Wix vs Squarespace: Which is Better in 2024?

When it comes to website building, two names often dominate the conversation: Wix and Squarespace. Both platforms are popular for their ease of use, versatility, and the range of features they offer. However, deciding which one is better for your needs in 2024 can be a challenge. This article will delve into the specifics of each platform, comparing them across several critical aspects to help you make an informed decision.

User Experience and Ease of Use

Wix

Wix is renowned for its intuitive drag-and-drop interface. The platform allows users to place elements exactly where they want them on the page, providing a high degree of creative freedom. This flexibility makes Wix particularly appealing to those who have a clear vision for their website and want the tools to bring that vision to life without needing to code.

One of Wix’s standout features is its ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) tool, which can create a website for you based on your answers to a few questions. This is perfect for beginners who may find the idea of building a website from scratch daunting. Additionally, Wix offers a vast library of templates, categorized by industry and type of website, ensuring that users can find a design that suits their needs.

Squarespace

Squarespace, on the other hand, is known for its sleek, professional templates. While it also offers a drag-and-drop editor, it operates within a more structured grid system compared to Wix. This can be seen as both a strength and a limitation. For users who prefer a clean, minimalist design and don’t mind working within the constraints of a grid, Squarespace’s approach is ideal.

The learning curve with Squarespace might be a bit steeper initially, but the platform’s user interface is very polished and logical. The structured editor ensures that all elements are aligned correctly, making it easier to create aesthetically pleasing designs. Squarespace also provides extensive styling options, allowing users to customize fonts, colors, and other design elements to match their brand.

Design and Customization

Wix

Wix excels in design flexibility. Users can choose from over 800 templates, which can be customized to an extensive degree. The drag-and-drop feature means you can move elements around freely, resize them, and add new features as needed. Additionally, Wix offers a wide range of animations and interactive elements that can make your site more dynamic and engaging.

However, this flexibility comes with a caveat. Once you choose a template, you can’t switch to another without starting over. This means that significant changes to the design template mid-project can be cumbersome. Despite this, the ability to customize elements down to the pixel makes Wix a powerful tool for those who want full control over their site’s design.

Squarespace

Squarespace’s design philosophy centers around sleek, modern aesthetics. The platform offers around 100 templates, but each one is designed to be visually stunning. These templates are fully responsive, meaning they look great on both desktop and mobile devices.

Squarespace allows for extensive customization within its templates, but the structured editor ensures that changes don’t break the overall design. This makes it easier for users to maintain a cohesive, professional look. Additionally, Squarespace supports custom CSS for those who have coding knowledge, providing an extra layer of customization.

Features and Flexibility

Wix

Wix is packed with features. Its App Market offers over 250 apps that you can integrate into your website to enhance its functionality. These range from booking systems and eCommerce tools to marketing integrations and social media widgets. Wix also includes built-in SEO tools, an intuitive blog editor, and advanced design features like parallax scrolling and video backgrounds.

Wix’s eCommerce capabilities are robust, allowing users to sell physical and digital products, manage inventory, and process payments. The platform also supports dropshipping and includes marketing tools like email campaigns and social media integrations.

Squarespace

Squarespace is known for its strong built-in features. It doesn’t rely heavily on third-party apps, instead providing a comprehensive suite of tools within the platform. This includes powerful blogging capabilities, robust SEO tools, and excellent analytics.

For eCommerce, Squarespace offers everything you need to run an online store. It supports product variants, digital products, subscriptions, and more. The platform’s checkout experience is highly customizable, and it integrates seamlessly with third-party payment processors like PayPal and Stripe. Squarespace also excels in marketing tools, with built-in email marketing, social media integration, and promotional pop-ups.

SEO Capabilities

Wix

Wix has made significant improvements in its SEO capabilities over the years. The platform offers a range of SEO tools, including the Wix SEO Wiz, which guides users through the process of optimizing their site for search engines. Users can customize meta tags, alt text, and URL slugs, as well as generate a sitemap and use 301 redirects.

However, some advanced users might find Wix’s SEO features somewhat limiting. While the platform covers the basics well, it lacks some of the more advanced SEO capabilities that professionals might require.

Squarespace

Squarespace is often praised for its strong SEO features. The platform automatically generates clean URLs, includes SSL certificates, and offers extensive control over meta tags and alt text. Squarespace also provides detailed SEO guides to help users optimize their site effectively.

One of Squarespace’s standout SEO features is its clean, minimalist code, which can help improve site speed—a critical factor for search engine rankings. Additionally, Squarespace’s blogging platform is particularly SEO-friendly, with features like AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) support and customizable excerpts.

eCommerce Functionality

Wix

Wix’s eCommerce platform is versatile and user-friendly. It allows users to create a fully functional online store, complete with product pages, a shopping cart, and a secure checkout process. Wix supports multiple payment methods, including credit cards, PayPal, and offline payments.

The platform offers features like abandoned cart recovery, which sends automated emails to customers who leave items in their cart, and multi-channel selling, which allows you to sell on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Wix also provides detailed analytics to help you track sales and understand customer behavior.

Squarespace

Squarespace’s eCommerce functionality is equally robust. The platform supports a wide range of product types, including physical goods, digital products, and services. It also offers features like gift cards, product waitlists, and customer accounts.

One of Squarespace’s strengths is its seamless integration with third-party services. This includes shipping solutions like ShipStation and tax automation tools like TaxJar. Squarespace also provides powerful marketing tools, such as built-in email campaigns and social media integrations, to help you promote your products and drive sales.

Pricing

Wix

Wix offers a free plan, which is great for trying out the platform, but it comes with Wix branding and limited features. The premium plans start at $14 per month for the Combo plan, which is suitable for personal use, and go up to $39 per month for the VIP plan, which includes priority support.

For eCommerce, Wix offers Business and eCommerce plans starting at $23 per month. These plans include everything you need to run an online store, such as secure payment processing and unlimited products.

Squarespace

Squarespace doesn’t offer a free plan, but it does provide a 14-day free trial. The premium plans start at $16 per month for the Personal plan and go up to $46 per month for the Advanced Commerce plan.

The Basic Commerce plan, priced at $27 per month, is ideal for small businesses and includes features like product reviews and customer accounts. The Advanced Commerce plan offers additional features like abandoned cart recovery and advanced shipping options.

Customer Support

Wix

Wix offers a range of support options, including a comprehensive help center, email support, and a callback service. The platform also has an active user community and offers various tutorials and guides to help users navigate any issues they encounter.

The VIP plan includes priority support, ensuring that your queries are handled quickly. However, some users have reported that the callback service can be slow at times, which may be a drawback for those who need immediate assistance.

Squarespace

Squarespace provides 24/7 email support and live chat support from Monday to Friday. The platform’s help center is extensive, offering detailed guides, video tutorials, and webinars. Squarespace also has a dedicated customer support team known for their professionalism and responsiveness.

While Squarespace doesn’t offer phone support, the live chat and email support options are generally very effective. Users can expect prompt and helpful responses to their queries, ensuring a smooth user experience.

Performance and Reliability

Wix

Wix ensures reliable performance with a robust infrastructure that includes multiple data centers worldwide. The platform’s websites are optimized for fast loading times, which is crucial for user experience and SEO.

However, some users have reported occasional issues with site speed, particularly on larger websites with many elements.