Godaddy Hosting vs WordPress – Which One Should You Choose?

Hosting is the process of providing a space for your website, on the internet. When someone visits your site, their computer or phone will contact a server at a company like Godaddy, which in turn will provide the digital goods to the visitor. You can compare hosting services like WordPress and Squarespace, which are both widely used and have a lot of fans. Let’s take a quick look at the differences between these two services and which one might be right for your needs.

Basic Information

If you’re just starting out and don’t have a massive budget, then go for the cheapest Godaddy hosting package. This will give you access to the bare minimum required features, which many people may find sufficient for their needs. You can always upgrade your service later, if you feel you need more features.

WordPress is a free and open source content management system (CMS). It was originally created to empower journalists to post and report without censorship. Due to its open source nature, anyone can contribute to the growth and development of WordPress, which makes it a truly effective content management tool. If you’re looking for something more traditional, WordPress is a safe bet. It has millions of active users globally and, due to its open source nature, it is constantly expanding and improving.

Squarespace is a paid subscription-based content management system (CMS). You’ll need a large amount of storage and bandwidth to run a website on Squarespace, so if you’re looking for a free service, this might not be the best option for you. Squarespace provides a simple and intuitive drag-and-drop interface for building your website. You don’t need any technical knowledge to use it, as long as you have a bit of computer savvy. While Squarespace is easy to use and provides a lot of features out of the box, they do charge you money for each month, regardless of whether you use their service or not. You can sign up for a free trial, to try out Squarespace.

Features

Both WordPress and Squarespace provide basic features for free, which many people might find sufficient for their needs. However, if you’re looking for something more traditional and don’t want to get into the habit of creating content yourself, then WordPress might be the better option. As long as you have a computer or mobile device, you can access WordPress from anywhere and at any time. You don’t need to rely on an internet connection to use it, which is great if you’re traveling and don’t have access to a network. With WordPress, you get a free domain and you can install the WordPress app, to write and edit content directly from your phone. You can give your WordPress blog any name you want and it will be accessible from anywhere, instantly.

Squarespace’s interface is a little more colorful and vibrant than what you’ll typically see in WordPress. While it might look attractive to someone with a creative eye, it’s still a more modern alternative to WordPress and might not be suited for everyone. One thing to note about Squarespace is that it doesn’t provide the most basic features for free. You’ll have to pay to upgrade your account to the next level, which gives you more storage, more website traffic, and a few other perks. Some of these features can be pretty useful, so think about what you’ll need before you make a decision.

Security

Both WordPress and Squarespace offer basic security features for free, which can prevent hackers from accessing your account. However, if you’re looking for something more traditional and don’t want to get into the habit of creating login details for yourself, then WordPress might be the better option. You don’t need to provide your credit card information to sign up for a free WordPress account and, as long as you have a reasonably good password, you can rest assured that your account is secure.

Squarespace’s security measures are a bit more up-to-date and offer a few extra features, such as two-factor authentication, which adds an additional layer of security, when used in conjunction with your mobile phone. You’ll still need a reasonably good password to keep your account secure on Squarespace, but it’s still safer than most free hosting services.

Ease Of Use

While it’s important to look at the security features available and the cost of the service, it’s also important to consider how easy it is to use these services. Let’s take a quick look at how difficult it is to use each one.

WordPress is quite easy to use, even for people with no previous experience. Once you’ve signed up, you can immediately start creating content and getting it online, without needing any training. You don’t need any special software to use it, either. All you need is a web browser. If you have a digital camera, you can also shoot and upload images directly to your blog, without needing to use any special software. It’s ideal for people with no previous experience, who want to create a blog for themselves or someone else. If you don’t have a lot of cash to spend on expensive software or equipment, then WordPress might be the better option for you.

As for Squarespace, it can be a little more difficult to use, but only because it provides more features than what you’d typically find free hosting services. For instance, it provides an HTML editor, where you can create and format a web page, and it provides a feature, called Structured Drafts, that saves you, time, and energy, by allowing you to write a blog post while still using the app’s interface. All you need is a digital camera to shoot a quick video, to add to your blog post (a feature called Pitch, which allows users to quickly grab video clips from phones, will help you find the right content, even if you don’t have access to a computer.). You’ll have to familiarize yourself with the different icons and the fact that, while simple, Squarespace’s interface can be a bit daunting at first. As long as you have a bit of patience, you’ll have no trouble using it.

Support

Both WordPress and Squarespace offer 24/7 live customer support via email, phone, and/or live chat, which you can access, should you need help with setting up your account or using their service. It’s important to remember that, while both of these services have a large amount of fans, that doesn’t mean that they’re always going to be able to help you, if you run into problems. You might have to wait for a while, before someone answers your question. Still, the support offered by WordPress and Squarespace, is quite reliable and most people are able to get the help they need, without too much trouble. If you do end up asking a question, that is not answered immediately, then you can feel free to contact them, via phone or live chat, to get the information you need.

Cost

The cost of using either of these services is pretty reasonable and it is definitely something you have to consider. If you do a bit of research beforehand, you can find cheaper hosting services, which provide much the same features as the more expensive ones. In fact, many of the relatively cheap hosting services out there, don’t even offer the most basic features, for free, so you won’t get the full experience, should you decide to use them. It is always a good idea to look for coupons and discounts, as well, to lower your bill as much as possible.

There are, however, a few key differences between WordPress and Squarespace that you should know about. One important difference is that, while you can create a free blog with WordPress, you’ll have to pay, to use Squarespace. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it just means that, generally speaking, WordPress is more suitable for people who are just getting started or who don’t have a lot of money to spend on services and equipment. Still, if you’re looking for a more modern and professional-looking blog, then Squarespace might be the better option for you.

Another important difference between WordPress and Squarespace is that, while you can use the former to set up a personal blog that you can update whenever you want, the latter is more suited for commercial use, in the form of a business or corporate blog. If you decide that you want to use WordPress for a business blog, then you’ll have to purchase a business plan, from the site’s official store, at a discounted rate, to have full access to all of the service’s features, including email, FTP, and domain privacy. If you don’t want your personal information and credit card number, out there in the open, for all to see, then Squarespace is the better option for you, as well.