Squarespace vs. Wix: Top Site Builders Go Head-to-Head

So you want to create your own website with the best site builder? In that case, you've likely crossed paths with Squarespace and Wix. Both are well-suited for beginners lacking web design or programming knowledge and are two of the most popular platforms out there. Only one question remains: Which is more suited for your project?

In our comprehensive EXPERTE.com site builder review, we thoroughly assessed Wix and Squarespace. Here, we wanted to take an even closer look at the pair and put each head-to-head across seven rounds to let you know which platform performs better in which area.

We didn't only pay attention to which platform was easiest to set up in this category, but also, how user-friendly each's editor was.

It doesn't take long to create a Squarespace account, and even though there's no free version, you can take advantage of its 14-day trial to test the service out. And the best part? You won't have to input any payment information.

Squarespace's editor is intuitive and should allow beginners to harness its power in no-time flat. You'll add content to your website step-by-step using ready-made content blocks. Once created, you'll fill them with your content, but not be able to freely arrange them. This makes it very simple to use the editor, even though it limits how much creative freedom you have.

Squarespace is geared towards users of any experience level, as can be seen in its tidy and intuitive interface.

It's equally simple to register with Wix. Unlike Squarespace, Wix offers two editors (a standard one, and an AI-assisted ADI version). The latter's ready-made templates and pages make it a particularly easy option for beginners.

Of course, Wix's standard editor comes with considerably more features. All elements can be freely moved and arranged to your exact preferences. Unlike Squarespace, you'll have full drag and drop freedom, meaning that you won't need to adhere to any specific positions or guidelines.

Since Wix's ADI editor is too limited in its capabilities, we would recommend that beginners take the time necessary to get to know its standard editor. Without a doubt, this is more complicated than Squarespace, which manages to strike a slightly better balance between beginner-friendliness and functionality.

Winner: Squarespace

When it comes to features, there isn't much separating Wix and Squarespace.

Squarespace gives users access to a solid package of features. Versatile blocks can be found for all of the most important and common types of content, even pertaining to specific branches, such as menu templates for restaurants. With its powerful blogging capabilities, you'll be able to add tags to your posts, categorize them, or even geotag them.

Squarespace reveals one of its weaknesses when it comes to creating a multilingual website. Unless you want to use a paid, third-party tool, you'll need to create a separate folder in your navigation menu to do this, duplicating every page on your site and filling them with translated content in your target language. Adding insult to injury, Squarespace's app market is relatively small.

Wix has solutions ready for each of Squarespace's weaknesses. Its app market is teeming with hundreds of integrations, many of which are free. And all that's needed for a multilingual website are a few clicks in the editor's language settings area.

Looking beyond those strengths, Wix provides access to nearly everything that Squarespace does, and even some things that it doesn't. The selection of content elements is a bit better and in terms of Marketing and Ecommerce, Wix has more to offer (but more on that below). As such, this round goes to Wix.

Winner: Wix

For this category, we didn't only rate the selection and quality of templates on offer, but also, how much each platform's editor allows you to modify or adjust these to your preferences.

If there's something that Squarespace is known for, it's high-quality and iconic templates. The platform has built a reputation around its elegant, clean, and responsive designs, 122 of which were available for use when we wrote this review.

Owing to its editor's limited drag and drop functionality, templates cannot be as readily or flexibly customized as in some of our sample's other site builders. With Squarespace, templates determine where you can place buttons, images, and text. Should a particular template catch your eye, filling it with content is really the only thing you'll have to worry about. At the same time, customizing designs is more difficult than elsewhere.

Wix offers more than 800 different templates, with quite a few not being of the same high quality. You are given quite a nice variety, even though Wix (like other site builders) had started to move towards image-intensive, scroll-friendly designs.

After selecting a template, you'll have much more freedom than with Squarespace: In addition to adjusting settings, you can also modify their colors, their background, add effects, such as mouseover or parallax, and freely move nearly any content element.

Despite Squarespace's template quality, the design freedom Wix gives puts it just ahead of the New York-based platform.

Winner: Wix

First thing first: With both Squarespace and Wix, you'll be able to set up and manage an online store.

If using Squarespace, you'll add an online store to your website as a new page through the main menu. After that, you can manage your physical and digital products or services, with a number of options provided. You can tag and categorize your good and create product variants.

