Choosing between WordPress, Wix or Squarespace can be a difficult decision. Find out the pros and cons of each website builder, recommendations for use cases for each and which website builder is best depending on your requirements in this guide.
Throughout this article, when referring to WordPress, unless otherwise stated, we are referring to WordPress.org. Unlike Wix and Squarespace, WordPress.org requires self-hosting and manual setup.
WordPress vs. Wix vs. Squarespace Comparison
| Feature | WordPress | Wix | Squarespace |
| User-friendliness | Coding optional | Drag-and-drop builder | Intuitive interface, easy for beginners |
| Design & Customisation | Highly customisable | Limited flexibility, some customisable templates | Limited flexibility, however offers visually appealing templates |
| Features | Extensive plugins offering a wide variety of functionality | App market, built-in features | Built-in features such as ecommerce, blogs |
| SEO | Full control over seo with plugins | Basic SEO, more limited compared to WordPress | Some SEO, limited compared to WordPress |
| Pricing | Free software but requires hosting (costs vary) | Free plan (with ads), paid plans include hosting | Subscription-based with hosting included |
| eCommerce | Powerful eCommerce through plugins like WooCommerce | Basic eCommerce features, suitable for small stores | Integrated eCommerce for small/medium stores |
| Support | Community-driven support | 24/7 support with a help centre | Email and live chat support available |
| Scalability | Highly scalable with the right hosting/plugins | Suitable for small to medium sites | Suitable for small to medium businesses |
| Security | Secure CMS, with a dedicated security team that patches vulnerabilities, other security considerations dependent on hosting and plugins | Built-in security with automatic updates | Built-in security with SSL certificates |
| Pros | Maximum customization and flexibility | Easy to use, good for beginners | Visually appealing designs, all-in-one solution |
| Cons | Requires maintenance and technical knowledge | Limited advanced customizations | Less flexible than WordPress |
| Scalability | Highly scalable with the right hosting/plugins for all businesses | Suitable for small to medium sites | Suitable for small to medium businesses |
| Best for | Businesses needing high flexibility and customisations, large websites | Beginners, small businesses, portfolios | Creatives, design-focused users, small businesses |
User-friendliness
In terms of immediate user-friendliness, Wix is a front runner offering an intuitive drag-and- drop editor.
Squarespace on the other hand offers an efficient experience with less templates and design options.
WordPress can be more difficult to use for beginners. However, it offers far more in terms of themes, plugins and customisation options.
For user-friendliness, WordPress has a steeper learning curve initially than Squarespace or Wix. However, this is overcome by the customisation options.
Design & Customisation
WordPress is the stand out when it comes to design and customisation options. Offering a vast selection of themes and plugins, the design options with WordPress are unparalleled.
Wix is the runner-up in this field. Wix offers over 500 mobile-friendly templates, and an intuitive drag-and-drop builder, making it easy to create your website without any technical knowledge.
Squarespace offers the least in terms of design and customisation, with fewer templates offered. However, the designs offered are visually appealing and geared towards specific businesses.
Features & Functionality
Again, WordPress is the clear stand out when it comes to features and functionality. WordPress offers a vast array of plugins and customisation options, making it the clear winner compared to Wix and Squarespace.
Whether you’re looking to create an e-commerce platform, a blog, or anything else, you can do it all with WordPress. From payment integration and e-commerce tools to social media integration and SEO solutions, WordPress has you covered.
WordPress also offers advanced options for blogs and content management that surpass the capabilities of Wix and Squarespace.
However, Wix and Squarespace also offer a great deal of value.
Squarespace offers more advanced blogging features than Wix, so if creating content is important to you we’d recommend Squarespace over Wix. Squarespace offers a number of e-commerce features including analytics, multi-platform payment integration, inventory management and more, so is a good option for you if you’d like to open an online store, without the need for extensive customisation.
Wix is a solid platform if you’re looking for a user-friendly option with e-commerce and promotional features. The blogging capabilities are much more limited than on WordPress, and more limited than Squarespace, so if a blog will be important to you now or in the future, this won’t be the best option.
Scalability
WordPress’ scalability is high. It can be hosted on any server that meets its requirements, meaning you can have full control over your hosting environment, which allows for more scaling.
The plugins and customisations offered allow you to add functionalities as your website grows. You can accommodate higher traffic as your site grows by customising virtually any aspect of your site.
WordPress can support large websites with thousands or posts or pages, provided that proper hosting is in place and database queries are well-managed.
Squarespace scores medium on the scalability scale. Like Wix, Squarespace is a fully hosted solution, but it offers better scalability compared to Wix.
With Squarespace, you are limited to their hosting infrastructure, however, it handles the technical aspects of hosting, security and maintenance. Squarespace offers templates that can scale well for a variety of business purposes including small to medium businesses, medium e-commerce sites and portfolios. You can customise your site within the platform’s limits.
In terms of content management, Squarespace can handle medium websites, however, if you would like to start a large scale content project, Squarespace isn’t the best choice. If you don’t need large scale database management, Squarespace may work for you.
