Wix vs Squarespace (2024) Don’t choose WRONG!

Wix vs Squarespace are undoubtedly two of the biggest companies in the website creation sector. This is not only due to their popularity (thanks to their marketing teams), but also because both developers provide a user-friendly, adaptable, and flexible website creation experience. Ultimately, there is a certain explanation as to why they typically rank at the top of our lists.

However, settling for second place is not acceptable for a professional website, especially when looking at the pricier, more advanced plans. I started to evaluate these two web-building leaders to determine the best option for you.

After building my website with various builders and doing thorough research, I’ve found that Wix is the top pick for most users.

Not everything is included, however. Although I enjoy putting on my expert, completely unbiased reviewer hat, sometimes the choice comes down to personal taste. Continue reading to find out which builder is the best fit for your requirements.

1. Ease of Use

Beginning with Wix and Squarespace

Wix and Squarespace are among the most user-friendly website builders available. To start, simply go to their websites, sign up, and click on “Create website.” Following that, you are presented with three choices: begin with a pre-made template, create from scratch, or utilize the builder’s unique technology to create a personalized website.

In the case of Wix, this technology is in the form of an AI chatbot. This chatbot will inquire about your name, the website’s general information, and any additional details you wish to provide. In case you decide to create a blog, Wix will also inquire about the topics you wish to incorporate.

After finishing your interaction with the chatbot, Wix will lead you to your website’s dashboard, where you will find apps, text, and images tailored to your responses. Nonetheless, this doesn’t equate to having Wix AI create your website on your behalf. You will need to click on “Design your website” to establish its visual identity.

At this stage, you have the option to begin with a pre-existing template. If you want Wix to handle all the difficult tasks, you can opt to have Wix automatically create your website’s template.

While Squarespace doesn’t feature the AI chatbot as Wix does, it does provide a more flexible template creator known as Squarespace Blueprint. Using Squarespace Blueprint, you can construct a template specifically designed for your website. Just go to the template page and choose to create your template.

Once you enter your website’s name, Squarespace allows you to create your homepage by selecting content from a variety of pre-designed sections. Next, you will have the opportunity to choose the additional pages, select the color scheme, and decide on the typography for your website. In the end, you have the option to begin editing or have Squarespace’s AI text generator create content for you by providing a brief overview of your business.

While Wix’s AI chatbot provides slightly more tailored outcomes, both platforms offer easy-to-use features that allow you to design a unique foundation for your desired website. Another option is to stick with the classic method of choosing from Wix or Squarespace’s top-notch templates and making manual adjustments to your website’s design.

Wix and Squarespace are both user-friendly, but with different approaches.

When comparing these two options for customizing your site, you’ll come across discussions about structured and unstructured design. What does that signify, precisely? Wix offers a design that is not structured, thanks to its user-friendly drag-and-drop editor. In essence, you have the option to select any item from Wix’s extensive collection and place it in any location on your website.

On paper, this could seem fantastic, and it sometimes can be, but if you’re not confident in your web design abilities, it can also feel overwhelming. Since Wix offers you total creative control, you may, in theory, screw up the structure of your website, which is far easier than it looks—even for experts.

Wix lets you quickly alter global designs and add pre-made content blocks, often called sections, to your page. Therefore, you shouldn’t feel that you have to build your website all by yourself. Ironically, though, if you relied solely on pre-made sections to accomplish all the work, you wouldn’t be fully utilizing Wix’s versatility.

Conversely, Squarespace has what’s best referred to as a section editor. You may add custom components to practically any part of your website after adding sections and defining its structure. Nevertheless, you are unable to add a block—Squarespace’s term for a widget—anywhere within a section. Squarespace uses a grid system to maintain the organization of your content.

There is a difference in feeling between these two constructors. In theory, you could use Wix section by section or upload several blank parts on Squarespace and use content blocks to populate them. When using Squarespace for creation, it is more logical to have a fixed framework before making adjustments. Wix, on the other hand, promotes a more fluid method in which you begin by working with individual elements and modify the entire structure as you go.

I’m going with Squarespace on this one even though both platforms are easy to use, especially when you consider the creative freedom they provide. Anyone can easily construct a website with either builder, but Squarespace makes it far more difficult to create a badly designed or poorly organized website.

2. Templates

Regardless of your perspective, Wix and Squarespace offer top-notch templates compared to other website builders. I must say that, to some extent, this is my personal view, but both builders have nailed it in terms of the number, quality, and flexibility of templates.

Although platforms such as WordPress.com or Shopify provide a wide array of third-party templates, these typically come with a price tag and necessitate external plugins for customization, which may be limited. Other developers may provide uniform templates or rigid structures that cannot be modified if you want to make changes to your website. Wix and Squarespace offer a variety of free, well-designed templates in abundance.

