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CMS comparison Progress Sitefinity vs Squarespace

Progress Sitefinity vs Squarespace

Progress Sitefinity is a closed-source enterprise DXP that you can host yourself or run 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 18.

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

Sources checked: Progress Sitefinity 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
Progress Sitefinity vs Squarespace feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Progress Sitefinity Enterprise DXP
Squarespace Site builder
Overview
What it is Progress's .NET CMS and DXP for websites, run self-hosted or on the Sitefinity Cloud PaaS, with ASP.NET Core and Next.js renderers.Hosted website builder with templates, a visual editor, blogging and commerce. Squarespace runs the hosting.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Sitefinity CMS 15.4 DX edition, self-hosted or on Sitefinity Cloud Version 15.4.8639, released 29 Sept 2026 Squarespace website plans on version 7.1 SaaS, continuously updated
Vendor Progress Software progress.com Squarespace, Inc. squarespace.com
Licence Closed source Proprietary Closed source Proprietary
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud No self-hosting Vendor cloud
Built with .NET, ASP.NET Core and Next.js renderersHosted SaaS, custom CSS and JavaScript on Core and higher plans
Database Microsoft SQL ServerManaged by Squarespace
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. No free option Pricing on request. DX and DX+Enterprise editions, self-hosted or on Sitefinity Cloud. 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 Export for deployment writes module and field changes to files for source control. 3 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 Module Builder. 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 editor widgets. 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 Multilingual content 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 Resize through URL parameters and thumbnail profiles. 4 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 OData REST web services. 5 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 GraphQL on the web services layer. 6 Not available
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Built in Service hooks with a webhook action, available on all licences. 7 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. Built in ASP.NET Core, Next.js or legacy MVC renderers. 1 Built in
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in 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. Built in Scheduled publish and unpublish per item. 9 Limited Blog posts only. 9
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Built in Revision history. 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 editor with widgets. Built in
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Built in One or two approval levels, or a custom workflow. 8 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 Publishing and scheduling work per item. 9 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. Not available Pages lock while another user edits them. 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 11 Not available Fixed contributor permission types. 11
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Limited Module Builder types only, in the classic editing UI. Built-in content types have none. 12 Not available
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Built in OpenID Connect and external providers such as Azure AD. 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. Paid tier DX + Enterprise includes Audit Trail. Progress sells it as an add-on for DX. 142 Not available
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Built in Multisite with shared content and per-site permissions. 15 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 Custom fields, widgets and AdminApp extensions. Not available
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Sitefinity integrations directory. 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 Forms module with a drag-and-drop builder. 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. Built in Front-end users with registration and login widgets. 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. Plugin or add-on Sitefinity AI subscription for text generation and agents. 17 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. Plugin or add-on Sitefinity MCP Server, 15.4.8633 or later, needs a Sitefinity AI subscription. 18 Not available The official MCP server covers domain search only. It can't reach site content. 16

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

Where they differ

Progress Sitefinity and Squarespace get a different status on 18 of the 28 features and the same status on 10. Progress Sitefinity 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.

Self-hosting
Progress Sitefinity can be self-hosted. Squarespace cannot be self-hosted.

Built in on Progress Sitefinity, a different answer on Squarespace 14

  • Content model in code Progress Sitefinity: Built in. Squarespace: Limited.
  • Content model in the UI Progress Sitefinity: Built in. Squarespace: Not available.
  • Localization Progress Sitefinity: Built in. Squarespace: Plugin or add-on.
  • REST API Progress Sitefinity: Built in. Squarespace: Limited.
  • GraphQL API Progress Sitefinity: Built in. Squarespace: Not available.
  • Webhooks Progress Sitefinity: Built in. Squarespace: Limited.
  • Drafts Progress Sitefinity: Built in. Squarespace: Paid tier.
  • Scheduled publishing Progress Sitefinity: Built in. Squarespace: Limited.
  • Version history Progress Sitefinity: Built in. Squarespace: Not available.
  • Approval workflows Progress Sitefinity: Built in. Squarespace: Limited.
  • Custom roles Progress Sitefinity: Built in. Squarespace: Not available.
  • Single sign-on Progress Sitefinity: Built in. Squarespace: Paid tier.
  • Multiple sites Progress Sitefinity: Built in. Squarespace: Limited.
  • Extensible admin UI Progress Sitefinity: Built in. Squarespace: Not available.

Built in on Squarespace, a different answer on Progress Sitefinity 1

  • AI writing assistant Progress Sitefinity: Plugin or add-on. Squarespace: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 3

  • Field-level permissions Progress Sitefinity: Limited. Squarespace: Not available.
  • Audit log Progress Sitefinity: Paid tier. Squarespace: Not available.
  • Official MCP server Progress Sitefinity: Plugin or add-on. Squarespace: Not available.

More comparisons

Progress Sitefinity 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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