Wix vs Squarespace: 9 Honest Differences That Matter
The wix vs squarespace question is one I get constantly. I’ve launched sites on both platforms — for clients, for side projects, for ecommerce tests. I’ll give you the honest wix vs squarespace answer right up front: it depends on what you’re actually trying to do. But that’s not why you’re here. You want someone to cut through the noise and tell you exactly which one to pick for your situation. That’s what this post does.
Neither platform is bad. But they’re built for different people, and choosing the wrong one costs you time, money, and a redesign you didn’t plan for. I’ve seen it happen. Let me save you the headache.
Quick Verdict
Before I go deep, here’s the short version for people who need a fast answer:
| Use Case | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best for beginners / most flexibility | Wix |
| Best design quality and polish | Squarespace |
| Best free plan | Wix (Squarespace has none) |
| Best overall pricing | Squarespace (slightly cheaper tiers) |
| Best for creatives and portfolios | Squarespace |
| Best for ecommerce entry point | Squarespace (store on $16/mo plan) |
| Best for scaling ecommerce | Wix (0% transaction fees, app ecosystem) |
| Best mobile responsiveness | Squarespace |
| Most templates | Wix (2,716 vs 195) |
If you want more context on how I evaluate website builders, check out my full best website builder for small business breakdown.
Pricing — What You Actually Pay
Pricing is where a lot of people get tripped up because the headline numbers look similar — but the details are different enough to matter.
Wix Pricing
- Light: $17/month (annual) — personal sites, no ecommerce
- Core: $29/month — ecommerce unlocked, 50K product cap
- Business: $36/month — more storage, advanced features
- Business Elite: $159/month — enterprise-level
- Free plan: Yes — Wix branding, no custom domain
Wix charges 0% transaction fees across all plans. That matters if you’re selling anything.
Squarespace Pricing
- Basic: $16/month (annual) — ecommerce included, but 2% transaction fee
- Core: $23/month — 0% transaction fees
- Plus: $39/month — 0% fees, advanced commerce features
- Advanced: $99/month — full feature set
- Free plan: No — trial only
Squarespace wins on base price for most tiers. But watch that 2% transaction fee on Basic — it adds up fast. If you’re doing $5,000/month in sales, that’s $100/month gone. You’re better off on Core ($23) just to eliminate the fee.
| Feature | Wix | Squarespace |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $17/mo | $16/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Transaction fees | 0% all plans | 2% on Basic; 0% on Core+ |
| Ecommerce entry point | $29/mo (Core) | $16/mo (Basic) |
| Top tier | $159/mo | $99/mo |
For a deeper look at what you actually get per tier, see my full Squarespace pricing breakdown and Wix pricing breakdown.
Wix vs Squarespace: Templates and Design Flexibility
This is the most misunderstood part of the comparison. People see Wix’s 2,716 templates and assume it wins automatically. I’d push back on that.
Wix templates: 2,716 options across every industry imaginable. The sheer volume is impressive. But not all of them are fully responsive — some require manual mobile adjustments. You also have almost total drag-and-drop freedom, which is both a blessing and a curse.
Squarespace templates: ~195 templates, but every single one is designer-quality and 100% mobile responsive out of the box. They’re curated, not just collected. If you’re a photographer, a chef, a yoga studio, or anyone where visual brand matters — Squarespace templates will outclass Wix templates at roughly the same effort level.
My honest wix vs squarespace take: if you’re a business that relies on credibility through design — hire a Squarespace template and don’t overthink it. If you want to build something highly custom with specific layout needs, Wix gives you more room to maneuver.
Wix vs Squarespace: Ease of Use
Both platforms are beginner-friendly compared to building something from scratch on WordPress. But they’re different kinds of easy.
Wix is more immediately accessible. The drag-and-drop editor lets you place anything anywhere. If you’ve ever used PowerPoint or Canva, you’ll feel at home. The onboarding is solid, and there’s a huge library of tutorials. The downside: because you have so many choices, it can get overwhelming.
Squarespace feels more constrained — but in a good way for most users. The onboarding is slick and guides you into making reasonable choices. You can’t just drag elements anywhere, which actually protects you from building something ugly. The tradeoff is that customization has a ceiling.
Who wins on ease of use? Wix for raw flexibility. Squarespace for polished results with less effort. If you’re not a designer and you care how the finished site looks, Squarespace’s guardrails are actually an asset.
Wix vs Squarespace for Ecommerce — Which Is Better?
This is a nuanced one. Squarespace wins on entry cost. Wix wins on scale.
Squarespace ecommerce starts at the $16/month Basic plan — which is unusual for website builders. Squarespace lets you sell physical products, digital downloads, and services from day one. The catch is that 2% transaction fee on Basic. Move up to Core ($23) and it disappears. Squarespace also supports unlimited products, which Wix doesn’t.
Wix ecommerce kicks in at $29/month (Core plan). You get up to 50,000 products, a robust app market for extensions, built-in POS for in-person sales, and zero transaction fees across all plans. The Wix App Market is a real differentiator here — you can bolt on loyalty programs, dropshipping tools, advanced shipping, and more in ways Squarespace just doesn’t support at the same depth.
If you’re just starting out with a small product catalog, Squarespace’s lower entry cost makes sense. If you’re planning to scale, add integrations, or run a serious ecommerce operation, Wix’s ecosystem and zero-fee structure will serve you better long-term.
If ecommerce is your main concern, you might also want to read my full Wix review where I go deeper on the commerce features specifically.
