Time To Get Real About Website Platforms

(The Full Breakdown from a Designer Who’s Been in the Trenches)

Most “Showit vs Squarespace” blog posts read like tech-heavy reviews or simply gloss over the surface (or it’s people battling it out in reddit threads). So I really wanted to break it down from a web designer perspective for my clients—for the wedding industry pros and creative rebels who are hungry for a platform that’s gonna knock their socks off.

I’ve personally used Showit, Squarespace, and WordPress—in real life, for real businesses—and I’m breaking it all down for you, designer-style. No jargon. No bullsh*t. Just straight up clarity so you can pick the platform that actually works for you.

Ready to meet the contenders? Let’s goooo!

Showit

For creative rebels who want full visual freedom

Squarespace

For DIYers who want something quick, clean and easy

WordPress

For those who want total control, scalability and high-functioning SEO + sales power


Spoiler: There’s no universal “best website platform” — but there is a best one for wherever you’re at

Showit – For the artistic creatives who want a website that doesn’t look like every other one out there, Showit is your ride-or-die.

STRENGTHSWEAKNESSES
Absolute creative freedom—drag, drop, layer, animateBecause of its flexibility, layouts can get messy or overwhelming
Create stunning, custom-looking sites without touching a single line of codeNot as simple as Squarespace’s plug-n-play boxes
A ton of Showit templates available that are GORGEOUSBlog setup still requires WordPress, so there’s a tiny learning curve
Doesn’t automatically optimize for mobile, so you need to double-check every. single. change. and things can quickly go whack

Squarespace – For the minimalist who needs it quick, clean & easy.

STRENGTHSWEAKNESSES
Super easy to use with pre-built elements like buttons, accordion menus and formsCustomization is limited without code (and even then, some basic things still requires CSS know-how)
Built-in style guides to help maintain consistency. Built in sections = less design overwhelmYou’ll outgrow it fast if you want next-level design freedom
Clean templates, good typography optionsLimited design flexibility – your site might look like 1,000 others

WordPress – For the design-obsessed who either know the platform well or hire dev / design help.

STRENGTHSWEAKNESSES
Unlimited customization – sky’s the limit if you have the skillsRequires plugins, potential dev help, and patience (aka: not beginner-friendly)
Perfect for highly custom website experiencesThe backend can feel clunky and confusing
You can build literally anythingStart up costs can be more expensive with hiring a pro, but usually levels out over time

Showit – Ideal for visual thinkers who want drag-and-drop design with just enough flexibility to make it feel custom.

STRENGTHSWEAKNESSES
Intuitive drag-and-drop builder, perfect for visual thinkersStill requires WordPress for blogging which can cause confusion and tech issues
Great blog on their website for support with helpful videosThere can be a lot going on between the pages, canvases, elements, canvas sites, customization and WordPress templates (which can get confusing and cause issues)
AMAZING customer supportYou have to build items such as “buttons”, “accordions”, “forms”, “cards”, and other “element” functionalities rather than simply choosing a pre-made one.

Squarespace: For the no-fuss DIYer who needs a site live, like, yesterday.

STRENGTHSWEAKNESSES
Clean, beginner-friendly UICan be limiting for bold, personality-packed brands—unless you know code or hire a designer to push the platform further
All-in-one platform makes building pages, blogs, and content pretty intuitive
Easy to stay on-brand using style settings and pre-made elements

WordPress: For those willing to climb the learning curve to unlock serious backend power.

STRENGTHSWEAKNESSES
Most powerful design and steamlining potential once you do the research (or hire a designer)Steepest learning curve
WordPress has been out there for a while so there are loads, and loads, and LOADS of resources out there for you to learn the platformTech-heavy, but you’re golden once you research all the tools (or hire someone to help you out in the beginning)
You own your website which is pretty damn nice
Brand suite for a brand and website in a week service for Julia Ellise Collective

Showit: Best of both worlds: stunning visual design + powerful WordPress blogging for SEO.

STRENGTHSWEAKNESSES
Uses WordPress for blogging = strong SEO powerIf you’re not thinking about on-page SEO while designing, you can quickly start making SEO mistakes without even knowing it
Easy to edit SEO titles, descriptions, alt text, etcWordPress Gutenburg editor is lets be honest.. the worst
Fairly customizable for single post blog design and category listing page designWordPress connection setting errors can cause technical and design issues which can be super frustrating as it just takes one small setting to mess a whole section up!
If you want to customize or add functionality, you’ve got to pay the highest tier to get more advanced SEO & Gutenberg editing capabilities

Squarespace: Decent SEO tools built in, ideal for folks who want simple content updates without diving deep into strategy.

