Comparing Wix Vs SquareSpace was certainly an interesting task! If you’re reading this, you’re probably wondering which website builder is best for you. Well, it’s a good job you’ve arrived! Website builders generally do have similar features to equip you with the tools to make your perfect website.
However, there are also many difference between them, setting one platform apart from the other.
They’re two of the biggest names in the industry, both boasting individual features that set them apart. I’ve signed up and used both Wix and Squarespace in order to give you an accurate representation of each website builder.
1.Wix vs Squarespace: Responsive Design (Wix Wins)
User experience is something which cannot be ignored (and shouldn’t). 87% of consumers own and use a mobile device. It’s was estimated that 6.1 billion people will be using a smartphone by the year 2020! According to IMPACT, nearly 60% of mobile users would not recommend a business with a poor mobile site.
An important thing to do when creating your website is to test it. If you don’t, how will you know what it looks like to your users? There are various different tools you can use, like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test which will determine how well your website works on a mobile device. One of my favourite tools is Browser Stack which allows you to test over 2000 devices and browsers.
When designing a website using a website builder, I expect to be equipped with a mobile ready site. I experimented with Wix and Squarespace’s tools and features to see how easy it would be to design a mobile a website. Let’s take a look at the results!
Wix
Wix has loads of beautifully designed templates to choose from and it is the best free website builder. However, they don’t provide exclusive responsive templates. That’s not to say that their templates aren’t mobile ready, because most of them do appear to be.
It’s great if you’re simply looking to make a few changes to an existing template! But, if you want to add/remove features like blogs and forums, things get a little more tricky. Wix has a mobile interface editor which allows you to view a mobile version of your website and edit content as you please. The issue is that this can cause the process of creating a website to take a lot longer than other website builders.
If you’ve got the time though, Wix’s mobile editor is actually very powerful. There’s lots of advanced tools allowing you to create a mobile version of your website that’s either the same or entirely different to your desktop version. In my opinion this offers a lot more flexibility and control over how your mobile visitors view your website.
Squarespace
On the flip side, Squarespace’s templates are all mobile responsive. They can be used on desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobiles, with absolutely no effort or changes required. Their templates look absolutely effortless and I for sure love them!
Because all of Squarespace’s templates are designed by professionals, there’s a level of guarantee that other website builders don’t offer. If you’re not sure how your website will look, you can easily view it on a selection of devices and test it’s responsiveness in front of your own eyes.
SquareSpace has a built-in responsive designer. When you create content, images, etc. it will resize where appropriate to fit a range of devices. This means you won’t have to put in too much effort in order to ensure your visitors are getting the best experience. You won’t have to create multiple versions of your website, because SquareSpace’s intuitive responsive design does this for you.
It can be quite common for some content not to look great, and that’s down to the content you’re using. Instead of leaving you in the dark, SquareSpace helps it’s customers to resolve these common issues. When banners are cropping or images are distorted, SquareSpace explain how responsive design works. This helps to understand how you can choose the right content to ensure your website looks fantastic.
2.Wix vs Squarespace: Features (Squarespace Wins)
When you’re paying for a website builder, you want to be reassured that you’re getting the most for your money. I certainly do anyway! Features are of course dependent on what your own needs are, but it’s also possible to make a general assumption as to which builder offers more.
Wix
If you’re a complete beginner to building websites, Wix is a great choice. You can build websites, blogs, forums, and more, all with a few clicks. It’s not possible to list every feature that Wix offers, so I’m going to break down the main ones here:
- App Market: Whether you’re looking for a form builder or newsletter signup, the app market has it all. Apps unfortunately aren’t free, so you’ll need to pay a price on top of the standard Wix fee.
- eCommerce: You can build an online store within minutes! Wix’s store manager allows you to organise and filter products into collections, as well as creating options for sizes, colours, etc.
- Blog: It’s super easy to integrate a blog into your website. You can manage posts, social media, and comments all in one place.
- Forums: Does your website have a need for a forum? Sure it does! It’s simple to add a forum to your website where users can interact with each other and post thoughts/ideas.
Many website builders use elements. Elements can describe a range of items like images, shapes, videos, etc. Wix has an insanely large collection of elements for you to use. Anything you could possibly need for your website is available (with even more added on top).
In my personal opinion, I love the amount of choice Wix offers. However, I can understand that too much choice can also be a problem. Users don’t like to feel overwhelmed, but I don’t think that’s the case with Wix’s elements. There’s so much to choose from but I don’t feel they’ve gone overboard.
Some of Wix’s elements don’t feel that intuitive. Sometimes it comes across like they’ve given lots of choice but haven’t thought about how each element interacts, or where to find it. But Wix is extremely flexible; whether you’re looking for shapes, icons, navigation, buttons, etc. you’ll be able to find something that suits your needs.
Squarespace
Squarespace offers very similar features to Wix, bar the app market. What I feel sets Squarespace aside though is their advanced approach to existing tools and features. Don’t get me wrong, Squarespace is really user-friendly, but I feel it offers more to those who aren’t just beginners:
- Import/Export: As well as creating your own blog with Squarespace, you can import content. That’s right, if you have WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, etc. you can bring your content over to your site.
