Wix vs. Squarespace : Features & Pricing Compared [2023]
There has been a constant battle between Wix and Squarespace regarding which one is the best for building a professional website. We are about to end that with a detailed review that takes an in-depth look into their features, pricing plans, cons, pros, and preferences.
We also include what users say about each platform to give you a deeper insight into what to expect from both website builders. So, if you are torn between Wix and Squarespace for your website, you definitely have to read this review.
Squarespace Vs. Wix: What do both platforms do?
Both Wix and Squarespace are website builders built for small business owners and stores to create a website for their business without any coding knowledge required. You can put it as a DIY website builder that caters to all your business needs without a heavy investment or web design background.
Squarespace and Wix are the two biggest website builders around, with both powering 55% of the websites in the world at the moment. It has always been an unequivocal battle between both platforms regarding the one that does a better job, even if it is slightly better.
Regardless of the comparison history, we will look unbiasedly at each platform based on research, years of experience, and what users say. If you are ready, let's get this review started.
Ease Of Use: wix vs squarespace
In this ease-of-use category, we will look at the editor, design flexibility, and customization options available on both platforms.
Editor
Both website builders have a drag-and-drop editor that allows you to pick elements and drag them anywhere within the page, so long as they stay in certain areas on the page.
Another notable thing about Wix and Squarespace editors is that they are categorized to help you know where to edit certain elements such as text, colors, etc.
However,
Design Flexibility
Starting with Wix Editor, is a pure page editor that allows you to drag and drop elements on any part of the page. In other words, there are no restrictions on how you want to design your website. This feature alone makes many web designers opt for Wix, giving them a blank Canva to paint whatever picture they have in mind.
Another cool feature on Wix Site is the Wix ADI ( Wix Artificial design intelligence), which uses AI to design a website for beginners. All it requires is to answer a series of questions and get a full-blown website that needs necessary edits. This feature makes it easy to experiment with the site and come up with a stunning website.
However, it can become quite detrimental for beginners that know nothing about design guidelines and schemes. With the amount of freedom and design option at their tip, they may end up with a website that doesn't look professional. It is similar to giving an amateur all the tools required for wood crafting and expecting them to create a masterpiece.
On the other hand, the Squarespace editor is a grid-based drag-and-drop editor that allows you to move any element on the page, as long as it falls within the blocks and grids. While some say it gives some design restrictions, it was designed this way to ensure that no matter your design expertise, you end up with a professional website that looks concise and put together.
However, if design freedom is what you're looking for, then you will find the Fluid Engine that Squarespace recently launched fascinating. It works similarly to Wix editor, giving you all the design freedom you need. Designers see it as a great improvement to unleash their creativity.
Wix Vs. Squarespace: Ease of Use Verdict
It is a tie between both website builders. Wix comes with a more freedom-based editor that allows you to do whatever you wish on your website, but it can become a problem if you have no idea what design guidelines are because it may likely lead to an ugly-looking site. But regardless, its editor is simple, intuitive, and worthy.
On the other hand, Squarespace also gives you a lot of design freedom to drag and drop elements wherever you want, as long as it stays in the grid. This was meant to ensure that your website turns out professional, no matter how hard you try. However, Squarespace also has the Fluid Engine that gives you more design freedom.
Templates: wix vs squarespace
Regarding templates, Squarespace has always been leading with its quality templates designed for specific industries.
Starting with Wix templates, you get access to 800+ templates, giving you a large library of templates. Wix's templates cover major industries, so no matter your business' niche, there is a template to cater to your needs.
Now, here is where the problem comes in. Although Wix has more templates than Squarespace, most of these templates are outdated. They look like templates designed decades ago and have not been deleted (which will be the reason). However, there are still professionally-designed templates on Wix. In fact, most of the templates look decent and attractive. However, you'll have to be ready to search and preview each Wix template to find the perfect one for your website.
Unlike Wix, Squarespace has 150+ templates on its website, and all are professionally designed and modern. No wonder Squarespace is the website builder with the best website templates on the market. Squarespace templates come with the same feature to avoid stress, and all are professionally designed to give your website the best look possible.
Note: Both Website builder doesn't allow you to switch templates once your website is live, so be certain you're choosing the right template for your website design.
