WordPress, Squarespace and Wix offer different combinations of control and managed service. Squarespace and Wix bundle hosting and supported features; self-hosted WordPress gives more implementation choices and more operational responsibility. Compare the actual workflow, total cost and exit path rather than assume one option has the least lock-in in every case.
The short answer
- The cost difference is not the software. It is hosting, plugins or apps, transaction fees, developer time and how hard it is to leave later.
- For a simple site, a hosted builder may cover the need. For custom requirements, compare each platform’s actual APIs, apps, checkout limits and recovery paths before choosing WordPress or another option.
- Price the exit now: which content, product data, design and integrations can transfer, and what must be rebuilt? A custom WordPress stack can have dependencies too.
What is the real difference between WordPress, Squarespace and Wix?
Squarespace and Wix are hosted services with platform, hosting and templates in the subscription. Self-hosted WordPress runs on a compatible PHP/database hosting stack you control or contract. Content rights, premium licences, proprietary integrations and account access still need to be documented on every option.
One distinction trips people up. WordPress.org is the free software that most businesses mean when they say WordPress. WordPress.com is a hosted service built on that software, closer in model to Squarespace and Wix. This comparison is about self-hosted WordPress.
At 26 October 2026, W 3 Techs reports WordPress on 58.3% of sites with a known CMS, Wix 6.2% and Squarespace 3.6%. This is a detected-technology snapshot, not evidence of the best fit, available local developers or the quality of a particular implementation.
| Factor | WordPress (self-hosted) | Squarespace | Wix |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Free, open source software | Hosted website builder | Hosted website builder |
| Hosting | You choose and pay a host | Included in the subscription | Included in the subscription |
| Design | Any theme or a custom build | Squarespace templates, edited in its editor | Wix templates, edited in its editor |
| Extending it | Directory plugins, commercial extensions and custom code; assess the maintained options you actually need | Built-in features plus Squarespace Extensions | Built-in features plus the Wix App Market |
| Ecommerce | WooCommerce, free with paid extensions | Built in, more features on higher plans | Built in, needs a plan that supports payments |
| Platform transaction fees | None from WordPress itself | Charged on online store sales on the entry plan | Check your plan and payment provider |
| Developer time | Higher: setup, updates, security | Low for simple sites | Low for simple sites |
| Leaving later | Move compatible files/database with required licences, configuration and dependencies | Exports only limited content, in WordPress format | Site cannot be hosted anywhere else |
| Best fit | Growing businesses needing control and integrations | Design-led sites and small stores | Small businesses wanting speed to launch |
What drives the cost of WordPress vs Squarespace?
The cost of WordPress vs Squarespace is driven by different things. Squarespace cost is mostly the subscription tier, plus transaction and payment processing fees if you sell. WordPress cost is mostly hosting, premium plugins or themes, and the developer time needed to build, update and secure the site. The software itself is free.
Squarespace’s Australian pricing page checked 26 October lists Basic with a 2% online-store transaction fee and Core/Plus/Advanced at 0%, separate from payment processing. It lists Digital Content and Memberships fees of 7%,5%,1% and 0% respectively. These apply to those named plans and features; legacy subscriptions and payment-provider conditions can differ. Check the current Australian plan and the exact products you sell before calculating total costs.
On WordPress, the main Squarespace vs WordPress cost drivers look like this:
- Compare hosting capacity, location, support, backup/recovery and uncached performance. Low price or shared hosting alone does not establish suitability.
- Themes and plugins are often free with paid tiers or annual licences. In my experience, most business sites carry several annual licences.
- Developer time is the real cost. Someone has to build the site, keep WordPress, the theme and plugins updated, and fix things when an update clashes.
- Maintenance and security are ongoing, not optional. My post on WordPress maintenance cost breaks down what a care plan should cover.
The original version of this post claimed WordPress maintenance costs nothing if you manage it yourself. That was never true for a business. Your own time is a cost, and the risk of a hacked or broken store is a bigger one. For the build side, see my guide to website design cost in Australia.
Is WordPress or Wix better for a growing business?
WordPress offers extensive implementation choices, while Wix includes hosting and platform updates and also provides apps, APIs and developer tooling. Compare the specific integration, access and exit requirements. A business growing in revenue does not by itself make a hosted platform unsuitable.
In the WordPress vs Wix decision, ownership is the deciding factor. Wix’s own help centre is clear that a Wix site needs to be hosted and operated on Wix’s servers. You can connect your own domain, but you cannot take the site to another host. To take payments, Wix says you must upgrade to a Premium or Studio plan that supports payments.
Some old criticisms of Wix no longer hold. Wix now has proper SEO settings, a large app market and a developer platform. The real constraint is that you are building on rented land.
