Looking for Squarespace alternatives? Compare top design and frontend tools with unique features, pricing, and benefits to find your ideal match.
Irvin Zhan
•
2025-01-13
While Squarespace is a well-known website builder, it might not be the right fit for everyone. You might be looking for a more customizable solution, a different pricing structure, or specific features that better align with your needs.
In this article, we’ll explore ten of the best alternatives to Squarespace for building websites. We’ll cover their pricing, key features, and who they are best suited for, helping you find the perfect tool for your next project.
What is Squarespace?
Squarespace is a website building and hosting service that allows users to create websites, online stores, blogs, and portfolios using customizable templates and a drag-and-drop interface. It offers a variety of designer templates, domain registration, and tools for ecommerce, scheduling, and marketing.
Additionally, Squarespace provides features for creating online courses, managing invoices, and analyzing website performance. The platform includes 24/7 customer support and various resources to assist users in building their online presence.
What to Consider When Selecting a Squarespace Alternative?
Customization Options: Look for platforms that offer extensive customization without requiring coding skills. This allows you to create a unique website that aligns with your brand.
Ease of Use: Choose a website builder with an intuitive drag-and-drop interface. This is crucial for users who may not have technical expertise but still want to create a professional-looking site quickly.
SEO Tools: Ensure the platform includes built-in SEO features to help your website rank higher in search engine results. This is essential for driving organic traffic to your site.
Pricing Structure: Consider the cost of the platform, including any hidden fees. Look for transparent pricing plans that fit your budget, whether you need a free trial, a monthly subscription, or a one-time purchase.
Customer Support: Reliable customer support is vital. Opt for platforms that offer 24/7 support, comprehensive help centers, and community forums to assist you whenever you encounter issues.
Best Alternatives to Squarespace in 2025
1) Subframe
Subframe is a UI design tool that bridges the gap between design and code. It offers an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, a custom component library, and real-time collaboration. With Subframe, you can generate production-ready code in React and Tailwind, making it easier to bring your designs to life.
Pros of Using Subframe
Here are some of the key advantages of using Subframe:
Design with real components: Utilize a visual UI editor that offers drag-and-drop functionality on a responsive canvas, ensuring pixel-perfect designs every time.
Stunning UI templates: Access a variety of templates inspired by world-class products, hand-crafted by designers, and built with reusable components, so you never have to start from scratch.
Skip handoff: Generate high-quality front-end code that you can copy and paste directly into your codebase, allowing you to focus more on adding business logic rather than tweaking CSS.
Build UI visually for free: Start designing without any upfront costs or the need for a credit card, making it accessible for everyone.
Real-time collaboration: Work seamlessly with your team in real-time, enhancing productivity and ensuring everyone is on the same page.
These are just a few of Subframe's many features. Check them out here to learn more.
Who Should Use Subframe?
Subframe is designed for founders, designers, and developers who need to quickly create high-quality UI without extensive frontend expertise. It is particularly beneficial for startups, freelancers, and large teams or agencies looking for a seamless design-to-code experience.
Subframe Pricing
Subframe offers three pricing options:
Free: $0 per user/month
Pro: $29 per user/month
Custom: Requires contacting support for pricing
Subframe Reviews
Subframe has received a perfect score of 5/5 based on 4 reviews. Users generally appreciate the ease of use and the time-saving features of Subframe. They find the product incredible, amazing, and highly recommend it.
Specific positive aspects mentioned by users include:
"Without Subframe, the frontend build of this tool would've taken a lot longer and a lot more financial resources."
"Subframe helped us make a super clean UI for our console without designers."
"Super easy to create UI, and the support is great."
"Really love it."
"Amazed by the accuracy of the pages generated by the AI."
"The visual editor saves loads of time and is really a cool feature."
"Very good design app."
The overall sentiment of the reviews is highly positive. Users are impressed with the product's functionality, ease of use, and the support provided by the Subframe team. The product is praised for its ability to save time and resources, and for generating accurate and clean UI designs.