One last thing to note about Wix and Squarespace templates is that they are mobile-responsive. In other words, they maintain a concise look on any screen used to view your website. However, there can be issues with Wix mobile responsiveness if you take the design freedom too far. Elements may overlap or not show up at all because of the arrangement or if you design outside the main grid.
Customization
Both platforms allow you to customize your templates. You can change the text, colors, font, resize and relocate elements, etc. Also, each editor is grouped into categories to make editing easy. However, based on my experience, I find Squarespace template customization a little bit more straightforward. For example, you can change a certain color throughout the templates by choosing another from the color palette. Regardless, customization is easy on both platforms.
Squarespace Vs. Wix: Templates Verdict
Squarespace Wins this round because of its quality modern templates that are second to none in the market. You don't have to worry about whether the template is choosing is outdated or not, so long you like it, then you're good to go. However, Wix Website templates may be more than Squarespace, but some need to be updated. While the templates are decent and attractive, they may not look modern and professional.
Website Features: wix vs squarespace
It is just beyond the looks and customization abilities; what makes a great website is the features you stand to get with it. So, we will take a detailed look into what each platform offers and how equipped they are to grow your business.
General Features
Every website builder has to have core features that make it standard. These features include Photo galleries, forms, membership areas, etc.
Both Wix and Squarespace come with basic features such as forms, photo galleries, multiple pages, membership areas, audio players, etc.
Ideally, Wix has more features than Squarespace, but Squarespace often ensures quality over quantity. A good example is the donation menu and podcast features on both websites.
Wix offers a donation feature that allows you to make donations to a business. While this is a great idea, it automatically directs you to Paypal (or any other payment option) to make donations, which can be unappealing to some audiences, especially if you run a non-profit website. In contrast, the Squarespace website has a donor-specific checkout, an email receipt to confirm donations have been received, and also allows you to add a suggested amount. These features are missing from Wix, even when there is a donation feature.
Another example we discovered during our research is the podcast option on Wix. Wix offers a basic podcast player for anyone wishing to build a podcast but doesn't allow podcast syndication, which is one effective way of distributing your podcasts to bigger podcast platforms. At the end of the spectrum, Squarespace allows you to syndicate your podcasts, making it one of the best choices for small podcasters.
Although Squarespace may look like the saint here, it also needs to catch up on certain features. Here are some features that Wix offers that Squarespace doesn't have.
Features Wix Offers that Squarespace doesn't.
Although Wix has these features in-built or has a Wix app for it, there are available integrations for the same feature on Squarespace, but you'll have to use third-party apps
Live Chat: You'll need a third-party app to add a live chat to your website, while Wix offers that on its Wix Live Chat app
Custom Fonts: If you are not using Adobe or Google fonts, you'll need CSS code to add custom font to your Squarespace site. However, you can add that directly from your Wix page editor.
These are some of the features that Wix offers that you'll need a third-party app for. However, you should note that these features can be added from the Wix App market, and some are not outrightly free to use.
Other features that you can get easily on Wix are;
You can build landing pages without a header or footer on Wix's most basic plan, but you'll have a higher-paid plan to do that on Squarespace.
Squarespace still doesn't support WebP images or WebM videos on Squarespace, but adding them looks promising.
Wix automatically plays videos on websites, but you'll need to upload GIFs to be able to do that on Squarespace.
Wix offers more features than Squarespace, which is an added advantage. However, you can easily get all these features by adding third-party apps using the Squarespace Extensions (Squarespace's marketplace) or integrating plugins.
Squarespace Vs. Wix: General Features Verdict
Wix wins this round with its in-built apps and more features; however, Squarespace always ensures their features are quality, and whatever feature you need can easily be added using the app marketplace. Regardless, Wix did a better job adding more general features to their website.
