Squarespace vs Wix vs a custom website: what a local business should pick

Short answer: Squarespace and Wix are close to the same thing. You build the site yourself from a template, on their platform, for a subscription. The real choice for a local business is between doing it yourself and having someone do it for you.

I'll skip a feature-by-feature fight between the two, because it changes every few months and it's not the question that matters. Check their pricing pages for the current numbers.

What Squarespace and Wix are good at

Both get you something live fast. Both have templates, an editor and hosting in one bill. If you enjoy building things and you have evenings to spare, either can work. Lots of small businesses start there, and that's fine.

Where local businesses run into trouble

• You're the builder. Writing the pages, choosing photos and fixing mobile layout is your job, usually at night.
• The site lives on their platform. You can't take the design with you if you leave.
• Prices are theirs to change. When a platform raises its price, you pay it or start over.
• Getting found on Google is on you. A template gives you a site, not a Google profile, reviews or pages that match what people search.

Most owners I talk to started one, got two pages in and it's been sitting since. If that's you, there's no shame in it. Building websites isn't your job.

When I'd say stay with a builder

You like doing it yourself, the site is simple, and you don't mind paying the subscription forever. Or you're testing an idea and aren't ready to commit.

When I'd say hire it out

You want a site that looks like a real business, you don't want to build it, and you want somebody to keep it running. That's my work. I build it first, $0 down, $99 a month, and you own the code, the content and the domain.

What to ask either way

• Who builds it, and how long until I see something?
• What happens if the price goes up?
• Can I leave with my content and my domain?
• Who helps me get found on Google?

I compared both in more detail, with hiring an agency too, on the compare page, and the long version of the do-it-yourself question is in Wix vs hiring a web designer.