Wix vs Squarespace: Comprehensive comparison guide for 2024

Final verdict

Wix and Squarespace are both powerful website builders, but they excel in different areas, making them suitable for different user needs.

• 
  Wix (Overall Grade: 8.5/10)
  
  shines with its user-friendly design capabilities, extensive range of plugins and integrations, and innovative AI features. It’s particularly strong in areas like website speed optimization and offers a more flexible approach to website design and customization. Wix’s comprehensive suite of tools and features, combined with its ease of use, makes it an excellent choice for users looking for creative freedom and a broad range of functionalities.
• 
  Squarespace (Overall Grade: 7.9/10)
  
  , on the other hand, stands out for its sleek templates, robust ecommerce features, and superior security measures. It offers a more curated design experience, making it ideal for users who prioritize aesthetics and simplicity over extensive customization. Squarespace’s focus on design and security, along with its solid ecommerce capabilities, makes it a strong option for businesses and individuals looking to create professional-looking websites with minimal effort.

	Overall grade: 8.5	Overall grade: 7.9
Design Functionalities & Templates	8.6	8.0
Ease of Use	9.0	8.3
Ecommerce	8.0	8.2
Website Editors	8.5	8.3
Product Testing Options	8.1	7.4
Price	8.7	8.4
Hosting Quality	8.5	7.6
Website Speed Optimization	8.3	6.7
Plugins and Integrations	8.2	6.8
Marketing Features	8.4	8.1
Customer Support	8.2	7.8
Security	8.5	8.8
AI Capabilities	8.7	7.5
User Management	8.2	7.4
Overall	8.5	7.9

Best for ecommerce

8.0

8.2

Verdict

: With a very close score, Squarespace slightly edges out Wix for ecommerce, thanks to its specialized features and design options tailored for online stores.

• 
  Wix
  
  : Offers a versatile platform with a user-friendly interface and a wide range of templates. It’s great for those who prioritize ease of use and customization in their ecommerce venture. Wix’s ecommerce features are robust, making it a solid choice for small to medium-sized online stores.
• 
  Squarespace
  
  : Stands out with its slightly higher ecommerce score and a focus on design and user experience. Squarespace is ideal for creators and businesses looking for beautiful, design-forward online stores with integrated marketing tools and detailed analytics. Its ecommerce capabilities are well-suited for businesses that value aesthetics alongside functionality.

Best for informational & business websites

8.3

8.4

• 
  Wix
  
  : Offers a broad range of customizable templates and a user-friendly interface, making it a strong contender for creating informational websites. Its flexibility in design and ease of use are significant advantages for businesses looking to establish an online presence.
• 
  Squarespace
  
  : With a slightly higher score for informational and business websites, Squarespace is known for its sleek, professional templates that cater to a wide range of business needs. Its emphasis on design quality and user experience makes it the preferred choice for businesses seeking a polished and professional website.

Detailed comparison

8.6

8.0

🏆

Winner: Wix.

If you’re looking for a platform that offers more creative control and a wide array of design features, Wix is the preferred choice.

Wix stands out with its wide range of highly customizable templates suitable for various website types, not just ecommerce. It offers creative freedom in design, appealing to a diverse user base. While Wix doesn’t have a premium template marketplace, it has 3-rd party theme shops that allow you to get more sophisticated design choices.

Wix Themes

Compared to Wix, Squarespace boasts an impressive variety of website templates, offering over 120 pre-designed options to choose from. These templates cater to a wide range of needs and industries, from creative portfolios and sleek online stores to professional business websites and personal blogs.

Squarespace Themes

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9.0

8.3

🏆 Winner: Wix

. With a score of 9.0, Wix stands out for its exceptional user-friendliness, featuring an intuitive drag-and-drop interface and an Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) tool for effortless website creation. Squarespace, scoring 8.3, also offers a user-friendly platform with a drag-and-drop editor and straightforward navigation. However, Wix’s higher score and advanced features make it the winner in this category.

Learning Resources

🏆 Winner: Squarespace

. Both platforms offer solid learning resources, but Squarespace goes a step further with its comprehensive Help Center, clear video tutorials, live webinars, an informative blog, and an active community forum. This makes it easier for users to learn and adapt to the platform.

