The short version
- Wix and Squarespace are all-in-one builders you rent monthly. Quick to start, and fine for simple sites you'll run yourself.
- WordPress is free, open-source software you host and own. More setup and upkeep, but far more control.
- The biggest long-term difference is ownership: a Wix site can't be moved to another host, while a WordPress site can go anywhere.
- All three can rank on Google. WordPress gives you the most room to grow when SEO starts to matter.
WordPress vs Wix vs Squarespace is the question we hear most from small business owners planning a new website. All three are popular, all three can look good, and all three can show up on Google. They just suit very different kinds of owners.
Short answer: Wix and Squarespace are all-in-one website builders you rent by the month, quick to set up and fine for simple sites you'll run yourself. WordPress is free, open-source software you host and own. It takes more setup and upkeep, but gives you more control over SEO, growth and where your site lives.
Full disclosure: we build sites on WordPress, and our WordPress web design page explains why. Keep that bias in mind. We'll still be straight with you about when a DIY builder is the smarter choice, because sometimes it is.
The basic difference: renting vs owning
Wix and Squarespace are services. You pay a monthly or yearly plan, and the company provides the hosting, the design tools, the security and the support, all in one place. You build your site inside their system.
WordPress is software. The WordPress software is released under the GPL open-source licence, so it costs nothing to use and nobody can take it away. You (or your web company) install it on hosting you choose, and you own every file.
One thing that trips people up: WordPress.com is a hosted service run by a company, a bit more like Wix. When we say WordPress in this post, we mean the free software from WordPress.org, installed on your own hosting.
WordPress vs Wix vs Squarespace at a glance
| WordPress | Wix | Squarespace | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost model | Software is free. You pay for hosting, a domain, any paid plugins, and upkeep (your time or a care plan). | Monthly or yearly plan. Free plan shows Wix ads and won't connect your own domain. | Monthly or yearly plan. Hosting and support included. |
| Ownership and moving later | You own the files and database. Move to any host, any time. | Site has to stay on Wix. You can keep your domain elsewhere. | Some content (like blog posts) can be exported as a file. The site itself stays on Squarespace. |
| SEO control | Full control over pages, structure, speed and code. | Good built-in basics. Less control at the edges. | Good built-in basics. Less control at the edges. |
| Ease of use | Easy to edit once set up. Setup and upkeep need know-how. | Very easy drag-and-drop. Lots of design freedom. | Easy, with polished templates. More structured than Wix. |
| Who it suits | Businesses that want to grow through Google, add features, or own their site long term. | Owners who want to build and run a simple site themselves. | Owners who want a clean, visual site with little fuss. |
Cost: where the money actually goes
We're not quoting plan prices here, because they change often and vary by country. Wix itself says its plan prices can differ by location, so check the current Canadian prices on each company's own pricing page before you decide.
What matters more is the shape of the cost:
- Wix and Squarespace are predictable. One plan fee covers hosting, security and support. Extras like online booking, a store or email marketing can push you to a higher plan or add more fees. Wix's free plan shows Wix ads on your site and you have to upgrade to connect your own domain, so it's not really an option for a business.
- WordPress moves the cost around. The software is free, but you pay for hosting, maybe a premium theme or plugin, and someone to keep it updated. Our hosting starts at $25/month, and our care plan (hosting, updates, backups and security) starts at $99/month.
Don't forget the biggest cost of all: time. A builder is cheap if you enjoy doing it yourself. It's expensive if it eats three weekends and still doesn't bring in calls.
For the full picture on a professionally built site, see how much a website costs in Ontario.
Ownership: the difference that bites later
This is the part most people don't think about until they want to leave.
Wix is very clear about it. Its help centre says a Wix site has to be hosted on Wix's servers and can't be hosted anywhere else, because it runs on Wix's own technology. You can buy and manage your domain with another company, but if you leave Wix, you're rebuilding the site.
Squarespace lets you export some content, like blog posts, as a file you can import elsewhere. Your design and layout don't come with it, so moving still means a rebuild.
With WordPress, your whole site (files, database, images) can be packed up and moved to a new host. If you fall out with your web company, you take your site and go. Our post on who owns your website and domain covers why this matters and what to check.
SEO: can a Wix or Squarespace site rank?
Yes. Plenty of builder sites rank fine for local searches. Both Wix and Squarespace handle the basics for you, like mobile-friendly layouts and secure connections, and let you edit page titles and descriptions.
The gap shows up when SEO becomes a real part of how you get customers. With WordPress you have full control over:
- Site structure, so you can build a proper page for each service and each town you serve
- Speed, from the hosting to image handling to what loads on each page
- Technical details like structured data, redirects and how pages link together
- Growth, with plugins for bookings, quotes, memberships, stores and more
The platform is never the whole story, though. A well-planned Wix site will beat a messy WordPress site. Good content and a clear structure matter more than the logo in the corner of the dashboard.
Ease of use
Wix is the most hands-on. You can drag anything anywhere, which is great for creative types and risky for everyone else (it's easy to make a page that looks fine on a laptop and broken on a phone).
Squarespace is more structured. Its templates look polished, and it's harder to break the design. You get less freedom, but less can go wrong.
WordPress takes the most setup, but once it's built properly, editing text, photos and blog posts is simple. What it needs is regular upkeep: updates, backups and security checks. See what website maintenance includes for the full list.
When a DIY builder is the right call
We mean this. A builder like Wix or Squarespace is often the best choice if:
- You're just starting out and need something decent online this month
- Your site is a few pages: what you do, where you are, how to reach you
- You enjoy doing it yourself and have the time
- Most of your work comes from referrals, not Google
- You'd rather pay one predictable fee and never think about updates
If that's you, build it yourself and spend the savings on your business. You can always move up later.
When WordPress makes more sense
- Google searches are (or should be) a big source of new customers
- You need pages for lots of services or service areas
- You want to own your site and not be tied to one company
- You need features that go beyond a basic builder, like custom quote forms, bookings or a store
- You'd rather have someone else build and look after it
If you're stuck in the middle, a small professional site can be a good step up. Our starter website packages begin at $999 for a three-page site, and custom builds start at $3,000. Selling online is a different decision again, covered in Shopify vs WooCommerce.
Want a straight answer for your business?
Tell us what you do and what you want your website to bring in. If a builder will do the job, we'll say so. If WordPress is the better fit, we'll show you what we'd build and give you a fixed quote.See our WordPress web design →