Domains: wix vs squarespace
Wix and Squarespace premium plans come with a free custom domain for the first year. In other words, you don't need to spend money buying a custom domain (if you don't already have one) once you pay for any of the website builders' annual subscriptions. They both have a domain hosting platform where you can purchase a domain for your website. So, whether you want to buy a domain or renew an existing one, you have nothing to worry about
SEO Tools: wix vs squarespace
Search Engine Optimization is a series of processes that allows you to optimize your content to rank on search engines and reach more audiences. Processes include keyword research and optimization, meta descriptions, custom URLs, etc. Wix and Squarespace offer great SEO tools tailored to rank your website as long as you do it right. Here are some of the SEO tools you'll get access to;
Meta Descriptions: Both platforms allow you to edit the description of your website and individual pages to contain a certain keyword that makes it rank higher. This is important for your website's appearance on search engines and crawling.
Custom URLs: Editing URLs to contain the main keyword won't only make your content and page rank but also give it a visual appeal for visitors
Headings: Dividing your pages into sizable bits by headings allows you to structure your content, make it easier to read and make it become more search engine-friendly
Image Alt text: Allow search engines to crawl your images using alt text and allow visually impaired persons to decode your images
Site Speed Load: Site speed load also matters to search engines and people. The longer your site speed, the higher your bounce rate. Statistics show visitors will not wait more than three seconds for a website to open. The Wix site has been observed to have a faster loading speed when compared with Squarespace, but with a slight difference.
Other SEO tools available on both Wix and Squarespace are KeyWord Support, Google Index, 301 Directs, Google Search Console, SiteMap, etc.
Social Media Integration: wix vs squarespace
A website builder that allows you to add your social media handles to your website and connect your website and social media account while allowing you to share content on any social media platform is worth keeping. Fortunately, both Wix and Squarespace allow this feature.
You can add over 20 social media platforms to your website, such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and the like. You also get the chance to import your social media content to your website, such as adding your Instagram feed, and sell directly on some social media platforms. Isn't that cool?
You get similar features with Wix. You can add social media to your website and sell across social media platforms.
Email Marketing: wix vs squarespace
One of the effective marketing tools to grow your audience and bring more customers to your website is email marketing.
Squarespace has robust in-built Email marketing features that are state-of-the-art. It is one of the best email marketing that does everything for you. It allows you to segment your customers, send custom emails based on your segments, and choose from 30+ email marketing templates. These templates can be edited to fit your brand and personalize your emails.
You also get robust email analytics that allows you to track the performance of your mail. Squaespace's email marketing is one of the best out there if you are considering growing your email audience, as it allows you to edit and send emails on the go using the Squarespace app. What if you want to use something other than the in-built email? You can easily integrate with MailChimp, and you're good to go.
However, it would be best if you remember that email marketing tools don't come for free. You can get a 14-day trial, but the price ranges from as low as $8 to access all the tools.
At the end of the Spectrum, Wix has an all-in-one marketing tool known as Ascend that offers a set of marketing tools. If you subscribe to any Wix Plan, you can use Ascend for free, send up to 5000 emails monthly, and set up three email campaigns. However, if you want to go beyond this, you'll have to subscribe to one of the Ascend plans starting from $10.
If we are to compare the email marketing features, both Wix and Squarespace did a great job. You'll get the same outcome using both email marketing platforms. However, regarding the price, Wix did a better job by giving you a free email campaign with your plan, no matter how small it is.
Wix Vs. Squarespace: Features Verdict
Wix wins this round because of a few more features it offers on its marketing tool, Wix Ascend. Generally, you get more features if you are to opt-in for Wix. However, Squarespace ensures that every other feature you get on Wix is available on their App market.
All you need to do is to integrate the app into your website. Nevertheless, we must acknowledge that both website builders have robust features that will grow your business.
E-commerce: wix vs squarespace
Can you start and grow an online store on Wix and Squarespace? Yes! Thanks to their ecommerce features.
Product Presentation
A successful store ensures its products are well-presented and compelling to get customers' attention. Both Wix and Squarespace have a robust product presentation feature that allows you to add high-quality images, variants, and product descriptions.
They both have an in-built Zoom option that lets customers get a 360-degree view of your product. Definitely, Squarespace does a slightly better job because it makes each product the center of attention.
Product Type
You can sell any product on Squarespace and Shopify, including Physical, Digital, Subscriptions, services, etc.
Payment Options
Squarespace offers three main payment options: Stripe, Paypal, and Apple Pay. They narrowed it down to the major payment options that most shoppers use, but it can be detrimental in the long run because of its limited options.
