddy stack up when it comes to backups?

Squarespace:

For all the advanced features Squarespace has to offer, backing up files is disappointingly primitive. You need to save your store information as individual*.csv files if you want to keep them from disappearing in the event of a crash or a denial of service attack. For more information, check out this practical guide to back up your Squarespace online store.

GoDaddy:

As with Squarespace, automated backups are not built into the GoDaddy UI, but you may consider downloading a third-party app to back up important data.

Migration:

If you're planning to move house, how does GoDaddy and Squarespace help you with this?

Squarespace:

Migrating your web store from a different platform to Squarespace requires saving your data as *.csv, then manually load it into your Squarespace account.

Alternatively, you can use a third-party migration tool to ensure that no data is lost in the process.

GoDaddy:

Like Squarespace GoDaddy has a facility for site migration. However, you can’t deploy it yourself, it can take over a week to do, and you have to pay up to $99.99 for every site you want to move from a different platform. We were seriously disappointed, too, with how it took nearly ten days to move our site to our GoDaddy account.

Winner – Squarespace! in this Squarespace vs GoDaddy ‘Features and Flexibility' comparison.

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SEO and Mobility:

Today, SEO is a must-have tool to get your sites to rank higher on the SERPs. Which is better for SEO – Squarespace vs GoDaddy?

SEO:

Squarespace:

SEO features for maximised visibility and searchability are already built into the UI and are available even at the platform’s most basic price point.

GoDaddy:

GoDaddy teamed up with Google to deploy the latter’s MyBusiness SEO management app, but – as with practically everything else on the platform – it will cost you extra. MyBusiness functionality is sold at $10.00 monthly.

Mobile:

How does Squarespace GoDaddy stack up in terms of mobility?

Squarespace:

Squarespace’s ecommerce management app – Squarespace Commerce Mobile – is available for both Android and iOS devices.

GoDaddy:

GoDaddy’s mobile app is also available for Android and Apple devices, but, as with its desktop edition, available functions depend on the price plan you subscribed to.

Pagespeed:

Slow-loading websites annoy users. What's the loading speeds between GoDaddy versus Squarespace?

Comparing GoDaddy versus Squarespace, the latter loads rapidly at 2.49 seconds while GoDaddy clocks in at a marginally slower 3.32 seconds.

Now, with all the above considered, which between GoDaddy and Squarespace is best for SEO and mobility?

Winner – Squarespace! in this ‘SEO and Mobility' Squarespace vs GoDaddy showdown.

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Squarespace vs GoDaddy eCommerce Tools:

How does GoDaddy versus Squarespace measure up when it comes to online store features?

Squarespace:

Along with solutions for virtual storefront management, inventory control, order processing, and shipping and delivery, what sets Squarespace apart is its range of tools for the sale of services and non-tangible [virtual] goods. For those who have delved into the gig economy, these are a godsend as these enable them to schedule service appointments and to sell digital merchandise such as media downloads and ebooks.

GoDaddy:

The functionality of GoDaddy’s online store ecommerce builder, again, depends on your subscription. Depending on what you signed up for, you can stock between 100 to 40,000 products in your inventory. There are also built-in provisions for social media connectivity, payment gateways, and global shipping and delivery.

So, comparing GoDaddy and Squarespace, how do they fare in terms of eCommerce features?

Winner – Squarespace! It’s a tight fight, but we are giving this to Squarespace in this Squarespace vs GoDaddy ‘eCommerce Tools' comparison.

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Support and Resources:

Squarespace:

Squarespace always has a door open for customers. Technical support on multiple communication platforms (social media, phone, email, live chat) is available 24/7, and –for quick fixes, the support library is full of resources that can give you the lowdown on everything from setting up to selling online.

GoDaddy:

If you compare GoDaddy versus Squarespace, sporadic is the best way to describe GoDaddy’s technical support. You can complain or file an issue report now, but you won’t get an answer until about 45 minutes to two hours later. This can be more than inconvenient, and it does border on frustrating for many users.

Winner – Squarespace! in this ‘Support and Resources' Squarespace GoDaddy comparison. For dependable customer support, this round goes to Squarespace.

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Squarespace vs GoDaddy Pricing:

The cost always occupies a primary role in decision-making. So which between GoDaddy and Squarespace brings you more bang for your buck?

Squarespace:

There are currently four standard Squarespace plans. Ideally, users who want to create a basic website should avail of the two most basic plans. On the other hand, those building online stores can get more bang for their buck with the two premium subscription plans. Depending on whether you’re looking at standard or ecommerce plans, additional features may vary between subscriptions.

From their Terms of Service page, Squarespace trial comes in 14 days of free testing of the Business Plan. Once the Squarespace trial expires and your account reverts to the “Personal” plan, any business plan progress will not be saved.

GoDaddy:

Pro-tip for GoDaddy: buyer beware! A standard caveat we offer to GoDaddy users is that they ought to take a good look at the features offered with each pricing plan – as well as the fine print, which will tell you that the provider will jack up the costs when you renew at the end of your service agreement. GoDaddy is also notorious for upselling, and we don’t like how you need to pay them extra for features that are already bundled wholesale by other site builders. Do always read through their terms of service before you commit.

Winner – Squarespace! in this Squarespace GoDaddy ‘Pricing' comparison. GoDaddy may look cheap on paper, but it will cost you in the long run. For total cost-efficiency, we are giving this round to Squarespace.

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Comparison Winner: GoDaddy versus Squarespace?

So, all criteria considered, who wins between GoDaddy and Squarespace? We find Squarespace as the comparison winner in this Squarespace GoDaddy showdown. 

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Conclusion and Recommendation to our Squarespace vs GoDaddy Comparison:

To wrap up this Squarespace vs GoDaddy comparison;

What is Squarespace best for?

Squarespace is suitable for both basic sites and ecommerce hubs. In the case of the latter, we recommend it to artists, musicians, and freelancers, given its provisions for creatives and those working the gig economy.

What is GoDaddy best for?

Let’s be blunt: GoDaddy’s stock in trade really is its hosting services. We would go with them for basic site-building and reliable hosting.

Squarespace GoDaddy Alternatives:

Here's a list of the best Squarespace GoDaddy alternatives to create a an online presence:

Squarespace vs GoDaddy Final Word:

If you’re looking for a dependable and scalable ecommerce builder, we recommend that you go with Squarespace. With its provisions for both products and services topped by reasonable prices, a full range of inclusions, and round the clock support, it serves both those seeking to create a personal site and those who want to set up shop online.

We have tried as much as we could to deliver a review featuring an unbiased look at the two platforms – GoDaddy and Squarespace – presented in this article. However, if you have specific needs for your website, you would do well to do some shopping around to see which platform will work best for you.

>> Try Squarespace for Free today <<

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That’s all for now:

If you've read our Squarespace vs GoDaddy comparison up to here, we are grateful. Remember always to keep abreast of the latest developments on website builders, eCommerce, and other Squarespace GoDaddy alternative comparison articles, such as the ones below;

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Please share any comments below!