Wix vs. Squarespace: Which Is the Best Website Builder?

You can’t trust fickle social media platforms as the lone method for spreading the word about your company’s products and services—you need a website to serve as your online home. You can use traditional web hosting tools, but a website builder lets you quickly create an online presence. Of the ones we’ve tested, Wix and Squarespace are two of the most popular options. But which should you pick? Let’s break it down by analyzing their features in four key categories.

Wix vs. Squarespace: Pricing and Plans

Wix is one of the few companies that offers a free tier, which is a feather in its cap. It helps you save money and prevents you from making a potentially costly commitment. It can be difficult—if not impossible—to move your site’s information to another builder if you decide to migrate, so sample Wix before fully diving in. Free Wix comes with trade-offs, such as ads and limited tools. However, you can remove those restrictions by opting for a paid tier.

(Credit: Wix)

Starting at $17 per month, Wix’s Light tier supports two collaborators and 2GB of storage space, and offers a free domain for a year and a lightweight marketing suite. At the other end is the $159-per-month Business Elite tier, which targets enterprises. It includes many advanced tools for marketing, analytics, and ecommerce. Business Elite also tosses in unlimited storage across 15 collaborators.

Squarespace lacks a free tier (though a two-week free trial is available). The upside? You don’t need to worry about the typical free website builder limitations. Squarespace’s plans range from $23-per-month Personal accounts to $65-per-month Advanced Commerce accounts. Everyone from individual site owners to business organizations should find something that suits their needs. That said, you should avoid it if you want no-cost hosting.

Winner: Wix

Wix vs. Squarespace: Template Choices

To help speed up the creation process, Wix and Squarespace offer prefab templates. They typically carry a site theme, such as a blog, photography portfolio, or restaurant menu. However, you can customize them with your content.

(Credit: Squarespace)

Wix has nearly 1,000 templates. Many look good, especially the ones with modern, responsive templates.

Squarespace doesn’t beat Wix on template quantity (it has slightly more than 100), but it tops its rival on quality—Squarespace’s templates are more attractive. In addition, its templates automatically look terrific on desktop and mobile, whereas Wix sites may need some slight adjustments. Check out our favorite Squarespace templates to get started.

Just note that neither site builder lets you switch templates once you’ve chosen one. You must rebuild your site from scratch.

Winner: Squarespace

Wix vs. Squarespace: Design Options

Website builders have custom interfaces designed to make website creation far more intuitive for people who don’t know how to code. The goal is to keep things simple while including the needed tools for creating a site that matches your vision.

(Credit: Wix)

Wix’s basic editor lets you easily rearrange site objects, tweak photos, and customize your page’s layout. Even better, the awesome Editor X tool offers nearly Photoshop levels of customization.

Squarespace’s Fluid Engine is a great editing interface that lets you freely add and adjust elements across your site while keeping everything aligned and organized. Unfortunately, you can only use it with certain newer templates, anything compatible with the 7.1 update from March 2020. Editing older templates feels more rigid and dated by comparison. 

Wix and Squarespace include AI tools to speed up the site creation process. Squarespace’s AI is limited to generating and editing text; Wix’s AI can create text and an entire site.

Winner: Wix

You can add extra capabilities to your site via integrations and widgets, but the most important ones for business are e-commerce tools.

(Credit: Squarespace)

Wix and Squarespace are evenly matched in this department. Wix introduces e-commerce features in its Core tier, while Squarespace includes them in its Business tier (note that both services lock advanced e-commerce functionality behind more expensive tiers). If you subscribe to the proper tier, the available tools turn your site into a full-on online store. You can sell digital and physical products, accept payments, and leverage email marketing features. You won’t go wrong with either platform.

Winner: Tie

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Wix vs. Squarespace: Which Website Builder Is Best?

Squarespace is a helpful website builder that lets you create gorgeous websites. Still, we recommend Wix. It’s our Editors’ Choice winner for free website builders, so anyone can have a great site-building experience without spending a dime. In addition, Wix’s robust design tools (including AI tools) won’t let you down when it comes time to upgrade from a personal site to one that’s more professional.