Top 10 alternatives to Squarespace UK

If you're looking for Squarespace alternatives in the UK, you're probably weighing up whether Squarespace still fits your business. Maybe it's the pricing, the lack of control, the slow handoff to support, or simply the feeling that you're paying for features you don't use. Whatever the reason, there's a solid range of options — from template builders to fully bespoke services.

This guide covers ten real alternatives to Squarespace, each with honest detail on who they suit, what they cost over a year, and how portable your content actually is when you want to move on.

Wix

Wix competes directly with Squarespace on drag-and-drop ease and template range. You get a free tier (ad-supported) or paid plans starting around £10–20 per month, with e-commerce features on higher tiers. The platform locks you into its ecosystem — exporting your full site design is not straightforward, though you can download some content via their backup feature. Support is primarily chat and email, with UK response times typically within 24 hours. Hosting is included, and SSL is automatic. Where Wix shines is breadth: hundreds of pre-built apps and third-party integrations. If you're comfortable with a walled garden and don't mind paying for add-ons (email marketing, analytics premium, booking apps) over time, Wix works well for small shops and service businesses. The trade-off is that moving away later is friction-heavy.

WordPress (managed hosting)

Managed WordPress platforms like Kinsta, WP Engine, and Bluehost WordPress Pro remove the server maintenance burden. You get automatic backups, security patching, and staged environments. Costs range from £20–100+ per month depending on traffic and features. WordPress itself is free and open-source, so your content and data are portable — you can always export your posts, pages, and media as XML or CSV and migrate to another host or platform. Plugin ecosystems are vast, but quality varies. You'll need to choose and vet your own plugins for contact forms, e-commerce, and analytics. Support depends on your host; some offer phone support, others email only. For UK-based freelancers and small agencies, managed WordPress is a mature, low-risk option with excellent data portability.

Webflow

Webflow occupies the middle ground between template builders and code. You design visually, but the platform generates clean HTML, CSS, and JavaScript under the hood, giving you granular control over responsive behaviour and animations. Pricing starts at £12/month for basic sites and climbs to £65+/month for e-commerce. Webflow hosts your site and includes SSL. Exporting code is possible but not cheap — you'd need a higher plan to unlock code export, and even then, you're responsible for hosting once you leave. Webflow is strong for designers and creative agencies who want more control than Squarespace but prefer not to hand-code. Support is community-driven forums plus email; response times are typically 24–48 hours. If you're UK-based and comfortable with design tools, Webflow reduces the barrier to custom-quality sites without hiring a developer.

Shopify

Shopify is built for e-commerce, not general websites. Plans start at £29/month (UK pricing), and that's before inventory management, apps, and transaction fees. You get thousands of apps, secure hosting, and SSL included. Shopify's data portability is moderate — you can export orders and customer data, but your store design isn't easily portable because it's tied to Shopify's liquid templating engine. Shopify is dominant for online product sales, dropshipping, and subscription boxes. If you're a service business (consultant, coach, cleaner), Shopify is overkill and you'll pay for features that sit idle. For actual retail or product resale, it's market-leading. UK support is available via email and chat, with typical response within 24 hours.

Elementor (self-hosted WordPress)

Elementor is a page-builder plugin for WordPress. You install it on your own WordPress site (hosted separately on services like Kinsta, GoDaddy, or Bluehost), then drag and drop pages visually. Elementor itself has free and pro versions (£99/year for one site). Add your host cost (£10–50/month), and you're looking at £120–700 annually. Your data stays on your own server, making portability straightforward — your entire WordPress site can be migrated to another host instantly. Elementor's learning curve is gentler than hand-coding but steeper than Wix or Squarespace. You're responsible for security updates and plugin conflicts. For tech-comfortable solo operators and small teams, Elementor + WordPress offers excellent value and control. Support is community forums, documentation, and paid support tiers.

Sitewright

Sitewright builds custom sites using Next.js and Tailwind CSS, hand-coded and designed for your business. On the Grow and VIP tiers, you get a built-in CMS (Strapi) so you can edit your own copy and images. Hosting is on Vercel with global CDN, edge caching, and Lighthouse 90+ performance out of the box. You pay a setup fee (£487–£2,797) plus monthly hosting (£13–£139), or choose the Own It tier to own your code outright with no recurring fee. Sitewright is built for service businesses: consultants, agencies, coaches. The design process is fast — most sites launch within a week. Data is always portable — you can request your source code anytime or upgrade to Own It and walk away with the GitHub repo.

