Squarespace
From ~$16 per mo
Wix
Free (with ads) / from ~$17 per mo
Squarespace offers polished, designer-quality templates and a consistent editor. Wix offers more raw layout flexibility, a free tier, and a larger app market. Squarespace suits design-led sites; Wix suits people who want to drag elements anywhere.
Pick Squarespace if you want a polished, design-led site with minimal effort and value consistent, professional templates — great for portfolios and brands.
Pick Wix if you want maximum layout control, a large app market, and the option to start free. Best when you want to place elements exactly where you like.
Squarespace and Wix are the two most recognizable website builders, and they trade off polish against flexibility. Squarespace is known for beautiful, cohesive templates and an editor that keeps your site looking professional even if you are not a designer. Wix gives you a drag-anywhere canvas and the largest app market in the category, plus a genuine free tier (with Wix branding and ads).
For most people the decision is taste and use case. If you want your site to look designed and you value consistency, Squarespace is hard to beat. If you want to control exactly where every element sits and bolt on lots of apps, Wix offers more freedom — with the trade-off that it is easier to make a messy site.
We compare price, design freedom, templates, ecommerce, and ease of use.
| Quick facts | Squarespace | Wix |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No (trial) | Yes (with ads) |
| Starting paid price | ~$16 per mo | ~$17 per mo |
| Design style | Polished templates | Drag-anywhere freedom |
| App market | Curated | Large |
| Switch templates later | Easy | Harder |
Each row reflects the feature on each product's current public release.
| Feature | S Squarespace | W Wix |
|---|---|---|
| Designer-quality templates | Excellent | Good |
| Drag-anywhere editing | Structured | Free-form |
| Ecommerce | Yes | Yes |
| Blogging tools | Strong | Good |
| App / plugin marketplace | Curated | Large |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Built-in email / marketing | Add-ons | Add-ons |
| Ease of staying tidy | High | Depends on user |
Pricing and features change often. Always verify the current details on each product's official site. Last reviewed 2026-05-30.
Things neither product's marketing page leads with.
Wix's freedom makes it easy to build a cluttered site; Squarespace constrains you toward a clean result.
Wix lets you start free (with ads and Wix branding); Squarespace is trial-then-paid.
Squarespace makes switching templates easy; Wix generally locks you into the template you chose.
The average person juggles a dozen subscriptions and forgets at least one. Subkept is a privacy-first subscription tracker: add Squarespace, Wix, and everything else, then get renewal reminders, price-hike alerts, and a clear monthly total, with no bank connection, ever. Free for up to 5 subscriptions, no time limit.