Wix Vs. Squarespace: 7 Crucial Differences To Know

Wondering which platform is the best for your business? Check out this article to see the key differences between Wix and Squarespace!
May 19, 2022

An easy-to-navigate and professional-looking website is essential for success, no matter what type of brand or business you have. It's the first impression potential customers will have of your company, so you want to make sure it is good!

Because of that, it's imperative to use a website-building platform that allows you to create a website that looks great and functions well. While there are a lot of website builders out there, two of the biggest names in the website builder space are Wix and Squarespace.

Both are excellent choices for building a website, but which one is the best? It really depends on what you're looking for in a website builder. In this blog post, we'll go over ten crucial differences between Wix and Squarespace to help you decide which one is the best fit for your needs.

The Page Editor

The page editor is the biggest difference between Wix and Squarespace. Let's take a closer look at each.

Wix's Unstructured Editor

Because Wix editor is unstructured, you can put an element anywhere on the page, even if it doesn't make sense. It's even possible to move elements pixel by pixel.

Sure, it can be freeing to be able to drag an element anywhere on the page. But, if you're not careful, your pages can end up looking like a hot mess. For example, let's say you move an image from the right side of the page to the left.

You'd have to make two changes: for the desktop version and the mobile version. Why? It's because Wix's editor doesn't automatically make changes to the mobile version of your site. So, if you don't make those changes, your image will be in the wrong place on the mobile version of your site.

And that can be very frustrating for you and your visitors.

Squarespace's Structured Editor

Because Squarespace has a structured editor, you won't deal with the same problems that you would with Wix. Unlike Wix editor, you can't move elements pixel by pixel.

Instead, you can drag elements or content blocks into columns and rows in Squarespace. So, there's a sensible and inherent structure to your pages.

You stay within the guidelines set by Squarespace, which makes it much easier to create a well-designed page. While you do have less control over where you can put things, the Squarespace editor is much more user-friendly.

No messy pages or having to make changes to the desktop and mobile versions of your site. Just well-designed pages that look great on any device.

Templates

Another crucial difference between Wix and Squarespace is the templates. In particular, Wix has more than 500 templates across 70 different categories, while Squarespace only has around 113 templates.

It might not seem like a big difference, but it's actually quite significant. With such a wide variety of templates, Wix gives you a lot more options to choose from when creating your website. And since each template is fully customizable, you can really make your website stand out from the crowd.

But other than the volume, let's dive into the quality of the templates.

Wix Templates

As mentioned, Wix offers more templates than Squarespace. You can choose from many different categories like business, eCommerce, music, photography, and more.

And within each category, there are multiple sub-categories to choose from. For example, if you select the business category, you can further filter the templates by industry, such as consulting, marketing, or real estate.

It's a great feature because it allows you to find a template that's specifically tailored to your needs. Best of all, all of the Wix templates are customizable.

That means you can change things like the color scheme, font, layout, and more to really make your website your own. If none of the templates quite suit your vision, you can always start from scratch with a blank canvas.

From there, you can build whatever you want from the ground up. And when we say, whatever you want, you can place anything literally on your website. That's because Wix doesn't have a set grid. Then, you can adjust element sizes and shapes however you want.

Another thing, Wix's templates aren't repeated or used by other users. So, when you choose a template, you can be confident that your website will be unique.

However, once you choose a template, you can't change it. So, if you want to try out a different template, you'll have to start from scratch with a new website. That said, you need to be very sure of your template choice before you commit to it.

Squarespace Templates

On the other hand, Squarespace only offers around 113 templates. And these templates are divided across 14 categories, from business to personal to real estate and more.

While the platform's template library is much smaller than Wix's, they are all designed and created with the highest quality possible. Squarespace's world-class designers craft each template with care, ensuring that every detail is pixel-perfect.

And like Wix, all of Squarespace's templates are also fully customizable. So, you can change things like the fonts, colors, and layout to really make your website your own.

