Wix vs Squarespace (2025): Which Website Builder Is Best for Your Business?

Choosing between Wix and Squarespace is not just about picking the easiest website builder — it’s about choosing a platform that can actually grow with your business goals.

Whether you’re launching a small service business, a portfolio, a blog, or a full e-commerce store, the differences between Wix and Squarespace can impact your site’s success.

In this detailed guide, we break down every key factor, with real data, examples, and use case recommendations, so you can make the best choice.

4.6

Price – Starting from

Light

$17

/mo

14-Day Money-Back Guarantee

Pros

• Wix-powered websites are fast
• Has intuitive drag-and-drop design features
• Digital marketing integrations are super easy

Cons

• One paid plan (except Enterprise) for only one site.
• Wix branding on Free plan

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4.1

Price – Starting from

Basic

$16

/mo

14-day FREE trial

Pros

• You can create up to 1,000 pages
• In-built SEO tools
• Free SSL certificates

Cons

• You can not publish your professional website on the free trial mode
• No free plan, only free trail period

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Market Presence & Usage

• Squarespace was taken private in 2024 by private equity firm Permira in a $6.9 billion all-cash deal. 

• As of the latest data, Squarespace is used by ~1.9% of the top 10 million websites (per W3Techs).

• Wix vs Squarespace together power a large share of the “website builder” category — for example, one site reports they account for ~55% of builder-based sites.

  In reviews and rankings of 2025, Wix often ranks at or near the top for all-purpose builders; Squarespace is lauded for design strength and consistency.

These numbers show both are major players; the decision is more about trade-offs than viability.

Wix Overview

Wix is one of the most flexible and widely used site builders. Its strengths lie in giving users control, a large app ecosystem, and AI tools to speed up creation. It supports many industries, from portfolios to e-commerce.

You can start for free and expand as your needs grow.

AI / Generative Capabilities

Wix integrates AI features such as:

• Site generation & layout suggestions via AI (Wix ADI)

• AI content generation (text drafts, marketing copy)

• Image AI tools (editing, background removal, enhancement)

• Meta/SEO AI helpers

• AI chatbot and business tools

Because AI is built-in, it’s seamless to use, though customization beyond AI output still often requires user tweaking.

Ease of Use & Onboarding

• Wix’s editor is “free placement” — you can drag elements anywhere on the page.

• The flexibility is powerful but can lead to design inconsistencies if not managed.

• For SMBs, Wix often allows launching a decent site quickly, without deep tech resources.

Pricing & Predictability

Wix’s tiered pricing allows SMBs to pick a level that fits their stage. Add-on costs (apps, increased traffic, advanced features) can accumulate.

Scalability & Limitations

• Wix’s infrastructure handles most SMB load levels.

• But as your site becomes more complex (custom logic, large databases, specialized integrations), you may bump into limitations in backend access or app architecture.

• Exiting Wix — migrating design + logic fully — is not easy.

Squarespace Overview

Squarespace aims for design consistency, curated experiences, and reducing decision fatigue. Its newer Fluid Engine (grid-based layout) gives more flexibility within structure.

Squarespace is ideal for a clean, polished site that’s easy to manage without extra apps.

AI / Generative Tools

Squarespace’s AI/automation tools include:

• Blueprint AI / Design Intelligence — guided onboarding to build site skeletons 

• AI content generation (draft content, suggestions) 

• Workflow Triggers/automation based on patterns (e.g. user behavior)

The AI tools are helpful, though less “deep” than plugin ecosystems in more open platforms.

Ease & Onboarding

• Squarespace uses a structured editor (grid-based, snapping). This can make design more consistent and prevent chaotic layouts. 

• The onboarding via Design Intelligence asks brand/industry prompts to start you off with sections and styling. 

• Because templates and layouts are more constrained, it often reduces “decision overload” and helps maintain visual coherence.

Pricing & Cost

• Squarespace does not have a free forever plan; they offer a 14-day trial. 

• Paid plans start around $16/month (when billed annually) for the Personal plan. 

• For e-commerce, higher plans eliminate transaction fees or add advanced capabilities. 

Scalability & Limitations

• Squarespace provides robust performance for many SMB sites, but deep customization (custom server logic, unusual APIs) is constrained.

• If your business evolves into needing heavy custom integrations, you may feel limited by the closed architecture.

Wix vs Squarespace: Quick Overview

Wix vs. Squarespace Key Differences

1. Ease of Use

Wix

• True drag-and-drop: Move anything anywhere on the page.
• Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence): Auto-builds a site for you.
• Learning curve: Very low — users can publish in under an hour.
• Flexibility downside: Beginners sometimes make messy designs without guidance.

