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Website builder software · head to head

Squarespace vs Wix

Sebastiaan Smits Editor Sebastiaan Smits · Published October 19, 2026 · Updated October 19, 2026

Squarespace suits a business that wants a good-looking site assembled from curated designs with few decisions to make, and it has no free plan. Wix suits a business that wants more freedom, more apps and a free tier to start on, at the cost of more choices and a busier editor. Neither lets you take the finished site to another host.

Side by side

SquarespaceWix
What it isDesign-forward templates for creatives and small businessesAll-in-one, AI-assisted website builder with the widest app ecosystem
Best forDesign-conscious small businesses and creative professionalsSmall businesses wanting the least-effort, most complete option
HeadquartersUnited StatesIsrael
Pricing modelPer site / monthPer site / month
PricingPublished plans are billed per site with no permanent free tier, only a 14-day trial; all plans can sell, with a 2% store fee on Basic that Core and above remove.A free plan is available with Wix branding and subdomain; paid Premium plans are billed per site on a published table, with first-term promotional discounts that reset at renewal.
Free optionFree trialFree plan
List price
as listed on October 19, 2026		Basic €12 a month billed yearly (€17 billed monthly), Core €18, Plus €32, Advanced €69 a month billed yearly, after a 14-day free trial (Squarespace euro pricing page)Free plan at $0 with no credit card; paid Light, Core, Business and Business Elite plans are billed per site with prices that vary by location, so we quote no figure (Wix plans page)
Place in our website builder software ranking#7 of 12#6 of 12
Websitesquarespace.comwix.com

Both are reviewed in full in Best Website Builder Software in 2026. Position in that ranking can be paid for; the wording of a review or of this comparison cannot. Placement disclosure.

Which one to choose

Choose Squarespace if

you care how the site looks, you would rather start from a designed template than a blank canvas, and a paid plan from the first day is fine.

Squarespace, #7 in the ranking · Visit Squarespace →

Choose Wix if

you want to try before paying, expect to bolt on apps for bookings, stores or forms, and are happy to make more layout decisions yourself.

Wix, #6 in the ranking · Visit Wix →

Where they differ

Starting for free

Wix lets you create a site and choose a plan later, and its free plan needs no credit card; its help center says free sites get 500MB of storage, 1GB of bandwidth and a wixsite.com address. Squarespace has no free plan. Each site starts with a 14-day trial, and a custom domain needs a paid plan. Anyone who wants to build slowly, or test an idea before paying anything, gets more room on Wix.

Edge: Wix

How the plans scale

Squarespace sells four plans, Basic, Core, Plus and Advanced, priced at EUR12, EUR18, EUR32 and EUR69 a month when billed yearly, on its euro page. Wix sells Light, Core, Business and Business Elite, with storage rising from 2GB to unlimited and collaborators from 2 to 100. Squarespace is simpler to read; Wix lists more limits to check. Because Wix prices vary by country, we call this a draw.

Edge: even

Design starting point

Squarespace pitches its designer templates and Blueprint AI as a way to launch with finished layouts, and builds in hosting, SSL, SEO tools and a CMS. Wix advertises 2000+ templates, sorted by type and industry, which gives more choice but more to sift through. For an owner without design training who wants a consistent, tidy result, Squarespace's narrower catalog is the easier path to a site that looks finished.

Edge: Squarespace

Extending the site

Wix runs an App Market with listings for reviews, cookie consent, accounting, fraud filtering and store tools, many free or with trials. It also offers Wix Studio, with a responsive canvas and custom CSS for agencies. Squarespace keeps most features inside its own plans, such as email campaigns, scheduling and memberships, and charges a 2% store fee on Basic. Wix gives more room to add what you need from outside vendors.

Edge: Wix

Leaving the platform

Squarespace exports only an .xml file in WordPress format. It carries layout pages, one blog with up to 1000 comments per post, and text and image blocks, but not store pages, video blocks, custom CSS or style settings, and a trial site cannot export. Wix says its site must be hosted on its own servers, though a domain can be pointed elsewhere. Both keep your layout inside the platform.

Edge: even

Tally: Squarespace 1, Wix 2, even 2.

When neither fits

A design-led brand that needs total control over layout and code should look at Webflow. A business whose main goal is an online store with deep catalog tools should look at Shopify, which sits in the same ranking and is built around selling.

See Webflow and Shopify among the 12 products in Best Website Builder Software in 2026.

Questions and answers

Is there a free Squarespace plan?

No. Squarespace's pricing page says it does not offer a free plan, only a 14-day free trial that needs no credit card, and a paid plan is required to connect a custom domain and go live. Wix is the one of the two with a free plan, though free sites carry a wixsite.com address and limited storage.

Can I move my site from Squarespace or Wix to another builder?

Not as a finished design on either. Squarespace exports content as an .xml file in WordPress format, covering layout pages and one blog but not store pages or style settings. Wix says its sites run on Wix servers. Plan to rebuild the design and move text, images and blog posts by hand or by import.

Which is cheaper, Squarespace or Wix?

It depends on your country and billing cycle. Squarespace's euro page shows Basic at EUR12 a month billed yearly and EUR17 billed monthly. Wix shows prices that vary by location and a free plan. Compare the same tier on the checkout page you see, since both show promotional first-term pricing.

Does Squarespace take a fee on online sales?

Yes, on lower plans. Its pricing page lists a 2% online store transaction fee and a 7% fee on digital content and memberships, and says upgrading lowers or removes these. Payment processing is billed separately, with card rates starting at 2.0% plus EUR0.25 through Squarespace Payments.

Which suits a small restaurant or salon better?

Wix, if you need booking or ordering from an app marketplace; Squarespace, if a polished brochure site matters most. Wix lists template categories for restaurants and hair salons with booking built in, and its plans carry scheduling. Squarespace lists scheduling and invoicing as products in its own menu.

Sources

Prices, plan limits and product facts on this page were checked against the vendors' own pages on October 19, 2026. Vendors change both without notice, so treat the figures as of that date.