But take note that Squarespace's templates rely significantly on the images used. So, if you change the images, it can totally change the look and feel of your website.

One thing to keep in mind is that Squarespace's templates are not as diverse as Wix's. So, if you're looking for something specific, you might not find it on Squarespace.

And like Wix, you can't change a template once you've chosen it. So, you need to be very confident in your selection before you commit to it.

But Squarespace has better template customization than Wix. With Squarespace, it's much easier to apply global changes to your website. For example, if you want to change the font across your entire website, you can do that with just a few clicks.

So, which platform has better templates?

It's hard to say which platform has better templates. Wix offers a wider variety of templates, while Squarespace's are of higher quality.

At the end of the day, it really comes down to personal preference. If you're looking for more template options, then Wix is the way to go. But if you want higher quality templates, then Squarespace is the better choice.

Both platforms offer customizable templates and an easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor. So, you really can't go wrong with either platform.

Blogging

If you're looking to start a blog, two of the most popular platforms are Wix and Squarespace. But which is the best platform for you? Let's look at the blogging features of each platform to see which one is better suited for your needs.

Wix Blogging Features

Wix is an excellent blogging option for both emerging entrepreneurs and creative writers. The platform's blog editor lets you add links and bullets, make formatting changes, and add images and videos with ease.

What's more, Wix allows you to customize your blog post's meta description and title tag. Plus, change the default URL of your posts.

Wix has all the essential blogging features you'll usually use. For instance, archives, photos and videos, categories and tags, and more.

However, Wix uses a plain text editor, which is very limiting and restricting if you want to add more complex elements to your posts.

Squarespace Blogging Features

Squarespace allows you to have as many blogs as you want on your Squarespace site. And this can be extremely helpful because you can use each blog to target a different audience or market.

For example, you could have a blog for your business and another blog for your personal life. Or you can stick with one blog and split your posts via categories. Say, one category for product reviews and another category for general tips.

Additionally, you can create summary blocks of your blog and drop them into other pages of your website and filter them so that the most relevant posts are displayed first.

Another thing, you can enable AMP for your posts on Squarespace. This is a Google project that makes pages load faster on mobile devices. Squarespace blogs have RSS feeds as well. That means you can allow people to feature your content on their websites in different ways or power them with newsletters.

However, there's no autosave or revision history, and you can't work on a draft version of a post with Squarespace.

SEO Features

Search engine optimization is vital for any website that wants to rank high on search engine results pages. Generally, that's the ultimate goal of building a website: to be found by potential customers.

Of course, Wix and Squarespace provide basic SEO features for all websites on their platform. Let's look at each one and see how they can be used to improve your website's ranking.

Wix SEO Features

Wix gives you all the essential tools to help you optimize your Wix website content for SEO. The New Wix Blog, Accessibility, and the Wix SEO Wiz are here to help you reach your target audience while keeping your content optimized for search engines.

The Wix SEO Wiz is a great tool for beginners. It walks you through the process of optimizing your website step-by-step. It'll help you set up the SEO basics and show you how you can improve your online presence by pinpointing weak points and providing helpful tips.

Wix's Accessibility helps people with disabilities access your website content. It's important not only for SEO but also for inclusivity. Making your website accessible to as many people as possible is a good business practice.

And as mentioned, you can easily add a blog to your Wix site. The New Wix Blog has all the features you need to write SEO-friendly content. You can control your blog's layout, design, and SEO settings all in one place.

Squarespace SEO Features

Like Wix, Squarespace provides basic SEO features for all websites on its platform. The website builder has the technical side covered so you can focus on creating great content.

Squarespace automatically generates a site map for your Squarespace website, which makes it easier for search engine crawlers to find and index your content. All pages have static URLs that are easily indexed and read by search engines.

Another thing, Squarespace redirects search engines and visitors to a primary domain and utilizes rel=canonical tags to avoid duplicate content issues. The platform also generates structured data using the following schemas:

  • website
  • product
  • organization
  • local business
  • event
  • blog post

What's more, all meta tags are automatically generated for every page on your website. You can edit and customize them at any time from the SEO tab in your site settings.

