How does Wix compare to Squarespace as a website builder?
Both Wix and Squarespace are leading website builders, but they excel in different areas depending on your specific needs and priorities.
Design Freedom vs. Simplicity
Wix offers significantly more templates with over 2,000 options compared to Squarespace's 150+ professionally curated designs. The key difference lies in customization approach: Wix provides a drag-and-drop editor that allows you to place elements anywhere on the page, giving you complete creative control. Squarespace uses a grid-based structure that guides you toward professional-looking designs with less flexibility but more consistency.
Ease of Use
Squarespace is notably easier to use, especially for beginners. Its intuitive interface and section-based editor provide clear guidance, making it difficult to create a poorly designed site. Wix's extensive features and customization options can feel overwhelming initially, though it does offer an AI chatbot that helps generate site profiles based on your business needs.
Performance Differences
Squarespace significantly outperforms Wix in website speed, rendering pages in approximately 2.8-3.6 seconds compared to Wix's 8.4 seconds. Squarespace also maintains superior uptime at 99.99% and uses Content Delivery Network (CDN) technology for faster global access. Additionally, Squarespace offers unlimited storage on all plans, while Wix limits storage on most plans—starting with just 2GB on entry-level plans.
E-Commerce Capabilities
For e-commerce, Wix provides more affordable entry-level options and supports multi-currency pricing, offline payments, and multichannel selling across Amazon, eBay, Facebook, and YouTube Shopping. However, Squarespace excels for serious e-commerce operations with unlimited product listings (Wix limits to 50,000), unlimited storage, and robust features for service-based businesses, subscriptions, and digital content.
Pricing and Value
Squarespace is generally slightly cheaper, ranging from $16-$99 per month compared to Wix's $17-$159 per month. Wix offers a free plan option, which Squarespace does not. Personal website plans start at $13/month for both platforms, while e-commerce plans begin at $18/month for Squarespace.
SEO and Support
Wix provides stronger SEO tools with dedicated resources, guides, and helpers. It also offers more comprehensive customer support including phone help and online courses. Squarespace offers email support but lacks these additional resources.
Which Should You Choose?
Wix is better for:
- Maximum design flexibility and customization
- Businesses needing extensive e-commerce integrations
- Users who want comprehensive SEO tools
- Those who prefer a free plan option
- Budget-conscious users starting with basic needs
Squarespace is better for:
- Beginners prioritizing ease of use
- Creative professionals and portfolios
- Businesses requiring faster website performance
- E-commerce with unlimited product uploads
- Users valuing minimalist, polished aesthetics
- Service-based or subscription businesses
Neither platform is objectively "better"—the right choice depends on whether you prioritize creative freedom and features (Wix) or simplicity and performance (Squarespace). Visit Wix to explore its extensive customization capabilities and see if its feature-rich approach matches your website-building goals.