Squarespace vs. Wix

Squarespace and Wix are two of the most prominent site builders in the market today. Despite this, they have start differences – Wix may appear chaotic but gives the user freedom of customization while Squarespace is design-rich. Furthermore, if you aim to impress your visitors with a visually stunning website from the get-go, it’s worth considering Squarespace. The latter puts the emphasis mostly on the design elements. And although it has quite a good selection of built-in tools, the range of external apps is strictly limited. So you have to be content mostly with what you have already incorporated.

On the other hand, if you are a beginner, you will definitely prefer Wix’s vast array of premium-quality features, which are added without ever needing to learn a single line of code. The solution not only excels in user-friendliness but also features a plethora of functional templates and a free plan to get started. In fact, it has never been easier and cheaper to create a website before.

Overview of Squarespace and Wix

Squarespace and Wix are quite similar DIY website builders. They both make it possible to set up, manage and customize various types of projects – both personal and business.

Squarespace is a US-based company founded in 2003. It is renowned for its elegant and user-friendly design capabilities. The system is particularly praised for its clean, minimalist layouts and multiple responsive themes that display great on all devices. In terms of functionality, Squarespace offers eCommerce/blogging engines, powerful SEO capabilities, social media integration and various analytics tools to help users understand their website traffic.

Read also: Squarespace Review

Wix foundation dates back to 2007. Since that time, the software has gained worldwide recognition being included in the list of the best DIY systems out there. The platform features a highly intuitive drag-and-drop interface, integrated AI tools, a vast library of templates, eCommerce and blogging engines, a variety of apps, SEO and analytic tools.

Read also: Wix Review

Although the platforms have multiple common features, there are also lots of disadvantages that distinguish them from each other. Let’s review the systems in detail now.

Ease of Use

Website building was once a complex and elusive task. However, with modern site-building platforms, it has turned into a relatively simple and quick process. Both Squarespace and Wix only assist in this, but in direct comparison, one prevails over the other.

Squarespace: Easy-to-Use Website Builder

Squarespace is a bit more challenging to get to grips with. Unlike Wix, it has no drag-and-drop editor, which makes it rather complicated to position the page elements exactly where you picture them.

On the other hand, the array of built-in features is so large that it eliminates any research or trial and error that downloading a new plugin involves. Another advantage of Squarespace in ease of use is the flexibility of switching between templates without losing the already submitted content.

Wix: User-Friendly Software

Hands down, Wix is one of the most accessible website-building platforms in the market today. It currently offers 2 web design modes: you can either use a built-in AI tool or a handy in-editor with the drag-and-drop approach that ensures a smooth and pleasant onboarding process. Hence, new users can make the most out of the platform in next-to-no time.

To set up a website with Wix, complete the following steps:

1. Register an account;
2. Choose the editor (easy-to-use) or the AI-based options (it will create a website for you in the automated mode);
3. If you use a drag-and-drop editor, select a template and customize it (no coding needed);
4. Integrate the extensions from the App Market;
5. Connect a custom domain if required;
6. Preview the ready-made website;
7. Go live.

What’s important, Wix offers a rather extensive library of templates and an app marketplace which are both easy to use. Overall, everything about Wix software is created to be beginner-friendly as much as possible and demands no prior web development understanding.

So, where ease of use is concerned, Wix is the winner. Although Squarespace also provides a rather understandable website-building process, one can’t understate the simplicity of Wix’s drag-and-drop editor.

Both website builders seem quite simple, but if you still encounter any issues during the website creation process, it makes sense to hire an expert or switch to another system.

Design and Templates

Squarespace and Wix abound in design customization features and offer multiple templates to choose from.

Squarespace Templates and Customization Tools

Squarespace has a powerful, highly customizable, and feature-rich website editor. Thanks to the availability of multiple customizable settings and exceptionally professional-looking templates, websites built with Squarespace always stand out. Here, too, all templates are mobile-optimized.

Nevertheless, what repels inexperienced users or no coders about Squarespace is the constraint of the editor. Although it is of a drag-and-drop nature, you can’t just drop an element anywhere you wish. The system designates content areas to be altered with block types. This strictly limits the user’s freedom as long as they don’t want to use any coding. But if you can boast some programming smarts, custom CSS access is available to design all aspects of the website.

In addition, changing a template in the middle works is not a problem with Squarespace – all data is automatically restored on the new template.

Wix and Its Design Customization Options

Wix stands out for an impressive array of templates, most of which can serve perfectly for founding a professional-looking website. Actually, there are more than 900 options categorized into groups by business niches. Wix’s all templates are fully mobile responsive and feature a mobile editor to let the user customize the desktop and mobile view separately.

