Squarespace VS Wix - Which Platform Should you Choose?
This is a question I’ve been asked numerous times, ‘how do I choose between Wix and Squarespace?’, so I’m going to compare the two platforms based on a number of factors and let you know my thoughts. I will say, I do obviously have some bias, I work with Squarespace daily. However I’m going to try my best to view these platforms through the eyes of a newcomer.
First Off, What Is A CMS?
Before I jump into comparing the different platforms you can use to build your website lets talk about what a CMS system actually is. A CMS, which stands for Content Management System, is system that enables you to build and manage your website. Within a CMS you can publish new content, edit content, and remove old content. Squarespace, Wix, and Shopify are all forms of a Content Management System.
Things to Consider When Choosing a Website Platform
There are tons of CMS platforms to choose between, from Squarespace to Wordpress, to even Google’s own Google Sites. All of these platforms have different strengths, so which you choose will be based on what you need from your website.
Things to consider include your website size, whether it will contain an e-commerce store, and how easily you’d like to be able to manage and edit the website yourself.
Wix VS Squarespace
Wix is probably the first system that comes to mind when you think of a DIY Website Builder, but is it worth using?
For the purpose of this comparison I created a new site within both platforms so that I could experience the onboarding process.
Creating A Site:
Wix:
When first creating a new site you get asked which features you’d like included on your site, these include a live chat, blog, pricing plans etc. I selected a few options, however, once I got into the site, none of the options I’d selected had been automatically added. I don’t know whether this was a temporary glitch or an ongoing issue but it immediately made me lost trust in the platform.
You then get the option to choose between a collection of pre-made templates or to start with a blank template. I chose to start with a blank canvas.
Squarespace:
Squarespace has three options when starting a new site, Choosing a Template, Building a Template & Using a Blank Template. I selected a Blank Template and was taken straight into the editor.
Navigating The Editor:
In my opinion the Wix editor is too busy, there’s too many different menu’s with too many options within them. I don’t feel like it’s very self explanatory.
You can immediately see that Squarespace has a cleaner menu system. However they have made quite a lot of changes to the menu recently, moving items around which has caused some frustration.
Wix Menu (Click to enlarge)
Squarespace Menu (Click to enlarge)
Site History:
Wix:
Wix allows you to view the site history and restore a previous version. Some areas of the site will be unaffected by restoring a previous version, but it does let you know this. I liked the option to ‘star’ certain revisions so you can easily remember an important version.
Squarespace:
This is probably one of my biggest frustrations with Squarespace, there is no version history. Once you’ve saved there is no going back which could cause an issue if an unconfident client attempts to make their own edits. Luckily this is only something I’ve experienced a couple of times, is that an extra point for Squarespace’s ease of use?
Ability To Add Custom Code:
Wix:
In the editor you can turn on ‘Developer Mode’ which then provides you with the option to create new files where you can write code. I’d say that this is ideal for those comfortable with code, however for somebody trying to add just a little bit of CSS without much prior knowledge this could be very confusing and the process of switching on ‘Developer Mode’ could be a little daunting.
I liked that there’s a feature where you can click an element on the page and it will show you the needed ID to target without jumping into the web inspector.
Squarespace:
In Squarespace we have the Custom CSS area, and then the Site & Page Code Injection Areas. I like that you can access these areas directly without having to upload files. However they can get a little busy if not organised neatly.
Pricing:
Both Wix & Squarespace provide a number of pricing options for different levels of functionality. Which tier you choose will depend on the specific needs of your website however based on the needs of my own website I believe I would need the Core Wix Plan for £14 a month whereas I use the Business Plan on Squarespace at a higher price of £24 a month.
I will say that the Wix pricing table wasn’t as clear as the Squarespace table so it was a little tricky to see which tier option I would need to choose so this could be incorrect.
It’s worth noting that Wix also provides a Free option, however it has a 500MB bandwidth limit & will contain Wix Branding, so not ideal for any professional website.
Site Limits:
Wix has a site limit of 100 static pages, however you can use their Dynamic Pages feature to get past this.
Squarespace has a limit of 1000 pages per website, yes, 1000! Although they don’t recommend going above 400 to maintain a usable site without negatively affecting your load times too much. You can read more about Squarespace’s recommended limits here.
Whilst Squarespace allows for a much higher number of pages within a site I still think the 100 page limit on Wix is more than enough for the majority of sites.
Saving In Draft Mode:
One feature Wix has that I wish Squarespace did is the ability to Save the changes you’ve made to a page but without having to go live with them instantly. Wix has separate ‘Save’ and ‘Publish’ buttons. Whereas with Squarespace if you wanted to edit a page but not Publish the changes you’d have to duplicate the page and swap them out when you are finished. When making changes for a client that they want to go live at a certain time this becomes quite frustrating.
My Winner:
Whilst both Wix & Squarespace are obviously extremely successful CMS systems there’s one clear winner for me, and that is Squarespace! For me, the simplicity of the editor is a key factor when handing off the site to clients, I need to be confident that they are able to manage their site and make small edits without feeling frustrated that they don’t understand the controls.
I do hope though that Squarespace takes Wix’s lead and adds in the ability to revert to previous versions of a site, this would be incredibly valuable to both developers and their clients.