Wix vs Squarespace Comparison

Both Wix and Squarespace are top contenders for the title of ‘king of website builders.’ With the drive to push website building technology further and further, these leading brands offer two platforms that not only make website building simpler and more efficient but lead to a beautiful final product- your professional website.

Here, we have compared Wix and Squarespace head to head, comparing their main features, pricing, support and more, to help you decide which website builder is the best for your needs.

-  VS  -

Templates

500+

Templates

70+

Pricing

$4.50 - $24.50 /m

Pricing

$12 - $40 /m

ease of use

Simple

ease of use

Complex

SEO

25/28

See More Info

SEO

28/28

See More Info

Support

Support

Extra Features

Wix Code
Wix Logo Maker
ShoutOut Email Marketing

Extra Features

Logo Maker
Built-in Analytics
Content Management Mobile Apps

Integrations & Apps

200+

Integrations & Apps

70+

eCommerce Integrations

eCommerce Integrations

Free account

Free Account

Free account

Free Trial

Rating

Rating

Visit Wix

Visit Squarespace

Watch the video to compare Wix vs Squarespace in 1 minute:

Templates

Wix

Wix offers over 500 templates, all of which are professionally designed and easily customizable. Don’t let the (huge!) number of templates scare you. Thanks to the way Wix has categorized its templates- there are 15 main categories and over 50 sub-categories- finding the right template for your business is relatively easy. Wix’s template library is organized into the following categories:

Wix also offers blank canvas templates for users who prefer to build their site 100% from scratch.

Note that some templates in the accommodation, restaurant and eCommerce categories require you upgrade to a relevant business premium plan to access all of their features.

The biggest drawback with Wix’s templates is the inability to change your template once you have started editing your website. Until recently, access to your Wix site’s code was also restricted. However, at the end of 2017, Wix released ‘Wix Code’ which offers access to the HTML code of Wix websites.

Squarespace

Squarespace offers over 80 uniquely designed, visually stunning templates, and a whole lot of ways to customize them. Squarespace’s templates are arranged into 14 categories:

Although Squarespace does not offer blank canvas templates like Wix, the website builder does offer the ability to access and edit the HTML code of your website. You can also change the template of your site during the editing process.

Wix or Squarespace?

Finding a winner, in this case, is difficult because it depends on what you’re looking for. If you want to take a more visually creative approach to your website, then Squarespace should be your pick. In the case that you’re looking for an all-around, covers all bases website builder- Wix is your go-to platform.

Editor

Wix

Wix’s editor is bright, easy to navigate and fun to use. The platform offers an endless list of elements to add, edit, customize or remove from your site. There is also a separate editor for the mobile version of your website. The benefit of this is that it enables users to hide or show content they wish to appear on their mobile site, without changing the design, layout or content structure of the desktop version of their website.

Squarespace

Offering a wide range of elements to add and customize, Squarespace’s editor offers a clean, simple and also easy to navigate editor (although it took us a bit more time to get accustomed to than Wix’s editor). All of Squarespace’s templates are mobile-optimized, meaning you don’t have to check the responsiveness of the elements you customize – they will automatically adjust for any screen size.

A nice bonus in Squarespace’s editor is the Logo Creator, a specialized editor with a variety of icons that can be used to create your own unique logo. The service is free on premium plans.

Wix or Squarespace?

Based on the number of advanced features and editing tools, Wix’s website editor is the standout in this case. Not only is it easier to use, but the ability to edit the mobile website separately from the desktop version offers users more customization and therefore more control over their website.

Customer Support

Wix

Wix seems to have pulled out all of the stops while designing its support network, offering some of the best and more comprehensive in-editor support features. The following features are all accessible from within the editor, whilst you customize your website:

• Editor Help Center: A popup that opens over your site with a list of help categories. Alternatively, you can start typing a question and related answers will be displayed.

• Keyboard Shortcuts for the Editor: Another popup, listing common keyboard shortcuts such as (Ctrl + V = Paste), and editor-specific shortcuts (such as Ctrl + J which allows you to switch between mobile/desktop views). These will no doubt speed up the editing process.
• Step-by-Step Videos: Short videos explaining how to customize each element of your Wix website.

• Connect a Domain: Covers all the topics related to connecting a custom domain to your website, including purchasing a new domain name from Wix or connecting your pre-purchased domain name.
• Getting Found Online (SEO): Another popup, you can watch a video or read about the website elements you can optimize through Wix to enhance your SEO.

In addition, further support can be found through Wix’s Support Center on their website- a support hub filled with articles covering the A-Z of Wix. In the end, if you want to talk to a real person, you can reach out to Wix’s phone support, open Monday- Thursday, 6am- 5pm PST.

