As a freelancer, Webflow, WordPress, and Squarespace are three of the most popular tools that you will come across – but how do these three tools stack up against each other? In this blog, we will try and find out.

Webflow:

Webflow is a website builder that allows for full customization without having the coding requirements associated with older platforms like WordPress. Freelancers will find that Webflow offers pretty much every feature that they need to create and maintain their websites. Moreover, you will be in full control throughout the designing phase, whether you are using a desktop, tablet, or mobile.

You can use Webflow to design pretty much anything you want. Although the platform does lack merchant integration, pagination, and e-commerce features, this lacking can always be compensated for through third-party apps or tools.

Webflow offers a CMS feature, but you can think of it as more of a ‘database creation’. You can use this feature to not only create whatever you want, but also automate the data-merging and publishing processes.

As far as templates go, Webflow has 40 free templates, all of which are neat and simple. The premium templates, meanwhile, range from $19 to $149, which is slightly on the higher side. However, since this is only a one-time cost that will more than pay for itself in the long-run, you should see this as an investment.

All in all, Webflow is a simple website builder, and is excellent for designers, developers, and consumers. The pricing is also low, as you only need to pay for what you use, and you can control the price structure for your clients.

WordPress:

One of the very first CMSs on the market, WordPress, on the whole, is pretty solid. However, you will have to undergo a steep learning curve, and have a great deal of coding knowledge and how to set up and maintain the servers. Even for seasoned developers, creating and maintain a secure site can be a headache at times.

In terms of templates, though, WordPress offers various options that help you get ahead of the curve. You can change or swap content, and have your site up and running in a jiffy. Also, the plug-in marketplace for third-party platforms is quite vast, which means that you can find pretty much everything – the hard part is to learn how each of those plug-ins work.

Generally, while the platform is pretty great, you will find it almost impossible to proceed without a professional developer. The truth is, you might be able to create around 60-65% of your website on WordPress without coding, but the remaining 35-40% can make a real difference and you cannot afford to ignore it.

Squarespace:

Let us start with templates: Squarespace templates are not only different to each other in terms of layouts, but also in terms of features. In other words, not every template can perform the same functions with the same level of effectiveness. Hence, you need to really take a deeper look at each template to see if it offers what you are looking for. The problem is that unless you get customized code that really brings out completely different, all Squarespace sites end up looking quite like each other. Again, the templates are not bad, but they are not unique either – and uniqueness is something that you are always chasing as a designer.

The one really good thing about Squarespace is that it is flexible and lets you work very fast – all you need to do is select a template, move a few things around, enter your own content, and go live. That’s it.

Honestly, though, if you want to make the most of the platform, you will need to know a bit of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Verdict:

When you consider aspects like ease-of-use, (no) coding requirements, price, and flexibility, Webflow emerges as the clear winner in this debate. We think that Squarespace can take the second spot, while WordPress, though, an established name in the website development world, needs to play a bit of catch-up.

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