When considering Wix’s Editor, the cornerstone is simplicity. Everything here is easy to edit and customize, thanks to the drag-and-drop nature. To create a website with Wix custom editor, you need to do the following:

1. Right after you sign up for an account, pick the Standard Editor to get started;
2. Select a template;
3. Start editing – drag and drop different elements like text boxes, images, buttons and more anywhere on your page. You can also change colors, fonts, layout, add new sections and even embed media like videos and audio;
4. Integrate applications/widgets;
5. Adjust SEO settings;
6. Preview the website on various devices and test the result;
7. Publish the project.

There are tons of sophisticated website design features in Wix, including Parallax scroll effects, media galleries, fade-in and zoom-in animations, video backgrounds, almost limitless font options etc.

Whatever website you create will be mobile-friendly; however, if you have no time to think about your new website’s design, use the AI-powered Wix ADI tool. You just have to answer a few questions, and the service will create a tailor-made site with images and placeholder text.

Note that if you change your site’s template, the content on it won’t be automatically recovered. This is perhaps the only downside you will run into.

Wix has also introduced Velo and Editor X design tools. With Wix Velo, you will be able to use programming skills when working on your project creation, while Editor X comes as an advanced web creation platform that allows building modern project designs using high end integrated tools (read more info here). Both options work best for proficient developers, however.

The system has recently offered another advanced web design solution that primarily targets agencies – Wix Studio. It offers bespoke design services, opportunity to cooperate with proficient web developers to get large-scale professional projects, advanced customization and branding solutions. Wix Studio is ideal for those who need a more hands-on, professional approach, whether due to lack of time, design skills or project complexity.

So, in terms of designing, Squarespace trumps Wix, provided that the user has some tech knowledge.

Features and Functionality

Wix and Squarespace boast an extensive variety of features that contribute to convenient, hassle-free and quality website creation. Whether you need a portfolio, a web store, a blog or a person/business website, you will certainly find lots of tools here.

Squarespace Integrations

Unlike Wix, Squarespace does not have a standalone app store. Instead, it focuses on providing a comprehensive, all-in-one platform with a variety of built-in features and integrations that cover the needs of most users.

The built-in features of Squarespace cater to various website needs, including e-commerce, blogging, social media integration, and site analytics. For eCommerce, Squarespace offers robust tools like inventory management, secure checkout and various payment processing options. For content creators and bloggers, the platform provides features like rich blogging tools, content scheduling, and comment management.

In terms of third-party integrations, Squarespace supports a range of services. This includes social media platforms, allowing users to link their social accounts and display content directly on their websites. It also integrates with several marketing tools and analytics services, such as Google Analytics, Mailchimp, Google Maps, Acuity Scheduling platform, Unfold App etc. to enhance the website’s marketing and data analysis capabilities.

Recently, the website builder has introduced its Video Studio App that makes it possible to create impressive video presentations with no coding required.

Wix’s App Market

When it comes to integrations, Wix has much to offer. Its App Market grants access to the extensive repository of applications and services that can be integrated into Wix websites, significantly expanding their functionality and versatility.

It offers a wide array of apps – from business tools like eCommerce solutions, booking systems and email marketing platforms to design enhancements like image galleries, animation effects and custom forms. Many apps offer both free and premium versions, letting users pick the required functionality level.

Wix has a more open app market that offers multiple free and premium extensions, while Squarespace’s provides a high level of quality and reliability as all its features are designed to work seamlessly within a single ecosystem.

Pricing and Costs

Which website builder is a better option for subscribers? Which one offers more affordable yet feature-rich plans? It’s high time to compare the pricing approaches both platforms offer.

Squarespace Pricing Tiers

Squarespace offers a straightforward pricing policy with several tiers, each designed to cater to different user needs – from personal websites to larger businesses and eCommerce platforms. There is no free plan, by the way, but you can test the software for free during the 14-day trial.

Each plan is available either on a monthly or yearly subscription basis, with discounts often offered for annual commitments.

Wix’s Pricing Plans

Wix currently offers a free plan that never expires and allows testing the software features at no cost for the unlimited period of time. It also has several premium packages to choose from. Each of them includes diverse features and tools.

The system offers a 14-day money-back guarantee for any package chosen. They all include 24/7 customer support and have no Wix ads.

Speaking about pricing, Wix makes it possible to get a free website for lifetime, while Squarespace has no free plans at all. Both site builders are fairly priced and have similar rates.

SEO and Marketing

To find out what features and tools the systems offer to ensure high website positions in the search engine results, browse the info below.