The cost of leaving a builder only shows up on the day you leave. A professional training business that sells online courses came to my team wanting to move from Wix to WordPress. There was no export that would carry the site across, so the move was a rebuild, not a transfer. Most of the planning went into mapping every old URL to its new page with 301 redirects, so search rankings were not thrown away, and into connecting several payment providers through WooCommerce. The lesson I took: price the exit when you choose the platform, not when you need it. My team’s website migration work follows the same redirect-first plan.
Which platform is best for an online store?
I would assess WooCommerce when custom commerce and WordPress content need to work closely together. Squarespace, Wix and Shopify also have different commerce, integration and plan capabilities. Test the specific catalogue, checkout, shipping/tax, integration and recovery requirements instead of choosing from an assumed small-versus-large split.
The directory API reports 7+ million active WooCommerce installations; W 3 Techs’26 October snapshot detects it on 19.7% of WordPress sites. Those are different populations and not capacity tests. Core is free, while extensions, hosting, payments and ongoing work affect the total cost.
For ERP, inventory, B2B pricing, multiple markets or checkout changes, map the exact data and rules. Hosted platforms have integration options too, with plan and API limits. Test what must sync, permissions, error recovery and ongoing cost, then compare WooCommerce, Shopify or the hosted builder that actually meets the brief. My WooCommerce fit guide covers its limits.
How hard is it to move away from Squarespace or Wix later?
Expect to assess what can transfer and what needs rebuilding. Squarespace’s content export is partial and Wix’s rendered site must stay on Wix; each also has supported data exports. WordPress files/database can offer a broader migration path, but custom code, extensions and services still create dependencies. Scope the actual exit package and relevant redirects.
Squarespace’s site-content export is partial and does not carry the full design, store pages or every block. Separately, its product CSV export covers supported product data. Wix also offers product exports, although its complete rendered site cannot simply be hosted elsewhere. Inventory each dataset rather than describe either platform as exporting nothing.
A full WordPress migration normally needs compatible files, database, configuration, external services and rights/licences. Its ordinary content XML export is not a complete backup. Test the target environment and the exit package before assuming a new host or developer can reproduce everything unchanged.
This is the cost that never shows on a pricing page. If your business might outgrow a builder within a few years, factor in the rebuild now. I wrote more on this in the WordPress myths that cost businesses money.
Which should you choose: WordPress, Squarespace or Wix?
Choose Squarespace if design matters most and the site will stay simple. Choose Wix if you want the fastest route to a working site and are happy to stay on Wix. Choose WordPress if the site has to grow, connect to other systems or stay fully yours. Decide on where the business will be in three years.
A quick test I use with clients:
- Name the exact CRM, ERP, inventory or booking integration, data flows, plan/API limits and error-recovery needs; compare supported implementations.
- Will one person run it with no developer budget? Lean Squarespace or Wix.
- Is the brand and visual design the main job of the site? Squarespace is strong here.
- If losing the site would be serious, require tested backups, appropriate exports, recovery authority and a continuity plan on any platform.
What to do next
- Write down the features you will need in three years, not just at launch.
- List the integrations the site must have: CRM, inventory, payments, email, bookings.
- Compare cost drivers, not plan prices: hosting, extensions, transaction fees, developer time and the cost of leaving.
- If you are already on Squarespace or Wix, check what your plan’s export actually includes before you need it.
- If you want a second opinion on which platform fits your business, book a free call with me and my team through the contact page.
Frequently asked questions
Is WordPress cheaper than Squarespace?
Core WordPress is free, but compare the actual total: hosting, extensions, implementation, maintenance, subscriptions, processing and the eventual exit. Squarespace bundles some of those costs. Neither platform automatically costs more, costs less or repays the difference; use the same workflow and tax basis.
Is Squarespace or Wix better for SEO?
Squarespace and Wix both give you the SEO basics: editable page titles, meta descriptions, clean URLs and sitemaps. Either can rank well for a simple site. WordPress offers more control over structure, structured data and performance tuning, which matters more for larger sites and online stores with many pages.
Can I move my Squarespace or Wix site to WordPress?
You can move to WordPress from Squarespace or Wix, but not as a simple transfer. Squarespace exports only some content in a WordPress format, and Wix sites cannot be hosted elsewhere. Expect to rebuild the design, move content and products, and set up 301 redirects from every old URL to protect search rankings.
Do Squarespace and Wix charge transaction fees?
Squarespace charges a transaction fee on online store sales on its entry plan and removes it on higher plans, with card processing fees on top. Wix requires a plan that supports payments, and you pay processing fees to Wix Payments or your chosen provider. WordPress itself charges no transaction fee.
Is WordPress harder to use than Squarespace or Wix?
WordPress takes longer to learn than Squarespace or Wix, mostly because you also manage hosting, plugins and updates. Editing pages day to day is straightforward with the block editor. Many businesses on WordPress have a developer or maintenance partner handle the technical side, so staff only edit content.
