Wix vs. WordPress vs. Squarespace: best builder guide

Building websites has never been easier. Thanks to modern website builders, anyone with the most basic understanding of web pages can design, populate, and even launch a functional website in mere minutes.

However, choosing the right web builder is crucial. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of web builders out there. But WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace are three of the most popular options. Each of the three builders has unique features and functions catering to different needs and skill levels.

Question is, which is the best — Squarespace, Wix, or WordPress?

This guide is a detailed walkthrough of the three platforms. Read on to figure out the most suitable builder for your next web project.

Overview of Wix key features

Wix is a cloud-based platform known for its intuitive and easy-to-use web editor. It has a true and simple drag-and-drop function, allowing for codeless web design. This makes Wix popular among novice web designers and those looking to create websites without writing code.

Wix key features include:

• Intuitive drag-and-drop editor
• AI website builder
• Over 900 designer-made web templates
• Built-in SEO and marketing tools
• Domains and web hosting services
• Free blog maker
• E-commerce website builder
• Integrated online scheduling software
• Enterprise-grade cybersecurity

Overview of WordPress key features

WordPress is arguably the most popular website builder and content management system (CMS) worldwide. WordPress CMS powers nearly half (43.4%) of all live websites today. A CMS system is essentially a platform that helps users create, modify, and manage content on their website.

WordPress builders come in two versions: WordPress.org and WordPress.com. WordPress.org is an open-source blogging and CMS platform. It gives you the WordPress source code, which you can then upload to your website or hosting provider. You can still build websites using WordPress.org, though it may require coding and other technical web design skills.

On the other hand, WordPress.com is a fully-fledged website builder with easy-to-use drag-and-drop functions, customizable themes, and designer templates. The builder is based on the WordPress source code. It basically offers an easier way to create WordPress websites.

WordPress key features include:

• Managed hosting
• Easy drag-and-drop functions with block editor
• Vast community and strong user support
• Powerful SEO and marketing tools
• Flexible content management
• Massive library of web-building resources
• Expandable capabilities using plugins and third-party apps

Overview of Squarespace key features

Squarespace is a design-focused website builder. The platform is best known for its award-winning professional-quality templates with a clean, modern look. Squarespace is a popular choice for quick, easy, and code-free web building. It’s especially favored by creatives and online entrepreneurs looking to design visually stunning websites.

Squarespace key features include:

• Massive library of beautiful designer templates
• Intuitive drag-and-drop editor
• Strong focus on aesthetics, responsiveness, and user experience
• Wide range of creator tools
• Intelligent design
• Support for accelerated mobile pages (AMP)
• Built-in marketing and SEO tools
• All-in-one platform with design, hosting, domains, e-commerce, and marketing

Wix vs. WordPress vs. Squarespace: which platform is easiest to use?

Ease of use is a major consideration when choosing a website builder. So, are WordPress, Squarespace, and Wix all that user-friendly?

Well, the three platforms are fundamentally designed to make web building as easy as possible for everyone. However, each platform’s simplicity will depend on your web design skill level and expertise. Also, keep in mind that some websites are easier to build than others.

Here’s a general overview and comparison of WordPress, Squarespace, and Wix in terms of user-friendliness.

Wix has a simple drag-and-drop editor 

Wix is often praised for its incredibly easy-to-use editor. That is thanks to its highly intuitive and compliant drag-and-drop feature. The drag-and-drop interface lets users place any web element wherever they like on a web page. It’s the definition of true drag-and-drop.

Additionally, Wix’s onboarding process is pretty straightforward. AI prompts and guided steps help new users get started quickly.

However, this simplicity comes with a few limitations. These two limitations, in particular, may affect your build’s long-term flexibility and scalability:

• Limited export

Wix websites are not transferable. Everything is hosted and managed exclusively on Wix servers. That becomes a problem when you decide to migrate your website to a different platform. You cannot transfer all your design elements and content onto the new platform. And even the few elements that might get transferred may develop compatibility issues.

• Restricted analytics

Wix does provide basic web analytic features, such as CRM and traffic monitoring. However, these may fall short of the analytical requirements of most modern businesses. The platform’s limited analytical depth can hinder entrepreneurs hoping to gain detailed insights into their website’s performance.

WordPress is easy to use and set up

WordPress strikes the perfect balance between ease of use and flexibility. To set up a WordPress site, you must select a hosting provider, install WordPress, and choose a theme. That might seem daunting at first, but many hosting providers have special facilities for WordPress websites that make it easier to install WordPress and customize UI themes.