8.0

8.2

Wix and Squarespace both offer robust ecommerce capabilities, but they cater to different needs. Wix is a comprehensive platform for individuals and businesses, allowing users to design their store, add products, set up payment options, and handle orders easily. Squarespace, on the other hand, is a user-friendly ecommerce solution for businesses, simplifying online store setup with an intuitive interface and customizable templates. It also provides built-in marketing tools, SEO optimization, and detailed analytics for enhanced store visibility and performance.

Ecommerce themes and templates	7.5	7.5
Product page customization	7.3	7.0
Payment processing and commissions	8.7	7.8
POS capabilities	6.0	6.5
Payment gateways	8.2	7.5
Product numbers	8.0	6.8
Additional ecommerce features	7.8	7.2

Wix ecommerce features:

• Intuitive store builder
• Wix Payments and various gateways
• Basic inventory tools
• Multi-channel sales options
• Abandoned cart recovery
• Basic analytics and SEO tools

Squarespace ecommerce features:

• Intuitive interface
• Secure payment processing
• Built-in marketing tools
• SEO optimization
• Website analytics

Ecommerce themes & templates

Wix provides around 120 free templates for ecommerce. However, these templates are not fully responsive and may need manual adjustments for mobile display. Wix allows for flexible website design but has limited options for in-depth customization using HTML or CSS. For advanced users, Wix Velo offers more detailed customization possibilities. On the other hand, Squarespace provides a diverse selection of around 50 ecommerce templates, catering to various industries like fashion, beauty, home goods, and technology. These templates range from clean and minimalist to bold and colorful, accommodating different brand aesthetics and product types. Offering unique layout elements such as product sliders and featured collections, these templates enhance visual interest and engagement.

Product page customization

Wix permits the inclusion of six options per item with a total of 1000 unique variations for products. However, the potential complexity of having customers choose six attributes for a single item is acknowledged, and it is recommended to consider splitting products with extensive options into different listings for a more user-friendly experience. Wix stands out for its ease of customization, allowing users to add features like ribbons, size charts, wishlists, and more. While Wix supports product videos in its themes, incorporating 3D models on Wix requires coding.

Squarespace offers options for layout, design, and interactive elements on product pages. Users can choose templates, customize colors, fonts, and content. Enhance engagement with features like customizable buttons, wishlists, comparisons, reviews, and related products. Advanced options include custom code injection and third-party app integrations. Limitations include fixed core page structure and the need for technical expertise. Free templates have fewer customization options than premium ones.

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Payment processing

Wix provides versatile payment options, generally around 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction, without additional commission fees. This makes Wix an attractive option for businesses using diverse payment processors. Wix Payments allows Wix users to manage transactions directly on their site, also supporting various payment methods and currencies.

Squarespace provides flexible payment processing for online stores with integrated gateways like Stripe and PayPal. External gateways can be set up for specific needs. Transaction fees may apply depending on the plan and payment method. Security measures include PCI compliance and fraud prevention. Additional features include payment links, support for subscriptions, and the ability to accept international payments in various currencies.

8.5

8.3

🏆

Winner: Wix

. Wix, with a score of 8.5, offers multiple editors catering to different user needs. Its standard editor is renowned for its drag-and-drop simplicity, allowing for extensive customization without needing to code. Additionally, Wix provides the ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) editor, which creates a personalized website based on user responses to a few questions, and the Corvid by Wix editor, which allows for advanced web development with JavaScript and Wix APIs.

Squarespace’s editor, scoring 8.3, is user-friendly and allows easy drag-and-drop website creation without coding. With visually appealing templates and customization options, it caters to beginners and pros alike. The real-time editing experience ensures instant previews. Prioritizing content, it’s mobile-responsive and offers functional features like forms, social media integration, and online stores. Squarespace seamlessly integrates with tools for extended capabilities.

9.2

8.5

🏆

Winner: Wix

. Both Wix and Squarespace offer mobile apps for managing and editing your website, but they cater to different needs and skill levels. Wix’s mobile app stands out with its user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface, allowing users to edit various aspects of their website with ease. It is particularly beginner-friendly, making it easy for users with no prior website building experience to create and manage their website.