Squarespace

Squarespace’s help center is a bit less advanced, but provides users with basic knowledge of the platform, especially from within the editor itself. There is the occasional pop up while editing, but other than that, not much else. From within its online support center, users can access a comprehensive knowledge base, videos and community answers.

Squarespace also offers monthly (online and in-person) 90 minute workshops to help site owners enhance their website. If you are a resident of NYC, you can join one of the sessions in person.

In the event that you cannot find the answers you seek, you can contact the company directly via email (and someone will get back to you within a few short hours).

Note: Squarespace’s support team operates Monday to Friday from 3a.m.-8p.m. EST but does not offer phone support.

Wix or Squarespace?

This one was simple, Wix takes the lead once more. With their variety of support options and the ability to have a live conversation with a customer service representative, Wix covers all bases when it comes to support.

SEO

In terms of the SEO features offered by the top website builders, here’s how Wix & Squarespace compare, side by side:

Wix or Squarespace?

Although both website builders offer a host of SEO features, according to our checklist, Squarespace comes out on top due to the platform’s number of capabilities for website optimization (Squarespace marks every box on our checklist!).

• Squarespace SEO = 28/28
• Wix SEO = 25/28

Apps & Integrations

Wix or Squarespace?

Both Wix and Squarespace offer a wide range of integrations for your website. In this round, it is certainly a tie.

Pricing & Plans

Wix Pricing & Plans

Starting at just $4.50 a month and maxing out at $24.50 a month, Wix offers some of the most affordable and best-value plans on the market. Wix’s most popular plan is called ‘Unlimited’ and costs $12.50 a month with an annual subscription. You’ll receive the following:

• Unlimited Bandwidth and 10GB Storage (Free Hosting)
• Free Domain (first year) and Domain Connection
• Customized Favicon
• $75 in Ad Vouchers
• Form Builder App & Site Booster App (valued at $48 and $60 respectively)
• Premium Support
• Google Analytics integration

The below image is an overview of all annual plans – prices shown are per month.

Each plan that is renewed on a monthly rather than annual basis, is more expensive. This is consistent across most website builders. In the case of Wix, you’ll save about 20% – 30% each year by subscribing to an annual or 2-year plan.

Wix also offers a free plan, allowing you to start building a website and test out the platform. The free plan gives you access to the majority of Wix’s web-building features and allows you to publish the site, but note that sites published on a free plan include:

• Wix branded domain (username.wixsite.com/sitename)
• Wix ads
• Limited bandwidth and storage space
• No eCommerce capabilities

The free account has no time restrictions, so you can take your time building your site and upgrade to a premium plan when you are ready to go live.

Another great benefit of Wix is that all plans include a 14-day money back guarantee. Regarding payments, users can make payments with Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover. All subscription types are priced as follows:

Squarespace Pricing & Plans

No matter the plan you select, Squarespace offers users a two week trial period to build a site and explore the ins and outs of the platform. Users are also given the chance to extend the trial by seven more days to ensure they are sure about Squarespace’s platform before committing to a long term plan.

With Squarespace, there are four plans to choose from: Personal, Business and two eCommerce-focused plans.

Squarespace is actually providing a great deal of value to customers through its plans.

For instance, ‘Business Plan,’  Squarespace’s most popular plan costs $18/month annually or can be purchased monthly for $26. This plan includes:

• Free domain (for one year, with annual purchase) with SSL Security
• Free hosting
• Unlimited pages, galleries & blogs
• Unlimited storage & bandwidth
• 24/7 Customer Support
• eCommerce integration- sell unlimited products (2% sales transaction fee)
• 1 new Gmail & G Suite account, free for first year

The Basic eCommerce plan starts at $26/month on an annual subscription and comes with:

• A free personalized domain
• Zero transaction fees
• 24/7 support
• Inventory management
• Integrated accounting

Its Advanced eCommerce plan is $40/month when you purchase an annual subscription and includes all of the above specs, plus the following:

• Abandoned checkout auto recovery
• Real-time carrier shipping
• Checkout on your domain
• Automatic discounts

Wix or Squarespace?

Both builders offer two-week money-back guarantees, which is great for a small business owner who wants to test the waters before purchasing a long-term plan. In terms of pricing, Wix actually comes out ahead on this one, as their most popular, small-business appropriate plan is on average $6 a month cheaper than Squarespace’s.

Bottom Line

Placing two of the website building industry’s leading players head to head was no easy feat. Both platforms offer users high degrees of flexibility and customization, superb customer support and user-friendly interfaces.

Why Choose Wix?

• The grand number of template designs as well as flexibility of a blank canvas editor
• High level of customer support
• Best dollar-value plans

Why Choose Squarespace?

• Simple, easy-to-use editor interface
• Ticks all the boxes in terms of website SEO
• Design and image-focused templates