STRENGTHSWEAKNESSES
Decent built-in SEO settingsLess customizable, not as powerful as WP
Blog setup is simple and cleanBecause it’s limited on customization, you may be inclined to use title tags too much (for aesthetics and design) which isn’t good for SEO
Flexible blog types (testimonials, galleries, etc)Not as many SEO tools built in to help you with target keywords, etc. (Like the Yoast plugin for WordPress)

WordPress: The ultimate SEO powerhouse for brands investing heavily in blogging and search visibility.

STRENGTHSWEAKNESSES
Unmatched SEO capabilities with tons of advanced plugins for SEO helpYou need plugins and solid strategy to make it work
Fully customizable blog layouts for optimized user experience which is good for SEO & conversionsSteeper research/learning curve than the other two sites
Ability to streamline the blogging process while also creating unique blog designs for better user experience

Showit: Solid for service-based businesses with light e-comm needs or simple digital product offerings.

STRENGTHSWEAKNESSES
Shopify Lite integrations possible and fairly solid for simple digital product salesNo native e-commerce support, you’ll have to use an e-commerce platform and integrate it
Relative design freedom and custom look for shop pages availableWP integration can get glitchy (similar connection issues as the blog)
You’re able to combine a super beautiful site with a functional and user friendly shopping experienceTedious product setup in Showit (and might hit your Showit page limit depending on how many products you have)
You can integrate a checkout platform like Thrivecart into your already beautiful website using checkout linksManaging multiple platforms can be overwhelming
WordPress integration options for things such as simple & minimal products and rentalsTo customize your shopping experience with WordPress, you’ll need to know a bit of code

Squarespace: Great for simple & small online shops.

STRENGTHSWEAKNESSES
Easy to set up your shop and get selling ASAPLimited customization options
Intuitive user experience for selling digital productsPricing does jump up with e-commerce and even more when wanting to introduce robust features & add ons
Simple, minimal shop designsNot scalable for big shops
Simple & intuitive shop marketing capabilities

WordPress: The gold standard for full-scale e-commerce shops.

STRENGTHSWEAKNESSES
Customize your shop as much or as little as you want with the power of pluginsMore of an upfront setup and training recommended
Great SEO features to get your products seen organically on googleNot the most DIY-friendly
The flexibility, scalability and features are seriously limitless with WordPress. There’s virtually nothing you can’t doWill need to make suer you’re site and shop is up to date on it’s tech to run properly
Super streamlined shop update process—you don’t have to create a new page for each product every time, instead just put in the product details and the page will be designed by a template you set up once.

Showit: Best for integrating your chosen external platform

STRENGTHSWEAKNESSES
Flexibility to integrate your preferred course or membership platformNo built-in advanced features such as shops, courses, or other education capabilities
Managing multiple systems can get complicated

Squarespace: Good for those wanting an all-in-one site with basic online course & membership capabilities

STRENGTHSWEAKNESSES
All-in-one setup for membershipsLacks robust course features
Quick to get startedNot scalable for full learning platforms
Can get quite costly with course features

WordPress: Great for full-scale courses and aaallll the integration capabilities

STRENGTHSWEAKNESSES
Use LMS plugins like LearnDash or MemberPressRequires plugin management and additional plugin fees
Build fully custom course hubsNeeds a strategy to start or pro support to get started (then, once again, you’re golden)
Ultimate control and scalability

The All-Round Winner: Which One’s YOUR Match?

Choose Showit if…

  • You want stunning design flexibility without coding
  • You’ve got a bold visual brand and want your site to reflect it
  • Blogging is important but you don’t want a full WP build

Choose Squarespace if…

  • You want something fast, functional and no-fuss
  • You’re a beginner or solo service provider who just needs to be online now
  • You have a few products you’d like to sell asap with little curve

Choose WordPress if…

  • You need scalability and custom solutions
  • You’re selling lots of products, courses or doing content marketing at scale
  • You’re tech-savvy (or have a dev / web designer on call)

Wondering Which Web Platform Is The Lenya Pride Favorite?

While there’s no one-size-fits-all, Showit is hands-down the go-to for most of my clients—especially the creative rebels in the wedding industry who want to cut through the noise and stand out.

So what sets Showit apart and why do I keep coming back to it?

Its limitless design flexibility paired with WordPress power on the backend.

That combo means we can create a visually stunning, fully custom site and integrate the systems and features you love and need—whether that’s selling digital products, launching a course or showcasing your client experience in a way that feels effortlessly aligned with your brand.

So yes, you get a site that’s STUNNING—but also one that’s built to convert, scale and grow with you as your business evolves. That’s why I recommend Showit again and again.

THE WRAP UP: There’s No Wrong Choice, Just Wrong-For-You Choices

Choosing the best website platform isn’t about what’s trending.

It’s about what will actually support the bold, badass brand you’re building.

Your website should do more than look damn good—it should be working overtime for you.

And if you’re still stuck in the “Squarespace vs Showit vs WordPress” decision paralysis, let’s chat! I’m always happy to give my insight based on your needs.

Ravenous To Do The Damn Thing & Build A Website Your Dream Clients Drool Over?