Wix vs Squarespace 2026: Pricing, SEO & Fees Compared

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This is an editorial research comparison based on official documentation, pricing pages and the sources listed below — how we review. Prices and plans change often; confirm on the vendor’s site.

Wix and Squarespace often end up on the same small-business shortlist. Both bundle hosting, templates, a visual editor, ecommerce and AI tools into one subscription, and both keep you on their platform. The differences are in the details that matter after launch: how much control the editor gives you, how each charges for selling online, how deep the SEO settings go, and what you can do with code.

This comparison is for small-business owners, and for the developers and freelancers who set sites up for them, who need to choose one platform and live with it for a few years. If you are still deciding between hosted builders, WordPress and alternatives such as Webflow or Framer, start with our overview of the best website builders.

This is an editorial research article based on Wix’s and Squarespace’s official pricing pages, help centers and developer documentation, checked on October 17, 2026. We did not run our own benchmarks, so there are no page-speed or uptime claims here.

Quick verdict

In our assessment, Wix is the more flexible platform: it has a free plan, more editor choices (including the AI-first Wix Harmony), more granular SEO controls and a real developer platform with a Node.js backend and a CLI. Squarespace is the more opinionated one: fewer settings, polished templates, automatic structured data and clear, published transaction fees, with monthly billing on every plan. Squarespace’s Basic plan adds a 2% fee on online store sales, so sellers should compare Core-level plans. Neither lets you export a working copy of your site, so plan to stay.

Wix — best for small businesses that want room to grow into bookings, apps, custom code and detailed SEO settings.
Squarespace — best for creatives and service businesses that value design consistency and simple, all-inclusive setup.

At a glance

Dimension	Wix	Squarespace
Free option	Free plan (Wix branding, no custom domain)	14-day free trial, no free plan
Lowest paid plan (US list price)	Light, $17/month on a yearly subscription	Basic, $19/month billed annually or $25 monthly
Editors	Wix Editor, Wix Harmony (AI agent Aria), Wix Studio	One editor (Fluid Engine on version 7.1)
Switching templates	Not possible on an existing site	Not possible in 7.1; restyle with colors, fonts and page types
Platform fee on store sales	None listed on the plan page	2% on Basic, 0% on Core and above
Redirects	301 redirect manager with bulk import	URL mappings (301 and 302)
Structured data	Built-in presets you can edit, plus custom markup	Automatic for set schema types; cannot be edited
robots.txt	Editable	Not editable (no setting documented)
Custom code	JavaScript SDK/Velo, Node.js backend, CLI and GitHub	CSS editor on all plans; code injection and advanced code blocks on Core and above
Site export	Not possible; sites must run on Wix	Partial WordPress XML export of some content

Editing experience and design control

Wix now offers three editors. The classic Wix Editor is a free-form drag-and-drop canvas. Wix Harmony, announced on January 21, 2026, combines prompt-based “vibe coding” with visual editing: you describe a site, Wix’s AI agent Aria generates it, and you switch between chatting with Aria and editing by hand. Wix Studio is pitched as “the website building platform for designers, developers, and marketers”, with client-management tools for agencies and freelancers. Harmony is still filling gaps: Wix’s help center says the Wix CMS, Multilingual and several other apps and elements are not yet available in Harmony, and existing Wix Editor sites cannot be migrated into it.

Squarespace has a single editor. On version 7.1 sites it uses Fluid Engine, a grid-based drag-and-drop layout system. Templates are a starting point rather than a fixed theme: Squarespace’s help center says you “can’t switch templates in version 7.1”, and you change the look by editing colors, fonts and page types instead. Wix is stricter in a different way: it says it is not possible to switch an existing site to a different template at all, so a redesign means building a new site.

In our judgement, Wix gives more freedom and more ways to make a mess; Squarespace constrains layouts so that sites stay consistent. Designers and photographers whose site is mainly a showcase may also want to look at design-first tools in our guide to portfolio website builders.

AI tools

Wix’s main AI investment is Harmony and Aria. Wix describes Aria as working across the editor with “the full context of a site” rather than as a one-time generator, and says it can also flag issues and explain how things work. Wix says you can start building with AI for free. A Premium plan is still needed for a custom domain and payments.

Squarespace’s AI is spread across smaller tools: Blueprint AI builds a starting site from a short questionnaire, Squarespace AI text tools draft and rewrite copy, the Clarkson chat assistant edits a site through prompts (still rolling out in waves), Image Studio generates images, and AI Visibility suggests missing SEO descriptions and alt text. Squarespace plans include AI credits: 10 one-time credits on Basic, then 20, 40 and 120 credits per month on Core, Plus and Advanced. Its help center says image generation uses credits.

For a broader look at prompt-driven site builders, including Framer, Hostinger and 10Web, see our roundup of AI website builders.

Selling online and fees

Squarespace publishes its fees clearly. Online store sales carry a 2% transaction fee on Basic and 0% on Core, Plus and Advanced. Digital content and memberships carry 7%, 5%, 1% and 0% respectively. Card processing through Squarespace Payments starts at 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic and Core, 2.7% + $0.30 on Plus and 2.5% + $0.30 on Advanced, with 3.2% + $0.30 for premium cards such as American Express. Discounts, carrier-calculated shipping, shipping labels and Google Merchant Center listings start at Core. Automated tax calculation costs 0.15% per transaction on Core (capped at $0.99), less on higher plans.

On Wix, the Light plan cannot accept payments; payments and “Basic eCommerce” start at Core. Wix’s plan comparison has a “Pricing Plans transaction fee” row for its subscription-plans feature, but we found no percentage platform fee on regular store sales documented there. Card processing through Wix Payments is 2.9% + $0.30 in the US, according to Wix’s fee documentation, with a $15 chargeback fee. Ecommerce depth rises by plan (Basic, Standard and Advanced eCommerce), but the plan page does not spell out every limit, so check the comparison table for your feature list.

