Both will get you online fast. They suit different kinds of businesses.
Wix gives you more apps, more layout freedom and a free plan to test with. Squarespace gives you cleaner templates and lets every plan sell. For a simple business site, either works. The bigger question is how much your site will need to grow.
Our bias, declared
We build custom and WordPress sites, and we often help businesses move off website builders. We don't think Wix or Squarespace is a bad choice. For a small site with a few pages, they're quick, affordable and low-maintenance. We'd pick Squarespace for design-led businesses that want a polished look with little effort, and Wix for businesses that want more apps and control over layout. Both have limits once a site needs many pages, complex integrations or detailed SEO control.
Side by side
| Factor | Wix | Squarespace |
|---|---|---|
| Price, billed yearly | About $17-$159 a month (Light to Business Elite) | About $19-$99 a month (Basic to Advanced) after July 2026 price increases |
| Free plan | Yes, with Wix ads and a wix.com address | No, 14-day free trial |
| Selling online | Light plan can't take payments; higher plans can | Every plan can sell; Basic adds a transaction fee |
| Design and templates | Flexible drag-and-drop layouts, easier to break the design | Polished, consistent templates with less layout freedom |
| Apps and add-ons | Large app market for booking, forms, events and more | Smaller set of built-in tools and extensions |
| SEO basics | Titles, descriptions, URLs and redirects covered | Titles, descriptions, URLs and redirects covered |
| Share of websites | About 4% of all websites (W3Techs, 2026) | About 2.5% of all websites |
| Moving away later | Hard, usually means a rebuild | Hard, usually means a rebuild |
Choose wix when
You want more apps and features
Wix has a larger app market for bookings, events, memberships and forms, which helps service businesses add features without a developer.
You want full control over layout
Wix lets you place elements almost anywhere. That freedom suits people who want a specific look, as long as someone keeps the design consistent.
You want to test before paying
Wix's free plan lets you build and preview a site before you commit, though it shows ads and uses a wix.com address.
Choose squarespace when
Design matters most
Squarespace templates look polished with little effort, which suits portfolios, restaurants, studios and design-led service businesses.
You want to sell from day one
Every Squarespace plan can sell products or services, so small shops can start without upgrading to a top tier.
You want fewer decisions
Squarespace's tighter structure makes it harder to create a messy site. For owners who want a clean result fast, that's a strength.
What each really costs
On yearly billing, Wix runs from about $17 a month on Light to $159 on Business Elite. Squarespace raised prices in July 2026 and now runs from about $19 a month on Basic to $99 on Advanced. Check both pricing pages before you commit, because both companies change plans often.
Add the cost of a domain after the first year, paid apps or extensions, email and payment processing fees. Squarespace's Basic plan also adds a transaction fee on sales, which disappears on higher plans.
The largest hidden cost on either platform is the rebuild if you outgrow it. You can't move a Wix or Squarespace site to another host. You rebuild it and set up redirects so you don't lose search traffic.
Related questions
For a simple business site, both handle the basics well: page titles, descriptions, clean URLs, redirects and mobile-friendly pages. Your content, reviews and links matter far more than the choice between them. Both become limiting for large sites that need detailed control.
Other comparisons
Services referenced
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