More than 800 templates are available on Wix, arranged into 19 main categories and 79 smaller ones. There is at least one template that’s perfect for you, regardless of whether you want to create a sports blog or a website for a recycling facility. These categories divide each template based on topic and utility (I’m not kidding about those examples; there is a template for recycling facilities).

Furthermore, as we have already covered, Wix provides amazing customization flexibility. It is surely feasible to transform a template for a podcast on spiritual well-being into an attractive pet clothing website.

I am not going to lie. There are going to be weak links in a collection of 800+ templates. But the majority of Wix templates are distinctive, skillfully created, and aesthetically pleasing. However, compared to the competitors, Squarespace provides a somewhat smaller variety of around 170 themes. Based on functionality, these templates are divided into 8 kinds and 21 subjects.

Despite having a lesser selection, Squarespace’s templates all have a modern aesthetic. You may have heard that Squarespace offers “award-winning templates” for a reason. Squarespace layouts are impressive, even though the prizes in question were the Webbys, which were given out more than ten years ago.

This is very almost a tie in this category. I have to give Wix the advantage, though, because the majority of its over 800 templates are excellent. Having stated that, if you’re seeking stunning, eye-catching templates with minimalist designs, you ought to give Squarespace serious thought.

3. Apps and Add-Ons

Squarespace Combines Functions – Wix Offers an Application for That

The ease with which Squarespace connects with outside services is one of its best features. If you look closely, you’ll see that features like audio embedding and appointment tools are controlled by other services like SoundCloud and Acuity, even if at first glance you might not detect an app market.

These connections work seamlessly together. It seems like you’re using Squarespace and not visiting another website, even when you utilize a third-party service. Most essential, Squarespace’s staff offers complete support for all official integrations. But that doesn’t mean Squarespace doesn’t have an app market; it’s just a bit more difficult to locate.

To access Squarespace’s integration market, just navigate to the Third Party Tools section on your site settings page and click on Extensions. There, under headings like company Tools and Shipping and Fulfillment, are several sections dedicated to company administration.
Wix, on the other hand, takes a “more is more” stance with their apps. It has built-in integrations with Vimeo and SoundCloud as well, but its app store is larger and more accessible. Hundreds of third-party applications are available in Wix’s app store for features including analytics, entertaining 3D effects, picture editing tools, and third-party connectors.

Here, there’s a developing pattern. Squarespace selects the components it adds to the builder with care, whereas Wix takes a more laissez-faire approach.

Squarespace provides more than 180 well-crafted designs for businesses. More than 800 templates are available on Wix for each idea you possibly have. Squarespace has a limited number of well-established connectors with business solutions. You can discover an app on Wix that tracks the stats of your website just as easily as one that, for some reason, adds snow on some area of your page.

Even though it’s simple to make light of some of the more perplexing applications available in Wix’s market, it’s ultimately very amazing. Because of the vast volume of apps available, you may discover more worthless apps, but you also have access to a lot of useful apps.

4. E-commerce

Both Possess Powerful E-Commerce Resources Squarespace Further Fine-Tunes Them
E-commerce-wise, Squarespace and Wix are almost head-to-head competitors. Despite not being specialized e-commerce platforms, they both include features including social network sales, digital product sales, inventory tracking, and automated tax computation. Additionally, there isn’t much of a distinction between the two builders because they both manage their e-commerce interface through a separate dashboard.

Naturally, there are fewer layout possibilities available to you when creating your store pages, but you may still experiment with a range of layouts on Squarespace and Wix. With either solution, your store’s aesthetics will adapt to match your overall site layout. Additionally, everything appears and functions flawlessly because e-commerce connectivity was included from the start in both services.

No matter which option you select, keep in mind that you’re unable to sell items on the most budget-friendly plan. Nevertheless, it is possible to sell digital items with Squarespace’s plan, but be prepared to incur a 9% transaction fee. To utilize e-commerce features and reduce transaction fees, you need to upgrade to either Wix’s Core plan or Squarespace’s Business plan to manage basic e-commerce.

I find Squarespace’s integrated dashboard more intuitive. Certain specialized tools are already included, but you may require a third-party application from Wix to achieve the same function. However, honestly, that is the only factor stopping this category from being a complete tie.

5. Blogging

While Squarespace offers a superior writing experience, Wix provides a larger variety of content tools.

The blog functions on Squarespace and Wix are very alike – though not as similar as the e-commerce capabilities. Both services offer a fully operational blog with features for saving drafts, scheduling posts, and organizing by categories.

A significant distinction is that Wix’s blog post editor is a distinct interface compared to the rest of your site. The post editor isn’t terrible, but it doesn’t give you a good preview of how your content will appear to users as you write. Wix is a website creator, so you must be able to accomplish that, correct?