Squarespace

1. Structured editor: Keeps layouts clean and professional automatically.
2. No “blank canvas” freedom: More rigid but better for branding.
3. Learning curve: Slightly steeper, but less risk of poor-looking pages.

💡 Insight: Wix is like a blank art canvas; Squarespace is like coloring inside beautiful lines.

2. Design, Templates, and Branding

Real-world numbers:

• Wix claims 200 million users globally (Source: Wix Investor Relations).
• Squarespace powers about 3.79 million websites (Source: BuiltWith 2025).

💡 Insight: If brand consistency and luxury feel matter most (especially for portfolios, agencies, and photography), Squarespace wins.

3. E-commerce Features: What You Can (and Can’t) Sell

Wix

• Best for small stores: Up to a few hundred products.
• Selling digital goods: Supported (music, ebooks, online courses).
• Multi-currency: Only via third-party apps.
• Subscriptions/memberships: Available with paid add-ons.
• Dropshipping: Supported via Modalyst, Spocket apps.

Squarespace

• Stronger inventory management: Good for selling 500+ SKUs.
• Selling services: Natively supported.
• Subscriptions: Built-in for recurring billing (ideal for SaaS, coaching).
• Gift cards: Available by default.
• Limited dropshipping: Limited integrations compared to Wix.

💡 Insight: Squarespace is much better if you plan on recurring revenue models (subscriptions, memberships).

4. SEO Capabilities

Both Wix and Squarespace offer strong SEO tools, but their philosophy is different:

Important stat:

Pagespeed heavily affects SEO. Squarespace sites often score 85–90/100 mobile performance on Google’s PageSpeed Insights out of the box, while Wix averages 70–80/100 unless manually optimized.

💡 Insight: Squarespace wins if you want SEO power with minimal manual work.

5. Blogging Features

💡 Insight: If blogging is critical to your marketing (content-heavy sites, personal brands, SaaS blogs), Squarespace is significantly better.

6. Pricing

Important:

• Wix: Has a free plan (ads + Wix branding).
• Squarespace: Only a 14-day free trial, then mandatory paid plan.

💡 Insight: Wix is better if you want to start completely free. Squarespace offers more value at mid-level business plans (especially $36/month Commerce plan).

7. Integrations and Extensions

💡 Insight: Wix gives you more flexibility (but sometimes more complexity); Squarespace offers simplicity at the cost of fewer outside tools.

8. AI Features: How Smart Are Wix and Squarespace?

AI (Artificial Intelligence) is becoming a big part of website building, helping users design faster, write content, and optimize marketing.
Here’s how Wix and Squarespace compare when it comes to AI-powered tools:

9. Analytics & Business Insights

• Wix offers built-in dashboards with traffic, user metrics, e-commerce stats, plus integrations with Wix Analytics & BI and third-party tools.
• Squarespace includes analytics dashboards, site analytics, and integration with external analytics (Google Analytics, etc.).
• While both give basic business insights, the depth and flexibility are less than what more open systems allow. But for many SMBs, these built-in dashboards are sufficient.

Final Recommendation: Who Should Choose Wix vs Squarespace?

Bottom line:

• Use Wix if you want the easiest, freest way to start, especially if your site is mainly informational or smaller e-commerce.
• Use Squarespace for a gorgeous, brand-first site with serious blogging or e-commerce capabilities.
• Best for Beginners: Wix
• Best for Polished Design: Squarespace
• Best for Growing an Online Store: Squarespace
• Best for Testing Free: Wix
• Best for Serious Blogging: Squarespace

Wix vs Squarespace FAQ

1. Is Wix or Squarespace better for beginners?

Wix is better for beginners who want total creative freedom without coding. Its drag-and-drop editor is intuitive and easy to learn, while Squarespace’s structured editor has a slightly steeper learning curve but keeps designs polished.

2. Can I sell products on both Wix and Squarespace?

Yes, both platforms support online selling. Wix is great for small stores and selling digital products, while Squarespace offers stronger built-in tools for larger stores, subscriptions, and scaling e-commerce businesses.

3. Does Wix have better SEO than Squarespace?

Both offer strong SEO tools, but Squarespace usually provides faster page load speeds and cleaner default site structures, which can give it a slight SEO advantage out of the box.

4. Which platform has a better free option?

Wix offers a free forever plan (with ads and Wix branding), while Squarespace offers only a 14-day free trial. If you want to start completely free, Wix is the better choice.

5. Can I switch from Wix to Squarespace later?

It’s possible, but not automatic. You’ll need to manually rebuild your site on Squarespace since there’s no direct import tool between Wix and Squarespace.