And there's a built-in mobile optimization feature that ensures your website looks great and loads quickly on all devices.

Ecommerce Options

Wix and Squarespace have built-in ecommerce functionalities that allow users to set up an online store and sell products directly from their website. Let's look at how each platform compares in terms of ecommerce features.

Wix Ecommerce Features

Wix ecommerce is an excellent option for small businesses and entrepreneurs that want to launch an online store quickly and without a lot of hassle. You can edit live and get previews of how your site will look on desktop, mobile, and tablet devices.

Before you can list a product, the site builder gives you the choice of selling something digital, physical, or a service. You can also offer gift cards and/or subscriptions.

And with Wix's drag-and-drop editor, it's easy to add ecommerce functionality to your site without any coding knowledge. Simply add the Wix app market and start adding products.

Other ecommerce features Wix offers to include:

  • abandon cart
  • social selling
  • coupon builder
  • source products externally

Squarespace Ecommerce Features

Squarespace offers tons of ecommerce features for selling online. There are plenty of templates specific to ecommerce, and each one is fully customizable.

Squarespace also has a built-in inventory management system that lets you track stock levels, set up low stock alerts, and create product variants. And you can connect to a payment processor like Stripe, PayPal, or Apple Pay.

Other notable ecommerce features Squarespace offers include:

  • customize checkout form
  • customer email notifications
  • create discounts
  • connect your social accounts
  • abandon checkout recovery
  • Squarespace analytics
  • Squarespace point of sale
  • Squarespace extensions

Mobile App

Both website builders have a mobile app so you can make changes to your website while on the go.

Wix Mobile App

With the Wix mobile app, you can manage your website from anywhere. Here are the powerful features it offers:

  • chat live with visitors
  • track analytics in real-time
  • grow your blog from your phone
  • review and manage your bookings anytime
  • manage your community from a mobile
  • run your restaurant from anywhere

Squarespace Mobile App

With the Squarespace mobile app, you can edit your website on the go. Here's what you can do with it:

  • update pages
  • add new images
  • write and edit new blog posts
  • review traffic and other analytics
  • manage store inventory and orders
  • manage your scheduling

Pricing

Probably the most critical factor when choosing a website builder is pricing. Both Wix and Squarespace have different pricing structures. Let's break it down.

Wix Pricing

There are nine tiers of pricing for Wix. You can start with a free plan. It's best for people who want to create a simple website. From there, you have seven premium plans:

  1. Combo - at $18 per month, you get basic features like a custom domain and no Wix ads
  2. Unlimited - at $23 per month, you get unlimited bandwidth and 5GB of storage
  3. Pro - at $28 per month, you get a step-up for branding and marketing your business
  4. VIP - at $56 per month, you get the max storage allowance and priority support
  5. Business Basic - at $28 per month, you can start selling online
  6. Business Unlimited - at $33 per month, you get extra features and more storage
  7. Business VIP - at $56 per month, you get more storage and priority support
  8. Enterprise - at $500+, you get a custom plan with a dedicated account manager

While Wix's plans can be confusing, they offer many features.

Squarespace Pricing

Squarespace provides simple plans that are easy to understand. Here are their plans:

  1. Personal - at $16 per month, you get a free custom domain, 24/7 customer support, and SSL security
  2. Business plan - at $18 per month, you can start selling online, but there's a 3% transaction charge
  3. Basic Commerce plan - at $26 per month, you will get tools to help manage your online stores, such as customer accounts, integrated accounting, and mobile-optimized checkouts
  4. Advanced Commerce plan - at $40 per month, you will get advanced tools for shipping

Conclusion

So, there you have it—the seven most crucial differences between Wix and Squarespace. Which platform is the best for your business will depend on your specific needs and goals. But be sure to do your research before deciding – each platform has its advantages and disadvantages.

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