- App management: If you need to make any changes to your Squarespace site on the go, there are iOS and Android apps to access your account.
- Developer platform: Confident with code? Squarespace allows you to change any code on your website so you’re not stuck with your template looking the same as everyone elses.
- Access levels: Having a team of people manage your website can be useful. Especially if you’re running an eCommerce store. Squarespace gives you the option to manage multiple contributors with different access levels.
SquareSpace has a gigantic array of features. Like Wix, they also use elements to assist users in building and designing their website. SquareSpace appear to think outside the box, offering their customers solutions to annoying problems like restaurant menus. When you create a menu using a website builder, you’re restricted to size and things can get a bit tricky.
SquareSpace have created their own coding language which ensures the likes of restaurant menus are no longer an issue! It may seem like a minor problem, but I for sure would choose a website builder that offered solutions like this.
3. Wix vs Squarespace: Customer Support (Wix Wins)
Whether you’re hosting a website or building one, customer support is incredibly important. Although many website builders are intuitive and offer helpful hints and tips, there’s always going to be occasions where you require additional support.
Customer service (for me) takes into consideration a few elements. In my opinion, great customer service offers the following:
- A variety of contact methods
- Instant support available (like live chat)
- Quick response times
- Helpful customer support agents
In my experience, both Wix and Squarespace have offered outstanding support. In fairness I’ve never really needed to contact them, but as a test I did. I wanted to see if they ticked the boxes in terms of customer support.
Wix
Wix’s help center is divided into categories in order to provide quick navigation. Categories include getting started, billing, mailboxes, domains, and lots lots more. They have a trending topics section too, where you may find the answer to your question.
If you want general help and advice, Wix points it’s users to it’s help center. If for some reason you can’t find the answer there, you can open a support ticket. Their support tickets get answered in a very reasonable time frame (in my experience), but don’t provide instant support.
Highlights of Wix’s customer support include:
- Every element in Wix has an icon you can click to learn more
- Large help center
- Videos and how-to articles
- Ticket support
- Phone support (Mon-Fri 5am-5pm PST)
Squarespace
SquareSpace’s knowledge base provides a similar feel to Wix’s help center. There are plenty of categories to find answers to burning questions you may have. My favourite thing about SquareSpace’s support is their popular guides. They offer advice on some key features that your website may need, like how to increase SEO.
They have step by step tutorials, video guides, and related articles to ensure you receive the best advice possible. They also provide a community forum where you can chat to other members who may be able to help you further.
If you’re still stuck, you can contact SquareSpace by choosing the relevant option on their contact us page. They’ll provide potential solutions to your chosen topic, or you can contact them via email or live chat.
Highlights of SquareSpace’s customer support include:
- Tutorials
- Workshops held in New York office
- Wide knowledge-base and guides
- Forum
- Email support
- Live chat support
4. Wix vs Squarespace: Pricing (Wix Wins)
Both website builders offer a range of pricing plans catering to different requirements. Wix has 5 plans and Squarespace has 2 plans for website users and 2 plans for eCommerce users. It’s hard to directly compare all of the prices available as they differ so much, so I’ve tried to outline some key elements for you:
| Wix | Squarespace | |
| Pricing | Connect (£3/month) Combo (£6/month) Unlimited (£8.50/month) eCommerce (£11/month) VIP (£16/month) | Personal (£10/month) Business (£15/month) Basic (£20/month) Advanced (£30/month) |
| Free Plan | Brand ads on Free | No free option |
| Domains | 1-year domain on Combo+ | Free domain on all plans |
| SSL | SSL licence additional | Free SSL licence |
| eCommerce | Online store on eCommerce+ | Online store on Business+ |
| Marketing | £60 ad vouchers on Combo+ | £80 AdWords on Business |
Wix
Overall, Wix’s plans are cheaper than Squarespace’s. If price is all you’re worried about, Wix would seem like the sensible option. You can choose Wix’s free plan, but you’ll have a Wix branded advert displayed on your website at all times.
You’ll also have a Wix domain e.g. (mywebsite.wix.com) which in my opinion doesn’t look very professional. If you’re willing to pay for your website, Wix offers tiered pricing to suit all users, from beginners to experts, blogs to online stores.
SquareSpace
Squarespace is more on the pricey side and they don’t offer a free plan. If you want to try their services, you can opt into their 14 day free trial.
If you know what you want from your website builder, Squarespace offers more features than most I’ve seen, so their hefty price tag really does seem worth it. If you’ve never used a website builder before and want a more professional look, give Squarespace a go for free to start off with.
Wix vs Squarespace: Conclusion
To be honest, Wix wins hands down. I’ve used it for many sites over the past few years and it’s my “go-to” website builder.
Wix is a great platform if you’ve never created a website before. It’s also pretty handy if you want to edit the entire content of your site including it’s positioning on desktop and mobile. Wix’s ease of use makes it a perfect choice if you’re not too fussed about having every feature available to you.
You’ll honestly have a different experience with both website builders; neither of them are sub-standard to the other. They have both positioned themselves well in their market, providing the tools and resources to build a professional website from scratch at their reflected prices.