Once properly set up, the WordPress dashboard is intuitive and easy to use. You can manage content, install plugins, and customize the website in just a few clicks. It takes minutes to get a WordPress site up and running, even for those with no advanced web development skills.

However, it must be said that compared to Wix and Squarespace, WordPress has a steeper learning curve and takes a lot of getting used to. The upside is, WordPress gives you far more control over the build’s functionality, design, look, and feel.

Moreover, WordPress’s capabilities are highly extendable through plugins. The WordPress Plugin Directory alone has over 60,000 plugins, ranging from simple forms to multimedia editors.

However, try not to get carried away by all the plugins. Loading a website with too many WordPress plugins can negatively affect performance and user experience. Overreliance on plugins can also lead to compatibility issues, especially after core updates are released. Some of the premium plugins can be quite pricy too. So, cost is another thing to consider when enriching a WordPress site using plugins.

Squarespace with its design-focused interface

As we mentioned earlier, Squarespace has a clean and intuitive interface focused on visual design. Like Wix, Squarespace has a compliant, easy-to-use drag-and-drop tool. This combination of features makes Squarespace an easy choice for beginners wanting sleek, professional-looking websites.

Squarespace templates have structured layouts and are visually stunning right out of the box. They are customizable, of course, but you’ll find that they are a bit rigid. You get the sense that each template is meant to be used as is, with minimal (if any) changes to the fundamental layout. Luckily, there are over 100 professionally designed templates to choose from.

Squarespace is great for developing sites without dwelling so much on the design. Most of the designing is already done for you. However, the editor’s usability and navigation could do with some improvements. For instance, the UI has only one sub-navigation, making it cumbersome to build larger websites that require a deep menu hierarchy.

Wix vs. WordPress vs. Squarespace on design flexibility

Let’s look at how each website builder fares regarding design flexibility.

Over 900 customizable templates on Wix

Wix has a rather extensive library of templates. Its 900+ templates are visually pleasing and easy to customize.

However, once you select a template, you cannot change it without starting over. So, you’re basically stuck with the first template you pick. The only way to get around this is by creating custom blocks manually. But doing so can lead to unpredictable behavior, such as poor responsiveness and scaling. Also, adjusting layouts manually can make it difficult to achieve consistent design across multiple platforms or even within the same website.

That said, Wix’s design flexibility is sufficient for many users. But if you’re looking for more advanced customization, you might find the platform lacking.

WordPress’s customizable themes and plugins

WordPress is king when it comes to web design flexibility. With thousands of modifiable themes (both free and premium), you can customize a WordPress site practically any way you like. On top of that, you can enhance the site’s functionality using countless plugins.

Code-based customization is on the table too. Plugins like Elementor and Oxygen let you tweak themes and web elements on the fly using code.

Clearly, WordPress flexibility is virtually limitless. This level of flexibility gives you complete control over the website’s appearance, functionality, and useability. However, the more advanced customizations call for a deeper understanding of web development.

Rigid customization on squarespace 

Squarespace does allow users to customize templates and web elements, but the flexibility is somewhat limited compared to Wix and WordPress.

The restricted customization can sometimes limit the user’s design options. For example, font sizes are set globally, meaning you can’t adjust them manually for different devices. This can be a problem for builders seeking precise control over user experience across multiple devices.

However, the beautifully designed templates come readily optimized for various screen sizes.

Which is the best website builder for SEO?

SEO (search engine optimization) is a crucial web development consideration. Let’s see how our three website builders stack up in terms of SEO performance.

Wix built-In SEO features

Wix offers a decent suite of easy-to-use SEO features. It guides users through basic SEO cues such as URL structures, meta tags, structured data markups, and alt text for images. The platform also automatically generates an XML sitemap, helping search engines crawl and index websites more effectively.

While Wix SEO features are pretty robust, they do not cover all aspects of SEO. These tools lack the depth and sophistication needed for advanced, comprehensive SEO.

WordPress SEO tools

WordPress excels in SEO thanks to its rich library of plugins and virtually unlimited flexibility. Robust SEO plugins such as Yoast SEO and Rank Math enable users to optimize content, on-page elements, and even technical web attributes for maximum visibility. 

The beauty of WordPress is that it gives you complete control over your site’s SEO performance. You won’t even get bogged down by abstracted code. If necessary, you can alter the code to give your site a unique SEO edge.

