Squarespace vs. Wix: a data-backed comparison

Explore Squarespace and Wix features, pricing, adoption trends, and ideal use cases to help you determine which website builder best fits your team.

Squarespace vs. Wix at a glance

Squarespace offers a polished, template-driven website builder with integrated ecommerce and marketing tools, designed for small businesses and creatives seeking simplicity and elegance. Wix provides a highly flexible drag-and-drop website builder with extensive customization options and a large app marketplace, targeting users who want creative freedom and a range of features without coding.

Metrics

Squarespace

Wix

Relative cost

91% lower cost than category average

88% lower cost than category average

Adoption trend

15% QoQ adoption growth

20% QoQ adoption growth

Primary user segment

Best for

Micro businesses that need professional website design and content management without technical complexity.

Small and medium-sized businesses that need versatile website-building capabilities without coding requirements.

Squarespace overview

Squarespace delivers a user-friendly website builder featuring elegant design templates, built-in ecommerce, and managed hosting. It’s ideal for users who want quick setup and professional aesthetics with minimal technical effort. The platform includes marketing and SEO tools, suitable for creatives and small businesses needing a strong online presence.

Squarespace key features

Features

Description

Fluid engine drag-and-drop editor

Visually build and customize pages using a flexible, grid-based layout

Professional designer templates

Launch with polished, responsive templates tailored for blogs, portfolios, and business sites.

Integrated e-commerce platform

Sell products, services, or subscriptions with built-in checkout, inventory, and payment tools.

Built-in SEO tools

Optimize search visibility with auto-generated sitemaps, clean URLs, and editable meta tags.

Mobile-responsive design

Ensure your site looks and works great on phones and tablets with automatic layout adjustments.

Analytics and reporting dashboard

Monitor traffic, sales, and user behavior to inform design, content, and marketing decisions.

24/7 customer support and security

Get round-the-clock help and built-in protections like SSL, backups, and DDoS mitigation.

Wix overview

Wix is a versatile website builder offering full drag-and-drop customization, hundreds of templates, and an extensive app market to extend site functionality. It supports ecommerce, bookings, and marketing integrations, appealing to users who want flexible design options and scalable features without developer help.

Wix key features

Features

Description

Drag-and-drop website builder

Design and customize responsive websites visually without coding.

Template library

Choose from hundreds of professionally designed templates to jumpstart site creation.

App marketplace

Extend site functionality with plugins for ecommerce, marketing, SEO, and more.

Ecommerce support

Manage products, payments, inventory, and shipping with built-in tools.

SEO and marketing tools

Improve site visibility and customer engagement with integrated optimization and campaigns.

Hosting and security

Enjoy fast, secure hosting with SSL certificates and automatic backups.

Pros and cons

Tool

Pros

Cons

Squarespace

  • Supports up to 1,000 pages for large, content-rich sites
  • Wide selection of professional, mobile-ready templates
  • Easy drag-and-drop editor with no coding needed
  • Built-in SEO and analytics for better visibility and insights
  • Integrated e-commerce with multiple payment options
  • 24/7 support via chat, email, and forums
  • Fewer third-party app integrations than Wix or WordPress
  • No phone support; live chat only during business hours
  • Limited template flexibility for advanced customizations
  • Higher pricing, especially for full e-commerce features

Wix

  • User-friendly drag-and-drop website builder with minimal setup time.
  • Wide selection of customizable templates suited for various industries.
  • Integrated ecommerce capabilities for small and medium-sized online stores.
  • Built-in SEO tools, marketing integrations, and analytics dashboards.
  • All-in-one platform handling hosting, security, and backups without additional configuration.
  • Limited backend customization and developer control compared to traditional CMS platforms.
  • Advanced features and collaboration tools require higher-tier plans.
  • May not scale well for large enterprises or multi-site management needs.
  • Some integrations and app functionalities are less flexible than open-source alternatives.
  • Learning curve for users unfamiliar with visual design tools and interfaces.

Use case scenarios

Squarespace fits users looking for streamlined, visually cohesive websites with essential ecommerce and marketing features. Wix is better for those seeking design flexibility, broad customization, and a rich ecosystem of add-ons to tailor websites to unique needs.

When Squarespace is the better choice

  • You need elegant, professionally designed templates with minimal setup.
  • You need integrated e-commerce and marketing tools out of the box.
  • You need managed hosting with reliable customer support.
  • You need an all-in-one platform that handles design, domain, and performance.

When Wix is the better choice

  • You need maximum control over site layout and design elements.
  • You need access to a large app marketplace for additional features.
  • You need flexible options for e-commerce, bookings, and service-based businesses.
  • You need a customizable platform that supports complex or unique site structures.

Time is money. Save both.