Wix vs Squarespace: which website builder is better?
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Wix Website Builder Review (2023)
Wix is a giant in the website builder industry. Its marketing campaigns across all mainstream media have made it a household name. While some services only give you a few templates, Wix has over 500.
For
- Automatic backups available
- Built-in SEO tools
- Easy to use
- Lots of likeable templates
- A solid set of ecommerce tools
- There is a free tier
In return for
- Can’t change your stencil without starting stretch
- Not perfect for large sites
- Third-party tools will cost you extra
Squarespace Website Builder Review (2023)
If you’re looking for easy-to-use, all-in-one solutions to create a stunning website, you’ve definitely come across Squarespace website builder somewhere along the line.
For
- Built-in email marketing
- Essential ecommerce features
- Mobile responsive templates
- Free Trial
- Free SSL certificate
- Helpful 24/7 customer support
- A solid set of features
In return for
- Can’t switch templates without starting from scratch
- No phone support
- Low level of customization
When it comes to choosing the best website builder (opens in new tab) for you to build an online presence, many have similar features that can make choosing the right one quite challenging for you.
Two of the most popular names in user-friendly website builders are Wix (opens in new tab) and Squarespace (opens in new tab).
Behind more than 50% of websites created using website builders, at first glance you might think there isn’t much difference between Wix and Squarespace in terms of their offerings, but there are actually important differences you might want to consider before making a final decision on which one to choose.
From great templates to user-friendly navigation, website builders gaining popularity these days is not surprising at all. After all, these website building tools are a great help for businesses to have an online presence.
In this article, we will thoroughly examine the differences between Wix and Squarespace, highlighting all their pros and cons so that you can decide for yourself which of the two is best for you.
No coding skills? No problem. Both Wix and Squarespace use tools known as “software as a service,” or SaaS (opens in new tab), with which the creation and maintenance of a website can be done by a beginner. Be that as it may, here are some identified differences between the two.
Wix makes creating the website with no coding skills relatively much easier than Squarespace. However, the latter gets easier with practice, and for website builders who don’t have much time on their hands, Wix is an easy choice.
Wix vs Squarespace: The Key Difference
Wix offers much more freedom to customize your web pages, while Squarespace has a structured editor. Wix has more general features to work with, but Squarespace is designed to make the features it has easier to apply and use.
Wix vs Squarespace: Page Editor
Wix offers drag and drop per pixel. That means any element can be moved to any space on the page. This drag and drop editor makes it easy to start designing your website as you can do it freely. Wix’s editor is intuitive, which is ideal for beginners who have little experience building a website. This also makes it easier to go back to previous versions and restore content if the need arises.
Squarespace has a more structured drag-and-drop feature in that it’s more section-based as opposed to the drag-and-drop feature anywhere Wix offers. This means that when you drag elements, you are essentially dropping them into specific columns and rows for them to snap into. This takes away a lot of the creative freedom that Wix offers, but it takes some getting used to and it becomes just as easy to maneuver.
Wix vs Squarespace: Pricing
Wix offers a free plan where the most basic tools can be used. The paid plans are divided into two categories: website plans for when you create a professional website, and business and e-commerce plans for when the website needs to accept online payments.
With prices ranging from US$4.50 to $24.50 per month, users using the website plans get 1 GB to unlimited bandwidth, up to 35 GB of storage, up to five hours of video, Site Booster and Visitor Analytics apps for a whole years free , a professional logo, social media logo files and 24/7 dedicated customer support.
Business and ecommerce plans range from US$17 to $35 per month. These subscriptions not only allow users to accept online payments, but also expand their business and access the full VIP suite. All plans offer unlimited bandwidth, 20, 35, and 50 GB storage, and the same level of dedicated customer service as the website plans.
Choosing a Squarespace plan is less complicated because there are only four. It follows the logic of getting more features available the higher the level of plan users choose. The cheapest plan, called the Personal plan, gives a user a custom domain, while Wix’s Connect or the most basic plan does not. This basic plan also gives users unlimited bandwidth and storage, unlike Wix’s 1 GB bandwidth and 500 MB storage for the same plan.
While the features are noticeably different, it’s important to keep in mind the price difference between the two basic plans. The Wix Connect Domain plan costs $4.50 monthly, while the Squarespace Personal plan costs $12 per month. It’s also worth noting that the Wix Connect Domain plan displays Wix ads, which is something a user wouldn’t have to deal with if they went with Squarespace.
For users who aren’t too concerned about bandwidth and storage and want to focus on designing and having a website and don’t mind ads, Wix is a cheaper option.
With over 200 third-party integration apps (both paid and free) found exclusively in its own dedicated App Market, Wix lets users maximize how they can personalize their website even further. The App Market offers a wide selection of “made by Wix” and third-party apps that help to easily add an extra layer of functionality to sites. The apps in the App Market include email marketing apps, call conversion apps, interactive videos, dropshipping tools, calendars, notification tools, and much more.
Squarespace, on the other hand, offers no additional features in the form of apps. Instead, anything not already offered internally by Squarespace can be added via third-party integration. Instead of an app store, Squarespace has extensions that help users manage, optimize, and extend their site. There are extensions for shipping and handling, finance, inventory and products, and sales and marketing.
Wix certainly surpasses Squarespace in the number of apps to choose from, making customization much easier, but in terms of quality, we think Squarespace has an edge over Wix.
Ecommerce: Wix Store vs Squarespace Shop
Wix Store allows users to create a professional online store with features such as custom product pages, shopping cart, multiple sales channels, and much more. It is mainly aimed at small and medium-sized online stores, and it is affordable and convenient.
Squarespace isn’t behind Wix in terms of features and certainly has the upper hand when it comes to clean overall design. However, its biggest drawback is that it doesn’t have its own store, which means if the feature isn’t built-in, it can’t be implemented.
Pronunciation
If you’re ready to get your business off the ground, choosing the best builder can get you started. Unless you’ve found the perfect tools and feel comfortable with either option, you may want to try both and see where the benefits lie most.
Since Wix is for anyone who wants to give website building a try, it comes highly recommended as the interface is intuitive and there are plenty of additional options. You can put your creativity to work and personalize your site as much as you need.
Squarespace is the perfect option if you want to give your site a clean look with premium features, no matter how limited the options are.