Squarespace SEO capabilities

Squarespace offers more or less the same SEO tools as Wix. And like Wix, the platform is designed with SEO in mind. For basic SEO, things like automatic markups, sitemap, and on-page settings, Squarespace’s in-built SEO tools will suffice.

But if you’re looking for more advanced or technical SEO settings, Squarespace may be a bit limiting. For example, you can’t fully optimize the site’s speed by fiddling with the back-end structure, removing unnecessary Java script, or reducing DNS lookups and HTTP requests. Also, you can’t configure most technical SEO features, such as XML sitemap and robots.txt.

Pricing and value for money 

Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress.com are all premium website builders. You pay a subscription fee to use any of these platforms. However, they are not all priced the same.

Wix pricing

Wix offers a four-tier pricing plan. The lowest tier starts at $17 per month, while the highest goes for $159 per month. Each plan is all-inclusive, covering hosting, storage, and services.

The pricing is pretty straightforward and affordable too. But it can get expensive if you need to add advanced features and premium apps.

Wix offers a free plan as well. While you can still build a site on the free plan, it comes with Wix ads, no premium features, and you can’t connect to a custom domain. It’s basically there for trial purposes.

Source: wix.com

WordPress pricing

WordPress itself is free, but you do need to pay for hosting and premium themes and plugins. This modular pricing puts you in control of costs. You can decide how much you want to spend on a WordPress website.

If you choose to build your site using WordPress.com, prices start at $4 per month.

WordPress sites are sometimes more expensive than Wix or Squarespace sites. But pound for pound, you get more from WordPress. If you’re building a complex, highly customized site, it might make sense to go the more costly WordPress route. WordPress is usually a worthwhile investment for large, scalable, bespoke websites.

Source: wordpress.com

Squarespace pricing 

Squarespace has a pricing policy similar to Wix. But depending on the kind of site you’re building, Squarespace might offer better value for money. You have four pricing plans to choose from, starting with the “Personal” package at $16 per month (billed annually).

There’s no lifetime free plan, though you can try Squarespace for free for 14 days.

Source: squarespace.com

Comparing user support and resources

Every good website builder has user support, resources, and a strong community to back it up. Here’s how Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress fare in these respects.

Wix customer service

Wix has robust and readily available customer support services, including a search-based help center and a talent market for developers. And users on paid plans get priority support with faster responses and personalized assistance. There’s also a resourceful learning hub and a well-populated blog.

Squarespace support

Squarespace checks all the customer support boxes. The platform has a 24/7 help center, talent pool, forum, and developer platform. You also get a host of useful resources, including webinars, blog posts, and video tutorials.

WordPress community-driven support

Being an open-source platform, WordPress has a massive community following. While WordPress doesn’t offer direct support like Wix or Squarespace, community-driven support via forums, blogs, video tutorials, and social channels more than makes up for it.

Which website builder is right for you?

Back to the original question — WordPress vs. Wix vs. Squarespace: which web builder is best?

Well, they all have different strengths, limitations, and target users. It really all comes down to your web-building goals, needs, and skill level. Here’s a quick summary making the case for each platform.

Wix

Wix is best suited to non-developers and small businesses looking to quickly get a simple website up and running.

Squarespace

Squarespace is a great website builder for creatives. It’s ideal for creating visually stunning business websites, particularly those showcasing unique products, portfolios, and lifestyle brands.

Our senior developer points out that Squarespace offers a great variety of templates and features. And that it provides ample room for creativity while abstracting most of the technical aspects of web development.

WordPress

With its nearly limitless flexibility and capabilities, WordPress is ideal for those wanting full control of their build’s functionality, design, and performance.

Our development experts note that WordPress is highly adaptable, allowing users to work with a wide range of plugins and even modify the underlying code. This flexibility makes it possible to create tailored websites that meet unique client requirements. On top of that, the platform’s openness provides unparalleled scalability.

Final thoughts

The best choice of website builder ultimately boils down to your specific needs and preferences. Now that you know what to expect from Squarespace, Wix, and WordPress, it might be a good idea to explore each platform further. Sample each builder first-hand and pick the one that most closely aligns with your goals.

Are you still on the fence about Squarespace, Wix, and WordPress? We can help you make the right decision. Book a consultation with our account manager today. They’ll guide you in figuring out the best builder for your website. Our goal is to help you create a beautiful website that meets all your online needs.

 

 

Oct 29, 2024