Choose Wix If...
You want maximum creative freedom with a true drag-and-drop editor, access to 900+ templates, a built-in AI site builder, and a massive app marketplace with 500+ integrations. Wix gives you full control over every pixel of your site.
Choose Squarespace If...
You want guaranteed beautiful design with curated, award-winning templates and a structured section-based editor that makes it nearly impossible to build an ugly site. Squarespace is the gold standard for visual polish.
Head-to-Head Comparison
| Feature | Wix | Squarespace | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $17/mo | $16/mo | Squarespace |
| Free Plan | Yes (branded) | No (14-day trial) | Wix |
| Templates | 900+ | 150+ | Wix |
| Design Quality | Good to great | Consistently excellent | Squarespace |
| Editor Type | True drag-and-drop | Section-based | Wix |
| AI Site Builder | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| E-Commerce | $36/mo (Business) | $33/mo (Business) | Squarespace |
| Blogging | Good | Excellent | Squarespace |
| SEO Tools | Excellent | Very Good | Wix |
| App Marketplace | 500+ apps | 30+ extensions | Wix |
| Mobile Editing | Separate editor | Responsive default | Squarespace |
| Support | 24/7 chat + callback | 24/7 chat + email | Tie |
Design & Templates
This is where the philosophical difference between these two builders becomes most apparent. Wix offers over 900 templates spanning every conceivable niche, and its true drag-and-drop editor lets you move any element anywhere on the page. The upside is total creative freedom; the downside is that freedom can lead to inconsistent results if you lack design instincts.
Squarespace takes the opposite approach. Its 150+ templates are curated by professional designers, and the section-based editor enforces visual consistency. Every template is responsive by default, and the design constraints mean your site will look polished regardless of your skill level. For portfolios, restaurants, and creative professionals, Squarespace's design quality is unmatched.
If you want pixel-perfect control and have a clear vision, Wix delivers. If you want a beautiful site with minimal effort, Squarespace is the safer bet.
E-Commerce Capabilities
Both platforms have invested heavily in e-commerce, but they approach it differently. Squarespace includes e-commerce features starting at $33/mo on its Business plan and offers elegant product pages, inventory management, and built-in integrations with payment processors. Its checkout experience is streamlined and visually consistent with your storefront.
Wix requires the $36/mo Business plan (or $27/mo for the basic Business & eCommerce tier) for full e-commerce functionality. Where Wix excels is in its app marketplace: you can add dropshipping, print-on-demand, loyalty programs, and advanced shipping calculators through third-party apps. For stores that need specialized functionality, Wix's extensibility is a major advantage.
For straightforward online stores with beautiful product presentation, Squarespace wins. For complex e-commerce setups that require specialized integrations, Wix's ecosystem is harder to beat.
Pricing Breakdown
Wix offers a free plan (with Wix branding and ads), making it the only option if you want to build and publish a site at no cost. Its paid plans start at $17/mo (Light) and scale to $159/mo (Business Elite). The sweet spot for most users is the $27/mo Core plan, which includes a custom domain, no ads, and 50GB of storage.
Squarespace starts at $16/mo (Personal) with no free plan, only a 14-day trial. Plans go up to $72/mo (Commerce Advanced). For basic sites, Squarespace is $1/mo cheaper; for e-commerce, Squarespace's Business plan at $33/mo slightly undercuts Wix's equivalent. Both platforms offer annual billing discounts.
The key pricing insight: Wix wins on flexibility (free plan, more tiers), while Squarespace's plans tend to include more features at each tier with fewer upsells.
SEO & Performance
Wix has made enormous SEO improvements in recent years. Its Wix SEO Wiz provides a step-by-step optimization checklist, and you get granular control over meta tags, alt text, URL slugs, structured data, and redirects. Wix also supports server-side rendering for better crawlability.
Squarespace handles SEO fundamentals well with clean URLs, automatic sitemaps, SSL certificates, and responsive design. However, it offers fewer granular controls than Wix, and some advanced SEO features require workarounds or custom code.
In terms of page speed, both platforms deliver similar results (typically 1.5-2.5 seconds), though Squarespace tends to be more consistent across templates since its structured editor prevents bloated layouts.
Our Verdict
It Depends on Your Priority
Both are excellent builders, but they serve different mindsets.
Choose Squarespace if visual beauty and design consistency matter most to you. If you are a creative professional, photographer, restaurant owner, or anyone who wants a stunning site without fussing over details, Squarespace delivers a premium experience every time.
Choose Wix if creative control and extensibility matter most. If you want to build something unique, need specialized apps, or value having a free starting point, Wix gives you more tools and more freedom to build exactly what you envision.
For most beginners who just want a beautiful site up quickly, we give the slight edge to Squarespace. For power users and entrepreneurs who need flexibility, Wix is the better platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I switch from Wix to Squarespace (or vice versa)?
No, there is no direct migration path between the two platforms. You would need to rebuild your site from scratch on the new platform. This means re-creating your pages, re-uploading media, and updating your domain DNS settings. It is one of the most important reasons to choose carefully upfront.
Which is better for SEO: Wix or Squarespace?
Both platforms handle SEO fundamentals well, including clean URLs, meta tags, sitemaps, and SSL. Wix has a slight edge with more granular SEO controls, a built-in SEO checklist (Wix SEO Wiz), and better structured data options. For most users, however, the SEO difference will not make or break your rankings -- content quality and backlinks matter far more.
Which platform loads faster?
Both Wix and Squarespace deliver similar page load times, typically between 1.5 and 2.5 seconds depending on your content and template. Squarespace tends to be more consistent because its structured editor prevents layout bloat. Wix pages can be slightly faster or slower depending on how many apps and custom elements you add.