Final verdict
Squarespace and Carrd cater to different needs and audiences, with Squarespace offering a more comprehensive solution and Carrd focusing on simplicity and affordability.
-
Squarespace (Overall Grade: 7.9/10)
excels in providing a robust platform for users seeking a blend of design flexibility, ecommerce functionality, and comprehensive features. It’s particularly suited for small to medium-sized businesses and individuals looking for a professional online presence with minimal hassle. Squarespace’s strengths lie in its design functionalities, comprehensive ecommerce features, and quality customer support, making it a versatile choice for a wide range of website projects. -
Carrd (Overall Grade: 6.1/10)
, on the other hand, shines with its simplicity and ease of use, making it ideal for creating single-page websites quickly and efficiently. It’s a great choice for individuals, freelancers, and small businesses that need a straightforward online presence without the complexity of a full-fledged website builder. While Carrd lacks the depth in ecommerce and advanced features offered by Squarespace, its affordability and user-friendly approach make it a compelling option for those with simpler needs.
|
|
|
---|---|---|
Design functionalities & templates |
8.0 |
7.5 |
Ease of use |
8.3 |
9.0 |
Ecommerce |
8.2 |
3.5 |
Website Editors |
8.3 |
7.0 |
Product testing options |
7.4 |
6.0 |
Price |
8.4 |
8.9 |
Hosting quality |
7.6 |
5.0 |
Website speed optimization |
6.7 |
8.2 |
Plugins and integrations |
6.8 |
5.8 |
Marketing features |
8.1 |
5.8 |
Customer support |
7.8 |
6.2 |
Security |
8.8 |
7.6 |
AI capabilities |
7.5 |
0.0 |
User Management |
7.4 |
4.3 |
Overall |
7.9 |
6.1 |
Best for ecommerce
Verdict
: Squarespace is the superior choice for ecommerce due to its comprehensive features and integrated solutions, making it suitable for businesses of various sizes. Carrd, while efficient for simple, one-page sites, lacks the depth in ecommerce functionalities.
-
Squarespace
: Offers a robust set of ecommerce tools, including secure payment processing, built-in marketing tools, and a wide selection of ecommerce templates. It’s designed for businesses looking to grow and scale their online presence. -
Carrd
: Best suited for individuals or small businesses needing basic ecommerce capabilities through third-party integrations. Its simplicity and ease of use are its strengths, but it falls short for more complex ecommerce needs.
Best for informational & business websites
Verdict
: Squarespace is the superior choice for creating comprehensive, visually appealing informational and business websites, offering a robust set of features that cater to a wide range of needs. Carrd, while effective for simple, single-page sites, doesn’t match Squarespace’s versatility and depth.
-
Squarespace
: With a higher score for informational and business websites, Squarespace stands out for its extensive template library, ease of use, and comprehensive support resources. It’s ideal for users seeking a blend of simplicity, design flexibility, and functionality in their website builder. -
Carrd
: Carrd’s focus on simplicity and speed makes it a great option for straightforward, single-page websites. While it may not offer the same level of design variety or advanced features as Squarespace, its ease of use and affordability make it a strong choice for individuals and small businesses looking to establish a basic online presence.
Detailed comparison
Design functionalities & templates
Design FunctionalitiesRepresents how well each platform allows for creative design and customization of websites.Score Components:
- Template Variety (30%): Range and quality of design templates.
- Customization (30%): Flexibility and options for design alterations.
- User Interface (20%): Ease and intuitiveness of the design process.
- Responsiveness (10%): Adaptability to different devices and screen sizes.
- Innovation (10%): Unique design features and tools.
🏆
Winner: Squarespace.
Squarespace edges out Carrd with a slightly higher score in design functionalities and templates.
Squarespace boasts an impressive variety of website templates, offering over 120 pre-designed options to choose from. These templates cater to a wide range of needs and industries, from creative portfolios and sleek online stores to professional business websites and personal blogs.
On the other hand, Carrd is a versatile platform that offers a wide variety of templates and designs, catering to different needs and preferences. Users can choose from a broad selection of themes, ranging from simple and minimalist to complex and dynamic layouts, ensuring there’s something for everyone.
