Squarespace For Entrepreneurs: Which Is The Best For Your Business

What Is a Website Builder? – A Quick Guide for Entrepreneurs

A website builder is a powerful tool that allows you to create a website without knowing how to code. For entrepreneurs, this is a game-changer. Platforms like Wix and Squarespace offer intuitive, drag-and-drop features that make it easy to design a professional site in hours. Whether you need an online store, portfolio, or blog, website builders provide customizable templates and essential integrations—letting you focus on growing your business rather than getting bogged down by technical details

Find out what a website builder is all about at a glance.

With drag-and-drop simplicity, you can create a professional site without coding. Still, customization may be limited compared to advanced platforms like WordPress. Affordable plans bundle hosting, domains, and templates, ideal for startups like yours—though premium features and eCommerce tools can increase costs. You can launch a site in hours, freeing up time for your business, but scaling to a complex site may slow performance. Wix and Squarespace offer mobile-responsive designs, but tweaking mobile views can be tricky. Maintenance is hassle-free, and customer support and updates are available. However, how appropriate is it to rely on the platform for your business solutions and controls?

Now the question is: What are some examples of website builders? Are Wix and Squarespace the only options?

Examples of a Website Builder – Essentials for Startups

Website builders are essential tools for startups looking to create a professional online presence quickly and affordably. Here are a few key examples:

• Wix – Wix gives flexible templates to match your startup's style with its drag-and-drop ease.
• Squarespace – Perfect if you're design-focused, offering sleek templates for portfolios, blogs, or eCommerce.
• Shopify – Made for eCommerce, Shopify lets you easily set up and manage an online store.
• Weebly – Simple and intuitive, great for small businesses needing a primary site with eCommerce features.
• GoDaddy Website Builder – Ideal for no-fuss websites with integrated domain and hosting, quick to set up.
• Jimdo – Easy to use, perfect for startups wanting a simple site without technical hassle.

According to different sources and our decades of research, Wix and Squarespace are the top website builders and the best alternatives to WordPress(as it is the best CMS with page-building tools).

Wix And Squarespace – A Complete Overview

Over 10.8 million websites are powered by Wix, with 8.5 million currently live (source 2). Meanwhile, Squarespace boasts 4.9 million users actively utilizing the platform and its associated apps, with 4,251,517 live Squarespace sites (source 3 & source 4).

Wix and Squarespace are powerful platforms with unique features, so deciding between them can be challenging. The best choice ultimately hinges on your specific needs, skills, budget, and time constraints. Get an overview of Wix and Squarespace, including their pros and cons.

What is Wix? In 2003, Wix was developed to provide cloud-based web development services. It is a widely-used website builder known for its drag-and-drop interface, allowing you to create professional-looking websites without coding experience. With hundreds of responsive templates and a vast selection of apps on the Wix App Market, it empowers users to build anything from a business site to a personal portfolio or blog. By 2022, over 220 million users trusted Wix for its simplicity and flexibility. ( in 2022, 220 million users)

Here are the Pros and Cons of WIX:

Wix Pros:

• User-friendly drag-and-drop editor – Ideal for beginners with no coding experience.
• Extensive template options – Hundreds of templates to choose from for various industries.
• Wix App Market – Access to a wide range of apps and integrations to expand functionality.
• Free plan available – Basic plan for those looking to test the 1st site without commitment.
• SEO And Marketing Tools – It offers advanced SEO and Marketing tools

Wix Cons:

• Limited design flexibility – Once you choose a template, you can't switch it without starting over.
• Customization limitations – More advanced users may find it lacks the depth of customization. -** Performance can vary **– Websites may experience slower load times depending on the content.

What is Squarespace? In 2003, Squarespace was founded as a blog hosting service. But now, it is another top-tier website builder designed to help you create visually stunning websites. It is often favored by creatives and professionals who need a portfolio or a visually heavy website. Known for its sleek, modern templates, Squarespace allows you to build websites that are as beautiful as they are functional. Its integrated design features and robust tools support a variety of sites, from blogs to online stores.

Squarespace also offers built-in marketing tools and SEO features to help optimize your site’s visibility. Getting started is simple, much like Wix, with a guided onboarding process, and the platform provides ample flexibility for users who want a balance between ease and control.

Squarespace Pros:

• Beautiful, responsive designs – Sleek, professional templates, ideal for your website.
• Strong eCommerce capabilities – Excellent tools for online stores, including built-in SEO and marketing features.
• Scalable – Squarespace supports businesses looking to grow, offering flexibility as needs change.

Squarespace Cons:

• Higher learning curve – Its design tools can take some time to master, especially for beginners.
• Fewer templates – Compared to Wix, there are fewer design options, but they are highly polished.
• More expensive – Squarespace’s plans start at a higher price point than Wix’s, and there is no free option.