Squarespace also comes with a number of integrated marketing features, such as a simple email marketing tool, user-defined coupons, and Facebook and Instagram integrations that come in handy for promoting your products on social media channels.

Unfortunately, Squarespace charges transaction fees, even with its Business subscriptions. To avoid these, you'll need to book the most expensive ecommerce package.

Wix also facilitates the sale of physical and digital products as well as services. Beyond that, you can promote your goods with discounts and other tools. In Wix's marketing center, you'll be able to send email newsletters, create marketing videos, and even ads. You won't have to worry about transaction fees in any of Wix's subscription packages, allowing you to hold onto more of your earnings than with Squarespace.

Features that Wix doesn't offer are usually available through apps from the platform's marketplace. This includes an app that allows you to sell in different currencies, something that isn't possible with Squarespace.

At the same time, Squarespace also provides a few options that Wix doesn't, such as rescuing abandoned shopping carts or interrupted sales.

The platforms are just too close for us to call a clear winner. We think that the better provider largely depends on what your ecommerce and marketing needs are. In terms of SEO, there's little separating the two.

Winner: Draw

Customer support was an area for improvement among quite a few of the providers from our sample. Thankfully, we had good experiences with both Wix and Squarespace.

Wix scores thanks to its comprehensive guides and well-stocked, full-text searchable Help Center. Direct support is hidden (only after marking an entry as "Not helpful" in the Help Center does a link appear). All the same, we got quick assistance: In the live chat, it only took a few seconds for a support staffer to respond to our query and questions can be posed around the clock. The Israeli provider also runs a call-back hotline service.

We liked Squarespace's help center even more than Wix's. Essential guides are provided in video format, and the service offers regular webinars and a forum where users can pose questions or discuss the site builder.

As with Wix, Squarespace also offers a live support chat, however, this has somewhat limited hours of operation. An email option is also available, with answers sent around the clock.

When it comes to direct support, Wix has an edge, however, we liked Squarespace's static support a bit more. At the end of the day, you're in good hands with either provider.

Winner: Draw

Wix offers a free version - Squarespace doesn't. As such, should you want or need a free website, there's only one choice.

Wix offers seven premium subscriptions, divided into four website packages (Connect Domain, Combo, Unlimited, and VIP) and three business/ecommerce ones (Business Basic, Business Unlimited, and Business VIP).

All of the above include a unique domain, SSL certificate, and 24/7 customer service. Storage increases with each package, starting from a mere 500 MB with Connect Domain, and extending up to 35 GB (VIP ) and 50 GB (Business VIP). The two least expensive website packages cap bandwidth at 1 and 2 GB, respectively. The other five packages come with unlimited bandwidth. Wix is ad-free starting with the Combo subscription.

Squarespace only offers four subscription packages: Two for regular websites (Personal and Business) and another two for online stores (Basic and Advanced). Each comes with a user-defined domain, an SSL certificate, as well as unlimited bandwidth and storage. Certain features are tied to specific subscriptions, and you'll need to contend with the above-mentioned 3% transaction fee if booking either of the two website subscriptions.

With its free version and more competitive rates, Wix again edges out Squarespace.

Winner: Wix

In terms of customer ratings, Squarespace is slightly ahead of Wix. Many of its users commend the platform's beginner-friendliness and sleek designs. Criticism can be found, primarily on Trustpilot, relating to its support and lack of customizability. Wix also comes in for some harsh words on Trustpilot, with most of the reviews negative in character, citing disruptions and long loading times.

Factoring all of the ratings together, Wix only achieved a "good" score, whereas Squarespace managed a "very good".

Winner: Squarespace

After seven rounds, Wix claimed victory in three: Features, Designs, and Pricing, just edging out Squarespace in each. Squarespace is somewhat more beginner-friendly and enjoys better customer and user ratings. We couldn't separate the two in terms of the other two areas, ecommerce and support.

Wix* emerges victorious from its head-to-head with Squarespace, however, we should add that it didn't knock Squarespace out. Those in the market for a site builder with complete drag and drop freedom and ready to accept a more complicated user interface will like Wix. On the other hand, if you value elegant, premium templates that you can intuitive;y edit and modify, Squarespace* could be right up your alley.

Full reports on all of the site-building platforms we assessed in our sample can be found in our comprehensive EXPERTE.com review. In the event that you are planning to create a website for an ecommerce project or doing business online, we also suggest consulting our evaluation of the best online shop systems.