Wix vs Squarespace: Which Is Better for a Small Business?

TL;DR: Wix and Squarespace both make you build the site yourself. If you’d rather not, WebZum builds a multi-page site for you for $19/mo, paid month to month, and you can see it free before you pay. If you do want to build it, Wix gives you a free plan to start, built-in bookings and more layout freedom; Squarespace gives you a tighter style system. Wix lists Light at $17/mo and Core at $29/mo billed yearly; Squarespace lists Basic at $19/mo billed yearly or $25/mo month to month. Both give a 14-day refund, and neither lets you switch templates once your site is built.

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Disclosure: WebZum publishes this blog and makes a competing website builder. Wix and Squarespace prices and rules below come from their own pricing and help pages, linked inline.

Verified October 27, 2026. Prices are US list prices shown that day and can change.

Is Wix or Squarespace better for a small business?

It depends on how you work. Wix gives you more room to move things around and more built-in business tools; Squarespace gives you fewer choices, which makes it harder to end up with a messy site.

Both are big, established platforms. W3Techs, which tracks the software behind websites, says Wix runs 4.2% of all websites and Squarespace 2.4% as of October 27, 2026 (W3Techs). Neither is going away next year.

Here’s how we judged them for a local business owner (a plumber, a salon, a bakery), not a designer or an online store:

1. What it costs to run the site with your own domain.
2. What happens if you change your mind (refunds, switching designs, leaving).
3. Tools a local business actually uses: bookings, forms, a second language.
4. How much of the building you have to do yourself.

How much do Wix and Squarespace cost in 2026?

On yearly billing they start within a couple of dollars of each other. The difference is how you pay.

Wix lists four paid plans: Light $17/mo, Core $29/mo, Business $39/mo and Business Elite $159/mo. Wix’s footnote says “displayed prices are for yearly subscriptions, paid in full at the time of purchase,” and that prices “vary by location” (Wix plans). We didn’t see a month-to-month price on the US page.

Squarespace shows both. Basic is $19/mo billed yearly or $25/mo billed monthly; Core is $29 or $39; Plus is $49 or $65; Advanced is $99 or $139 (Squarespace pricing). Squarespace says paying annually saves “up to 36%.”

A few details that change the real price:

• Free plan. Wix has one. Squarespace doesn’t: “Squarespace doesn’t offer a free plan, but every site starts with a free trial,” and that trial is 14 days (Squarespace pricing). On Wix, a paid plan is what lets you “connect your own domain, remove Wix branding from your site, and more” (Wix plans).
• Free domain. Both give a free domain for the first year on yearly plans, and both renew it at the normal rate after that. Wix’s voucher is only for a new domain bought through Wix, must be redeemed within 60 days and “cannot be used to renew an existing domain” (Wix plans).
• Selling. Squarespace Basic charges a “2% online store transaction fee”; Core and up have none. Card rates start at 2.9% + $0.30 (Squarespace pricing).
• Bookings. Wix lists “Scheduling and services” on Core and up, not on Light (Wix plans). Squarespace pitches Core as “a foundation for service businesses” (Squarespace pricing).
• Storage. Wix Light has 2 GB, Core 50 GB, Business 100 GB (Wix plans). Fine for a service business; tight if you post a lot of video.

What does each one cost over 36 months?

Here’s the plain math at today’s list prices, for a site on your own domain. WebZum Basic is the one row on a WebZum address; it’s there as the no-DIY option. It leaves out domain renewals after year one, taxes and any price changes at renewal, so treat it as a floor.

To be fair to them: if you’re happy to build the site yourself and pay a year up front, Wix Light and Squarespace Basic are cheaper than WebZum’s custom-domain plan. WebZum Basic is $19/mo on a WebZum address. What you’re paying WebZum for is that it writes and builds the site for you and lets you leave any month.

Can I get a refund from Wix or Squarespace?

Yes, but only in the first 14 days, and Squarespace only refunds yearly plans.

Wix says you “can cancel within 14 days and receive a full refund,” and that “this applies to the initial upgrade to a Premium plan” (Wix plans), so renewals aren’t covered.

Squarespace refunds “annual website subscriptions canceled within 14 days of purchase” and lists what it doesn’t refund: annual plans after 14 days, “monthly plans,” and renewal payments. If you cancel a yearly plan inside the 14 days, “the cost of the domain is deducted from your refund” (Squarespace Help).

So on Squarespace, the month-to-month plan is the flexible one, but it’s never refundable. WebZum gives every plan a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Can I change my template later on Wix or Squarespace?

No, on either. This is the thing people find out too late.

Wix: “It is not currently possible to change your site’s template, even if you haven’t added any content or elements.” The workaround is building a new site and copying things over (Wix Help). Wix also lists what doesn’t come with you to the new site, including “Site theme, design and layout,” contacts, Wix Bookings and Wix Stores (Wix Help).

