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CMS comparison Sitecore vs Squarespace

Sitecore vs Squarespace

Sitecore is a closed-source enterprise DXP that runs on the vendor's cloud. Squarespace is a closed-source site builder that runs on the vendor's cloud. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 19.

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  • Sitecore Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 22 of 28 built in
  • Squarespace Site builder · Closed source · 9 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Sitecore on 29 Sept 2026, Squarespace on 29 Sept 2026. Plans and releases can change after those dates.

WAYF is an official Payload partner and top contributor. Every platform in the table is classified by the same published definitions, and each answer lists the vendor page it came from.

Feature comparison

Built inPaid tierPlugin or add-onLimitedNot available
Sitecore vs Squarespace feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Sitecore Enterprise DXP
Squarespace Site builder
Overview
What it is Sitecore's SaaS digital experience platform, formerly XM Cloud. Sitecore hosts the CMS. Sites render in a separate front-end app.Hosted website builder with templates, a visual editor, blogging and commerce. Squarespace runs the hosting.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. SitecoreAI, formerly XM Cloud, Sitecore's current flagship SaaS platform SaaS, continuously updated Squarespace website plans on version 7.1 SaaS, continuously updated
Vendor Sitecore sitecore.com Squarespace, Inc. squarespace.com
Licence Closed source Proprietary Closed source Proprietary
Hosting No self-hosting Vendor cloud SitecoreAI is SaaS only. Self-hosting needs Sitecore XP 10.5, a separate product. No self-hosting Vendor cloud
Built with .NET, Next.js Content SDKHosted SaaS, custom CSS and JavaScript on Core and higher plans
Database Managed by SitecoreManaged by Squarespace
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. No free option Pricing on request. No free option Basic $19, Core $29, Plus $49, Advanced $99 per month billed annually in the US. 14-day free trial.
Content modelling
Content model in code You define content types in files in your repository, review them like any other code and apply them from there. Imperative migration scripts alone count as limited. Built in Templates serialize to files in the repo with Sitecore Content Serialization. 2 Limited Custom post types in template.conf, only with Developer Mode on version 7.0. 23
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Built in Templates are items edited in the Content Editor. Not available Fixed page and collection types. No custom fields in the editor. 2
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Page builder with reusable components. Built in Editors add and reorder sections and blocks.
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Built in Language versions per item. Plugin or add-on Weglot extension. Without it, editors duplicate pages per language. 45
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Built in Experience Edge media CDN resizes images with query string parameters. 3 Built in Squarespace serves uploaded images in generated sizes.
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in Content Items REST API since September 2026. Delivery through Experience Edge is GraphQL. 4 Limited Commerce APIs for products, orders and inventory on Core and up. No API for pages. 16
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in Experience Edge delivery API. 5 Not available
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Built in Authoring webhooks and Experience Edge publish webhooks. 65 Limited Commerce events only, through the Webhook Subscriptions API. 7
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Not available Headless. Sites render in a separate app, with built-in Vercel and Netlify integrations. 7 Built in
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in Saved changes stay unpublished until pushed to Experience Edge. 11 Paid tier Page drafts need a Premium or Enterprise plan. Blog posts can be drafts on any plan. 8
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Limited Publishing restrictions set availability dates. A publish must still run on the date. 89 Limited Blog posts only. 9
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Built in Numbered item versions. Not available Undo and redo within an editing session only. 10
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in Built in Editing happens on the rendered page.
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. Built in Page builder. Built in
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Built in Item workflows with states and commands. 6 Limited Enterprise Draft editor role drafts pages for an admin to publish. No custom stages. 811
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Not available No release bundles. Publishing jobs cover items, subitems and related items. 11 Not available
Real-time co-editing Two or more editors can work on the same entry at once and see each other's changes live. Limited Page builder saves concurrent edits per field. Others get a reload prompt. No live updates. 10 Not available
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Built in Roles with item access rights. 12 Not available Fixed contributor permission types. 11
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Built in Field read and field write access rights. 12 Not available
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Built in SAML or OIDC through the Sitecore Cloud Portal. 13 Paid tier Premium and Enterprise plans. OpenID Connect through Entra ID, SAML through Google. 1718
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Limited Common Audit Log covers only the Cloud Portal and leaves out SitecoreAI content. Item actions show in CM logs. 1415 Not available
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Built in Site collections with shared content. Limited Each site needs its own plan. Enterprise teams manage several sites from one account. 11
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in Marketplace apps add custom fields, panels and dashboard widgets. 17 Not available
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Sitecore Marketplace. 16 Built in Squarespace Extensions, a directory of third-party tools. 12
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Built in Built-in Forms with webhook submission handling. 18 Built in Form blocks store submissions. 13
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Not available Developers have to build visitor login in the front-end app. Built in Customer accounts on all plans. Member sites for gated content. 114
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Built in Content, variant and translation assistants. Brand kits need Stream Premium. 19 Built in Squarespace AI writer. Monthly AI credits vary by plan. 115
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Built in Sitecore Marketer MCP server. 20 Not available The official MCP server covers domain search only. It can't reach site content. 16

