Wix vs. Squarespace 2026: Which Is Better for Your Business?

Wix and Squarespace are two of the most capable web builders we've tested, but they serve different goals. Wix stood out in our testing for its fast, easy setup: our tester had a polished site live in under 5 minutes, with built-in AI tools handling everything from design to copy. Squarespace took more time to configure but delivered stronger ecommerce tools and design quality that's hard to match.

Squarespace is our pick for entrepreneurs who need a site that scales. Wix is the better choice for getting online fast, building a portfolio, or anyone who wants maximum flexibility without a steep learning curve.

Read on for a side-by-side comparison, including what we liked and how to determine if Wix or Squarespace is the right web builder for your online business.

Wix vs. Squarespace review at a glance

Wix offers a free tier and AI building tools, so anyone new to website design and management can quickly create a fully operational professional website. Squarespace includes ecommerce features in its Basic tier, allowing budding entrepreneurs to grow their businesses to suit their needs.

• Wix: Best for fast setup and flexible design
• Squarespace: Best for ecommerce and content creators

Wix vs. Squarespace

		Our Pick
Star rating	5.0 AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	4.9 AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.
Price	$17.00-$159.00/mo	$19.00-$139.00/mo
Free plan
Free trial		Yes — 14 days
Money-back guarantee	Yes — 14 days
Number of collaborators	Up to 100	Up to unlimited
Storage space	Yes — Up to unlimited	Yes — Up to unlimited
Custom domain	Yes — Paid plans only	Yes (only for annual subscription)
Site analytics	Yes, starting with Core plan
Ecommerce tools	Yes, starting with Core plan
AI tools
Learn more	Get Wix Read Wix Review	Get Squarespace Read Squarespace Review

Wix pros and cons

Wix provided us with a useful and comprehensive way to create a website. Our tester described the setup as "dead simple." After a few clicks, the site was live in under 5 minutes. All key AI tools were available right away, working across every stage of the build: the AI designer generated the initial layout, the text writer filled in copy, and the marketing agent helped configure the business tools. In fact, Wix offers the best AI website builder we've tested as well as a best-in-class design studio.

Wix also gives more flexibility than most builders. The library of over 2,000 templates means you're rarely starting from a blank canvas, and Dev Mode lets developers access the underlying code directly for custom functionality. The main tradeoff is that ecommerce and payment tools require the Core plan or higher.

Squarespace pros and cons

Squarespace helped us build a professional website after we answered a few quick questions. It uses a single unified base template introduced in the 7.1 update and is highly customizable with preset configurations, so the output feels tailored even when you're starting from a shared foundation. Three built-in AI tools (a branding generator, text generator, and AI-assisted initial design) worked in tandem from the first setup screen.

Our tester gave Squarespace a 5/5 for experience. It's a strong fit for businesses that need to look credible from day one. The template quality and AI-driven brand tools make it easier to launch something polished without heavy customization effort.

Which web builder is the better value?

Wix has the advantage in price and value. It offers competitive plan pricing, a 14-day money-back guarantee, and more flexibility at entry level. Squarespace bundles more features per plan, but you're limited to a 14-day trial window before you have to commit, with no money-back option after that.

	Best Value
Price range	$17.00-$159.00/mo	$19.00-$139.00/mo
Best value plan	Core for $29.00/mo	Core for $45.00/mo
Free trial	No, offers forever free tier	Yes — 14 days
Money-back guarantee	Yes — 14 days
Learn more	Get Wix Read Wix Review	Get Squarespace Read Squarespace Review

Wix plans

Wix has five plan tiers, scaling from a starter option up to Business Elite. Most online businesses will want the Core plan or higher, where ecommerce tools, analytics, and payment processing unlock. If you want to explore the platform before paying, a free tier is available with access to the AI building tools. For a full pricing breakdown, see our guide to the cheapest website builders.

Free (see how it compares to other free builders):

• AI building tools
• Customization options
• Editing tools

Lite:

• Custom domain
• Free domain for a year
• Remove Wix branding
• 2 collaborators
• 2GB of storage space
• Lite marketing tools

Core:

Everything in Lite plus

• Site analytics
• 50GB storage
• 5 collaborators
• Marketing, payment, and ecommerce tools
• Room for 50,000 products

Business:

Everything in Core plus

• Sales tax calculations
• Increased ecommerce tools
• 10 collaborators
• 100GB of storage
• More functionality in other features

Business Elite:

Everything in Business has more room to grow, including

• Unlimited storage
• Unlimited customer care
• 100 collaborators
• Upgraded marketing and ecommerce tools

Squarespace plans

Squarespace offers a 14-day free trial to give you time to build your site. If you start with the Basic plan, you'll have features like analytics and ecommerce tools. Once your business grows, you can scale up with Squarespace's higher-tier plans.

Basic

• Variety of templates
• Free custom domain
• AI tools
• 2 contributors
• Payment and ecommerce capabilities

Core:

Everything in Basic plus

• Unlimited contributors
• CSS & Javascript capabilities
• Google Workspace email
• Better payment and ecommerce capabilities,
• Shipping and tax services
• Analytics
• Small transaction fees

Plus:

Everything in Core plus

• API integrations
• Smaller transaction fees

Advanced:

Everything in Plus plus

• Even Smaller transaction fees

Which web builder has the best core features?

