Notepad X vs Squarespace | Creative Bloq

There’s a good reason to compare Editor X to Squarespace. Modern website builders are great for creating portfolios to showcase your work, online stores to increase your income, and many other types of websites. But not all builders are created equal, and it’s worth investing some time in choosing the right option for your goals — and Editor X and Squarespace are two excellent choices.

In our Editor X vs. Squarespace comparison, we take a closer look to help you decide which best website builder for your next project. We examine and compare the finer aspects of both platforms, including their features, performance, pricing, and customer service. Want an in-depth look at both? Check out our Editor X review and our Squarespace review.

Editor X is a relatively new platform launched in 2021 by the owners of Wix, offering advanced developer tools and a powerful editor. Squarespace is a bit simpler and more focused on beginners and basic ecommerce.

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Editor X vs Squarespace: Features

Editor X and Squarespace are both known as feature-rich platforms that allow for everything from building an online store to simple portfolio creation. We compare some of their most notable features.

For starters, both are great for ecommerce. With Squarespace, you can create anything from a simple store with just a few products to an integrated marketplace for your work. It also allows you to sell services, make appointments, and sell subscriptions and digital products. This makes it a great option for creatives looking to gain exposure and earn some money from their work.

But Editor X is just as good when it comes to ecommerce. It allows you to sell anything Squarespace does, and there are various apps you can use to add things like booking or subscription functionality. The store management panel is great and you shouldn’t have too much trouble getting the hang of it.

A key difference between the two platforms is that Editor X gives you full code access, which means you have the ability to add additional functionality by uploading custom code. This is notably absent from Squarespace’s editor, but shouldn’t be a problem unless you plan to delve deeper into your site’s code.

If you’re planning to add a blog to your portfolio or website, you’re going to love Squarespace. There’s a neat blog manager to help keep everything in one place, and you have access to advanced analytics. You can set custom access permissions for contributors and schedule posts to be published in the future.

Editor X’s blogging tools are decent, but they just don’t compare to Squarespace’s. It uses the Wix Blog app to add blogging features. This includes everything you need to create and manage a basic blog, but doesn’t have the glitz or extras that Squarespace comes with.

But it has many extras in other areas. For example, Editor X includes advanced developer tools that allow you to add custom Javascript, CSS, and HTML code. You can also add custom databases and APIs. These tools offer much more design flexibility for those who have the skills to use them.

Editor X also enables real-time collaboration. This means that you and your colleagues can edit your website at the same time. Tags can be left for other team members and all users can be assigned access permissions as needed. Squarespace, on the other hand, has no developer or collaboration tools.

Both platforms also offer some kind of SEO tools. Squarespace’s are more advanced, but Editor X’s still offer a good place to start.

Ultimately, both Squarespace and Editor X offer excellent features. Squarespace is a bit simpler, so it’s a better fit for creatives who need a simpler site. Editor X is much better suited for developers and those who have the know-how to use its advanced tools.

Editor X vs Squarespace: Performance

To compare Editor X’s performance to Squarespace, we created a new account and built a basic website with each of them.

Getting started with Editor X is fairly easy. Opening an account shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. Squarespace is similarly easy to set up. None of the platforms require you to add credit card or other payment details to access their free/trial versions.

Editor X offers 28 highly flexible templates to choose from, or you can start with a blank canvas and create a fully custom website. Choosing the right template is made easier with a range of filter tools to help you narrow down your choices.

Squarespace has slightly more template options to choose from, around 60 in total, including 46 that support portfolios. But they are much less flexible. Essentially, Editor X gives you a broad framework on which to build your website. Squarespace is better tailored for those who don’t want to edit the great design of their templates too much.

As you edit your new website, you will see the real differences between these two builders. Getting started with Editor X is much more complicated. However, there are many advanced tools and you have full code access if needed.

Squarespace is also known for having a somewhat confusing interface, but it’s much better for beginners than Editor X. It also includes everything you need to create a basic store or portfolio, although it doesn’t have the same power as Editor X has.

Ease of use and editing power are two things that really set Editor X and Squarespace apart. The developer-friendly Editor X is much harder to use, so it’s best suited for those with advanced programming and engineering skills. Squarespace is more beginner-friendly, and its simpler nature makes it a better choice for those with limited website building experience.

Editor X vs Squarespace: Support

You can email Editor X’s customer service team or request a phone call back. To do this, you need to go through the built-in chatbot. We’ve found that response times can be slow when you need immediate assistance, but you can always schedule a call back within the next five days.

Squarespace doesn’t offer phone support, which isn’t great, but it does have live chat and a very responsive email support channel. The company claims that all email tickets are answered within an hour. But unfortunately, live chat is only available Monday through Friday from 4am to 8pm (EST).

Both Squarespace and Editor X offer an excellent range of self-help resources to turn to if you run into problems. This includes various tutorials, step-by-step instructions and helpful videos. Both platforms also have active community forums that you can turn to if you need help.

Neither Squarespace nor Editor X offer amazing support, but they’re not terrible either. Squarespace is a bit more responsive, but the lack of 24/7 live chat is an issue.

Editor X vs Squarespace: Pricing and Plans

Editor X offers a forever free plan, three site-specific plans, and three ecommerce plans. Squarespace offers a 14-day free trial instead of a free-forever plan, as well as four premium subscription options. Both providers offer significant discounts on annual subscriptions.

Editor X’s free plan is basic, but you can try every aspect of the builder. The three website plans range from $22 to $49 per month with an annual subscription. All come with a free domain for the first year and a free SSL certificate. However, they have limited storage capacity of 10GB, 20GB and 35GB respectively.

Editor X’s eCommerce plans range from $29 to $219 per month and include online payment features. They also have fairly limited storage space, but the ecommerce tools on offer are excellent. The two most expensive ecommerce plans and the high-end website plan also offer priority support.

Squarespace’s cheapest Basic plan (starting at $12 per month) is the only one without ecommerce functionality. All four plans come with unlimited storage, which is significantly cheaper than the limited storage that Editor X offers.

In terms of pricing itself, Squarespace is significantly cheaper than Editor X. Its Basic plan costs a little over half of Editor X’s cheapest plans. And when it comes to e-commerce, Editor X’s Scale plan costs ($219 dollars per month) more than five times Squarespace’s Advanced Commerce option ($40 per month).

In terms of price alone, it’s immediately obvious that Squarespace is a more budget-friendly option. However, creatives with more technical skills may be willing to pay more for Editor X because of its versatility and expanded developer support.

Ultimately, when positioning Editor X versus Squarespace, we see that both are excellent website builders. Squarespace is a more beginner-friendly option that’s better suited for creatives with less experience, while Editor X is great for intermediate users with code and other technical skills that they want to leverage. Both platforms offer advanced ecommerce capabilities, and it’s difficult to separate the two on that front.

When it comes to performance, both builders are a bit confusing at first, but Squarespace’s is easier overall due to the lack of advanced developer features. Squarespace is also a lot cheaper than Editor X, and both offer decent customer service.

Bottom Line: If you want a simple, hassle-free website builder, go with Squarespace. But if you need something more powerful, consider Editor X.

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