Web design isn't what it used to be. In 2003, I spent weeks hand-coding an HTML website. (With a physical copy of HTML for Dummies next to my keyboard, of course.) In 2016, I spent days designing a client's website in WordPress. Last weekend, I spent 60 seconds
watching an AI tool create a website for me.Site-building tools have made incredible leaps over the last two decades. While pre-designed templates have long existed as a way to make the web design process less painful, the real paradigm shifts have come from recent advances in AI. Website building apps are also increasingly comprehensive, including not just design tools but also support for eCommerce, lead generation, marketing, and analytics.
Wix and Squarespace are two of the most popular website-building apps. To test them, I created multiple websites using each tool. In this article, I'll explain the pros and cons of Wix and Squarespace so you can decide which makes sense for you.
Wix vs. Squarespace at a glance
Here's a quick summary of the differences between these two site-building apps.
Wix is best for small businesses. With Wix's robust all-in-one marketing suite, you can create websites (with the help of AI), organize leads, send emails, run ad campaigns, and manage social media. If your business only has basic marketing needs, you can run your entire digital operation from the Wix dashboard.
Squarespace is best for brands and solopreneurs. With attractive designs and AI tools that speed up the website creation process, Squarespace makes it easy to quickly create a professional web presence. It also has a comprehensive set of eCommerce features, including creator-friendly tools for selling subscriptions and online courses.
|
Wix |
Squarespace |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Ease of use |
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Wix is easy to set up and intuitive to use, though its interface can sometimes feel crowded. |
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Squarespace's minimalist interface makes navigation easy, but some features are hard to find. |
|
Design & templates |
⭐⭐⭐⭐ With 800+ templates, it's easy to find what you need (though some designs feel generic). |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Slick and professional designs make it hard to tell you're using a site-building app. |
|
AI features |
⭐⭐⭐ Wix's AI chatbot is easy to use, but its outputs aren't as ready for publishing as Squarespace's. |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An impressive AI site-building solution that takes the headache out of getting started. |
|
eCommerce |
⭐⭐⭐⭐ A comprehensive eCommerce suite that includes advanced features like sales forecasting. |
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Robust eCommerce features; Squarespace is a stronger option for creators selling courses and digital products. |
|
Marketing |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An all-in-one marketing suite, including email automation, social posting, ad campaigns, and more. |
⭐⭐⭐ Squarespace's built-in email automation tool is impressive, but requires a paid add-on; other marketing features are limited. |
|
Pricing |
⭐⭐⭐ Wix's Light plan is $17/month, while its eCommerce-enabled plans start at $29/month. |
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Squarespace's entry-level Personal plan is $14/month; its eCommerce-enabled plans start at $22/month. |
|
Integrations |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Hundreds of integrations via Wix App Market; integrates with thousands more apps via Zapier. |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 40+ integrations via Squarespace Extensions; integrates with thousands more apps via Zapier. |
Squarespace's onboarding is slicker, but both have AI features that make it easy to get started
Going from "zero to website" using Wix or Squarespace has always been straightforward due to pre-built templates, but both apps now have AI tools that make it easier than ever. As you go through the onboarding process with each app, you'll be offered the option to use AI or choose a template. Unless you have a specific template in mind, AI is a better choice since it streamlines a lot of the initial setup.
Wix's AI tool is called Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI), and it comes in the form of a chatbot. It's a novel way to put a website together: it feels like a "website coach" is nudging you through the process. As you type, Wix distills your answers into a site profile, including essential details like your business's category, location, and goals.
I love the simplicity of Wix's chatbot user interface. It does have one unfortunate kink, though: at the end of the process, instead of seeing your website magically created in front of you (as Squarespace does), Wix drops you in the admin area. You then need to find your way to the Design Site button to take the next step.
Once you manage to initiate the AI site-building process, it's fun to watch Wix work: it automatically generates a site brief along with a preview of your website. Once your site is generated, you can confirm it and move forward, use AI to make tweaks, or regenerate the whole thing from scratch for an entirely different look.