At the same time, you create blog content on Squarespace that resembles the process of creating a page using the drag-and-drop editor. You may not have the same level of design and layout control, but you can preview how your post will be displayed to your audience.

On the other hand, if you focus on content marketing, Wix stands out for its blogging features. Utilize the AI feature within it to generate the structure and material for your upcoming blog post. Wix provides tools for monetization to create paid content and show Google Ads. Afterward, you can monitor website interaction using the comments manager and analytics.

6. Marketing

Wix provides a full range of marketing tools.

Squarespace is a major player in the field of marketing. Squarespace not only makes it super easy to create email campaigns, but it also offers the same emphasis on beautiful visuals as the page editor, allowing you to impress potential clients with your emails.

Furthermore, Squarespace excels in allowing you to monitor the progress of your campaign. In addition to email campaigns, Squarespace’s marketing dashboard allows you to manage settings for SEO, include promotional pop-ups on your page, and generate ads for Meta-managed sites like Facebook and Instagram.

Nevertheless, Wix is the clear winner in this category, as indicated by the title. Given how excellent Squarespace’s marketing tools are, how does Wix compare? Wix has considerably more beneficial marketing tools than Squarespace, although Squarespace has a more feature-rich marketing dashboard and a respectable collection of marketing tools overall.

Wix provides the same tools on its marketing dashboard as Squarespace. Yet, it takes it a notch higher by enabling more extensive integration with SEO configurations. You have the option to link with Google ads, get a Google business profile, and design personalized visitor forms. Additionally, Wix allows for the customization of branding elements like logos, t-shirts, and business cards.

Despite not witnessing anyone use a business card in nearly ten years, marketing is a field where acquiring multiple tools is essential. Therefore, Wix is the winner in this situation.

7.  Search Engine Optimization

Wix Elevates SEO to a Higher Standard

Let me get straight to the point, but feel free to interrupt if you’re already familiar with this. Although Squarespace provides top-notch, easy-to-use SEO tools, Wix’s SEO is not as polished, yet it offers greater adaptability. I said it would come up again.

In addition to meta tags and URL editing, Wix also enables the editing of URL redirects and Robots.txt files. These files directly interact with web browsers and have a direct impact on your website’s search engine rankings.

If you need to quickly begin optimizing your site, Wix offers a helpful AI tool named Wix SEO Setup Checklist. Just as previously, you only need to respond to a brief series of questions, and Wix will adapt your site’s SEO settings according to your answers.

On the flip side, Squarespace provides only the necessary SEO features that one would anticipate from a skilled website builder. You have the option to modify tags, and meta descriptions, and make simple URL changes – and that’s about all you can do.

Nonetheless, it is important to mention that Squarespace offers the option to enlist the services of an SEO professional to enhance the performance of your website. Because Squarespace offers fewer basic SEO tools than Wix and is a paid service, it falls short of being considered the better option.

8. Pricing

In general, Squarespace has a slightly lower cost.

Wix provides a no-cost option with fundamental features, whereas Squarespace solely offers a two-week free trial and lacks a free plan. Both website builders provide four paid options with features that closely resemble their similarly priced counterparts. Nonetheless, Squarespace consistently offers a more competitive yearly cost for all plans except the starter option.

Both Wix and Squarespace will cost you more if you choose to pay every month. On the other hand, Wix offers the option to choose a billing cycle of up to three years, making it much cheaper than Squarespace. Nevertheless, since most users prefer annual billing, I would argue that Squarespace is the top choice in this category.

This is what you receive at no cost.

If you want to maintain your website without spending any money, Wix is the only platform that provides a free plan. Your website will be assigned a Wix subdomain and include a significant amount of Wix advertisements, with no access to any store features. While a free Wix site may not be suitable for a professional website, it is sufficient for a school project or an RPG campaign.

Although Squarespace does not offer a free plan, you can still try it out with a 14-day free trial. Even though it’s shorter than the typical 30-day free trial offered by other builders, I believe it’s still sufficient to determine if you connect with Squarespace enough to commit long-term.

This is what you will receive upon payment.

Opting for an annual payment plan, both Wix Light and Squarespace’s plans will come out to be roughly the same price. They are both very alike in terms of functionality as well. They provide one year of access to a free domain, a website without branding, and a small amount of storage space.

These plans are perfect for personal use, as the name implies. With both being priced similarly, the decision ultimately depends on your preference for a builder. The disparity expands slightly when analyzing business strategies.

Wix’s and Squarespace’s “Business” plans, which are both labeled as “recommended” on their pricing pages, will cost ₹3012 and ₹1924 per month, respectively. Both options offer you the ability to utilize e-commerce features, website analytics, and marketing integrations.