• Custom design + Next.js build → Lighthouse 90+ performance on mobile included.
• Strapi CMS on Grow/VIP → you edit copy and images, not locked into admin dependency.
• Own It tier available anytime → walk away with full source code, no vendor lock-in.
• Email-first support, 1-day typical response → no ticket queues or hold times.
• ~£30 monthly edits included → small changes (copy, images, prices) don't cost extra.

Carrd

Carrd is stripped-down simplicity. You get a single-page site builder, hosted under a Carrd subdomain or your own custom domain. Plans start at £14/year for a basic site, £44/year for custom domain and email forwarding. Exporting your Carrd site is not native — there's no bulk export tool, so moving to another platform means manually recreating your content. Carrd is ideal for micro-businesses, solopreneurs, and link-in-bio pages (therapists, freelancers, artists). If you only need one cohesive landing page, Carrd's cost is hard to beat. Support is email and a community forum; response times aren't guaranteed.

Notion Sites

Notion has added a free website builder tacked onto its note-taking app. You can publish Notion pages as public websites, and Notion handles hosting. There's no separate cost; websites are free if you're already using Notion for internal notes. Exporting a Notion site is difficult — you're tied to Notion's templating and data structure. Notion Sites suits small teams using Notion for project management who want a quick, linked public face. Support is primarily community forums and docs. For a full-featured business website, Notion Sites is underpowered; it's a marketing add-on to the core product, not a website builder in its own right.

GoDaddy Website Builder

GoDaddy offers a drag-and-drop builder starting at £4/month (first year discounted), rising to £10–15 thereafter. Hosting and SSL are included. GoDaddy integrates tightly with domain names and email hosting, which can simplify setup if you register your domain through GoDaddy. Exporting your site is not straightforward — you're largely locked in. GoDaddy's support is phone-available in the UK, which is a plus for users who prefer voice. Template quality is functional but dated compared to Wix or Squarespace. GoDaddy suits users who need a bundled domain + email + website deal and value phone support. Data portability is a weak point.

Framer

Framer is a React-based design tool that exports to a live site. You design visually and Framer generates working React components. Pricing is free (starter) up to £12/month for custom domains and hosting. Framer is best for designers and design-led teams who want interactive prototypes to turn into real websites. If you're not comfortable with code concepts (components, state, props), Framer's abstraction won't hide the learning curve. Exporting code is possible — Framer generates actual React, so you can deploy it yourself or to another host. Support is docs and a community forum. Framer shines for design portfolios and interactive marketing sites; it's less suited to traditional service websites where you just want to publish text and images.

Picking the right one

Leaving Squarespace usually comes down to three things: cost, control, and support. If you're a service business (consultant, coach, cleaner, agency), you likely don't need full e-commerce — and Squarespace's pricing doesn't reflect that. If you want to own your code or export your site wholesale when you leave, Squarespace is a non-starter.

Sitewright is designed specifically for UK service businesses that want bespoke design at transparent, manageable cost. You own your data always; you can request your code or upgrade to Own It and walk away with everything. The design process is fast — most sites ship within days — and the pricing scales from £487 setup (Starter) through to full code ownership (Own It, one-off £1,997). Strapi CMS on Grow and VIP tiers means you edit your own copy, and ~£30 of minor edits are included monthly, so you're never held hostage by support tickets. How it works covers the whole process if you want to see the timeline and revision rounds.

When you're weighing alternatives, ask yourself:

• Do I need to own my code, or am I comfortable staying inside a platform? — Own It or a managed WordPress solution if you want full portability; Wix or Squarespace if you're platform-agnostic.
• What's the true annual cost, including integrations, email, and support? — Add up apps and plugins across a full year; WordPress add-ons and Wix apps creep quietly into your budget.
• How quickly do I need to go live? — Template builders like Wix and Carrd are live in days; bespoke builds like Sitewright or Webflow take a week or two.
• Do I want to edit my own site, or should I outsource that? — CMS-enabled platforms (WordPress, Strapi, Webflow) let you self-serve; pure template builders hand you a finished site.
• What's my appetite for technical decisions? — WordPress and Elementor require plugin choices; Wix and Squarespace make those for you.

The best Squarespace alternative is the one that stops you paying for features you ignore and gives you the exit door when you're ready to walk through it.