Squarespace vs Wix Comparison 2026
Squarespace starts at $19 a month paid annually, with templates that hold together on their own, but takes 2 percent of store sales and 7 percent of membership and digital content revenue on that entry plan, dropping to 0 and 5 percent only on the $29 Core tier. Wix starts at $17 a month after building for free, with hosting, a domain and AI tools bundled into every paid plan. Squarespace's membership fee is the number to check before committing. Wix's cost is more in the plan you pick than in a percentage of what you sell.
Templates that look designed out of the box
A site you can build without touching a template file
At a glance
- Wix starts cheaper, at $17.
- Only Wix has a free tier.
Side by side
Squarespace | Wix | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $19 | From $17 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Paid subscription | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier (they differ) | No | Yes |
| Billing | Annual only | Not stated |
| Free trial | 14 days | Not stated |
| API |
Squarespace
Templates that look designed out of the box
Squarespace is the answer for a creator who wants a site that looks considered and never wants to think about it again. Templates are genuinely well made and the editor stops you breaking them. That constraint is also the ceiling, and its transaction fees on memberships and digital goods are high enough to matter on the cheaper plan.
Our note
The 7 percent membership fee on Basic is the thing people discover after launching. If memberships are more than a sideline, either budget for Core from the start or run them somewhere that does not take a cut.
Only on this side
- Covers digital products & storefronts
Wix
A site you can build without touching a template file
Wix is the drag-and-drop site builder most people try first, and for a creator who needs a home page, a booking form and a shop rather than a design system, that is usually the right instinct. Hosting, a custom domain for the first year and the AI build tools come with every paid plan. The trade is the one every hosted builder makes: the site is easy to change and hard to take with you, so the plan you pick is a longer commitment than it looks.
Why people weigh these two
- Wix instead of Squarespace
- Wix keeps a free tier and starts at $17, with more layout freedom than Squarespace's template constraints and its own separate fee structure to check for digital sales.
- Squarespace instead of Wix
- Squarespace has no free tier at all, from $19, templates that look considered out of the box against Wix's more open drag-and-drop start.
Which one should you pick
Choose Squarespace if the site's whole job is to look considered and stay that way with minimal fiddling: templates resist being broken by a non-designer, and invoicing is built in at no extra charge. Budget for Core at $29 a month rather than Basic if memberships or digital content are more than a sideline, since Basic's 7 percent fee on that revenue is the largest number on the page.
Choose Wix if a working site this week matters more than a design system, with bookings, a shop and a contact form all in the box from a plan starting at $17 a month. Pick the tier on its ecommerce and storage limits rather than the headline price, since those are what force an upgrade later, and know that a hosted builder like this one is easy to change and hard to take with you elsewhere.
Common questions
- Which is cheaper, Squarespace or Wix?
- Wix, slightly, at the entry tier: $17 a month against Squarespace's $19, both effectively annual commitments. The bigger cost difference shows up if memberships or digital content are sold, since Squarespace's Basic plan takes a 7 percent cut of that revenue.
- Does Squarespace really take 7 percent of membership revenue?
- Yes, on the Basic plan specifically. Core at $29 a month drops that to 5 percent and drops the store-sales fee from 2 percent to 0. Either fee sits on top of the standard 2.9 percent plus 30 cents card processing rate.
- Can I build a site for free on either platform?
- Wix lets you build for free and only pay once you publish on a plan. Squarespace has no free tier at all, though both start with 14 days of building before payment is required, tested slightly differently between the two.
- Which one is easier to move away from later?
- Neither is built for easy migration, which is the trade every hosted builder makes. Wix's own materials note that anybody expecting to move the site later, or wanting control over markup, is taking on a migration that is hard to price in advance, and the same caution applies to Squarespace.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.