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Ease of use
Ease of useReflects the platform’s overall user-friendliness.Score
Components:
- Learning curve (40%): Quickness and ease of getting started.
- Interface design (30%): Simplicity and intuitiveness of layout.
- User guidance (20%): Quality of tutorials and support.
- Flexibility (10%): Adaptability to various user skills.
🏆 Winner: Carrd
. With a score of 9.0, Carrd is designed for simplicity and ease of use, making it ideal for beginners and those seeking to create single-page websites quickly. Squarespace, scoring 8.3, offers a user-friendly platform but with some limitations in customization and a learning curve for advanced features.
Learning Resources
🏆 Winner: Squarespace
. Both platforms offer solid learning resources, but Squarespace provides a more comprehensive set of resources, including a Help Center, video tutorials, live webinars, an informative blog, and an active community forum.
For ecommerce
EcommerceMeasures the platform’s effectiveness in supporting online business activities.Score Components:
- Ecommerce themes and templates (20%): Variety and design of templates.
- Product management (25%): Ease of managing and organizing products.
- Payment options (25%): Variety and convenience of payment methods.
- Ecommerce features (20%): Features for managing an ecommerce store.
- Integration (10%): Compatibility with external e-commerce tools and services.
Squarespace is a comprehensive ecommerce solution, offering a range of features from secure payment processing to built-in marketing tools. It’s designed to simplify the process of setting up an online store, making it a good choice for businesses. On the other hand, Carrd is a lightweight platform primarily designed for building one-page websites. It doesn’t offer robust ecommerce features out of the box, and users looking to incorporate ecommerce functionalities would need to integrate third-party services.
|
|
|
---|---|---|
Ecommerce themes and templates |
7.5 |
4.5 |
Product page customization |
7.0 |
3.0 |
Payment processing and commissions |
7.8 |
5.0 |
POS capabilities |
6.5 |
0.0 |
Payment gateways |
7.5 |
5.5 |
Product numbers |
6.8 |
2.0 |
Additional ecommerce features |
7.2 |
3.5 |
Squarespace ecommerce features:
- Intuitive interface
- Secure payment processing
- Built-in marketing tools
- SEO optimization
- Website analytics
Carrd ecommerce features:
- Paypal and Stripe Integration
- External Widgets integrations
- Basic Product Listing options
Ecommerce themes & templates
Squarespace provides a diverse selection of around 50 ecommerce templates, catering to various industries like fashion, beauty, home goods, and technology. These templates range from clean and minimalist to bold and colorful, accommodating different brand aesthetics and product types. Carrd, on the other hand, provides a selection of 14 e-commerce templates aimed at users looking to quickly launch online stores for products ranging from e-books to physical goods. These templates are crafted with a focus on simplicity and conversion optimization.
Product page customization
Squarespace offers options for layout, design, and interactive elements on product pages. You can choose templates, customize colors, fonts, and content. Enhance engagement with features like customizable buttons, wishlists, comparisons, reviews, and related products. Advanced options include custom code injection and third-party app integrations. Carrd offers a streamlined approach to ecommerce product page customization, primarily through integrations with third-party platforms such as Stripe, Lemon Squeezy, and Gumroad.
Payment processing
Squarespace provides flexible payment processing for online stores with integrated gateways like Stripe and PayPal. External gateways can be set up for specific needs. Transaction fees may apply depending on the plan and payment method. Security measures include PCI compliance and fraud prevention. Additional features include payment links, support for subscriptions, and the ability to accept international payments in various currencies. Carrd allows for payment-enabled forms for Pro Plus users or higher, integrating with Stripe Checkout for payment processing. This setup enables creating forms for various transactions like order forms or paid email lists. The process requires setting up the payment through Stripe, either via a preconfigured price or a custom price, and entering Stripe API keys. There’s no direct mention of Carrd charging commissions or offering POS capabilities within this documentation. For payment gateways, it specifically supports Stripe and Paypal.
Website Editors
Website EditorsEvaluates the platforms’ website building and editing capabilities.Score Components:
- Customization tools (40%): Range and power of editing features.
- Editor usability (30%): User experience within the editor.
- Design flexibility (20%): Freedom in layout and design changes.
- Update and maintenance ease (10%): Simplicity of updating and maintaining the site.
🏆
Winner: Squarespace
. Squarespace, with a score of 8.3, offers a user-friendly editor that allows easy drag-and-drop website creation without coding. With visually appealing templates and customization options, it caters to beginners and pros alike. The real-time editing experience ensures instant previews. Prioritizing content, it’s mobile-responsive and offers functional features like forms, social media integration, and online stores. Squarespace seamlessly integrates with tools for extended capabilities.
Carrd’s website builder editor, scoring 7.0, is designed for simplicity and efficiency, catering primarily to users looking to create single-page websites. It offers a user-friendly interface that allows for easy drag-and-drop functionality, enabling users to add, customize, and position elements such as text, images, buttons, and forms with minimal effort. The editor also provides a range of pre-designed templates and responsive design options, ensuring that websites look professional and work seamlessly across various devices. Additionally, Carrd includes basic SEO tools and integration capabilities with external services, making it a versatile choice for personal projects, portfolios, and small business landing pages.
Mobile editor/app
🏆
Winner: Squarespace
. Both Squarespace and Carrd offer mobile editing capabilities, but they cater to different needs and skill levels. Squarespace has a dedicated mobile app that allows users to manage their website, edit content, view analytics, manage their online store, and schedule social media posts. However, it does not offer the full range of functionalities available on the desktop version.
On the other hand, Carrd does not have a dedicated mobile app, but it allows users to edit their website on a mobile browser. This can be convenient for quick edits on the go, but it may not provide the same level of functionality and ease of use as a dedicated app.
In summary, Squarespace receives a higher rating due to its dedicated mobile app and the range of features it offers, while Carrd’s mobile editing capabilities are more limited.
Product testing options
Product Testing OptionsAssesses the options for trying out platform features before commitment.Score Components:
- Trial quality (40%): Extent and usefulness of the trial or free version.
- Feature accessibility (30%): How many features are available to test.
- Trial duration (20%): Length of the trial period.
- Ease of transition (10%): Smoothness of moving from trial to paid plans.
Overall Result
:
Squarespace Wins
. Squarespace scores 7.4, offering a 14-day free trial and the possibility to test most of the premium features. Carrd, scoring 6.0, provides a 7-day free trial and allows testing of premium features during this period. However, Carrd does not offer a money-back guarantee.
|
|
|
---|---|---|
Free Plan |
No | No |
Trial Duration |
14 days | 7 days |
Testing Premium Features |
Most of the premium features | All features during free trial |
Money Back Guarantee |
Full refund within 14 days |
No |
Price
PriceLooks at the cost-effectiveness and value for money of each platform.Score Components:
- Plan value (40%): What each pricing tier offers.
- Transparency and clarity (30%): Clearness of pricing structures.
- Flexibility of plans (20%): Range of options to suit different budgets.
- Hidden costs (10%): Additional expenses not included in the plan.
Carrd offers more affordable pricing plans compared to Squarespace, but Squarespace provides more advanced features, especially for ecommerce.
|
|
|
---|---|---|
$0-$1 |
No offering at this amount. |
Pro Lite ($0.75/month): Basic features suitable for simple, personal websites. Up to 3 1-page websites. Value for price: 6.0 |
$1-$3 |
No offering at this amount. |
Pro Standard ($1.58/month): Offers more features and flexibility, ideal for professional profiles and small projects. Up to 10 1-page websites. Value for price: 7.5 |
$3-$10 |
No offering at this amount. |
Pro Plus ($4.08/month): Enhanced features for more complex sites, including additional customization options. Up to 25 1-page websites. Value for price: 8.5 |
$10-$15 |
Personal ($12/month): Build a basic website with limited features for personal use. Access to basic templates, mobile-friendly design, and some social media integrations. Value for price: 6.0 |
No offering at this amount. |
$15-$20 |
Business ($16/month): Upgrade features with custom domain, SEO tools, marketing tools like email campaigns, and analytics. Value for price: 7.5 |
No offering at this amount. |
$20-$30 |
Commerce ($26/month): Perfect for online stores with built-in eCommerce functionality (unlimited products), secure checkout, inventory management, and marketing tools. Value for price: 8.5 |
No offering at this amount. |
$40+ |
Advanced Commerce ($40/month): Cater to high-volume stores with advanced eCommerce features like abandoned cart recovery, product subscriptions, gift cards, and real-time shipping quotes. Value for Price: 9.0 |
No offering at this amount. |
location. As a result in rare cases the prices displayed here can differ from the ones you see on their
websites.
Hosting quality
Hosting
qualityExamines the reliability and performance of the hosting solutions.Score Components:
- Uptime (40%): Consistency and reliability of website availability.
- Speed (30%): Loading times and performance.
- Bandwidth and storage (20%): Sufficiency of resources provided.
- Data centers (10%): Quality and distribution of hosting infrastructure.
Winner: Squarespace
. Squarespace offers proprietary cloud-based hosting with a 99.9% uptime guarantee and data centers across North America, Europe, and Asia. Carrd, on the other hand, offers shared hosting but does not provide specific information on uptime, uptime guarantee, or the location of its data centers. This lack of transparency and the limitations of shared hosting make Squarespace the clear winner in terms of hosting quality.
|
|
|
---|---|---|
Do they offer hosting? |
Yes, included in all of their plans |
Yes, Carrd offers shared hosting integrated with its website-building platform, however they don’t provide specific information on bandwidth or storage limitations. Additionally the platform does not have backups in traditional sense, users can create limited amount of copies of their websites or download the websites on higher plans. |
Data Centers: |
Squarespace’s data centers are strategically scattered across North America, Europe, and Asia |
Carrd doesn’t publicly disclose any information about its data centers. |
Type of hosting: |
Proprietary cloud-based hosting |
Shared Hosting |
Uptime: |
99.9% |
Carrd.co does not provide any statistics on uptime |
Uptime Guarantee: |
Yes |
No |
Website Speed Optimization
Website Speed OptimizationEvaluates optimization of website loading timesScore Components:
- PageSpeed Score (30%): Google’s score indicating performance optimization.
- Loading Time (30%): The average time until a website is fully interactive.
- Mobile Optimization (15%): Optimization effectiveness for mobile devices.
- Resource Optimization (15%): Optimizing images, scripts, and other heavy resources.
- CDN Usage (10%): Use of CDN to enhance speed across geolocations.
🏆 Winner: Carrd
Both Squarespace and Carrd prioritize website performance and page speed, but Carrd’s simplicity gives it an edge in speed optimization.
|
|
|
---|---|---|
Focus |
Responsive design, image optimization |
Mobile responsive design, caching |
Performance Tools |
CDN, code minification, lazy loading |
Cloudflare CDN |
Key Strategies |
Responsive design, image optimization, CDN, code minification, lazy loading |
Mobile responsive design, caching, Cloudflare CDN |
Load Times |
0.7s to 9.1s (Average: 2.9s) |
Minimal due to simplicity of websites |
Page Speed Scores Range |
20/100 to 93/100 (Average: 62.7/100) |
Expected to be high due to simplicity |
Core Web Vitals Improvement |
Emphasis on LCP, FID, CLS improvements |
No disclosed information |
Squarespace focuses on responsive design, image optimization, CDN, code minification, and lazy loading of images to optimize website speed. It has a wide range of load times from 0.7s to 9.1s, with an average of 2.9s, and PageSpeed scores ranging from 20/100 to 93/100, with an average of 62.7/100. Squarespace also emphasizes improvements in Core Web Vitals, specifically LCP, FID, and CLS.
On the other hand, Carrd, with its simplicity and focus on single-page websites, is expected to have minimal load times and high PageSpeed scores. Its strategies for speed optimization include mobile responsive design, caching, and the use of Cloudflare CDN. However, Carrd does not disclose any information related to Core Web Vitals improvements. Despite this, its simplicity and focus on speed give it an edge over Squarespace in website speed optimization.
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Plugins and integrations
Plugins and integrationsMeasures the range and effectiveness of additional plugins and integrations.Score Components:
- Variety of options (40%): Range of available add-ons.