Squarespace SEO Features

The array of integrated SEO tools Squarespace offers is rather impressive. The company automatically generates sitemaps and canonical tagging, creates image tags and meta tags for pages, allows customizing blog post URLs etc.

What’s important, Squarespace automatically chooses and uses the post heading/product name as the SEO title for required web pages. The system does not let you edit these titles in the manual mode – just like the website title in general.

Likewise, there is an opportunity to hide your website from indexing by the search engines. The software allows doing that by adding the “noindex” tag to every selected website page.

Wix SEO Options

Wix, in its turn, provides multiple tools to help your website rank higher on search engines. Aside from the basic features such as automatically generated meta tags, sitemaps, page descriptions, and Google sitemaps, Wix lets its users adjust tags and URLs of the site elements, set up SEO-friendly page redirects, etc. The app store of Wix, meanwhile, has a bulk of SEO apps for even more advanced functionality.

Anyway, the icing on the Wix SEO cake is the Wix SEO Wiz – an Artificial Intelligence-driven tool for quicker and more effective site optimization. The principle of working with these tools is practically the same as that of ADI – it gives you several questions and starts working on your site SEO based on the information you’ve provided.

Thus, both Wix and Squarespace are good for SEO. Wix, however, deserves more attention due to the high end SEO Wiz tool and multiple widgets/extensions you can integrate to promote your project on the web.

Performance and Speed

When comparing website performance and speed between Wix and Squarespace, several key factors come into play.

Squarespace Performance Settings

Squarespace is often praised for its clean, code-efficient templates which generally contribute to faster website loading times. The platform’s focus on design and aesthetics doesn’t significantly compromise its performance. Squarespace templates are optimized for mobile devices and are designed to ensure that websites load quickly and efficiently.

Wix Performance Parameters

Wix websites are known for their flexibility and customization options, provided by the drag-and-drop interface. However, this high level of customization can sometimes lead to heavier web pages, potentially impacting the load time, especially if the site is feature-rich or uses high-resolution images and videos.

Wix has been working to improve this, implementing advanced technologies like progressive web apps and offering built-in tools to optimize images and videos. Despite these improvements, users who prioritize speed and are building complex sites might need to pay extra attention to how their design choices affect performance.

However, it’s important to note that while Squarespace sites tend to perform well in terms of speed, the platform offers less flexibility in customization compared to Wix. This streamlined approach to design can limit the likelihood of performance issues but may also restrict how much users can tailor their site’s appearance and functionality.

Ultimately, the choice between Wix and Squarespace may come down to a balance between desired customization levels and the importance of website speed and performance.

Security

When evaluating website security on Wix and Squarespace, it’s important to note that both platforms take the security of their users’ websites seriously and implement robust measures to protect them.

Keeping Your Squarespace Site Secure

Squarespace also offers free SSL certificates for all its websites, ensuring that data transmission is encrypted and secure. Like Wix, Squarespace takes care of all the server-side security, offering a managed and secure hosting environment. This includes regular updates and patches to their systems to protect against known vulnerabilities.

Wix’s Security Measures and Data Protection

Wix provides a secure hosting environment for all its websites. It includes SSL сertificates for free, which is essential for encrypting data and ensuring secure communications between a user’s browser and the website. Wix also manages the security of its servers and conducts regular security audits to protect against potential vulnerabilities. They have a dedicated security team that monitors and addresses security issues.

Wix and Squarespace provide high levels of security for their users’ websites. The choice between the two platforms may depend more on other factors like design flexibility, ease of use, and specific feature requirements, rather than on significant differences in their security offerings.

Support and Community

When comparing Wix and Squarespace in terms of support and community, both platforms offer a range of resources, but they differ in their approaches and the extent of support provided.

Squarespace Community and Support Options

Squarespace is equally committed to providing strong support, though its approach slightly differs. It offers the following support options:

• 24/7 email support;
• live chat during working hours;
• help center filled with detailed guides, videos, and articles, making it easy for users to find answers to common questions.

While Squarespace doesn’t offer phone support, its email and chat responses are generally prompt and helpful. However, compared to Wix, Squarespace has a less prominent user community platform. Users can still find forums and third-party communities for Squarespace, but these are not as integrated into the Squarespace ecosystem as Wix’s community forums.

Wix’s Customer Support and Community Resources

Wix users have access to a variety of support options, namely:

• comprehensive help center with a wide array of articles, tutorials and guides;
• phone;
• email;
• live chat option for quick questions;
• Wix Marketplace uniting common users and Wix professionals;
• social network communities;

Additionally, Wix regularly updates its blog with tips, updates, and best practices, keeping its user base informed and engaged.