Squarespace's AI tool, known as Blueprint AI, looks different from Wix. There's no chatbot, so Squarespace's onboarding feels more old-school, with traditional dropdown questions like "What's your site about?" But based on your answers, Squarespace starts to make assumptions about the kind of site you need: whether you need an appointments integration or eCommerce features, for example. You can then accept or modify those assumptions.
Squarespace also prompts you to choose a color scheme and fonts during the onboarding process. While Wix saves time by auto-generating those choices for you, Squarespace's approach makes it more likely that you'll like the first AI-generated output it presents.
While both apps offer AI text generation, Squarespace does a better job of integrating it into the onboarding process. After picking a writing style (I opted for "quirky") and inputting a short prompt, you end up with an AI-designed website that's full of content.
Wix has more templates, but Squarespace's designs are more professional
Squarespace and Wix are site-building pioneers: they've been refining their templates and drag-and-drop tools since the 2000s. Through decades of competition, their core design features have essentially converged. (For example, Wix was first to launch an AI design tool in 2016; Squarespace followed suit in 2023). As a result, many differences between Wix and Squarespace are more about style than substance.
The essential stylistic difference is this: minimalism versus maximalism. Wix has significantly more templates, integrations, and features than Squarespace. Most of Wix's features are integrated into a series of menus accessible from the editing interface, making it easy to find what you need; as a result, though, the jumble of menus, features, and buttons can make Wix feel cluttered.
By contrast, Squarespace's signature minimalistic interface is full of white space. Its default editing mode is "Full Screen," reducing distractions so you can focus on your design. As with Wix, you get classic drag-and-drop functionality: it's easy to do all the web builder functions you'd expect, from adding rows to deleting or replacing images. (If you're technically inclined, both Wix and Squarespace also allow you to dig directly into the code that powers your website.)
But Squarespace's minimalistic user interface can hurt its usability. For example, to add AI-generated text, you have to select the paragraph you want to edit and click on an unmarked lightning bolt symbol, which then expands to give you AI rewrite options. And to add elements to your design you need to first click an Add Blocks button, which then expands into a pop-up menu.
As spiffy as Squarespace's and Wix's new AI features are, old habits die hard: most users are accustomed to interacting with website builders via templates. Wix is the definite winner when it comes to quantity: with 800+ templates, you can find pre-built options for every niche. (I even found a Wix template for a Fish Supply Store.)
Squarespace, with 270+ templates, has fewer options than Wix. But while some of Wix's templates can feel generic, Squarespace's designs are bolder. They tend to be more polished, too: even designs for niche businesses, like a plant supply shop, are thoughtful and professional.
Both have strong eCommerce features, but Squarespace is a better choice for online creators
To test each platform's eCommerce capabilities, I created a test shop called Monster Mugs ("Our mugs are scary good") and went through the process of creating an online store using AI.
Wix started off strong: it understood my store's concept clearly, and even populated the design with sample mugs. But when it came time to edit, things got trickier. I found myself clicking around a lot in Wix's drag-and-drop editor before I realized that products can only be added in Wix's backend admin section; this resulted in a lot of jumping back and forth between the frontend and backend of the site.
With Squarespace, you can add products directly from the main interface: just click Selling and then Products. Each time you add a product, Squarespace automatically gives the product its own page, which users can navigate to for more details. It's easy to set product parameters for each item, like the quantity of stock, product variants, shipping options, and whether there's a sale or not. You can also promote related products, highlight customer reviews, and create upsales for specific items (something Wix doesn't offer natively).
Wix and Squarespace both allow you to accept online payments for services, set up recurring subscriptions, and sell digital products. Online creators may find Squarespace a better fit: unlike Wix, it offers the ability to host and sell access to courses, and also streamlines the process of creating a membership site or a paywalled blog. While anyone with a Squarespace website plan can create a course, serious creators will want to upgrade with a digital products add-on (starting at $12/month). Without upgrading, the default transaction fee is 9% and video storage is limited to 30 minutes.
Both Squarespace and Wix have roughly comparable analytics features and both are more user-friendly than dedicated analytics apps like Google Analytics. For example, with Squarespace, you can quickly jump to common eCommerce-related analytics, like Sales by Product, without having to fiddle with custom reports.
