It’s important to keep in mind that WordPress isn’t your only option when it comes to a CMS/ website builder, and Joomla and Drupal are not your only alternative options. Both Wix and Squarespace have been blowing up in popularity over the last year for new startups and new bloggers, so we expect 2016 to be the year they really get the publicity they deserve.

You can always find a web design company to help, but it’s common to feel uncertain about transferring or creating a new website on one of these systems when WordPress is so common (and especially if you have experience with WordPress), but both Wix and SquareSpace have taken some of the faults of WordPress to help create a system that’s even easiest to use. So what are they all about? Check out the basics and a few examples below.

The Wix Basics

Wix is the free and easy website builder. It has over 510 templates available, and although you can’t change your template once you choose it, you can make an endless number of edits (and without any coding). Below shows the website and template design search function:

wix

Wix is also great for all types of websites such as a blog, e-commerce site, a company website, or more. There are also no worries here when it comes to Customer Care because they offer a Help Centner with plenty of forums, videos, and places to email Wix.

You can check out the introduction video from Wix below for a quick 1:23 overview:

What Makes Wix Unique

  • It’s completely free. There are paid version options, but most use the free version when using Wix. You can check out their page for premium accounts here.
  • You can use the Wix App Market. This isn’t necessary for most Wix users, but the App Market offers third-party extensions that essentially make it easy for you to do anything with your website. It helps you include customer review features, a way to book appointments, subscribing to your blog, and more (over 260 apps to be exact). You do, however, have to pay for the Premium version, $12.50 per month, to get access.
  • It’s easiest to use. All you have to do to design a website here is drag widgets onto a canvas. You have two sections, Dashboard and Editor, which you can manage and it’s as easy as that. No codes needed. There are also little icons next to each option that you can click to learn more about what each means, so most questions are answered right there as you’re building.
  • It’s updated. The latest Wix editor came out in October 2015, so you know it’s up-to-date with the latest trends. The editor allows you to create full-screen video backgrounds, infinite scrolling pages, and more.
  • Mobile is questionable. There is a mobile editor that allows you to change your design with the drag-and-drop tools to make it easy to work on the go which is great, but their themes are not all responsive.
  • You can’t change your theme. Once you chose a design, you’re stuck with it for that particular account. You can of course make design changes to the theme you have, but actually choosing a new design is out of the question. This is something that often freaks out WordPress users.
  • Less Bandwidth. According to Website Builder Expert, Wix offers less Bandwidth than SquareSpace. You can get unlimited bandwidth for $12.42 with the Unlimited Plan, but the basic and free versions only offer 1 GB.

The SquareSpace Basics

Although SquareSpace only has about 28 template designs to choose from, professionals design all of their templates. You can tell that the templates are professional and quality at first glance, so for many this is the deal breaker right here. If you like variety it may not be your best option, but if you need something fancy, SquareSpace has you covered. Below is a screenshot of their template search page:

squarespace

Similarly to Wix, SquareSpace also has options for e-commerce, blogs, and corporate websites, and it also has excellent customer care options such as live chat support, email options, video tutorials, and more.

You can check out the introduction video from SquareSpace below for a quick 3:31 overview:

What Makes SquareSpace Unique

  • It comes at a price. There are no free versions of SquareSpace. You can try it for free for 14 days, but after that the paid options start at $8 per month going up to $18 per month. This will vary depending on the type of website you’re building.
  • It’s not quite as easy to use as Wix, but it’s still pretty intuitive. With SquareSpace, you may just need a little bit more time to learn how everything works, but overall it’s still an easy interface.
  • They have great modern and simple designs. SquareSpace is notoriously known for offering more modern and sleek designs than Wix. For some this is a huge benefit, but for others, not so much. Superb Website Builders says they are in love with their designs, but “it’s fair to say that their templates are monotonous. The good news is that custom CSS can be applied to any template design.”
  • It’s full of features. There is no App Market with SquareSpace like there is with Wix, but they offer most of the features already (part of the reason it’s slightly more difficult to learn to use). SquareSpace also allows you to change up the code if you wish.
  • You can offer multiple accesses and import/ export. This means that you can have multiple contributors, editors, moderations, and even admins, much like you can with WordPress. You can also import data from other platforms, like Tumlbr, WordPress, or Shopify, or export your SquareSpace content.
  • You can edit the mobile view. While all SquareSpace designs are responsive, you can’t edit the mobile view, so you have a little bit less control than you do with Wix.
  • Offers unlimited Bandwidth. Even the least expensive plan offers this perk.

The Verdict: SquareSpace Wins for Most

Obviously there is not one “right” system, so it’s up to you to get a basic understanding of both to see which may work best for you. The majority of experts as well as users, however, seem to prefer SquareSpace (myself included) and call it “far superior,” which you can learn more about on this Quora thread; however makes sense because it is the more expensive option. For many, Wix is all they need and makes more sense for them in terms of navigation and usability.

In the end, if you have goals in mind, you should be able to determine what type of design you’re looking for and how much you want to spend to help give you some clarity.

Have you ever used Wix or SquareSpace or both? Let us know what you think of both in the comment section below.