Thinking of building your own website but unsure which platform to choose? Squarespace, Wix, and WordPress are three of the most popular options, each with its strengths and limitations. In this guide, we compare them head-to-head—covering ease of use, SEO, design flexibility, scalability, and more—to help you make the right choice for your business.
The motivation for building your own website for your business is usually a financial one. Custom websites can be expensive. Designing, constructing, and content writing are the three main parts of creating a website and there are applications on the market that help you to do just that.
However, they are not created equally. One may be easier to use. Another may have Search Engine Optimization (SEO) limitations or inadequate template choices. Here are the pros and cons of three website design applications.
Squarespace Overview
Squarespace is a user-friendly, all-in-one website builder known for its sleek design templates and simplicity. It’s ideal for small businesses that want a clean, professional-looking website without needing to touch code.
Squarespace also provides hosting, SSL security, and domain registration, as well as customer support 24/7 via live chat and email. It also offers features such as built-in tools for e-commerce, blogging, analytics, and SEO… but at a basic level.
However, you cannot customize your website as much as you can with WordPress as you are restricted to Squarespace’s ecosystem. The pricing is based on a monthly subscription plan, which can get expensive, compared to other options.
An important aspect for large, complex websites or businesses that need advanced features is scalability. Squarespace is limited in scalability.
Perhaps most importantly, Squarespace owns the platform. You will not have full control over your own website.
Squarespace Pros and Cons
Squarespace Pros:
- User-Friendly
- Design-Focused
- Al-in-One Solution
- 24/7 Customer Support
- Integrated Features
Squarespace Cons:
- Limited Customization
- Pricing
- Scalability
- No Full Ownership
Wix Overview
Wix is another beginner-friendly builder with more design flexibility and app integrations than Squarespace. It also offers an AI website builder (Wix ADI) to simplify the setup process.
Wix includes some built-in features that are an advantage to creating a more comprehensive website. Tools for e-commerce, SEO, booking systems, and blogging are included… but at a basic level.
Wix offers budget-friendly pricing plans, including a free version (with Wix branding).
However, with Wix, once you choose a template, switching to a new one requires rebuilding the site! Also, there are a few performance issues you need to be aware of– sites can be slower, especially if you have heavy customizations.
There are also SEO limitations. While Wix has improved their SEO features, they still lag behind those offered by WordPress. In addition, they are not scalable for large businesses or highly complex websites.
Wix Pros and Cons
Wix Pros:
- Easy to use
- Flexible Design Options
- Third-party App Integration
- Built-in Features
- Affordable Pricing
Wix Cons:
- Template Lock-in
- Performances Issues
- SEO Limitations
- Less Scalable
WordPress Overview
WordPress is the most powerful and flexible platform on the market. It’s a content management system (CMS) used by businesses of all sizes—from startups to global enterprises.
WordPress is suitable for small businesses and is scalable for enterprise-level websites as well. It includes advanced tools like Yoast SEO for optimizing search visibility and is ideal for blogging, an important tool for your marketing.
With WordPress you own your website and all its content… a major advantage.
WordPress is cost-efficient. It is an inexpensive long-term solution, depending on hosting and plugins you select to use.
However, as a WordPress user, you are responsible for updates, security, and backups.
In addition, because WordPress is such a robust website developer, it is not the most user-friendly for beginners.
What is the difference between Squarespace, Wix, and WordPress?
Squarespace and Wix are user-friendly website builders with drag-and-drop interfaces. WordPress is a content management system offering greater customization, scalability, and control. It’s more flexible but requires more setup and maintenance.
| Platform | Ease of Use | SEO Tools | Scalability | Customization | Ownership |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squarespace | High | Basic | Low | Limited | No |
| Wix | High | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | No |
| WordPress | Medium | Advanced | High | Full | Yes |
Squarespace is best for businesses that prioritize design and need an easy-to-use platform. It is an all-in-one solution that is great for small creative businesses, like photographers, designers, and small retailers.
Wix is ideal for small businesses and beginners who need flexibility and an affordable, simple setup. Service providers, businesses who showcase their portfolios, and small online shops find Wix good for them.
WordPress is best for businesses that require advanced features, scalability, and full control over their website. It is perfect for large e-commerce stores, custom websites and blogs.
Website Builder Comparison Table
| Feature | Squarespace | Wix | WordPress |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | Very easy – drag-and-drop | Very easy – drag-and-drop + AI builder | Moderate – steeper learning curve |
| Design Flexibility | High, but limited customization | High with template lock-in | Very high – fully customizable |
| SEO Tools | Basic built-in SEO | Moderate SEO features | Advanced SEO plugins (e.g., Yoast) |
| Scalability | Low – best for small businesses | Medium – some growth potential | High – scalable for any business size |
| E-Commerce | Included, but basic | Included, more flexible | Fully customizable with plugins |
| Template Switching | Not available | Not allowed without rebuilding | Fully flexible |
| Ownership | No – hosted on Squarespace’s servers | No – hosted on Wix’s platform | Yes – you own your site and content |
| Support | 24/7 live chat and email | 24/7 support available | Community + plugin/theme-specific support |
| Cost | Monthly subscription | Free plan available, paid plans affordable | Hosting + plugins vary – can be cost-efficient |
Why do professionals prefer WordPress?
While not an out-of-pocket expense, your time devoted to designing and building a website is one that is often underestimated and not calculated into the real cost of doing it yourself. Many times, entrepreneurs jump into a DIY website build and find that the time demanded of them creates delays in development.
Sometimes, the end product doesn’t measure up to the envisioned website and a professional web developer must be called in to complete the project … or start over with a more applicable website application.
TL;DR
- Best for design simplicity: Squarespace
- Best for affordability and ease: Wix
- Best for scalability and SEO: WordPress
For full control, customization, and growth, WordPress is the recommended choice.
The Best of All Worlds
At Rootless Agency, we recommend WordPress for several reasons. As you can see the app is powerful, flexible, and completely scalable… so important when your goal is business growth.
At Rootless Agency, we design in Figma, which allows our clients the opportunity to review all the website pages before they are built, so the customization is exactly what you want.
When it comes to maintenance for your website, having Rootless as your partner means that we take care of updates, security, and backups. You have no worries there!
With Rootless and WordPress, you don’t need tech skills. We do it all and you are involved in making important decisions each step of the way, but we handle the implementation using our technical expertise. Together, we will build and launch an effective website that will serve you and your business for the long term.
If you are thinking of getting a website or updating your current one, contact us today. Set up an appointment for a consultation so, together, you can strategize the design and content that will bring your marketing to a new level.