Sitecore sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. SitecoreAI, formerly XM Cloud, Sitecore's current flagship SaaS platform.

  1. SitecoreAI documentation for business users
  2. Sitecore Content Serialization in SitecoreAI
  3. Sitecore Experience Edge for XM (media resizing)
  4. SitecoreAI changelog: Components, Content Types and Content Items APIs
  5. Experience Edge
  6. SitecoreAI webhooks
  7. Front-end hosting applications
  8. Schedule publishing availability of a page
  9. KB1003446: Specifics of publishing in SitecoreAI
  10. Editing in the Page builder (concurrent editing)
  11. Publish content in SitecoreAI
  12. The access rights
  13. Sitecore Cloud Portal single sign-on
  14. Sitecore Common Audit Log
  15. Logging in Sitecore XM Cloud (Fishtank)
  16. SitecoreAI Marketplace
  17. Sitecore Marketplace starter (extension points)
  18. SitecoreAI Forms
  19. Sitecore Stream tiers
  20. Sitecore Marketer MCP server

Squarespace sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Squarespace website plans on version 7.1.

  1. Squarespace pricing
  2. Squarespace Developer Platform: Custom Post Types
  3. Squarespace Developer Platform FAQ
  4. Manually creating a multilingual site
  5. Creating a multilingual site with Weglot
  6. Squarespace Commerce APIs overview
  7. Squarespace webhooks overview
  8. Drafting pages (Premium and Enterprise)
  9. Scheduling blog posts
  10. Using undo and redo in Squarespace
  11. Contributor roles and permissions
  12. Squarespace Extensions
  13. Form blocks
  14. Member Sites
  15. Using Squarespace AI
  16. Overview of the Squarespace MCP server
  17. Logging in with single sign-on through Microsoft Entra ID (Premium & Enterprise)
  18. Logging in with single sign-on through Google (Premium & Enterprise)

Considering more platforms? Compare Sitecore and Squarespace with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.

Where they differ

Sitecore and Squarespace get a different status on 19 of the 28 features and the same status on 9. Sitecore has 22 built in on its baseline edition, Squarespace has 9. Two matching statuses can still name different paid tiers or limits, so read the notes in the table before treating a row as equal.

Built in on Sitecore, a different answer on Squarespace 15

  • Content model in code Sitecore: Built in. Squarespace: Limited.
  • Content model in the UI Sitecore: Built in. Squarespace: Not available.
  • Localization Sitecore: Built in. Squarespace: Plugin or add-on.
  • REST API Sitecore: Built in. Squarespace: Limited.
  • GraphQL API Sitecore: Built in. Squarespace: Not available.
  • Webhooks Sitecore: Built in. Squarespace: Limited.
  • Drafts Sitecore: Built in. Squarespace: Paid tier.
  • Version history Sitecore: Built in. Squarespace: Not available.
  • Approval workflows Sitecore: Built in. Squarespace: Limited.
  • Custom roles Sitecore: Built in. Squarespace: Not available.
  • Field-level permissions Sitecore: Built in. Squarespace: Not available.
  • Single sign-on Sitecore: Built in. Squarespace: Paid tier.
  • Multiple sites Sitecore: Built in. Squarespace: Limited.
  • Extensible admin UI Sitecore: Built in. Squarespace: Not available.
  • Official MCP server Sitecore: Built in. Squarespace: Not available.

Built in on Squarespace, a different answer on Sitecore 2

  • Renders the website Sitecore: Not available. Squarespace: Built in.
  • Site member accounts Sitecore: Not available. Squarespace: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 2

  • Real-time co-editing Sitecore: Limited. Squarespace: Not available.
  • Audit log Sitecore: Limited. Squarespace: Not available.

More comparisons

Full write-ups with worked examples and costs: Sitecore vs Payload.

Sitecore against other platforms

Squarespace against other platforms

Open the CMS comparison tool to put up to six platforms in one table.

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