- Integration smoothness (30%): Ease of integrating plugins into the site.
- Quality of plugins (20%): Functionality and reliability of the options.
- Custom integration capabilities (10%): Support for custom or third-party integrations.
🏆 Winner: Squarespace.
With a score of 6.8, Squarespace offers a more extensive range of plugins and integrations than Carrd, which scores 5.8. While Squarespace doesn’t have an official app store, it supports integrations and extensions through custom code injection and third-party tools.
Carrd, on the other hand, offers a range of plugins and extensions, including both free and paid options. However, Squarespace’s integrations cover a wider range of functionalities, making it the winner in this category.
Marketing Features
Marketing featuresAssesses tools and options available for marketing.Score Components:
- SEO tools (40%): Effectiveness of SEO features.
- Marketing automation (30%): Availability and quality of marketing tools.
- Social Media integration (20%): Ease and depth of social media connectivity.
- Email marketing (10%): Quality and usability of email marketing tools.
🏆
Overall Winner: Squarespace
. Squarespace offers more advanced and integrated marketing features, while Carrd relies more on third-party integrations.
|
|
|
---|---|---|
SEO Tools |
|
|
Email Marketing |
|
✓ (through third-party integrations) |
Blogging |
|
|
Social Media Integration |
Direct linking and selling on social platforms, plus feed displays on-site |
Basic social media integration |
Analytics and Reporting |
Detailed insights into website performance and visitor behavior |
Basic analytics through Google Analytics integration |
Ads and Promotions |
Integration with Google Ads and tools for managing sophisticated ad campaigns |
Ads and promotions through third-party integrations |
Customer Support
Customer supportEvaluates the quality and availability of support options.Score Components:
- Response time (40%): Speed of support responses.
- Support quality (30%): Effectiveness and helpfulness of the support.
- Availability (20%): Range of support channels (phone, chat, email).
- Resource richness (10%): Quality of self-help and educational materials.
🏆 Winner: Squarespace
. Squarespace outperforms Carrd in this category with a higher customer support score and a wider range of support options. Squarespace provides live chat, email support, a community forum, and a comprehensive help center. Live chat and phone support are available on weekdays from 6 AM to 6 PM PST, while email support is available 24/7. The community forum and help center offer 24/7 access, and language support is provided in several languages across different support channels.
On the other hand, Carrd provides 24/7 support via email, which typically replies within 24 hours. However, Carrd does not offer as many support options as Squarespace, and it does not provide enterprise support.
Security
SecurityLooks at the platforms’ security measures and data protection.Score Components:
- Data protection (40%): Safeguards for user and customer data.
- SSL and encryption (30%): Implementation of secure connections.
- Compliance (20%): Adherence to industry security standards.
- Regular updates (10%): Frequency of security updates and patches.
🏆
Winner: Squarespace
. Squarespace takes a comprehensive approach to security, with features such as secure server storage, encryption, strict access controls, compliance with regulations such as GDPR and CCPA, transparent privacy policies, and additional security measures like vulnerability scanning and malware detection. These measures collectively safeguard your website content and customer information.
Although Carrd, while offering a simpler platform, does not compromise on security. It ensures website security by automatically enabling SSL for all sites published on .carrd.co URLs, with no setup required from the user. This SSL certification extends to custom domains and subdomains, automatically issued via Let’s Encrypt once DNS records are in place. These measures signify Carrd’s commitment to data security and encryption, safeguarding websites against unauthorized access and hacking, and align with security standards observed by leading website builders. However, compared to Squarespace, Carrd’s security measures are less comprehensive, hence the lower security score.
AI Capabilities
AI capabilitiesMeasures the effectiveness of AI-driven features and tools.Score Components:
- Automation efficiency (40%): Impact of AI on streamlining processes.
- Personalization (30%): AI-driven customization for users or customers.
- AI-Assisted design (20%): Role of AI in website design and functionality.
