WordPress vs Website Builders

Website builders typically have a visual drag-and-drop interface that allows you to drag-and-drop elements around your website.

Squarespace, a website builder, has a visual drag-and-drop interface.

A CMS like WordPress doesn’t have a visual interface. Instead, it has a form editor called Gutenberg. The form is abstracted away from the page so what you see on the form isn’t necessarily what the page will look like.

You may find yourself swapping between WordPress's editor and the published website to see how everything is looking.

WordPress can be a little overwhelming. Non-technical users may find the language technical. Occasionally users may even have to tweak code to get a theme or a plugin to work.

Tweaking WordPress theme code.

Website builders tend to be easier to use. The expectation is that users will not need to tweak code.

WordPress is more flexible than website builders— in large part because of WordPress plugins. Plugins are basically add-ons for your WordPress website. If you have an idea for something, you can probably find a WordPress plugin for it.

Popular WordPress plugins

Unfortunately WordPress plugins occasionally need to be configured to work with your theme— which involves tweaking code. Website builders can’t match WordPress’s selection of plugins but every “plugin” in a website builder will just work— no configuration necessary.

Hosting is included with every website builder. You don’t have to configure hosting if you buy your domain name with your website builder— it just works.

Buying a domain name through Squarespace.com.

WordPress needs to be installed on a PHP & MySQL web host. You may even need to use an FTP client to upload WordPress. This can be intimidating for non-technical users.

FillaZilla is a popular FTP client.

But here’s the upside: because you upload WordPress to a host, you can also export your website and move it to another host if you choose to. Unfortunately you can never export and move your website with a website builder. If you want to leave you have to rebuild your website from scratch.

So remember: the decision to use WordPress or a website builder is ultimately a tradeoff— it just depends on what you need. If you choose a website builder, you might find my guide to the best website builders helpful.