2) Podia
Podia is a no-code website builder that offers customizable templates, built-in SEO, and integrated tools for blogging and email marketing, enabling users to efficiently create and manage their online presence.
Pros of Podia
Integrated Blogging Platform: Allows users to launch a blog, publish posts easily, and convert blog posts into emails.
All-in-One Platform: Combines website building, online store, email marketing, and more in one place.
No Plugins Required: Eliminates the need for additional plugins, reducing complexity and potential issues.
Cons of Podia
Limited Customization Options: Users have mentioned that the editor for sales pages is limited and lacks advanced styling options, making it difficult to create highly customized pages.
High Cost for Certain Features: Some users are dissatisfied with the high cost associated with embedding pop-ups and adding custom code, which are available only in higher pricing tiers.
Podia Pricing
Mover Plan: $39/month
Shaker Plan: $89/month
Podia Reviews
Podia has a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars based on 21 reviews. Users have mentioned issues with customer support, particularly in handling fraud disputes, and have noted the high cost of certain features and limited customization options for sales pages.
3) Designmodo Slides
Designmodo Slides is a no-code website builder that allows users to create beautiful, animated websites quickly and easily without any coding knowledge. It offers hundreds of premade UI blocks and templates, making it ideal for solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, startups, and small businesses.
Pros of Designmodo Slides
Seamless Animations: Create stunning, animated websites with fluid scroll and slide animations that enhance user experience.
Hundreds of Premade UI Blocks: Access a vast library of pre-designed UI blocks and templates, allowing for quick and easy website creation without starting from scratch.
Advanced Customization: Utilize HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for advanced customization, giving developers the flexibility to tailor websites to specific needs.
Cons of Designmodo Slides
Customization Limitations: While Designmodo Slides offers a variety of pre-made UI blocks and templates, some users find the customization options limited. This can be a drawback for those looking to create highly unique and tailored designs.
Potential for Design Fatigue: Users have noted that the reliance on pre-made templates and blocks can lead to design fatigue, making it challenging to create fresh and distinctive websites over time.
Designmodo Slides Pricing
Business Plan: $299 per year
Enterprise Plan: $999 per year
Designmodo Slides Reviews
Designmodo has a rating of 4.8 out of 5 based on 331 reviews. Users generally mention limitations in customization and pricing complexities.
4) Bubble.io
Bubble.io is a full-stack no-code app builder that empowers users to create complex web applications without writing a single line of code, making it ideal for entrepreneurs, startups, and developers looking to quickly bring their ideas to life.
Pros of Bubble.io
Visual Programming Interface: Bubble.io allows users to build complex web applications using a visual interface, eliminating the need for traditional coding and making app development accessible to non-developers.
Database Integration: The platform offers robust database management capabilities, enabling users to create, manipulate, and query databases directly within the app, streamlining data handling and storage.
Scalability: Bubble.io supports scalable infrastructure, allowing applications to grow seamlessly with user demand, making it suitable for both small projects and large-scale applications.
Cons of Bubble.io
Complexity and Steep Learning Curve: Despite being a no-code platform, Bubble.io can be quite complex for beginners. Users often find the learning curve steep, requiring significant time and effort to master the platform's features and capabilities.
Performance Issues: Many users have reported that Bubble.io's performance can be sluggish, especially as the amount of data and number of users increase. This can lead to slow load times and a less responsive user experience, particularly for those outside the US.
Bubble.io Pricing
Team Plan: $349 per month
Production Plan: $529 per month
Enterprise Plan: Contact support for pricing
Bubble.io Reviews
Bubble.io has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally find the platform complex and time-consuming to learn, with complaints about the pricing structure and performance issues.
5) BuilderX
BuilderX is an all-in-one platform that streamlines the processes of designing, coding, and deploying applications, making it an essential tool for developers and designers looking to enhance their workflow efficiency.