- Data analysis (10%): Use of AI in interpreting user data and analytics.
|
|
|
---|---|---|
AI Builder |
Partial AI assistance in website creation |
|
AI Ecommerce features |
AI-powered copywriting, SEO optimization, product suggestions |
|
AI content generation |
AI-generated website copy, blog posts, social media captions |
|
Additional AI features |
SEO optimization, email marketing insights, inventory management insights |
|
🏆 Winner: Squarespace
. Squarespace, with a score of 7.5, offers a range of AI-powered features that assist in website creation, content generation, and ecommerce. These features include AI-powered copywriting, SEO optimization, product suggestions, and more.
On the other hand, Carrd does not have any AI capabilities. This lack of AI features may limit the functionality and efficiency of the platform, especially for users looking for automated assistance in website creation and management.
User Management
User ManagementAssesses the platforms’ capabilities in managing user roles, permissions, and accessibility.Score Components:
- Role Customization (40%): Flexibility in creating and defining user roles and
permissions. - Ease of Management (30%): User interface and tools for managing users.
- Access Control (20%): Effectiveness of access control measures for different user
levels. - Scalability (10%): Ability to manage a growing number of users efficiently.
🏆 Winner: Squarespace
. Squarespace offers a more detailed and flexible user management system, allowing for different roles with varying access levels. On the other hand, Carrd is primarily designed for individual use or small teams, with each account managing its own sites.
Squarespace User Roles and Access Levels:
Role | Description | Access Highlights |
---|---|---|
Owner | The primary user who created the website and has full access. | Full site access, including billing, site settings, content editing, and member management. |
Administrator | Users granted nearly full access to manage the site alongside the Owner. | Access to most areas except for some owner-specific settings like ownership transfer. |
Content Editor | Users focused on adding and managing site content without full site access. | Can add, edit, and delete content on pages, blog posts, and manage comments. |
Billing | Users who manage the subscription and billing details. | Access to billing information and the ability to update subscription details. |
Store Manager | Users who manage the ecommerce aspects of the site. | Can manage inventory, fulfill orders, manage customers, and view sales analytics. |
Custom | A role defined by the site owner or administrators with specific access. | Customizable access as defined by the Owner or Administrators, can vary widely between sites. |
Carrd does not provide detailed information about user roles and access levels. It is primarily designed for individual use or small teams, with each account managing its own sites. The platform introduced a Team feature to allow multiple users to collaborate, but traditionally, Carrd sites are managed by a single account holder with full control. The specifics of access levels and permissions for collaborators, if available, are less detailed but generally include editing capabilities.
Additional Features
|
|
|
---|---|---|
SSL Certificate |
|
|
Custom Domain |
|
|
Free Custom Domain Included |
|
|
International Domains |
|
|
Mobile Responsive |
|
|
Page Speed |
|
|
Website Builder Mobile App |
|
|
Convert a Website To An App |
|
|
Website Analytics |
|
|
Multilingual Sites |
|
|
Multiple Users |
|
|
User Feedback
Squarespace is appreciated for its user-friendly interface and versatile tools, making it a go-to choice for those who aren’t tech-savvy. It offers a range of features like website creation, SEO, online selling, and more, catering to a diverse user base. Customers value its good customer support and visually appealing templates, which help in creating a professional online presence. However, some users have reported issues with domain transfer/setup, limited customization options, and consider the pricing slightly higher. There are also occasional concerns about customer service and technical limitations like template rigidity and missing features.
On the other hand, Carrd.co receives high praise from users for its user-friendly interface, excellent customer support, and attractive templates, making website creation effortless and enjoyable. The drag-and-drop builder, affordability, and mobile-friendly designs are highlighted as significant benefits. However, some users express limitations, such as the inability to create multi-page websites or a desire for more design options. Overall, Carrd.co is praised for its affordability, ease of use, and suitability for creating quick, simple webpages.
The making of this blog
We followed a clear, step-by-step process to write and research this article.
FAQ
Which platform is better for ecommerce, Squarespace or Carrd?
Can I use Squarespace and Carrd for creating a professional website without coding skills?
How do Squarespace and Carrd compare in terms of ease of use?
What are the main differences in pricing between Squarespace and Carrd?
Which platform offers better customer support, Squarespace or Carrd?
Can I create a multi-page website with Carrd?