Wix, however, has an in-built payment option called Wix Payments. It allows you to accept online payments without hassle, which is great. If you are not interested in using Wix Payments, you can choose from 50+ payment options available on Wix. However, they charge a transaction fee for using these payments.
One major disadvantage to Wix is that it doesn't support Apple Pay, which can be problematic for those relying on the payment option. Apart from this, Wix does a great job of making many payment options available to your online store.
Abandoned Cart Recovery
Send automatic emails to customers that didn't make it to the checkout point, reminding them that the goods are still available and they should take advantage of it. Both platforms have an abandoned cart recovery feature.
What distinguishes them is that Wix website builder makes this feature available on its lower ecommerce plans, while you can only access the abandoned cart recovery feature on the advanced commerce plan on Squarespace.
Shipping and Taxes
Squarespace performs better than Wix in the shipping category by offering more shipping carrier options. You can integrate with UPS, FedEx, DHL, and others with your store. If you are into dropshipping, Spocket and Printfy/Printful allow you to kickstart and run your dropshipping business smoothly.
In contrast, Wix also offers integration with ShipStation, FedEx, and other shipping carriers to fulfill your orders. You also get to integrate with dropshipping companies.
For shipping rates on Squarespace, you can calculate manually using weights and locations or apply a flat rate. You can also automatically set carrier-calculated rates on the advanced ecommerce plan.
Selling Offline
Having a mortar and brick store is not outdated, and it can boost your sales if done right. You are not left to figure it out alone. Both Wix and Squarespace offer a POS point that connects with your online store and allows you to sell seamlessly.
Due to its partnership with Square, Squarespace POS costs $49 for the card reader and requires the Squarespace commerce app for full functionality.
Wix's card reader and dock cost $98 for full operation. In case you have a large retail shop, their website has a more sophisticated POS package.
However, Squarespace and Wix charge a fixed transaction fee on their POS system. Squarespace charges 2.6 – 3.5% and an additional fee of $0.10 – $0.15, while Wix has a fixed fee of 2.6% per transaction.
Multi-Channel Integration
Connecting your online store to other commerce and social media platforms can increase sales and bring more leads to your store. Wix only supports Instagram, but you can integrate with third-party apps to sell on other platforms such as eBay, Facebook, Pinterest, etc.
Squarespace offers integration with Instagram and Facebook, which is slightly better than Wix. Any other social media you are interested in will need a third-party integration.
App Store
Wix has more third-party apps on the Wix app market, which is great if you want to integrate third-party apps into your online store. Squarespace falls behind with only 31 apps on its marketplace. However, the apps are of high quality and will get the job done.
Wix Vs. Squarespace: E-commerce Features Verdict
It is a tie. Both platforms have ecommerce tools that can grow and rank your online store. Squarespace ensures quality is delivered on all its features; the same goes for Wix. Also, Squarespace online stores have been observed to perform slightly better in SEO and visibility compared to Wix stores, giving them a slight boost.
However, the payment options and apps that Wix provides give it an edge over Squarespace impeccable ecommerce features. Regardless, both platforms are great solutions for small online stores. If you are looking for a more sophisticated ecommerce platform to host your large online store, then Shopify will be the best option.
related article: 31+ Best Coaching Website TemplatesBlogging: wix vs squarespace
It is hard to say outrightly that one website builder performs better than the other in this blogging section. Both platforms offer impeccable blogging features that can grow and rank your blog on any platform, but Squarespace flawlessly does it better. Nevertheless, many people prefer using Squarespace for their blogs due to its aesthetically-pleasing layout and how easy it makes uploading blog posts. Also, you get to edit and publish posts on the go with the Squarespace app.
There are up to three layouts you can choose for your blog on Squarespace. You get the chance to
edit your blog
add headings
schedule posts for later
add author's page
turn on/off comments sections
add a gallery block to display related articles
Add tags and categorize your blogs for people to search easily
Meta description and enough space to add images
Pre-moderate comments
Advanced SEO to rank your blog posts
Aside from Wordpress, Squarespace has always been the king of posts, and finding a competition that will beat Squarespace in its bogging features is challenging.