Wix vs Squarespace: SEO and Marketing Features
Both platforms cover the basics: custom meta titles and descriptions, clean URLs, sitemaps, image alt text, SSL certificates. Neither will hold you back from ranking if your content and links are solid.
Here’s the honest limitation of both: their “marketing” features are surface-level. Neither platform gives you real CRM capabilities, behavior-based automation, SMS follow-up, or funnel logic. They’re website builders — not marketing platforms. That gap matters more than most people admit when they’re picking a tool.
For a broader look at how to structure your marketing beyond your website, my marketing funnel guide lays out the full picture.
Wix vs Squarespace: Customer Support Compared
Wix offers 24/7 customer care with phone callback, live chat, and a help center. With 5,000 employees supporting 8.7 million live websites, they have the infrastructure.
Squarespace offers 24/7 live chat and email support, plus an extensive help library. Phone support is not available. However, Squarespace’s documentation is genuinely excellent — well-organized, clearly written, and regularly updated.
Winner: Wix for users who want phone access. Squarespace for users who prefer self-service with high-quality docs.
Wix vs Squarespace: Who Should Use Which?
Choose Wix if you:
- Are just starting out and want a free plan to test the waters
- Need maximum layout flexibility and customization
- Want to browse thousands of templates to find the right fit
- Are building a larger ecommerce store and need app integrations
- Need in-person POS that syncs with your online store
- Want to avoid transaction fees at every price point
Choose Squarespace if you:
- Are a photographer, artist, chef, designer, or anyone in a visual industry
- Want a portfolio or creative site that looks polished with minimal effort
- Care about consistent mobile responsiveness without manual tweaking
- Want to start selling online at the lowest possible cost ($16/mo)
- Prefer a constrained-but-clean editor over unlimited freedom
I’ve also written a full Hostinger review if you’re considering hosting your own WordPress site instead — a legitimate third option depending on your technical comfort level.
What Neither Platform Handles Well
Here’s the thing nobody talks about when comparing Wix and Squarespace: both of them stop at the website. And for most businesses, the website is just the front door — the real work happens after someone lands on your page.
Neither platform gives you:
- A real CRM to track leads and contacts over time
- Behavior-based email and SMS automations
- High-converting sales funnels with upsells and order bumps
- Booking and calendar systems that tie into your follow-up sequences
- AI-powered chat bots that qualify leads and book appointments automatically
I see this pattern constantly with small business owners: they spend weeks building a nice-looking Wix or Squarespace site, and then they have no system for what happens when someone fills out a contact form. No follow-up. No lead nurture. No automated sequence. Just an email to their inbox that they may or may not respond to in time.
That’s the gap that Automated Sales Machine’s CRM was built to fill. It’s a standalone all-in-one platform that handles everything after the first click — contact management, pipeline tracking, two-way SMS and email, and full automation sequences that run without you having to be in the room.
On the funnel side, ASM’s funnel builder lets you build full conversion sequences without duct-taping together three different tools. For a look at what a real landing page builder should do — versus what a website builder does — that post breaks down the distinction clearly.
For more context on the broader tool landscape, see my CRM software comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is easier to use, Wix or Squarespace?
Wix is easier for absolute beginners because of its familiar drag-and-drop interface — you can place elements anywhere on the page. Squarespace has a slightly steeper initial learning curve but produces more consistently polished results because it guides your design decisions. For most people who aren’t designers, Squarespace’s constraints actually lead to a better-looking finished site with less effort.
What is the downside of Wix?
The main downsides of Wix are: (1) not all templates are fully mobile responsive, (2) the freedom of the editor can lead to messy designs if you’re not careful, (3) ecommerce starts at $29/month rather than lower entry points some competitors offer, and (4) you can’t switch templates after your site is live without rebuilding from scratch.
Is Squarespace cheaper than Wix?
Generally yes, by a few dollars per tier. Squarespace starts at $16/month vs Wix’s $17/month, and Squarespace’s top plan is $99/month vs Wix’s $159/month. However, Wix has a free plan (with Wix branding) that Squarespace doesn’t offer at all. Squarespace charges a 2% transaction fee on its Basic plan, which can actually make it more expensive than Wix for anyone doing meaningful ecommerce volume.
Can I use Wix or Squarespace as a complete marketing platform?
Not really. Both are website builders, not marketing platforms. They handle the front-end presentation layer well. But for lead capture that feeds a CRM, automated follow-up sequences, SMS campaigns, booking systems, and sales funnels, you need a dedicated platform. That’s exactly what Automated Sales Machine is built for.
Wix vs Squarespace: The Final Verdict
After testing both platforms extensively, here’s my wix vs squarespace conclusion:
Wix is the better pick if flexibility and features are your priority. More templates, more apps, no transaction fees, and a free plan for testing. It’s the better sandbox.
Squarespace is the better pick if design quality and simplicity are your priority. Fewer templates but all of them are polished. Cleaner mobile experience. Better for creatives and visual brands. And surprisingly affordable for getting into ecommerce at $16/month.
But I want to be straight with you: choosing between Wix and Squarespace is a front-end decision. It determines what your site looks like. It does not determine whether your business grows. For that, you need systems behind the website — a CRM that tracks your leads, automations that follow up while you sleep, funnels that convert visitors into buyers, and a calendar that books appointments without back-and-forth emails.
That’s the layer most small business owners are missing — and it’s exactly what Automated Sales Machine is built to handle. If you’re serious about turning your website traffic into actual revenue, it’s worth a look.