Pros of BuilderX
Real-Time Collaboration: BuilderX allows multiple team members to work on the same project simultaneously, enhancing productivity and ensuring everyone is on the same page.
Code Generation: The platform generates clean, production-ready code in React Native and React, saving developers significant time and effort in the coding process.
Design to Code: BuilderX seamlessly converts design elements into code, bridging the gap between designers and developers and streamlining the workflow.
Cons of BuilderX
Steep Learning Curve: Despite its powerful features, BuilderX can be challenging for beginners to master. Users often find the platform's interface and functionalities complex, requiring significant time and effort to become proficient.
Performance Issues: Some users have reported that BuilderX can be slow and unresponsive, particularly when handling larger projects. This can hinder productivity and lead to frustration, especially for those working on time-sensitive tasks.
BuilderX Pricing
BuilderX's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.
BuilderX Reviews
BuilderX has a rating of 3.8 out of 5 based on user reviews. Users generally mention a steep learning curve and performance issues, particularly with larger projects.
6) Anvil
Anvil is a platform that allows users to build web applications using only Python, offering a drag-and-drop interface for UI design, Python for coding, and various deployment options.
Pros of Anvil
Code Entirely in Python: Anvil allows you to build both the front-end and back-end of your web applications using only Python, eliminating the need to learn multiple programming languages.
Drag-and-Drop Designer: The platform features a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface for designing your UI, making it accessible for users without extensive coding experience.
Instant Deployment: Anvil offers instant deployment options, allowing you to publish your applications to the cloud, self-host, or deploy on-site with just a few clicks.
Cons of Anvil
Confusing Navigation: Users have reported that navigating through Anvil can be tricky, especially on long documents, leading to a frustrating user experience.
Delayed Customer Support: The lack of real-time chat support means users have to email their queries and wait until the next day for a response, which can be inefficient and slow.
Anvil Pricing
Business Plan: $50 per month
Enterprise Plan: $200 per month
Custom Plan: Contact support for pricing
Anvil Reviews
Anvil has a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars based on 17 reviews. Users generally find the navigation confusing and the pricing expensive, especially for small companies or those needing custom workflows.
7) Sitely
Sitely is a Mac-specific website builder with an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, built-in speed and SEO optimization, extensive customization options, and seamless macOS integration. It is designed for ease of use, allowing users to create professional websites without coding knowledge.
Pros of Sitely
Optimized for macOS: Sitely is specifically designed to leverage the power of macOS, ensuring a smooth and high-performance design experience for Mac users.
Static Sites for Security: Creates static websites that are un-hackable and protect visitor privacy, offering enhanced security without compromising on functionality.
All-in-One App: Sitely includes comprehensive built-in features with no additional costs or in-app purchases, providing a complete solution for website building.
Cons of Sitely
Limited to macOS: Sitely is specifically designed for macOS, which means users on other operating systems cannot use the platform. This limits its accessibility and usability for a broader audience.
Learning Curve for Advanced Features: While Sitely is user-friendly for basic tasks, mastering its advanced features can be challenging. Users may need to invest significant time to fully utilize the platform's capabilities.
Sitely Pricing
Business Plan: $50 per month
Enterprise Plan: $200 per month
Custom Plan: Contact support for pricing
Sitely Reviews
Sitely has a rating of 4.67 out of 5 based on 3 reviews. Users generally mention a manageable learning curve and the ability to create professional sites.
8) Retool
Retool is a platform that allows developers to build custom internal software by seamlessly connecting databases, using elegant components, and customizing with code. It aims to accelerate mundane tasks, freeing up time for more important work.
Pros of Retool
Seamless Integration: Connect with REST or GraphQL APIs and over 70+ integrations effortlessly, allowing you to pull in data from various sources without hassle.
Customizable Components: Utilize 100+ extensible React components and a full IDE to tailor your applications precisely to your needs, enhancing both functionality and user experience.