Wix vs Squarespace for Entrepreneurs – Side-by-Side Comparison

Here's a quick side-by-side comparison of Wix and Squarespace for entrepreneurs. Review the table to see where the two are similar and where they differ. This will help you make an informed decision about which is better for you, Wix or Squarespace.

If you want more features and options, Wix is your go-to, offering tons of templates, features, and advanced SEO tools, plus the perk of a free plan. On the other hand, if sleek design and a more structured editor are your priorities, Squarespace might be the better fit—especially with its robust e-commerce tools. However, it comes with fewer options and no free plan. Both platforms have your back with security, reliability, and solid support, so it all depends on what matters most for your business!

Which is better: Wix or Squarespace for Entrepreneurs?

Both Wix and Squarespace share essential features such as AI website builders, robust security with SSL and PCI compliance, multichannel eCommerce support, reliable hosting with 99.9% uptime, and strong 24/7 customer support. Again Both have a good performance Score on Gtmetrix. For better understanding, we will highlight the key points where they differ in detail.

Pricing: Is Wix more expensive than Squarespace? Yes, Wix can be more expensive than Squarespace, especially at higher tiers for eCommerce and additional features. But what should be your right choice? Decide after reading this section.

Wix Pricing: Whether you're just starting with a free plan or ready to scale your business with the Business plan, Wix has something for everyone. The free plan is perfect for testing the first time, but if you're serious about your online presence, upgrading to a premium plan is recommended.

So, how much does Wix Cost? From their official page, you can see the 4 pricing plans. Here is one more plan option: the Business Enterprise Plan. You need to contact the Wix team to know the price.

Here’s a glance at Wix’s pricing plans:

Light – $9/month Get the basics with two collaborators and 2 GB storage. It also comes with light marketing tools and a free domain for one year.

Core – $16/month Engage your audience with 5 collaborators and 50 GB storage. The plan includes essential marketing, site analytics, eCommerce, and a free domain for one year.

Business (Recommended) – $25/month Grow your brand with ten collaborators and 100 GB storage. You'll also get standard marketing tools, eCommerce, analytics, and a free domain for one year.

Business Elite – $119/month Scale your business with 15 collaborators and unlimited storage. This plan includes advanced marketing, site analytics, eCommerce, and a free domain for one year.

Squarespace pricing: Like Wix, Squarespace does not offer a free plan to start. However, its Personal Plan is slightly cheaper than Wix's Light Plan

Here’s a glance at Squarespace’s pricing plans:

• Personal – $16/month
• Includes mobile-optimized websites, templates, and a free custom domain. There are no transaction fees on invoices.
• Business (Best Value) – $23/month Grow your audience with advanced analytics, product selling, and checkout options. Includes 3% transaction fees on store sales.
• Commerce Basic – $28/month It offers no transaction fees on sales, advanced analytics, and powerful merchandising tools. It also supports product selling and invoicing.
• Commerce Advanced – $52/month It provides advanced features like subscriptions, shipping, and discounting, with no transaction fees on any sales. It is best for growing sellers.

Comparison between the Pricing: If you're looking to establish a strong online presence, both Wix and Squarespace offer tailored business plans. Wix gives you a wide range of options, starting with the Light plan at $9/month, perfect for testing the beginning with essential tools and minimal storage. As you scale up, the Core plan ($16/month) and the recommended Business plan ($25/month) provide more storage, marketing tools, and collaborators to help your brand grow. Of severe businesses aiming for the top, the Business Elite plan at $119/month gives you unlimited storage, advanced marketing, and eCommerce capabilities for massive growth.

On the other hand, Squarespace has a slightly lower starting point with the Personal plan at $16/month, which is excellent for more straightforward, content-heavy sites without the need for advanced features like eCommerce. For just a bit more, the Business plan at $23/month unlocks product selling, advanced analytics, and checkout options. However, it comes with a 3% transaction fee on sales. If you're focused on growing your eCommerce site, the Commerce Basic plan ($28/month) removes these transaction fees. It gives you more advanced selling and analytics tools. In comparison, the Commerce Advanced plan ($52/month) adds even more features like subscriptions, shipping, and discounting.

Choosing between the two depends on your business needs. Suppose you're a growing business looking to leverage a wide range of marketing and collaboration tools. In that case, Wix may be your best bet. However, if you value price and streamlined eCommerce features, Squarespace might be the right fit for your brand.

Templates & Web Design: Which is more customizable, Wix or Squarespace?? Squarespace has the quality, and Wix has the quantity. Wix has a collection of 900 plus templates for "Portfolios" to "Business." It offers you the quantity with more creative freedom. However, Squarespace has 150-plus templates, which offers you quality and more customization freedom.