9. Client Assistance

Simply put, Squarespace Support Is More Effective

From my perspective, Wix’s customer service has consistently been inconsistent. Sometimes, you receive a prompt, helpful answer to any query you have in a matter of minutes. In other cases, you find yourself stuck in a never-ending circle of articles and links that don’t address your query.

Support from Squarespace is a whole other story. My colleague conducted an independent assessment and discovered that Squarespace is consistently effective whether you contact them by email, ticket, or even the official Squarespace forum. Live chat is available Monday through Friday from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST.

If you like speaking on the phone, Wix’s support could be more appropriate for you. Wix provides around-the-clock phone assistance in English, with callback options in other languages offered at varied times during regular business hours. If you’re not big on texting, it’s important to remember that you need to use WixBot for help first. If it is unable to offer helpful responses, it will simply guide you to either live chat or callback support.

While Wix’s assistance is occasionally good, I believe Squarespace will easily come out on top in this situation.

10. Tools for artificial intelligence

Wix improves the integration of artificial intelligence.

The design of Wix’s AI Website Builder focuses on the user. It inquires about your needs and preferences through a series of questions and then creates a personalized website design based on that information. AI tools are also offered to assist in creating sections, logos, product descriptions, emails, and other features for your website.

Other AI builders I’ve observed have a basic and rushed integration, unlike the Wix builder. Advanced AI algorithms are utilized to integrate with the latest GPT for creating content and DALL-E for generating personalized images. This ensures that you will receive results that are both highly individualized and attractive. Feel free to check out my coworker’s piece on the top AI website builders to understand why Wix is at the top.

Even though Squarespace does not heavily focus on an AI-driven creation process, it does provide AI-enhanced tools for optimizing images, organizing content, and enhancing SEO. These tools can assist in developing a professional website even if you lack design expertise, so I recommend not disregarding them.

Wix provides total freedom to build your website.

While I appreciate Squarespace’s focus on organized design and business features, Wix’s unrestricted creative control is unmatched. Wix is the only platform you can rely on to confidently create any website you can imagine, especially if you’re not a professional designer.

Wix offers a wide variety of templates, a large app store, and various marketing features, which make it a versatile choice. Whether you require a website for your dental practice, legal practice, or latest publication, is irrelevant. Wix can assist you in creating that website.

Nevertheless, it is recommended to still utilize Squarespace in certain situations.

Squarespace stands out as the top choice for individuals looking to create visually appealing websites, especially for business use such as showcasing portfolios or galleries. Its carefully selected editor provides you with the most up-to-date features while also helping to avoid embarrassing errors. In essence, you are assured of developing a website that captivates visitors and leaves a lasting impact.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the more affordable option: Wix or Squarespace?

It all depends on the purpose for which you intend to use either one. Wix provides a free plan for creating a website for fun or personal projects, while Squarespace does not offer one. Nonetheless, Squarespace offers competitive prices and minimal hidden additional costs for plans tailored toward professionals. Refer to the section above for a thorough comparison of the pricing for both builders.

Which is simpler for someone with no website-building experience: Wix or Squarespace?

Both Wix and Squarespace are extremely user-friendly for novice users. Yet, as Wix allows for total design freedom and Squarespace offers a more guided experience, Squarespace could be a more suitable option for those who are completely new to website building. In any case, both builders are some of the most user-friendly available, so you should have no trouble beginning.

Which platform is superior for blogging: Wix or Squarespace?

While Wix provides more options for designing and optimizing websites, Squarespace simplifies the blogging process, facilitating the creation and upkeep of a dynamic blog.

Which one is superior: Wix or Squarespace?

Both of them are excellent choices. Are you interested in a minimalist yet visually attractive website? A platform for building websites. Are you interested in creating a website focused on a very specific topic with personalized features? Wix.com. Keep in mind that there are more options available, and the ideal website builder is the one that suits your needs the best. If you’re in search of the perfect builder, I suggest taking a look at our top website builders for 2024.

Conclusion

Crucially enough to mention here is that Wix & Squarespace are both great platforms for web creation and designing, though Wix seems to have the upper hand in this regard as it features one of the most flexible website builders available today which offers plenty of elbow room for freedom and creativity through its drag-and-drop editor, plus options for lots of customization for those who need it. However, it is well suited for a designer who would wish to have full control over the design of the site and its functionalities. That said, Squarespace stands out in terms of the gorgeous, professional-looking themes as well as the integrated tools that make it very suitable for audiences who would like much more polished and simple work done. In general, if the needs of simple and beautiful design are given, then it seems Squarespace convenes better.

However, it should be put into focus that for all those proponents of designing freedom and the prowess of application extension, Wix proves versatile. Ultimately, no two platforms can be said to be better than the other based on the usability design one prefers, flexibility, and also the aesthetics of the platform. As you can see, this isn’t a big difference in building a professional website builder site; however, the strategies are quite distinct and unique enough to tailor the users’ preferences.