Wix is equally easy to use. One standout feature—which Squarespace doesn't offer—is its integrated sales forecasting. Wix analyzes your past sales to determine trends and predict sales over the coming weeks and months; you can even see a range of outcomes based on variables like whether or not you do additional marketing to boost revenue.
Wix's all-in-one marketing suite is incredibly comprehensive
Getting people to your sparkling-new Wix or Squarespace site is just the first step. Next, you need to nurture a relationship with them so they'll eventually be more primed to buy. Website builders have traditionally offered sparse marketing features, leading users to integrate services like Mailchimp or ConvertKit to fill in the gaps. But this is changing. Wix and Squarespace are increasingly becoming one-stop shops: you can now use either platform to manage leads, create segments, and send email blasts.
Wix has a more robust marketing offering than Squarespace. It's a complete marketing hub: you can collect leads, send emails, manage social media posts, and coordinate ad campaigns—all from the Wix dashboard. Wix also offers a unified inbox to consolidate customer messages from Facebook, email, and live chat. You can even use built-in tools to set up a referral program for customers.
I was particularly impressed by Wix's email automation features, which are included in all of its plans; Wix's library of pre-built automations reminds me of more sophisticated tools like ActiveCampaign.
Compared with Wix, Squarespace has a relatively sparse set of native marketing features. While its email automation suite is impressive, you'll need to pay extra: it starts at $5/month (3 campaigns and 500 emails/month) and goes up to $48/month (unlimited campaigns and 250,000 emails/month). Squarespace's marketing features also include a promotional pop-up, an announcement bar, and a URL builder to help create trackable campaigns.
Squarespace is slightly more affordable
It's cheaper to get started with Squarespace: you'll pay $14/month for Squarespace's Personal plan, while Wix's Light plan costs $17/month. Pricier plans unlock eCommerce tools and other advanced features. Squarespace's entry-level eCommerce plan—Commerce Basic—costs $22/month, while Wix's comparable Core plan costs $29/month.
Each app has plan-based limitations to keep in mind. Wix restricts your website's storage space and the number of collaborators you can have, while Squarespace sets no limits. Meanwhile, Squarespace only allows access to abandoned cart recovery emails—an essential eCommerce feature—if you subscribe to the highest-priced plan. (Wix offers abandoned cart emails on its entry-level eCommerce plan.)
Squarespace offers a 14-day free trial, while Wix offers a 14-day money back guarantee. You can test either app for free, though before publishing on Wix you'll need to choose a plan and pay.
Wix offers more integrations, but both connect with thousands of apps via Zapier
Wix features a built-in App Market with hundreds of free and paid apps in categories like SEO, social media, and appointment scheduling. (The selection is enormous: there 70+ apps just related to shipping and delivery.) While some apps are built directly by Wix, many are offered by third parties.
Squarespace Extensions is a similar app marketplace run by Squarespace. It doesn't have nearly as many apps as Wix; the 40+ apps it features tend to be high-profile SaaS companies, like Mailchimp and Taxjar, rather than apps by independent developers.
But you're not limited to the listed integrations for either of these apps. With Zapier, you can connect both
Wix andSquarespace to thousands of other apps. Learn more abouthow to automate Wix andhow to automate Squarespace, or get started with one of these pre-built workflows.Zapier is a no-code automation tool that lets you connect your apps into automated workflows, so that every person and every business can move forward at growth speed. Learn more about
how it works.Wix vs. Squarespace: Which is best?
Still not sure which website builder is right for you? Here are some final thoughts to keep in mind.
Choose Wix if you're looking for an all-in-one marketing suite. It's easy to spin up a personal website or eCommerce shop, and there are a huge variety of templates and apps to customize your online presence. But the real advantage is Wix's marketing features, which let you send emails, manage social media, and run paid ad campaigns—all from the Wix dashboard.
Choose Squarespace if an attractive, professional design is your top priority. With hundreds of slick website templates and a great AI site-building tool, Squarespace makes it easy to create designs that don't look like they were made by a drag-and-drop app. It's also a good choice for eCommerce brands and anyone selling digital products or courses.
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