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Wix vs Squarespace
Wix vs Squarespace: which website builder should you pick?
Wix gives you more freedom, more apps and a free plan. Squarespace gives you tighter design and a cheaper start. Prices checked on both pricing pages on 16 October 2026.
Updated October 2026 · Written by Shaheer Malik, who builds startup sites in Framer
Quick answer
Squarespace is cheaper to start (from $12 a month billed yearly) and its templates look polished with little effort. Wix costs more (from $17 a month billed yearly) but has a free plan, a freer drag-and-drop editor and a much larger app market. Pick Squarespace for a design-led site you rarely change, Wix for a small business that needs bookings and apps.
Wix and Squarespace are the two best-known all-in-one website builders. Both host your site, sell products and take bookings, and neither needs code. They differ on how much freedom you get, how much you pay and what you pay in fees when you sell.
Prices below are the US prices shown on wix.com/plans and squarespace.com/pricing on 16 October 2026. Both companies change prices by country, and both charge more if you pay monthly instead of yearly.
| Dimension |  Wix |  Squarespace |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price (billed yearly) | Light, $17/month | Basic, $12/month |
| Full plan range (billed yearly) | $17, $29, $39 and $159/month | $12, $17 and $25/month |
| Free option | Free plan, with Wix branding and a Wix address | 14-day free trial, no card needed |
| Selling online | From Core ($29/month) | On every plan; 2% fee on Basic, 0% on Core and up |
| Free domain | First year on paid yearly plans | First year on yearly plans |
| Design out of the box | Good, more variation in quality | Consistently polished templates |
| Editing freedom | Drag anything anywhere | Grid-based editor, harder to break |
| Apps and add-ons | Large app market | Smaller set of extensions |
| Custom code | Available on paid plans | Custom CSS and JavaScript from Core |
| Refunds | 14-day money-back guarantee | 14-day trial before you pay |
| Best for | Small businesses that need apps and bookings | Portfolios, creatives and design-led small sites |
Choose Wix if…
- You want to start on a free plan before paying
- You need bookings, events or other apps on one site
- You want to place elements freely on the page
- You'll keep adding features as the business grows
Choose Squarespace if…
- You want a polished site with the least design effort
- You want the lowest price for a paid site
- You sell products and want 0% transaction fees from the $17 Core plan
- You'd rather not manage a long list of apps
The honest verdict
For most small businesses, Squarespace is the better default: it's cheaper, its templates look good without effort, and the Core plan removes transaction fees on store sales. Wix wins when you need its app market, a free plan to start on, or more freedom to place things exactly where you want.
For a startup, I'd pick neither. Both are built for small businesses that rarely change their site. A startup marketing site changes every week, needs custom motion and a CMS for launches, and has to load fast. I build those in Framer, which is why the Framer vs Wix and Framer vs Squarespace comparisons on this site usually end with Framer.
Common questions
Wix vs Squarespace, answered
Squarespace, on list price. Billed yearly, Squarespace runs $12, $17 and $25 a month; Wix runs $17, $29, $39 and $159 a month (US prices, 16 October 2026). Wix does have a free plan, but it shows Wix branding and uses a Wix address.
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