This article will provide you with a side-by-side comparison of Squarespace vs Showit. Learn which website builder best suits your needs.

It can be overwhelming, confusing, and straight-up mind-boggling when deciding which web hosting platform is the best fit for you. There are just too many choices. Should you use Squarespace, Wix, a WordPress theme, or a newer solution — Showit? Today we’ll cover my two favorite website builders: Showit Vs. Squarespace.

We’ll discuss the pros and cons of each platform, as well as compare the prices and ease of use. But first, let me introduce myself: I’m Becca Luna, a web designer and educator at Becca Luna Education. I’ve taught over 1,000 students how they can unleash their full creative and earning potential—you can find out what my students are saying here.

Here’s a little back story on my journey with web builders:

I started my web design career in 2019 and built exclusively on WordPress. At the time, WordPress seemed to be the best in the biz because of Woocommerce, Yoast, and other native plugins. Frankly, I found it a bit clunky—to say the least—but that’s where my clients were!

Fast forward through two sun-filled years of web design, course-building, and Showit is born. I decided to test it out and completely fell in love. Since then, I’ve never looked back. Now it’s time for you to fall in love!

What Is Showit?

Showit is one of the newest design platforms out there—and it’s fricken amazing. It was founded in 2006 in Arizona and has been growing since its redesign in 2017.

If you’re familiar with Canva, Showit is like the Canva of web design. It’s built on an unstructured editor, meaning you can edit everything down to the pixel. That means the customizability is completely in your hands. If you want to keep things simple, you can. If you want them incredibly detailed, that’s all you! 

Similarly to Squarespace, Showit works with templates. However, unlike Squarespace, Showit offers you complete control over the template. You can even customize (and optimize) your website for mobile viewers—which is 59% of viewers.

Try out Showit for 14 days free. Or, if you already have it, I’ve compiled my 10 must-have Showit site canvasses. If you want to try them out on your site or just play around with them, they’re 100% free. Find them here.

I’ve also written an article on How To Become a Showit Web Designer right here 🙂

What Is Squarespace?

Squarespace is a classic in the web design space. I mean, you’ve seen their commercials, right? It’s known for its ease of use and all-in-one hosting capabilities. However, both of these benefits come with a set of drawbacks. 

For one, Squarespace lacks individuality. All their websites start by using the same template. If you want a new one, you have to buy one. It also only has four different selections to showcase your work. Showit, on the other hand, has countless free templates and an unlimited amount of galleries for your work!

Secondly, Squarespace has built-in hosting. This sounds great in practice, but it also means you’re missing out on all the intuitive WordPress plugins. If you’re doing any SEO, good luck! 

Lastly, Squarespace uses its own native eCommerce tools. Beginners love this, but anyone that’s serious about scaling their business should avoid it. Something like WooCommerce or Shopify is much better at handling large (and small) eCommerce stores. Thankfully, Showit can be integrated with both!

When I used Squarespace, I didn’t feel like it let me use my full creative potential. Speaking of, you can learn how to find your unique web design style right here! Orrrrrr, learn Four Steps To Level Up Your Web Design!

Key Differences Between Showit Vs. Squarespace

Most of my Bold x Boho clients (my template shop) have been switching from Squarespace to Showit. Of all the deciding factors, they almost all boil down to creativity and mobile responsiveness. When you’re customizing your website, or a Bold x Boho template, the ability to change WHATEVER you want is critical.

Here are a few more notable differences between the two:

• Accessibility: Squarespace doesn’t give you the reigns on the mobile version of your website Showit, on the other hand, is the opposite. That’s why every single one of my client’s websites scores above 90% on Google’s Mobile Optimization Test. (If you haven’t ever heard of it, I encourage you to plug your site URL. As of 2018, Google actually started down-ranking websites that score below 80% on mobile—and they still do it today.)
• Customization: Again, Showit trumps Squarespace when it comes to customizability. Every single aspect of Showit is customizable. That’s right. Every. Single. Thing. Squarespace, on the other hand, uses a structured editing system (or content blocks). While this makes it super easy to use, it lacks full-scale creativity. 
• Branding: Showit allows you to create a visual masterpiece that isn’t branded, labeled, or easily distinguished as being from the platform. Squarespace and Wix both have standardized branding and customization functions, which makes it very noticeable which platform you use. This can sometimes cause your authoritative leadership to be slightly compromised.
• Integrations: Showit and Woocommerce integrate seamlessly, so if you want to sell digital products, high-ticket courses, or 1:1 programs, you’re in luck. Woocommerce and Shopify are going to be your best friends, and they both work so well with Showit. 
• WordPress Compatibility: Squarespace uses a “hosted” server, meaning they host all of their own sites. While this is a benefit when it comes to the price, it means you’ll lack control in the back end. On Showit, you can use WordPress (and all their helpful plugins) for your blog. You can also easily transfer your WordPress blog onto a beautifully designed Bold x Boho template with all of the design ease that comes with Showit.

Learn more about design systems, and, specifically How To Find Your Personal Design Style.

Mobile Optimization

You’re probably wondering why mobile optimization has a point all to itself. Sure, it may not seem like a big deal, but it is. 

I’d like to remind you that 59% of users in 2022 used mobile systems. And if you remember, since 2018, Google has down-ranked websites that aren’t performing. That means that you could effectively lose 59% of your traffic if you’re not focusing on mobile optimization (we’ve got some more content tips here)!

When it comes to Squarespace vs. Showit, Squarespace transfers your desktop site to mobile. While that sounds great, it doesn’t work in practice. On the other hand, Showit allows you to completely customize your mobile and desktop sites, so they can run smoothly.

You want your mobile version of your website to be stunning, just like your desktop version, and that means having all the control. Even though it sounds crazy, sometimes less content is actually better on a mobile device. If you aren’t sure what I mean, check out the elegant mobile version of my best-selling template, Wild & Free.

My Vote

So? What’s my final take on Squarespace vs. Showit? I don’t want to knock Squarespace too hard. But it’s not a great option for someone who really cares about creativity, mobile optimization, and their overall business. 

I recommend every single entrepreneur I come in contact with to switch to Showit, and I cannot even begin to tell you how many of them have thanked me months later after they’ve made the switch or have hired me to build them a beautiful site with all of this in mind.

New to Showit? Then my CEO of Showit Course was made for you. I’ve put together everything I’ve learned in an easy-to-follow training guide. You’ll learn everything from how to navigate Showit to how to build successful eCommerce shops for your clients.

You can also read my free guide here 🙂