Squarespace’s mobile app, on the other hand, allows for content editing, website analytics, online store management, and social media scheduling. However, it lacks the full range of functionalities available on the desktop editor, making it less versatile compared to Wix’s mobile app.

In summary, Wix receives a higher rating due to its versatility in general website editing and a more beginner-friendly interface, while Squarespace provides essential features but lacks in advanced design customization and creating new page layouts on mobile.

8.1

7.4

Overall Result

:

Wix wins

. Wix scores 8.1 in product testing options, slightly higher than Squarespace’s 7.4. Wix offers a free plan with basic features for an unlimited duration and occasionally offers opportunities to test premium features through promotions or limited-time trials. Squarespace, on the other hand, provides a 14-day free trial, during which most premium features can be tested, except for custom code, premium integrations, and removal of Squarespace branding.

Free Plan	Yes (Basic features, indefinitely)	No (14-day free trial)
Trial Duration	Unlimited (Free plan)	14 days
Testing Premium Features	Limited, occasionally through promotions	Most features, except for custom code, premium integrations and removal of Squarespace branding

8.7

8.4

Wix and Squarespace offer competitive pricing, with Wix scoring slightly higher. Both platforms offer discounts for annual subscriptions, with Wix offering up to 40% off and Squarespace offering between 25% and 30% off.

	Offerings	Offerings
$10-$15	No offering at this amount.	Personal ($12/month): Build a basic website with limited features for personal use. Access to basic templates, mobile-friendly design, and some social media integrations. Value for price: 5.0
$15-$20	No offering at this amount.	Business ($16/month): Upgrade features with custom domain, SEO tools, marketing tools like email campaigns, and analytics. Value for price: 6.5
$20-$30	Core Plan ($27/month): Unlimited physical products, ~2.9% + 30¢ per transaction, Digital products, Free custom domain for a year, Abandoned cart recovery, Gift cards (via app), Recurring payments, No staff account limit. Value for price: 8.5	Commerce ($26/month): Perfect for online stores with built-in eCommerce functionality (unlimited products), secure checkout, inventory management, and marketing tools. Value for price: 8.0
$30-$50	Business ($32/month): Advanced ecommerce features, Same transaction fees, Free domain for a year, Subscription payments, Automated international sales tax, Label printing, Dropshipping, Product reviews, No staff account limit. Value for price: 8.7	Advanced Commerce ($40/month): Cater to high-volume stores with advanced eCommerce features like abandoned cart recovery, product subscriptions, gift cards, and real-time shipping quotes. Value for price: 9.0
$100+	Business Elite ($159/month): All ecommerce features, Automated sales tax for up to 500 transactions/month, Custom reports, Loyalty program, Priority support, No staff account limit. Value for price: 9.0	No offering at this amount.

8.5

7.6

Winner: Wix

. Wix offers a variety of hosting plans to suit different needs, including a free plan with limited storage and bandwidth. It uses a multi-cloud infrastructure and has 10 global data centers. Although it doesn’t offer an uptime guarantee, it has a high uptime of 99.95%. On the other hand, Squarespace offers proprietary cloud-based hosting with an uptime guarantee, but its uptime is slightly lower at 99.9%. Its data centers are scattered across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Do they offer hosting?	Yes, included in all paid plans and a free plan with limited features	Yes, included in all paid plans
Data Centers:	10 globally: USA (Ashburn, Virginia; Los Angeles, California; Miami, Florida), Germany (Frankfurt), Israel (Tel Aviv), India (Mumbai), Brazil (São Paulo), Singapore, South Korea (Seoul), and Taiwan (Taipei)	Scattered across North America, Europe, and Asia
Type of hosting:	Multi-Cloud Infrastructure (AWS, GCP, own data centers)	Proprietary cloud-based hosting
Uptime:	99.95%	99.9%
Uptime Guarantee:	No	Yes

8.3

6.7

🏆 Winner: Wix

Both Wix and Squarespace prioritize website performance and page speed, but Wix outperforms Squarespace in this area.

