Wix, Squarespace or WordPress: which should your business choose?

Wix. Squarespace. WordPress. These three names come up in every conversation about building a website. Each has its supporters, and its limitations. If you run a business, here is an honest comparison to help you choose without making a mistake.

Wix: simplicity, but at what price?

Wix is a drag-and-drop website builder. No coding required. In a few hours, you have a presentable website.

What is true

• Quick to learn for non-technical users
• Hundreds of templates available
• Hosting included, with no server to manage

What you are not always told

• You do not own your website: if Wix shuts down or raises its prices, you lose everything. There is no export of the source code.
• Limited SEO performance: despite improvements, Wix websites structurally struggle to compete with WordPress in Google rankings.
• A never-ending subscription: Wix costs between €17 and €35 a month. Over 5 years, that is €1,020 to €2,100 for a website you do not own.
• A less professional image: B2B clients and established companies often see a Wix website as a sign of too little investment in the brand.

Ideal for: sole traders just starting out, personal projects and associations with no budget. Not suitable for a business that intends to last and grow.

Squarespace: beautiful by default, but for whom?

Squarespace focuses on looks. The templates are visually polished and the interface is clean. It is the choice of many creatives (photographers, designers, artists).

Its real strengths

• High-quality design with little effort
• A good tool for visual portfolios and basic e-commerce
• A pleasant content management interface

Its major limitations

• The same ownership problem as Wix: you are renting your website
• Limited customisation: beyond the templates, you quickly hit a wall if you have specific needs
• Fewer extensions: the ecosystem is closed compared with WordPress
• A subscription: €16 to €49 a month depending on the plan

Ideal for: photographers, artists, small craft shops and creative portfolios. Not suitable if you need specific features or maximum SEO performance.

WordPress: the professional standard

WordPress powers 43% of all websites worldwide. That is no accident. It is the only one of the three that gives you complete ownership and freedom.

The real advantages

• You own it: the code belongs to you, and you can change provider whenever you like
• Endlessly extensible: more than 60,000 plugins cover virtually every need
• SEO-friendly: with the right tools (Yoast, Rank Math), WordPress is the most effective platform for search engine optimisation
• Technical independence: you can manage your content yourself without calling in a developer for every change

Points to watch

• It needs a professional set-up to be fast and secure
• Regular updates matter (plugins, theme, core)
• A higher build budget than Wix (but a real investment rather than a rental)

Ideal for: virtually every serious business, from micro-businesses to SMEs. It is the choice of freedom and durability.

A quick decision guide

• You are starting out with no budget → Wix (temporarily)
• You are a photographer or an artist → Squarespace
• You run a serious business → WordPress
• You have very specific needs → custom development

The real question: rent or own?

With Wix and Squarespace, you rent your sales tool. With WordPress, you own it. In the long run, a professional WordPress website costs less, performs better on Google and gives you complete freedom. The difference in initial budget (€1,500 to €3,000 versus “free”) is recovered within 2 to 3 years, and your website keeps working for you without a monthly subscription.