Advanced Debugging Tools: Benefit from built-in tools for viewing stack traces, inspecting app states, and monitoring errors, ensuring your applications run smoothly and efficiently.
Cons of Retool
Steep Learning Curve: Despite its powerful features, Retool can be challenging for beginners to master. Users often find the platform's interface and functionalities complex, requiring significant time and effort to become proficient.
Performance Issues: Some users have reported that Retool can be slow and unresponsive, particularly when handling larger projects. This can hinder productivity and lead to frustration, especially for those working on time-sensitive tasks.
Retool Pricing
Business Plan: $50 per standard user per month
Business Plan: $15 per end user per month
Business Plan: External user pricing: $8/month for 0-250 users, $6/month for 251-500 users, and free for over 500 users
Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing, requires contacting Retool for specific details
Retool Reviews
Retool has a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally mention that Retool can get quite pricey, has a steep learning curve for beginners, and experiences performance issues such as lagging in the app editor.
9) Quarkly
Quarkly is a no-code/low-code platform designed for creating websites and web applications, offering a comprehensive suite of tools for both web designers and developers, including React.js integration, extensive styling options, and collaborative features.
Pros of Quarkly
Primitives: These are the simplest, most basic components similar to HTML tags, allowing for easy and intuitive design.
Hot Import from NPM: Users can import thousands of community packages directly from NPM, enhancing functionality.
Export Options: Users can export their projects as production-ready create-react-app or Gatsby, making deployment easier.
Cons of Quarkly
Steep Learning Curve: Despite being a no-code/low-code platform, Quarkly can be challenging for beginners. The need for familiarity with React.js and the extensive range of features may require significant time and effort to master.
Complexity for Non-Developers: The platform's advanced capabilities, such as code components and hot import from NPM, might be overwhelming for users without a development background, making it less accessible for those looking for a purely visual design tool.
Quarkly Pricing
Business Plan: $50 per month
Enterprise Plan: $200 per month
Custom Plan: Contact support for pricing
Quarkly Reviews
Quarkly has a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally find the platform challenging for beginners and note that its advanced capabilities can be overwhelming for non-developers.
10) Builder AI
Builder AI is a composable software development platform that simplifies the process of building custom software applications, making it accessible to everyone regardless of technical knowledge. Leveraging AI, it streamlines development to ensure cost-effectiveness and speed, offering products like Builder Studio, Studio Store, Builder Now, Builder Cloud, and Builder Enterprise.
Pros of Builder AI
AI-driven app development: Builder AI leverages artificial intelligence to streamline the app development process, making it faster and more efficient without requiring any technical knowledge from the user.
Fixed pricing model: The platform offers a transparent and fixed pricing structure, ensuring that users know the exact cost of each feature upfront, eliminating unexpected expenses.
Dedicated product experts (Productologists): Builder AI provides access to dedicated experts who guide users through the entire development process, ensuring that the final product meets their specific needs and expectations.
Cons of Builder AI
Complexity and Poor User Interface: Users have found the platform to be complex and the user interface lacking, making it difficult to navigate and use effectively.
Delays in Project Delivery: Multiple users have reported significant delays in project timelines, which can be frustrating and impact overall project success.
Builder AI Pricing
Studio Store Starter Plan: £75 per month for 24 months
Custom Prototypes: Starting from £1,999
Builder AI's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.
Builder AI Reviews
Builder AI has a rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally mention issues with poor customer support, delays in project timelines, and pricing problems.
Which One Should You Go With?
Choosing the right tool for your web app development needs can be challenging, given the variety of options available. Each platform has its unique strengths, making them suitable for different types of projects and user requirements.
While all the alternatives mentioned offer valuable features, we recommend Subframe if you're looking for a seamless design-to-code experience. Its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, real-time collaboration, and ability to generate production-ready code make it a standout choice for both designers and developers.
Join thousands of happy builders.
Subframe lets you build stunning UI with beautifully crafted components and a drag-and-drop visual editor.