Wix: Wix gives you creative freedom through its vast selection of over 900 templates and the ability to upload videos directly. It’s easier to install custom fonts, and you can add HTML elements to your design. However, you can’t edit the CSS, and once your site is live, you're locked into the template you chose, limiting future design flexibility. This is the downside of Wix.

Squarespace: Squarespace offers fewer templates but provides more customization options. It allows access to a broader range of fonts and the use of CSS to adjust colors, fonts, and backgrounds. All templates share a consistent structure, making it easier to tweak your design. Although you can't switch templates, the ability to refine your site's appearance gives you more customization control.

Wix templates vs Squarespace templates:

The winner depends on your needs. Squarespace takes the lead if you prioritize:

• quality design,
• more advanced customization with CSS,
• and a refined, professional look. Its consistent template structure and design flexibility make it better for customization control.

However, Wix might be your winner if you want:

• a wide variety of templates
• simple, user-friendly tools,
• more options
• and easier custom font integration, though its limitations in CSS editing

Features & Integrations: Who offers more Business Features & Integrations?

In one line, Wix offers more Business features & Integrations than Squarespace. Wix has 280+ features and 750+ web apps, including more advanced SEO and Marketing tools. On the other hand, Squarespace has 175+ features and 140+ extensions.

Wix: More Features & Integrations:

Extensive Business Tools: Offers advanced SEO options, abandoned cart recovery, one-click upsells, product search, and subscription billing. App Marketplace: Wix has a large app market with integrations for Google AdWords, Amazon, Facebook Sync, and more, allowing for easy expansion. Dropshipping & Fulfillment: Supports dropshipping and fulfillment centers with third-party apps, which Squarespace lacks. Real-Time Shipping Rates: Available across all business plans. Customer Loyalty Programs: While not built-in, Wix integrates with apps like Smile for loyalty programs. Mobile Apps: This includes the Wix Owner app for on-the-go editing and a new Wix Spaces app for customer engagement.

Squarespace: Built-In Simplicity:

Built-In Features: Many business tools, like Acuity Scheduling for service bookings, are included by default, requiring fewer third-party apps. Limited Extensions: Squarespace’s Extension marketplace is more focused on e-commerce services like shipping and accounting, with fewer integrations overall. No Dropshipping Integration: Unlike Wix, Squarespace doesn’t support dropshipping natively. Real-Time Shipping & Recurring Billing: Available only on higher-tier plans.

Wix vs. Squarespace: Wix is the better choice if you need a more comprehensive range of features, flexibility, and integrations for business growth. However, Squarespace is ideal for those who prefer built-in functionality without needing many external apps.

SEO Tools & Analytics: Does Squarespace have better SEO than Wix? The short answer is no. Squarespace and Wix both have powerful SEO features, but Wix leads here with a more meticulous approach. You should choose a platform that meets your needs and excels in SEO. Failing to do so will make it challenging to attract visitors to your website. Here are the critical points for SEO and analytics for Wix and Squarespace.

Wix

**Page Titles: **Wix allows you to customize page titles for all pages on your site, giving you more control over how each page appears in search engine results. Meta Descriptions: You can add meta descriptions to all pages, which helps improve click-through rates from search engine results. Custom URLs: Both Wix and Squarespace allow custom URLs, but Wix adds a short string to the URLs of blog posts and product pages, which can negatively impact SEO. Headings: Wix supports h1 through h6 headings for regular pages and h1 and h2 for blog posts, offering flexibility in structuring content. Image Alt Text: Wix lets you set image alt text, which is crucial for accessibility and SEO. SSL: SSL encryption is available on all Wix plans, ensuring secure data transmission. Sitemaps: You can download your sitemap, though customization options are limited. Mobile Responsiveness: Wix includes a mobile editor, which allows you to customize how your site appears on mobile devices. Google Search Console: Wix lets you link your site to Google Search Console, aiding in tracking and improving SEO performance.

Squarespace

Page Titles: Squarespace allows customization of page titles for main pages, but it is more restrictive compared to Wix. Meta Descriptions: You can only use meta descriptions for main pages, which limits your ability to optimize every page for search engines. Custom URLs: Squarespace allows custom URLs, and unlike Wix, it doesn't add extra strings to blog posts and product pages. Headings: Squarespace supports h2 through h3 headings on all pages, which might be sufficient for most users. Image Alt Text: Squarespace also allows you to set image alt text for SEO purposes. SSL: SSL encryption is available on all plans, providing secure connections. Sitemaps: Similar to Wix, you can download the sitemap but without customization options. Mobile Responsiveness: Squarespace automatically ensures that all pages are mobile responsive, providing a seamless experience across devices. Google Search Console: Squarespace allows linking to Google Search Console, aiding in SEO tracking

Comparison between Wix SEO and Squarespace SEO:

While both platforms offer essential SEO features like SSL, image alt text, and integration with Google Search Console, Wix stands out with its more flexible options for page titles, meta descriptions, and heading structures. However, Squarespace excels in mobile responsiveness and clean custom URLs. Suppose your priority is a more methodical approach to SEO features. In that case, Wix might be the better choice, though Squarespace's automatic mobile responsiveness is a significant advantage.