In our assessment, a store that would otherwise sit on Squarespace Basic should compare Squarespace Core ($29/month annually) against Wix Core ($29/month yearly), since that is where both platforms remove platform fees and unlock commerce basics.

SEO controls and performance features

Wix exposes more SEO settings. Its SEO page documents per-page and pattern-based meta tags, editable robots.txt, a 301 redirect manager with bulk import, an automatically maintained XML sitemap, customizable canonical tags and structured-data presets you can modify, or replace with your own markup. Wix says its SEO infrastructure is based on server-side rendering, and you can connect Google Search Console from the dashboard. On performance, Wix says images are compressed, resized and converted to WebP automatically. Wix also reports that it increased the share of Wix sites with good scores on all three Core Web Vitals in Google’s CrUX data “by 10x”; that is Wix’s own claim, citing Google’s Core Web Vitals Technology Report.

Squarespace automates more and exposes less. It creates and updates the sitemap automatically and generates structured data for blog posts, events, local businesses, organizations, products and websites; Squarespace says you “can’t edit or remove” these schemas. You write page titles and SEO descriptions yourself. Redirects are handled in URL mappings, which support 301 and 302 rules (roughly 2,500 lines fit in the field), though you cannot redirect the homepage or image URLs. Images are delivered in seven widths and converted to WebP by default.

The trade-off is control versus simplicity. If you need custom schema, robots rules or canonical overrides, Wix documents them; on Squarespace you rely on the defaults.

Flexibility, code and portability

Wix has a full developer platform. Its developer docs describe frontend and backend JavaScript, a managed Node.js backend, the Wix CMS (backed by MongoDB), npm packages, local development in an IDE such as VS Code via GitHub integration and the Wix CLI, and a Wix MCP server for AI coding tools. Wix is moving custom code from the older Velo APIs to its JavaScript SDK. Business Elite adds what Wix calls an “advanced developer platform”.

Squarespace is more limited by design. Every plan has a CSS editor and basic code blocks; Core and above add advanced code blocks (HTML, iframes, JavaScript), site-wide code injection and Commerce APIs. Squarespace Extensions connect third-party tools.

Neither platform is portable. Wix states that “your site must run on Wix’s servers” and the architecture “does not support external hosting”. Squarespace can export some content to a WordPress XML file (layout pages, one blog, text and image blocks), but not store pages, style settings or custom CSS. If an exit path matters, read our guide to choosing between a builder, WordPress and custom code first.

Pricing compared (as of October 2026)

Tier	Wix (yearly subscription, per month)	Squarespace (annual / monthly billing, per month)
Free	$0 (Wix branding, Wix subdomain)	No free plan; 14-day trial
Entry	Light: $17 (2 GB storage, no payments)	Basic: $19 / $25 (2% store fee, 2 contributors)
Small business	Core: $29 (50 GB, payments, basic eCommerce)	Core: $29 / $39 (0% store fee, code injection)
Growing business	Business: $39 (100 GB, standard eCommerce)	Plus: $49 / $65 (lower card rates)
Top tier	Business Elite: $159 (unlimited storage, advanced developer platform)	Advanced: $99 / $139 (lowest card rates, 0% digital fees)

Basis and caveats. Wix’s US prices (from Wix’s plans guide; its plans page shows localized prices outside the US) are for yearly subscriptions paid in full upfront; Wix says other subscription periods exist but lists only yearly prices, prices exclude tax, and prices and currency vary by location. Most yearly or multi-year Wix plans include a one-year domain voucher on first purchase, redeemable within 60 days, and Wix offers a 14-day money-back guarantee. Squarespace’s annual plans include one year of free domain registration (renewing at the standard rate); prices exclude tax. Squarespace also localizes pricing: from a non-US location its pricing page showed local currency and a three-plan lineup, so check the plans shown for your billing country. See Wix plans · See Squarespace pricing

Prices verified against each vendor’s official pricing page (listed under Sources). Plans, promotions and renewal prices change often — confirm on the vendor’s page before you buy.

Which should you choose?

Choose Wix if…

You want to start free, or build with an AI agent and then fine-tune by hand.
You need detailed SEO controls: robots.txt, canonical overrides, custom structured data, bulk redirects.
A developer may extend the site later with backend code, a CMS or third-party APIs.
You want bookings, events and other business apps without switching platforms.

Choose Squarespace if…

You want a polished design with fewer decisions and fewer ways to break the layout.
You prefer monthly billing without a yearly commitment.
You sell on Core or above and want published, plan-by-plan fees.
Automatic structured data and sitemaps are enough for your SEO needs.

If price is the main constraint and you are comfortable with a long prepaid term, our Hostinger AI Builder pricing and limits review covers a lower-cost hosted option, with clear trade-offs at renewal.

FAQ

Can I move a Wix site to Squarespace, or the other way round?

Not automatically. Wix sites cannot be exported, and Squarespace’s export covers only some content and imports into WordPress, not Wix. Plan for a manual rebuild and set up 301 redirects from old URLs on the new platform.

Does Wix Harmony cost extra?

Wix’s AI website builder page says you can start building with AI for free; a Premium plan is needed for a custom domain, payments and other features. Note that the Wix CMS and Multilingual apps were not yet available in Harmony at the time of writing.

Which is better for SEO?

Neither platform guarantees rankings, and both cover the essentials. Wix documents more controls you can change; Squarespace handles more automatically but lets you edit less. Content quality and site structure matter more than the platform for most small sites.

Wix vs Squarespace: Comparison for Small Businesses