Wix vs. Squarespace: Which is Better for Building Your Website in 2024? A Comprehensive Comparison

Both Wix and Squarespace are among the most popular website builders globally, offering complete solutions for creating professional websites without the need for programming expertise. Their services include website hosting, e-commerce features, and user-friendly editing interfaces. Despite similar basic plan prices, with Wix premium plans starting from $17 per month and Squarespace plans from $16 per month, the fundamental differences lie in their design tools, customization flexibility, available templates, and features included in each plan.

Key Features: A Comparison of Power and Flexibility

Wix stands out with a massive template library boasting over 900 ready-made designs, giving users wide and diverse options, while Squarespace offers around 180 modern and meticulously designed templates. Wix also excels in the app market with over 500 add-ons and integrations, compared to only about 35 extensions for Squarespace. In the e-commerce realm, Wix supports over 80 global payment gateways and provides advanced features like pre-order tracking and automated tax calculation. Squarespace, on the other hand, integrates e-commerce features into all its plans but comes with fewer diverse payment options.

Both platforms adopt AI technologies to enhance the user experience. Wix offers specialized AI tools for generating product descriptions, creating and editing images, building website sections, and assisting with marketing campaigns. Squarespace, however, uses AI to draft product descriptions, email content, and blog posts. Squarespace's Blueprint AI tool helps build website structures based on brand identity and user preferences, while Wix ADI creates complete websites through a conversational interface that asks users questions to understand their requirements. Overall, Squarespace has stronger blogging features with monetization options, but Wix excels in business management tools and comprehensive customization.

Ease of Use: Design Freedom or Organized Consistency?

Both Wix and Squarespace are designed to be user-friendly for beginners and non-programmers, but each has a different learning curve.

Wix features a completely free "drag-and-drop" editor, allowing users to place elements anywhere on the page with pixel-level precision. Wix offers two editing options: the classic editor suitable for small businesses and creatives, and the Wix Studio platform geared towards agencies and professionals who need advanced and collaborative design tools.

Squarespace, on the other hand, has a more organized editor. The Fluid Engine editor, launched in July 2022, allows drag-and-drop within an organized grid system, providing more freedom than the previous classic editor while maintaining overall design consistency. This approach ensures professional and consistent results but may limit complete creative freedom. The editor sometimes requires additional steps to achieve the same results possible in Wix, with the necessity of manually saving changes.

Overall, Wix excels in ease of use, especially for beginners looking for absolute creative freedom. Its intuitive interface, auto-save feature, and robust backup system enhance the user experience. Squarespace might be the more suitable choice for those who prefer structure and consistency, as its organized constraints help avoid common design errors and ensure a polished final look.

Customer Support: Which Offers Better Assistance?

Wix provides multiple support options, including live chat and phone support in over ten languages, available Monday to Friday depending on the language. Wix also has a vast knowledge center containing tutorials and instructional videos. For Wix Studio subscribers, Wix Studio Academy offers hundreds of short training courses to help users utilize all platform features.

Squarespace takes a different approach, as it does not offer phone support. Instead, users can rely on 24/7 live chat support with real staff, request assistance from independent experts via the Squarespace Marketplace network, or participate in the active community forum. It also provides comprehensive documentation and tutorials.

Wix offers more responsive and easily accessible support. However, Squarespace excels in providing fully human support via chat. While the former offers more diverse options, Squarespace is the better choice for users who need continuous access to experts capable of resolving complex issues.

Pricing and Plans: What's the True Value for Money?

Wix offers a free plan (with Wix ads) and four main paid plans. The Light plan starts at $17 per month, the Core plan at $29 per month, the Business plan at $36 per month, and the Business Elite plan goes up to $159 per month. Wix's beginner plans are cheaper than Squarespace's counterparts, but the Light plan lacks e-commerce features, which start with the Core plan.

Squarespace does not offer a free plan but provides four paid options with discounts for annual payments. The Personal plan starts at $16 per month, the Business plan at $23 per month, the Commerce Basic plan at $26 per month, and the Commerce Advanced plan at $49 per month. All Squarespace plans include e-commerce capabilities, making it easy for users to start selling online immediately. A notable feature of Squarespace is that it offers unlimited storage and bandwidth on all plans. In contrast, Wix storage ranges from 2 GB on the Light plan to unlimited storage on the Business Elite plan.

“Business Strategy” — Source: Pixabay. License: CC0.

When comparing overall value, Wix offers more resources and features at similar prices, especially in advanced business and e-commerce plans. However, Squarespace provides better value for users primarily focused on e-commerce from the outset, as these features are integrated into all plans. The optimal choice depends on your specific needs; Wix is best suited for beginner websites and offers more features at higher tiers, while Squarespace provides strong e-commerce capabilities from the starting point.

Conclusion: Which Website Builder Should You Choose?

Both Wix and Squarespace have unique strengths that make them suitable for different types of users.

Wix shines with its flexible drag-and-drop editor, extensive template library, massive app market, and responsive customer support. Its flexible design options and advanced AI tools are ideal for those seeking creative freedom and complete customization. With a free plan and low starting prices, Wix is an excellent choice for beginners and those on a limited budget.

On the other hand, Squarespace lacks a free plan and phone support, but it stands out with its elegant templates and organized design that ensures high-quality and consistent results. All its plans include e-commerce features, making it the best option for users who want to sell products online from day one. Squarespace also offers excellent blogging tools, unlimited storage, and generally better website performance.

The final decision depends on your priorities. Choose Wix if you want maximum design flexibility, access to a large number of apps, and low starting costs. Choose Squarespace if you prioritize polished professional design, organized editing, strong performance, and integrated e-commerce features. For most beginners and small businesses seeking value and ease of use, Wix remains the more versatile option. In contrast, creative professionals and e-commerce businesses might prefer Squarespace to ensure design quality and strong performance.