Squarespace: “There’s no template switching in version 7.1,” because every 7.1 site shares the same features and style options (Squarespace Help). That sounds like a limit, but it cuts the other way too. You can restyle the whole site with fonts, colors and themes at any time without rebuilding (Squarespace Help).

In practice: on Wix, pick your template carefully because a redesign means a rebuild. On Squarespace, the starting design matters less.

Which is easier to use?

Squarespace, for most people. Wix’s editor lets you drag almost anything anywhere, which is freeing but means more chances to end up with something that looks off on a phone. Squarespace keeps you inside sections and site-wide styles, so it’s harder to break.

Both now have AI help to get started. Wix lists “AI creation tools” on every plan (Wix plans), and Squarespace offers Blueprint AI to build a starting design (Squarespace Help). Squarespace meters it: Basic gets 10 AI credits once, Core 20 a month (Squarespace pricing). Either way, you still do the writing, the page choices and the layout tweaks yourself.

Which one handles Spanish or other languages better?

Wix. It has a multilingual setup, including right-to-left languages like Arabic and Hebrew (Wix Help). Squarespace’s help center says “there isn’t currently a built-in way to add right-to-left (RTL) text to a Squarespace site” (Squarespace Help), and a translated version usually means a third-party add-on like Weglot.

If a lot of your customers speak Spanish, this matters more than any price difference.

What’s the third option if I don’t want to build it myself?

Both Wix and Squarespace hand you a template and a blank page of decisions. WebZum works the other way: you describe your business and it writes and builds the pages, then you change things by typing what you want.

Here’s what that looked like when we tested it on our own demo sites (screen recordings, October 2026):

• Adding a second language. On our Copper Thimble salon demo, we typed “add a spanish version of the site.” It asked whether we wanted the whole site in Spanish or a language option in the header. We said the header option, clicked Update Languages, and a language menu appeared about 15 seconds later. Switching to Español translated the page a few seconds after that.
• Adding a page. On our Blue Mesa Auto Repair demo, we typed “we fix car ac too, can u add a page for that.” It offered an Add Page button, and about a minute later there was an AC Repair page in the menu. No template picker, no blank page.

When is WebZum the better pick?

• You don’t want to build or design the site yourself. WebZum writes the pages, picks the photos and builds the menu.
• You’d rather change things by typing (“add a page for AC repair”) than learn an editor.
• You want to leave any month. Plans are month to month ($19 or $34), with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
• You want to see it before paying. The preview is free for 30 days.

When should I stick with Wix or Squarespace?

• You want built-in online booking or a real store. Wix Core and Squarespace Core have those; WebZum connects outside booking or payment tools instead.
• You want pixel-level design control. Wix’s editor gives you more of it.
• You want the lowest price and don’t mind building. Wix Light or Squarespace Basic billed yearly cost less than WebZum’s custom-domain plan.

How do I get a WebZum site?

1. Go to webzum.com/free-website and type your business name and what you do.
2. WebZum writes and builds a multi-page site in about five minutes.
3. Look it over and change anything by typing it, like you’d text someone.
4. It stays on a free 30-day preview while you decide. Basic is $19/mo; Professional, with your own domain, is $34/mo. Both are month to month with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

If you’re still choosing between the big names, our best website builder for small business guide covers more options, and our small business website cost breakdown covers what else you’ll pay for. Side-by-side pages: WebZum vs Wix and WebZum vs Squarespace.

FAQ

Wix vs Squarespace: which is better?

Wix is better if you want a free plan, built-in bookings, more layout freedom or a multilingual site. Squarespace is better if you want a simpler style system and a clear month-to-month price. Paid plans start at $17/mo (Wix Light, billed yearly) and $19/mo (Squarespace Basic, billed yearly) (Wix, Squarespace).

Is Squarespace more expensive than Wix?

Slightly, at the entry level. Squarespace Basic is $19/mo yearly vs Wix Light at $17/mo yearly. At the next tier both are $29/mo billed yearly (Wix, Squarespace).

Does Wix or Squarespace have a free plan?

Wix does. Squarespace doesn’t; it gives a 14-day free trial instead (Squarespace). On Wix’s free plan you can’t connect your own domain or remove Wix branding (Wix).

Can I move my site from Wix to Squarespace?

Not automatically. Neither one imports the other’s design, and Wix won’t even move a site to a new Wix template. Plan on rebuilding the pages and moving your domain. Wix lists bookings, contacts and store data among the things that don’t transfer between sites (Wix Help).

Which is better for a service business like a plumber or salon?

Either works. If you need online booking built in, look at Wix Core or Squarespace Core, both $29/mo billed yearly. If you mostly need people to find you and call, a simpler site is enough, and WebZum can build one for you free to preview.

Can I get my money back if I don’t like it?

Within 14 days on both, and on Squarespace only for yearly plans (Wix, Squarespace Help). WebZum’s guarantee is 30 days on every plan.

Want to see what a done-for-you site looks like before you choose? Get your free WebZum preview. It takes about five minutes.