Wix, on the other hand, also does a great job by introducing features such as editing your blog, scheduling posts for later, and turning on/off comments (you cannot pre-moderate comments on Wix, which can be an issue if people are dropping negative comments on your blog), etc. You can also use the Wix mobile app for editing on the go.
Another feature that both platform offers are tracking your blog traffic. You can know who is viewing your blog posts and their location. You also see which blog gets the most traffic and make an informed decision. If you want extra analytics for your website or online store, you can easily integrate with Google Analytics.
related article: 17+ Sales Page Templates: Skyrocket Your Sales NowWix vs Squarespace: Blogging Verdict
Based on experience, research, and feature quality, Squarespace is the winner of this round. Squarespace ensures that blogging is a walk in the park with its simple and sophisticated features, and it also allows you to present your blog in the best way possible. Wix also allows you to integrate with third-party apps to get the features you may not readily get on their blog. Regardless, doing everything on Squarespace without including third-party integrations is super convenient for beginners.
related article: Squarespace Domain Review: Everything You Need To KnowMobile Apps and Integrations: wix vs squarespace
For a start, Squarespace and Wix have mobile apps that allow you to moderate your website and perform necessary tasks on the go. The Wix mobile app and Squarespace mobile app allow you to update pages, add images to galleries, publish a blog posts, add products to your online store, and manage notifications.
Both platforms' mobile apps do roughly the same thing, so there isn't direct competition on what is better.
Moving on to the App market for both platforms. Squarespace Extensions is a marketplace for third-party apps, and it currently houses 31 apps that fall into different categories, such as
Finance
Shipping and Fulfillment
Inventory and Products
Sales and Marketing
These apps are mainly ecommerce-based because Squarespace prioritizes building the necessary features into their website instead of relying on integrations, but it can be detrimental if your site needs a particular app. Regardless, there are other apps, such as Zapier, that allow you to add any app of your choice to your website. Apps such as Printify, Ebay, Weglot, Shipstation, etc., are available on Squarespace Extensions.
On the other hand, Wix comes with its apps that you can easily subscribe to for extra features. Some of the Wix apps are
Wix logo maker
Fit by Wix
Dine by Wix
Wix Members Area
Wix Bookings
Beyond their apps, they offer hundreds of third-party apps you can easily integrate into your website. These apps are categorized into
Marketing
Sell Online
Services & Events
Media & Content
Design Elements
Communications
Wix app market beats Squarespace's hands down because of its multiple apps and personal apps built by Wix. In this round, Wix scores higher and is the winner.
related article: Squarespace Review: Is It Really Worth The Investment?Security: wix vs squarespace
At the rate where cybersecurity is being compromised, building your website on a secure platform with the necessary security compliances covered is the best option. Luckily, both website builders offer robust security certificates.
You get a free SSL certificate that secures your website's information on all Wix and Squarespace plans. Other security features, such as PCI DSS Compliance security, protect your customers' card and payment details and third-party policies.
Security: Verdict
It is a tie. Both platforms provide virtually the same thing that keeps your website secure. So, whether you go for Squarespace or Wix, you have nothing to worry about.
related article: 12 Best Squarespace Alternatives To Build A WebsitePricing: wix vs squarespace
Squarespace offers a better value for your money and has slightly cheaper plans when compared to Wix. For starters, you can subscribe to Squarespace's Ecommerce basic plan at $23/month (billed annually), while Wix's is $27/month. Besides, Squarespace has four plans that cater to all your needs, while Wix has seven plans that give you more choices and may not contain all the features you need. Let's take a more in-depth look at what you'll get.
Free Plan
Wix offers a free plan that allows you to create a website for free, but it comes at a cost. First, your domain name must carry the wix.com name, and Wix ads will constantly be your website's companion. Besides, staying on a free plan if you are planning to grow your business isn't a good idea.
On the other hand, Squarespace doesn't come with a free plan, but it has a 14-day trial to get accustomed to the site and decide whether opting in or a Squarespace plan is the best decision.
Paid Plans
Squarespace cheapest plans come with most of the features you'll need, while Wix may require you to subscribe to a more expensive plan to get the same feature you'll get on Squarespace.