Squarespace has better features in every plan, including its lowest-tier plans. While you'll need to subscribe to the Core plan on Wix to get ecommerce tools, these features come standard with every Squarespace plan.

		Best Features
Number of contributors	Up to 100	Up to unlimited
Custom domain
Free domain
Site analytics
Storage space	Yes — Up to unlimited	Yes — Up to unlimited
AI tools
SEO tools
Professional email	Yes, via Google Workspace (not included)	Yes — free Google Workspace for the first year (Core plan and up)
Learn more	Get Wix Read Wix Review	Get Squarespace Read Squarespace Review

Wix's free plan doesn't include many marketing or ecommerce tools. On the other hand, Squarespace doesn't offer a free plan but does provide ecommerce and some payment options, even on its lowest-tier plan.

Being able to process payments on your website gives you a more professional appearance and makes transactions easier and safer for customers. We like that Squarespace payments are included with every plan, whereas with Wix, users must upgrade to the Core plan to access these features.

Anyone looking to create a profitable, professional website that drives sales from the start will find Squarespace's introductory plans helpful. Squarespace also has the design edge. Its template output is consistently polished, which is why it's the top pick for photographers and visual creatives who need their site to make a strong first impression.

Which web builder is best for ecommerce and marketing?

Both platforms offer ecommerce and marketing tools for the budding online entrepreneur, but Squarespace has the edge. Wix has more lead-building tools. Squarespace offers more payment integrations and a richer loyalty program.

		Our Pick
Customer accounts
Customer subscription plans
Customer loyalty programs
Product reviews
Newsletter list
Physical point of sale options
Physical product support	Integration with Modalyst	Third-party extension integrations
Sales and discounts
Gift cards
Extras	Extensive AI tools, customizable templates, Google SEO integrations, lead-building tools, large widget library	AI tools, customizable templates, SEO checklist, widget library
Learn more	Get Wix Read Wix Review	Get Squarespace Read Squarespace Review

Both platforms let you build customer loyalty programs, but the depth is different. In our testing, Squarespace's native loyalty tools supported four distinct structures: a point system, tiered rewards, subscriptions, and random discounts. Wix's approach is more straightforward: discounts and coupons based on purchase history. But Wix makes up for it elsewhere in the ecommerce toolkit. Abandoned cart recovery, referral programs, gift cards, automatic discounts, and support for multiple currencies are all included on paid plans.

Squarespace gives you more control over where you source products and what payments you accept. You can integrate PayPal, Klarna, Afterpay, and more. Squarespace offers more payment options, a stronger loyalty program, and more flexibility in product sourcing.

Which web builder has the better support?

Wix includes phone support, whereas Squarespace doesn't, but Squarespace's self-help features are far more robust. Squarespace edges Wix out again due to the user-friendliness and depth of its online guides.

		Our Pick
24/7 customer support
Customer support options	Live chat, phone, email, online guides	Live chat, email, forums, online guides
Learn more	Get Wix Read Wix Review	Get Squarespace Read Squarespace Review

Wix pushed its 24/7 AI chat much harder than any of its other support options, but we liked that we could schedule a callback directly from the chatbot. We ran into some issues with the AI understanding us, but it quickly suggested human support options. Plus, Wix's help center guides were helpful.

Squarespace's help center had comprehensive online guides that made it easy for us to troubleshoot our problems ourselves without having to engage the chatbot. Email is available 24/7, and live chat keeps business hours, but we didn't need to use either.

Top alternatives

Wix and Squarespace are arguably two of the best web-building platforms for quickly creating a polished and functional ecommerce website. Wix is the easiest web builder we've tested, while Squarespace offers a polished, professional look and feel. 

However, other web builders specialize in ecommerce, such as Shopify and Square Online.

Or, if you're looking for more hands-on integration, Hostinger offers a complete AI web builder, bundled hosting, and the option to build a WordPress site.

Wix vs. Squarespace: Which is better?

Squarespace is the better option for entrepreneurs, but not by a lot. We like both platforms, but Squarespace edges out Wix in core and ecommerce features, as well as customer support.

		Our Pick
Value
Core features
Ecommerce features
Customer support
Learn more	Get Wix Read Wix Review	Get Squarespace Read Squarespace Review

Overall, we recommend Squarespace for most online businesses.

Squarespace offers more ecommerce and core features across all its plans, and the design quality is harder to match. Whether you're building an online store, running a content-heavy site, or need a platform that handles multiple revenue streams — physical products, memberships, appointment scheduling — Squarespace gives you the tools to do it right from the start. Its self-help resources are also more thorough, and the loyalty program and payment integration options give growing businesses more to work with.

Wix is the stronger pick if your priority is getting a great site online fast. The setup is dead-simple — our tester built a complete site in under 5 minutes — and the built-in AI tools cover everything from branding to marketing from day one. With over 2,000 templates and Dev Mode for developers, Wix handles a wide range of use cases beyond just starter builds: portfolios, small businesses, and stores that want room to grow without switching platforms.

Learn more about the best web builders we've tested and ranked.

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