Focus	Media optimization, CDN, Mobile-first	Responsive design, image optimization, CDN, code minification, lazy loading of images
Performance Tools	Google PageSpeed Insights Integration	Google Lighthouse, PageSpeed Insights
Key Strategies	Media optimization, CDN, Mobile-first	Responsive design, image optimization, CDN, code minification, lazy loading of images
Load Times	0.8s to 3.5s (Average: 1.6s)	0.7s to 9.1 s (Average: 2.9s)
Page Speed Scores Range	34/100 to 98/100 (Average: 81.9/100)	20/100 to 93/100 (Average: 62.7/100)
Core Web Vitals Improvement	25% increase in good CWV scores over a year	Emphasis on LCP, FID, CLS improvements

Wix has significantly focused on enhancing website performance and page speed, integrating tools like the Site Speed dashboard with Google PageSpeed Insights to provide a holistic view of website performance metrics. Emphasizing media optimization, code simplification, content distribution networks, lazy load techniques, and mobile-first designs, Wix’s infrastructure includes globally distributed CDNs, improving content delivery. Wix saw a 25% increase in sites with good CWV scores over a year. Real-world performance analysis of 909 Wix websites showed a wide range of page speed scores from 34/100 to 98/100, averaging 81.9/100, with the Largest Contentful Paint an important metric for website loading, ranged from 0.8 seconds to 3.5 seconds, with an average of 1.6 seconds.

Squarespace, like Wix, places a strong emphasis on website performance and page speed. Squarespace’s approach to enhancing site speed includes responsive design, image optimization, CDN, code minification, and lazy loading of images. Analysis of Squarespace sites showed a range of page speed scores from 20/100 to 93/100, averaging 62.7/100, and load times varying from 0.7 seconds to 9.1 seconds, with an average of 2.9 seconds. Squarespace also emphasizes on LCP, FID, CLS improvements for Core Web Vitals. However, despite these efforts, Squarespace falls behind Wix in terms of website speed optimization.

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8.2

6.8

🏆 Winner: Wix.

With a score of 8.2, Wix offers a more extensive range of plugins and integrations compared to Squarespace, which scores 6.8. Wix’s App Market boasts over 500 apps, offering a variety of functionalities to enhance website features. On the other hand, Squarespace lacks an official app store but supports integrations and extensions through custom code injection and third-party tools.

While both platforms offer a range of functionalities, Wix’s plugins and integrations extend its functionality across various domains, including advanced ecommerce tools, SEO optimization, social media integration, email marketing, website analytics, appointment scheduling, customer support, enhanced media galleries, blogging features, custom forms and surveys, diverse payment processing options, website localization, improved security measures, and the addition of custom widgets. Squarespace, on the other hand, offers plugins for ecommerce and payments, analytics and tracking, and content and functionality.

In terms of top integrations, Wix’s include Google Analytics, Mailchimp, social media platforms, Wix Stores, Wix Bookings, Wix SEO Wiz, Wix Blog, Wix Forms, PayPal, Wix Chat, Wix Events, Zapier, Wix Video, Wix Music, and Google Ads. Squarespace’s top integrations cover email marketing with Mailchimp, comprehensive SEO optimization through Yoast SEO and Rank Math, user behavior analytics with Hotjar, and varied payment options with Stripe, PayPal, ShipStation, and Afterpay.

Overall, Wix provides a more comprehensive set of tools to improve a website’s capabilities, making it the winner in this category.

Wix Applications

Squarespace Applications

8.4

8.1

🏆

Overall Winner: Wix

. Wix edges out Squarespace with a slightly higher score, offering a more comprehensive suite of marketing tools. Squarespace, however, offers robust features for email marketing and blogging, making it a strong contender.

SEO Tools
Email Marketing
Blogging
Social Media Integration	Advanced integration for selling directly on social platforms	Direct linking and selling on social platforms, plus feed displays on-site
Analytics and Reporting	Detailed analytics for in-depth insights	Detailed insights into website performance and visitor behavior
Ads and Promotions	Google Ads integration; sophisticated ad campaign management	Integration with Google Ads and tools for managing sophisticated ad campaigns

8.2

7.8

🏆 Winner: Wix

. Wix edges out Squarespace in this category with a customer support score of 8.2 compared to Squarespace’s 7.8. Wix offers phone support, 24/7 live chat in multiple languages, and a large community forum. Wix Enterprise also provides a dedicated account manager, VIP support, customized solutions, and additional resources like flexible billing and early access to beta features.

