Both Wix and Squarespace were pushing hard for their website-building platforms with commercials during the recent Super Bowl – even recruiting actor Keanu Reeves and internet comedians Rhett and Link to help sell their products as the cool and/or fun way to build websites. Which is one is better? And how do these compare to a WordPress-based website?
As I have made clear in previous posts, I believe WordPress is the best platform on which to build your own DIY website (for as low as $4/month, just sayin’), but I wanted to do an honest comparison between the three options so you can know what is best for you.
Key Differences
Before doing some side-by-side comparisons of features and pricing, I should note a key difference between these platforms. Squarespace and Wix are all-inclusive website solutions. They include web hosting, a unique content management system and their own templates (check out my previous post on DIY websites if any of these terms are confusing).
WordPress is a free, open-source content-management system. Unlike Squarespace and Wix, WordPress allows you to chose your own web hosting. This can end up saving you significant money if you chose a webhost like Bluehost which starts at only $3.95/month. For some, the small additional step of choosing a separate web host is enough hassle to opt for an all-inclusive service, but I think most organizations would prefer a small extra step up front with more money in the bank each month.
(If you’re interested, I lay out the simple steps for setting up a WordPress-based DIY site in a previous post here: Launching a DIY Website for $4/month)
Also because WordPress is open source, there are thousands of plugins and templates available, with more being developed every day. Most of them are totally free. This means that there are a lot more options for a WordPress website. The downside to WordPress being open source is that sometimes you get a plugin or template that is low quality or buggy, whereas Squarespace and Wix are able to make sure all their templates and website features are functional and high quality. But with Squarespace and Wix, you are limited to the options they provide you.
Comparing Features and Pricing
Because WordPress is not a hosting company, I am going to do a price and feature comparison as if you were setting up a WordPress website on Bluehost, one of the most popular web hosts and the one I have personally used for years. I am also going to assume that you probably want to save as much money as possible and that your new website will not automatically begin with tons of site traffic (which would require more eventually require more expensive web hosting).
Pricing for One Basic Website
Each of the plans below offers to host one website and includes a free domain registration.
Wix – They offer an $11/month “Combo” plan with 2GB of storage space
Squarespace – Their cheapest plan is the $12/month “Personal” plan with unlimited storage
Bluehost – “Basic” plan starts at $3.95/month with 50Gb of storage (price goes up to $7.99 after a year)
Pricing For Multiple Websites
Both Wix and Squarespace require that you pay monthly for each website on your account. So two basic Wix websites would be $22/month. Two Personal Squarespace websites would be $24/month. This is one of the limitations of not being able to shop around for your own web hosting like you can with WordPress.
The Bluehost “Plus” plan starts at $5.95/month (price goes up to $10.99 after a year) with unlimited storage, unlimited connected domains and unlimited sites. I am currently utilizing this plan to host over six different WordPress websites on one Bluehost account, all with different domain names. If you ever anticipate hosting multiple websites, Wix and Squarespace start getting very expensive.
Mobile Website
The number of web users on mobile devices has surpassed those on desktop devices. It is no longer an option to forego a versatile website that is usable and beautiful on multiple platforms, including desktop, tablets and mobile phones. A website that can respond to the user’s device and adjust itself to look optimal is called a responsive website.
My limited experience using Wix (and websites designed on Wix) indicates that it is easy to design a Wix website that fails on mobile devices. This is a huge weakness of Wix. My understanding is that you can also work to design the mobile version of your website site with Wix, but this should happen automatically. You should not have to design a separate mobile site in 2018.
Squarespace offers “mobile optimized’ templates, which seem to work much better than Wix on mobile devices.
Almost all WordPress templates are now responsive and look great on multiple devices. Unless you happen to download an ancient WordPress template for your site, your website will work on mobile phones and tablets automatically.
Online Store
Many organizations want to have some kind of online store or ecommerce element to their website. All three platforms can offer these services.
Wix – They offer an “eCommerce” plan for $17/month
Squarespace – They offer a “Business” plan for $18/month
Blueshost – Any WordPress site, including the $3.95/month option, can simply download the WooCommerce WordPress plugin for free and add a store to their web site – no upgrade needed (this is plugin I use for my MP3 Message downloads)
Conclusions
Big surprise… WordPress wins!! If you want to build your own site or blog, it is really hard to find a better value than a WordPress site hosted at Bluehost. The prices are cheaper. The features are more extensive. The available WordPress templates and plugins are vast. The CMS is intuitive. There is an abundance of free resources and WordPress users online who can help you with any need that may arise.
My experience with Wix has been disappointing, and their pricing/features seem to be the worst of the three options. If you are determined not to use WordPress, it seems that Squarespace is a better option than Wix. I personally have not used the Squarespace, so I am basing my opinion on the features and pricing.
I hope this has helped you in deciding where to build your website!