Both Wix and Squarespace prioritize customer support, but they cater to different preferences: Wix may appeal more to those who value community interaction and peer support, while Squarespace is ideal for users who prefer direct support through official channels.

eCommerce Capabilities

Are you right about to set up a web store? Actually, you can use either Wix or Squarespace for this purpose as both website builders come with integrated eCommerce engines. Let’s see what exactly each system has to offer.

Starting a Web Store with Squarespace

Squarespace also comes with an eCommerce engine provided by default. This means that you can set up and customize small and medium online stores with the website builder. Have a look at the list of features and tools the website builder is ready to offer to everyone willing to create a web store with it:

• product management tools (both physical and digital);
• built-in shopping cart;
• various checkout options;
• payment processing solutions;
• shipping and fulfillment guarantees;
• opportunity to print shipping labels;
• tax and accounting solutions;
• SEO and marketing;
• customer engagement features.

Squarespace’s eCommerce capabilities are designed to be user-friendly, allowing business owners to set up and manage their online stores with ease, while also providing a professional and efficient shopping experience for their customers.

Creating an Online Store with Wix

Wix has a more generous approach in terms of sales tools. Launching an eCommerce website with the website builder is simple due to the easy-to-manage storefront where you showcase the product line with the company’s sleek layouts and customize them with the drag-and-drop editor. Actually, this is realized via Wix Stores widget integration, which is completed in a few simple steps and does not require any programming proficiency.

With Wix, you can provide your customers with the following eCommerce features:

• payment options, including PayPal, credit cards, etc. with no commission fees;
• integrated shopping cart;
• eCommerce templates;
• up to 50000 products available for sale;
• abandoned shopping cart recovery;
• high end shipping tools;
• multi currency support;
• booking platform;
• opportunity to sell via social media and on marketplaces;
• automated sales taxes;
• order/store management tools etc.

On the other hand, Wix doesn’t offer advanced eCommerce tools such as printable shipping labels. You will have to integrate them through 3rd party apps available in Wix App Market. It is recommended to upgrade to one of eCommerce plans the system offers to its subscribers.

Mobile Responsiveness

When setting up a website with Squarespace and Wix, you wish to be sure it will be available on various mobile devices.

Making Your Squarespace Website Mobile-Ready

Squarespace is fully mobile-ready, ensuring that websites created on its platform are optimized for viewing and interaction across various mobile devices. No matter what device you use to access a website, the content will display in a pleasing and functional manner, ensuring a seamless user experience. Moreover, images and videos on Squarespace websites are optimized for fast loading times on mobile devices.

Wix Responsive Features

Wix is a mobile-ready software. Its templates are fully-responsive, which means that they adapt well to all mobile screens, irrespective of their size and resolution. After you set up a project, you can preview it in various modes to make the required edits on time.

Thus, both Wix and Squarespace can be used to create responsive websites that will display well on all types of desktop and mobile devices.

Making Your Decision

Now that you are aware of the major features, special tools and advantages of both website builders, it is high time to make the decision regarding the system that will work best for you and your project.

Considerations for Choosing Squarespace

Squarespace also enjoys user attention and is quite popular with web developers across the globe. Here is what makes it stand out:

• Ease of use;
• Basic eCommerce features in all plans;
• Blogging capabilities;
• Unfold App;
• Video Studio App;
• Affordable pricing.

Considerations for Choosing Wix

What makes Wix a good pick for website creation? Here are the strongest points of the website builder:

• Two easy-to-use editors;
• App Market;
• Wix Velo platform and Editor X;
• 900+ free responsive templates;
• Design customization freedom;
• eCommerce functionality;
• Versatile pricing options.

The website builder has many strong points and almost no demerits. This is more than enough to set up a full-featured website.

Squarespace has less powerful features than Wix yet it can still be used for DIY website creation.

Conclusion: Final Thoughts on Squarespace vs Wix

Summing up the review, both Wix and Squarespace are amazing platforms with tons of features, premium templates, and third-party service integrations to different extents. However, Wix can become a far better choice if you have a tight budget and can’t afford to invest any money on the site for a start. Use the free plan as long as you find it satisfies your site requirements, and upgrade when you feel your online business is ready to take the next step.

Additionally, Wix is more understandable and easy to use if you have no coding or web design knowledge. The drag-and-drop editor makes editing the site a breeze, and the results are amazing.

And finally, if the available functionality of your Wix plan doesn’t satisfy you, the extended app store is always at your disposal! You will surely find the necessary tool among the numerous free and paid apps available!