Squarespace, on the other hand, offers live chat, email support, a community forum, and a comprehensive help center. While live chat and phone support are limited to weekdays, email support is available 24/7. Squarespace Enterprise offers a personal account manager, priority support with extended hours, strategic guidance, and advanced security measures.

8.5

8.8

🏆

Winner: Squarespace

. Squarespace edges out Wix in terms of security with a score of 8.8 compared to Wix’s 8.5. Squarespace prioritizes data privacy and security through secure server storage, encryption, strict access controls, and compliance with regulations such as GDPR and CCPA. They also offer vulnerability scanning and malware detection, which are crucial for maintaining a secure website.

Wix also prioritizes website and data security, offering secure servers, encryption, and compliance with privacy regulations. They also provide strict access controls, regular security audits, and additional features like two-factor authentication. However, Squarespace’s additional security measures give it a slight edge in this category.

8.7

7.5

Personalized Design	Wix ADI offers tailored design suggestions based on user inputs
SEO Optimization	AI-guided SEO advice for optimal content placement and structure	AI-powered SEO optimization guidance
Customer Behavior Analysis	Advanced analytics to understand customer preferences	Insights for personalized email marketing campaigns based on customer behavior and purchase history
Sales Predictions	AI-powered sales forecasting tools
Inventory Management		AI insights for inventory management
Content Generation	AI assistance in creating and optimizing site content	AI-generated diverse content including product descriptions, website copy, blog posts, social media captions, and email marketing content

🏆 Winner: Wix

. Wix’s AI capabilities, particularly through its Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI)
system, are highly user-friendly and innovative. It excels in offering personalized website design suggestions, content
optimization, and streamlined site setup processes. Wix’s AI also assists in providing SEO recommendations and
layout adjustments based on user behavior.

Squarespace, with a score of 7.5, utilizes AI to enhance the ecommerce experience and content creation. Its AI features focus on SEO optimization, related product recommendations, email marketing insights, inventory management insights, and content generation. While Squarespace’s AI is powerful, it is not as comprehensive as Wix’s AI.

8.2

7.4

🏆 Winner: Wix

. Managing your online team with Wix and Squarespace involves different approaches to website editing access.

• Wix allows unlimited editors regardless of the plan, but caution is needed with 50+ editors to avoid potential
  backend performance issues. It excels for large, collaborative teams.
• The number of users with editing access on your Squarespace website varies by plan. The Personal Plan allows one owner, Business and Commerce Plans permit 2 collaborators with different access levels, and the Enterprise Plan offers unlimited users, each with customizable access privileges, from full administrators to restricted contributors.

Both platforms support simultaneous editing. Wix uses avatar icons to indicate co-workers, while Squarespace displays a warning for concurrent editing, preventing accidental overwrites.

Wix User Roles and Access Levels:

Squarespace User Roles and Access Levels:

Additional Features

SSL Certificate
Custom Domain
Free Custom Domain Included
International Domains
Mobile Responsive
Page Speed
Website Builder Mobile App
Convert a Website To An App
Website Analytics
Multilingual Sites
Multiple Users

User Feedback

Wix

1641 reviews

4.2 out of 5 starts

Squarespace

1049 reviews

4.4 out of 5 starts

Wix, with a rating of 4.2/5 on G2, is well-regarded and caters to a diverse set of website requirements beyond just ecommerce. This inclusive strategy attracts a broad user audience but might not align as closely with individuals prioritizing advanced ecommerce features.

On the other hand, Squarespace, rated 4.4/5 on G2, is well-liked for its easy-to-use interface and versatile tools, making it ideal for those who aren’t tech-savvy. It offers various features like website creation, SEO, online selling, and more, catering to different users. Customers appreciate its good customer support and visually appealing templates, creating a professional online presence. However, some users find issues with domain transfer/setup, limited customization options, and consider the pricing slightly higher. There are also occasional concerns about customer service and technical limitations like template rigidity and missing features.

FAQ