Wix scores medium to low on the scalability scale. Wix is a fully hosted platform, which is convenient, but can limit scalability. Wix is very easy to use and is great for beginners, however the simplicity comes at the cost of scalability. As your business grows and you need more custom functionality, your scalability may be limited. Wix does offer an App market which provides some additional features, however this is limited compared to the plugins offered by WordPress.
For simple business websites, Wix can handle growth well. However if you require complex functionality, or experience traffic spikes, you may experience some performance issues. Wix offers fewer tools for performance optimisation compared to WordPress or Squarespace.
Support
Wix offers 24/7 customer support through a phone and ticket system as well as a chatbot. However, live support can sometimes be slow. Wix also has a selection of tutorials and resources, however some of these can be limited in their detail.
Squarespace offers a 24/7 email ticketing system and live chat that’s available Monday-Friday 4am to 8m EST. Its help centre provides in-depth guides that cover beginners to advanced topics.
If you are self hosting and using WordPress.org, there isn’t specific support available directly through WordPress itself. However, there is extensive community support available, including WordPress forums as well as exhaustive documentation and tutorials. You can even receive support through dedicated WordPress agencies and developers. Many premium themes and plugins offer their own support, usually through email or tickets.
SEO
WordPress offers the most extensive tools and flexibility for SEO through its vast plugins offered. Plugins like Yoast SEO, SEOPress and Rank Math provide the ability to optimise your site. With WordPress, you have more control over web files and WordPress allows for speed optimisation techniques which in turn benefit seo.
Wix is beginner-friendly with a range of built-in SEO features. Wix includes auto-generated meta tags, XML sitemaps and structured data markup. Wix offers performance features like CDN and caching and provides Google Search Console integration for easier optimisation.
Squarespace offers the most basic features of the three. Essential SEO tools are offered, however these are more limited compared to Wix. Like Wix, Squarespace offers auto-generated meta tags and sitemaps. Squarespace also offers built-in mobile optimisation for better search rankings.
WordPress offers the most customisation options for SEO, however Wix and Squarespace provide more user-friendly features which can be used straight away. WordPress however provides users with more technical control for advanced SEO tweaks, which is not possible on Wix or Squarespace. WordPress offers the most comprehensive SEO capabilities, but it requires more technical knowledge compared to Wix or Squarespace.
WordPress vs. Wix vs. Squarespace Pricing
| WordPress.org | WordPress.com | Wix | Squarespace | |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes | No – 14-day trial |
| Monthly price range | Depends on hosting | £3-£36 | £9 to £119 | £12 to £35 |
| Blogging capabilities | – | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| E-Commerce tools | – | Only for eCommerce plan | For Business Basic, Business Unlimited and Business VIP plans | For Business, Basic Commerce and Advanced Commerce plans |
| Storage | – | 1GB to 200GB | 500MB to Unlimited | Unlimited on all plans |
| SSL certification | – | Yes | Yes | Yes |
WordPress.org costs vary based on hosting provider, domain registrar and additional plugins purchased.
The WordPress.com, Wix, and Squarespace pricing are based on annual billing and are correct as of October 2024.
Wix and Squarespace provide all-inclusive plans, whereas WordPress requires separate purchases for hosting, the domain etc.
Use Cases:
| WordPress.org | WordPress.com | Wix | Squarespace | |
| Best for | Medium to large businesses Businesses that need maximum flexibility and customisation options | Small to medium businesses Blogs, online stores Balance of flexibility and ease-of-use | Small online stores, service-based businesses, professionals User-friendly, drag-and-drop interface | Creative professionals, small online store, service-based businesses, portfolios Visually striking templates, excels in design |
WordPress vs. Wix vs. Squarespace: The Verdict
WordPress offers the most in the way of customisation, blogging features, SEO and advanced technical changes. However, Wix and Squarespace may be a good option for you if you are looking for an all-in-one solution that’s quick to set up without the need for too much customisation. Taking a long-term view, WordPress can scale with your business as it grows, and offers more flexibility than Wix or Squarespace.
Find out more about WordPress vs. other platforms in our guides: WordPress vs. Joomla, WordPress vs. Drupal, WordPress vs. Webflow, HubSpot vs. WordPress, WordPress vs. Umbraco and Headless CMS vs. WordPress.
WordPress vs. Wix vs. Squarespace FAQs
Is WordPress.org the same as WordPress.com?
No. WordPress.org is a self-hosted, open source website builder.
WordPress.com is a hosted website builder that allows you to build a website using WordPress software.
Is WordPress free?
WordPress.org is free, however you will need to pay for hosting.
WordPress.com has a limited, free plan.
Does WordPress offer customer support?
WordPress.org does not offer customer support, however there is a vast array of community support available through forums and tutorials.
WordPress.com offers support through email and live chat.
How any plugins does WordPress have?
There are currently over 59,000 plugins available through WordPress.
WordPress offers immense benefits for businesses. It speeds up development, allows for customisation, and simplifies complex tasks, making it an invaluable tool! Perhaps you’re seeking custom WordPress plugin development, or wondering how to develop a WordPress site, but don’t know where to start. Consider reaching out to an agency like Yellowball. We’re a web design and development agency based in London, UK, contact us today!