Squarespace Pricing
Squarespace plans are divided into four plans, and each fits a particular audience. For example, the Squarespace personal plan is perfect for blogs and portfolios; the business plan is for websites that want an online presence, connect with their audience, and grow their business while selling a few products. Then, there are the two e-commerce plans primarily for online stores. Let's take a look.
Personal - $16/month
Unlimited bandwidth and storage
30min video storage
two contributors
custom merch
Video maker
Audience management
Business - $23/month
Unlimited contributors
Professional Email from Google
promotional pop-ups and banners
fully integrated e-commerce with a 3% transaction fee on each product sale
Unlimited products
Checkout on domain
Basic Commerce - $27/month
Point of sale
Product reviews
Customer accounts
Multi-channel integration
Limited availability label
Advanced commerce - $49/month
Abandoned cart recovery
sell subscriptions
advanced shipping
Discounts
Commerce APIs
Wix Pricing
The plans are categorized into three; website plans, enterprise plans, and Business & Ecommerce plans.
Website Plans
Free Plan - $0
Connect domain - $4/month (billed annually)
custom domain
SSL certificate
1GB bandwidth
500MB storage space
four lead capture forms
10 field capture form
24/7 customer support
Combo - $8.50/month
Free domain for one year
Remove Wix branding
30-minute video hours
2GB bandwidth, 3GB storage
Unlimited - $12.50/month
unlimited bandwidth and 10GB storage place
1 hour for video
10 lead capture forms, 20 fields per form
VIP - $24.50/month
5 video hours
75 lead capture forms, 75 fields per form
35GB storage space
Business and Ecommerce plans
Business Basic - $17/month
Accept payments
recurring plans
customer accounts
unlimited bandwidth and 20GB storage space
sell up to 50k products
abandoned cart recovery
Business Unlimited - $25/month
sell subscriptions
sell in multiple currencies
automated sales tax - 100 transactions
Dropshipping by Modalyst - 250 products
Business VIP - $35/month
Unlimited video hours
Unlimited dropshipping products
related article: Squarespace Scheduling: The Ultimate Guide For Small Business OwnersPricing plans: Verdict
Squarespace is a better investment than Wix. First, you don't have to worry about choosing the right plan, as each plan is tailored to your business needs. You automatically get unlimited bandwidth on the cheapest Squarespace plan, and the prices are generally cheaper when compared to Wix.
related article: Squarespace Vs Shopify: Which Platform Is Best For Your Business?Customer Support: wix vs squarespace
How fast you get a response to your complaints and questions also matters when considering a website builder to stick with. Fortunately, both platforms offer a robust customer care service that is second to none.
For example, Wix and Squarespace offer 24/7 support and Live chat. Squarespace offers robust email support that answers queries within an hour, while Wix offers Phone support. In addition, both platforms provide a forum for questions and answers.
So, where is the difference? The difference lies in the speedy response and the knowledge library. The Squarespace library is second to none in the world of website builders. The articles are concise and usually answer any questions you may have. Therefore, you usually don't need to contact Squarespace because the answer is already covered in their knowledge library.
related article: 25 Best Squarespace Templates For Virtual AssistantsCustomer Care: Verdict
Squarespace scores higher than Wix because of its robust email chat that gives you a reply within an hour, its knowledge library, and its vibrant YouTube Channel. Wix is not left behind because it caters to your customer support needs. However, if customer support is one of your priorities, Squarespace is the best option.
related article: ConvertKit Review: Is It Worth The Investment?Squarespace Vs. Wix: Which is the best Website builder?
Squarespace wins in ease of use, templates, security, blogging, pricing plans, and features like email marketing, product presentation, and more. On the other end of the spectrum, Wix wins in general features, some ecommerce features, mobile apps and integrations, including third-party apps, and design customization.
It is hard to declare a winner here, but I will recommend a winner based on your website needs.
Wix is the winner if you are looking for
Third-party apps for your website and store
Full design customization and control
More general features that make life easier
Small business starting that doesn't need so many complications
Squarespace is the winner if you are looking for
Professional and good-looking templates
Good blogging features
High-quality, in-built features for commerce and website
An extensive guide and robust customer support
Better value for money
So, choosing the winner is your choice to make, depending on your business needs. Whether you choose Squarespace or Wix, you will get the right features to grow and manage your website.