E-commerce site design: Is Squarespace better than Wix for e-commerce?

There's no clear winner between Wix and Squarespace when it comes to simple eCommerce sites. But if you include selling options, Wix is the better choice due to its powerful sales features, advanced shipping options, and extensive app market.

For e-commerce site design, both platforms have their place in the market, and one may work better than the other for specific business models. If you're still unsure which one to choose, consider these points to determine which best meets your needs.

**Wix for e-commerce site design: ** Wix is known for its user-friendly interface and intuitive drag-and-drop features. It’s easy to use and perfect for beginners who want to get a site up and running quickly. With Wix, you get a variety of eCommerce features, plus apps for blogging, search engine optimization, and analytics. The extensive range of templates ensures you’ll find a design that fits your needs. Wix is the clear winner for beginners who prioritize ease of use.

Why Use Wix Over Squarespace?

• If you want creative freedom.
• If you need a platform that’s super user-friendly for beginners.
• If you require more third-party apps and integrations.

Squarespace for e-commerce site design: Squarespace, on the other hand, requires a bit more learning but offers greater flexibility and a more polished, professional appearance. It makes Squarespace a popular choice among creatives who want to showcase their work in a sophisticated manner. While Squarespace has a steeper learning curve, the result is often a more refined and visually appealing website.

Why Use Squarespace Over Wix? If you’re a creative looking to build a portfolio with a small shop on the side. If you want a more professional-looking website. If you’re willing to invest time in overcoming the learning curve.

**Wix vs. Squarespace for e-commerce site design: ** If your main goal is eCommerce, consider looking into specialized platforms like Shopify or BigCommerce, which are designed specifically for online stores. However, for more straightforward eCommerce needs, either Wix or Squarespace could be a suitable choice. Again, if you are looking for more tools like sealing features, read the section below.

Selling: Which is Better for Selling Online: Wix or Squarespace? Wix is the better choice for Selling Online due to its powerful sales features, advanced shipping options, and extensive app market.

If you are a business owner with valuable products, selling through your website is a must. Let's compare which platform's selling option is best for your e-commerce site or business site.

Selling: Which is Better for Selling Online: Wix or Squarespace? Wix is the better choice for Selling Online due to its powerful sales features, advanced shipping options, and extensive app market. If you are a business owner with valuable products, selling through your website is a must. Let's compare which platform's selling option is best for your e-commerce site or business site.

Wix Wix has some limited customization control in website design compared to Squarespace. However, when it comes to all its features, such as sales features, integrations, and advanced marketing tools, Wix is the winner.

Here are its’ pros and cons.

Pros:

• Powerful Sales Features: Wix offers advanced sales capabilities, especially with its e-commerce plans. It includes a robust backend for managing physical and digital products, advanced shipping options (like free shipping and local delivery), and multichannel selling.
• Flexible Storage: The Business Elite plan offers unlimited storage, which is a significant advantage if you're managing large amounts of product data. Lower-tier plans offer between 2GB and 100GB of storage.
• POS Integration: Seamless integration with Wix’s POS system helps bridge in-store and online sales.
• Extensive App Market: Wix’s app market provides a wide range of third-party integrations to enhance your store’s functionality.

Cons:

• Additional Costs: Acuity Scheduling is an extra expense beyond the standard Squarespace plan.
• Less Advanced E-commerce Features: While capable, Squarespace's e-commerce features are less comprehensive than Wix's, especially for larger or more complex online stores.

**The Conclusion for E-commerce And Selling Options: ** Wix is the winner here. Squarespace is also a good option, particularly for service-based businesses, because of its built-in scheduling tool and unlimited storage across all plans. However, for a more robust and scalable e-commerce solution, Wix is the superior option.

Wix Vs Squarespace For Entrepreneurs- which is the best?

Regarding businesses, Wix is usually the preferred choice over Squarespace. It has a wider range of features, such as app integrations, advanced eCommerce capabilities, and flexible pricing plans that include a free option. Wix's extensive template collection and powerful SEO tools offer greater creative flexibility. However, Squarespace stands out for its exceptional design, customization, and simplicity, although it has fewer features and a higher starting price without a free plan. Wix is likely the best option for your business if you value adaptability and scalability.