Wix or Squarespace vs a custom website: which should you choose?
By Harry Norris, Aucta AI · Updated 26 October 2026
Wix and Squarespace are a sensible start if you have more time than budget and need something simple. A custom website makes more sense when you want a design built around you, a page for every service and area, and someone else doing the work. Worth knowing first: a Wix site cannot be moved elsewhere, and Squarespace only exports part of a site.
On this page
Website builders are advertised everywhere, and for good reason: they make it possible to get a site online in a weekend for a few pounds a month. This guide compares them honestly with a custom website, including where a builder is the better choice. We build custom sites, including a custom website you own for £97 a month, so we will be clear about where the money and the time actually go.
What each one is
Wix and Squarespace are website builders. You pay a monthly subscription, pick a template and drag your words and photos into place. Hosting, security and updates are handled for you. The site lives on their platform for as long as you subscribe.
A custom website is designed and built for your business by someone else, around your services, your customers and the areas you cover. How it is paid for and who owns it varies a lot; our guide on whether you actually own your website explains what to check.
Side by side
| Wix or Squarespace | Custom website | |
|---|---|---|
| Who builds it | You, from a template | A designer or developer, around your business |
| Upfront cost | Nothing but your time | From nothing (monthly plans) to a few thousand pounds |
| Monthly cost | Around £9 to £29 a month, plus extras | Hosting and updates, or a monthly plan |
| Design | A template, adapted | Designed for your brand |
| Your time | Building, updating and fixing it yourself | Send changes to whoever looks after it |
| Moving away later | Usually means rebuilding | Depends on the contract; can be fully portable |
| Google and AI search | Readable; results depend on what you write | Readable; set up for it from the start, if done well |
Typical UK prices for the plans most small businesses use, on annual billing and before VAT, from published 2026 price guides. Monthly billing costs more, and online shops need higher plans.
Rather not build it yourself? See how a custom site built and looked after for you works.
Which kind of website suits your business?
1. Do you want to log in and change pages yourself, often?
2. Are you happy to build and design the site yourself to keep costs as low as possible?
3. Would you rather someone else handled updates, security and changes?
4. Do you need bookings, payments, a shop or customer logins?
What a website builder really costs in year one
The plan is cheap. Your time is not. These are example figures; change them to match you.
Your hour: what you would earn or charge in that time, or what an evening is worth to you.
Counting your time, the builder costs more than a site built and looked after for you at £97 a month (£1,164 a year).
The part most people only find out later: moving away
Most businesses outgrow their first website. That is when the platform matters. Wix's own help pages say a Wix site cannot be exported to another host, because it runs on Wix's own technology. You can keep your domain name, but the site itself stays behind, so leaving means rebuilding.
Squarespace lets you export some content, such as blog posts, in a format other platforms can import. Your design, and many types of page, do not come with it. In practice, leaving usually means rebuilding there too.
None of this is a reason to avoid a builder. It is a reason to go in knowing that the site is rented, and to make sure your domain name is registered in your own name, so it can move with you whatever you do next.
When a website builder is the better choice
- You are just starting out and want to test the idea before spending more.
- You have more time than budget, and you enjoy doing it yourself.
- You need a simple site: a few pages, your details and a contact form.
- You want to change things yourself, often, without asking anyone.
When a custom website is the better choice
- Your evenings are worth more spent on the business than on the website.
- You want a page for every service and every area you cover, done properly.
- You want a design that looks like your business, not a template.
- You might need bookings, a quote calculator or links to your other systems later.
- You want a site you can take with you if you ever change provider.
If WordPress is also on your list, we compare it separately in Next.js vs WordPress for a small business. And for what each option really costs over three years, see our UK website cost guide.
In money alone, a builder is cheaper than our £97 a month plan, and we would rather say so. What the plan buys is your time back: we design and build the site around your business, write it with you, and make small changes whenever you send them.
After 12 months the site is yours and can be moved to any host, with your domain registered in your business's name from the start. If you are on a builder now and it is working, keep it; when you outgrow it, we can rebuild it properly.
A custom website from £97 a month, yours to keep.
A custom website built and looked after for you, for £97 a month with nothing upfront. As many pages as you need, built to be found on Google and AI search, and yours to keep after 12 months.
Common questions
Is Wix or Squarespace good enough for a small business?
For many, yes, especially at the start. They are a sensible choice if you have more time than budget, need something simple and are happy to build and update it yourself. They become harder work when you want a page for every service and area, more features, or a design that does not look like a template.
Can I move my Wix website to another host?
No. Wix's own help pages say a Wix site cannot be exported to another host, because it runs on Wix's own technology. You can keep or move your domain name, but leaving Wix means rebuilding the website somewhere else.
Can I move my Squarespace website?
Only partly. Squarespace can export some content, such as blog posts, in a format other platforms can import, but your design and many page types do not come with it. In practice, leaving Squarespace usually means rebuilding the site.
Do Wix and Squarespace sites rank on Google?
They can. Both send pages Google and AI tools can read, and both let you edit page titles and descriptions. What decides whether you rank is mostly the content and structure you put in: a clear page for each service and area, written for the questions customers ask.
How much does Wix or Squarespace cost in the UK?
Published UK guides for 2026 put most small business plans at roughly £9 to £29 a month on annual billing, before VAT, with higher plans for online shops. Paying monthly costs more, and apps, email and premium features can add to it.
Sources, checked October 2026. Prices change, so check each provider's own pricing page: