Which is the Best Site Builder in 2025? Comparing Wix vs Squarespace vs Weebly

☑︎ This guide was last updated in May 2025

If you’re building a website and want zero hassle — no fiddling with hosting, no WordPress plugin rabbit holes, no late-night support chats — you’re in the right place.

💡 Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly are the most popular all-in-one site builders in 2025. But they each have their quirks — and what works great for a portfolio might be a nightmare for an online store.

So… which one should you use?

Start Here: Website Builder Choice Wizard ⚡

Not in the mood for 10,000+ words of comparison tables? Use our simple wizard to get a tailored recommendation based on your actual needs — not ads or buzzwords.

Still curious? Keep scrolling for:

• A side-by-side feature comparison of the top builders
• Real pros & cons based on hands-on use (not marketing copy)
• 🏆 Our verdicts for different use cases — easiest, cheapest, best for ecommerce, best for photographers, and more
• An honest look at how these platforms stack up against WordPress

And yes, we’ve tested all of them using real accounts — so no fluff, just the good stuff.

Why Does the Choice Matter?

So you’ve decided to build a website — and you want it live, like, yesterday.

Instead of wrestling with traditional content management systems (hi WordPress 👋), you’re smartly leaning toward an all-in-one website builder. These tools bundle everything — hosting, design templates, e-commerce, support — into a single tidy package.

Sounds perfect, right?

Well… almost.

Here’s the catch: while most builders *look* similar at first glance, their real differences only show up once you’re deep into the project. That’s when things like storage limits, theme restrictions, upgrade pricing, and feature lock-ins start to bite.

That’s why we put this guide together — to help you pick the best tool before you’ve sunk hours into the wrong one.

We’ve tested the top site builders using real accounts, evaluated them across 20+ criteria (like design flexibility, SEO tools, e-commerce readiness, and pricing traps), and pulled everything together in one place.

Let’s dive in!

Comparison Table

The table below contains certain important features of each of the three most popular website building services;

We intentionally did not include such items as “presence of an ad-free version” or “possibility to add your own domain name” because those have been industry standards for quite a while now and are naturally offered by all major site builder brands.

Website Builder	Wix	Squarespace	Weebly
Year founded	2006	2004	2006
Free version	yes	no	yes
Storage space (free)	500 MB	N/A	500 MB
Extensions	yes	no	yes
Backups	yes	no	yes
Capabilities:
templates	yes	yes	yes
start from scratch	yes	no	no
analytics	yes	yes	yes
SEO tools	yes	yes	yes
e-commerce	yes	yes	yes
multilingual	yes	yes	via an app
email	yes	yes	yes
Cheapest plan with:
adding own domains	$17	$16	$15
ad-free website	$17	$16	$15
online shop	$29	$23	$0

While evaluating the dimensions which cannot be directly expressed as numbers or yes/no answers, such as “SEO toolbox” or “choice of templates”, we’ve aimed at being as objective as possible and using hard data where appropriate; still, those measures should be viewed on a relative scale used only to simplify comparison between the brands.

Now let’s dive deeper and look at each of the website builders separately; after that we will compare each pair one on one to finally reveal the most worthy solutions.

Wix: the Veteran That Still Got It

Wix is one of the oldest and most popular website builders out there — and it’s still going strong. Launched in 2006, it now powers millions of websites around the globe, from portfolios and blogs to full-blown online stores.

What makes it tick?

🎨 Drag, Drop, Done

Wix is famous for its “what you see is what you get” editor. You drag things around, drop text, tweak fonts and colors, and boom — you’re building a site in real time without touching code.

Want to start from scratch? Go ahead. Prefer to use a pre-made design and just tweak it? That works too. In fact, Wix has over 800 templates across every niche you can imagine.

⚙️ Features That Scale With You

Wix has a free plan that never expires — great for testing ideas or building personal pages. But once you’re serious, you’ll want to upgrade to a paid plan to unlock core features like:

• Connecting your own domain name
• Removing Wix ads
• Adding more storage and bandwidth
• Enabling e-commerce tools

The sweet spot? The “Combo” plan at $10/month — enough to connect your domain and remove ads. If your site grows, the “Unlimited” or “Business” tiers add more space and sales tools without breaking the bank.

🧠 Smart Stuff: Wix ADI

Wix also offers an AI-powered builder called Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence). It asks you a few questions, then builds a website for you — content, layout, colors and all.

Is it magic? Not quite. But it’s a time-saver for people who don’t want to deal with design decisions. You can still fully customize everything later.

📦 Wix App Market

Another strength: the App Market. Think of it as Wix’s version of a plugin store — hundreds of add-ons for SEO, booking, chatbots, event calendars, you name it. Some are free, some are paid, and all are designed to work smoothly with your site.

Create a free website with Wix ›

Weebly: Simplicity and Value

Weebly was built with one goal in mind: making websites dead-simple to create. If you want a site up fast — and don’t want to think too hard about layout grids, plugins, or pricing tiers — Weebly delivers.

In fact, of the “big three” builders, it’s arguably the easiest to learn.

🚀 Minimal Learning Curve

Creating a site with Weebly takes just a few clicks. The interface is clean and straightforward — drag content blocks where you want them, customize text and images, publish. That’s it.

Bonus: unlike Wix, you can change your theme later if you want a new look. That alone makes Weebly more flexible in the long run.

🛒 E-Commerce That Won’t Break the Bank

One of Weebly’s hidden strengths is its e-commerce pricing. Starting at just $8/month, you get a full-featured online store — complete with:

• Secure checkout
• Inventory tracking
• Coupon codes
• Abandoned cart retargeting

That’s less than half the cost of most competitors, and it includes support for multiple payment gateways: PayPal, Stripe, Square, and more.

📢 Built-in Marketing Tools

Weebly doesn’t just help you launch a site — it helps you grow it. Their integrated marketing suite includes:

• Email campaign builder
• Audience segmentation
• Lead capture forms
• Facebook ad integration

No extra plugins needed — just switch it on and start promoting.

💸 Pricing That Makes Sense

Weebly’s pricing is refreshingly transparent. The entry-level plan that removes ads and lets you use your own domain costs just $8/month. That also includes $100 in Google Ads credit — not a bad deal if you’re just getting started.

If you’re looking for a quick, affordable way to launch an online presence (especially an online store), Weebly should be high on your list.

Create a free website with Weebly ›

Squarespace: Minimalist to the Core

If you’ve ever admired a clean, modern-looking website and thought “I want mine to look like that,” there’s a decent chance it was built on Squarespace.

Squarespace has built its reputation on designer-grade templates and an interface so smooth it could probably double as a meditation app. If aesthetic matters most to you — read on.

🖼️ A Designer’s Dream (Even If You’re Not One)

Every Squarespace template is polished, image-focused, and mobile-optimized by default. If you’re a photographer, artist, or brand-conscious business, it’s an easy win. Just swap the demo content for yours and it’ll still look good.

🛠️ Everything You Need, Nothing You Don’t

Unlike Wix or Weebly, Squarespace has no app marketplace. What you get is a closed ecosystem — but it’s tightly curated and includes:

• Free domain and hosting
• Built-in blogging and scheduling tools
• Basic e-commerce features
• Email campaigns powered by Gmail integration

The upside: everything just works. The downside? If you want to add a specific feature that’s not in the box, you’re out of luck.

💳 Pricing & Plans

Squarespace has no free plan — only a 14-day trial — and pricing starts at $12/month for the “Personal” plan. For businesses or online stores, you’ll likely end up with the $18 or $26 plan depending on your needs.

Is it worth it? That depends. If design is your top priority and you don’t mind the higher price tag, Squarespace delivers a premium-feeling experience all around.

🛒 E-Commerce That Looks Good

Squarespace’s online store tools are beautifully integrated — but not cheap. The “Basic Commerce” plan costs $26/month, while the “Advanced” one is $40/month. These come with:

• Inventory and order management
• Automatic discounts and gift cards
• Abandoned cart recovery
• Custom checkout on your own domain

There’s no marketplace for extensions, so what you see is what you get. Thankfully, what you get is sleek and stable.

Create a website with Squarespace ›

Head-to-Head Matchups

So which one is the best for you? As we’ve seen, they all have tons of features, and these largely overlap – so it’s not an easy choice.

The fact that migrating between these platforms is almost impossible means making the right choice is even more important.

Here’s a quick breakdown of how each pair stacks up — based on real use, not marketing fluff.

What About WordPress?

You might be wondering — why not just use WordPress?

It’s a fair question. WordPress powers over 40% of the internet, and technically, you can build *any* kind of website with it. But here’s the thing: it’s not a website builder. At least, not out of the box.

🏗️ WordPress Is Powerful… But Not Plug-and-Play

WordPress is free, open-source software — which means you’ll need to sort out your own hosting, domain, theme, plugins, and updates. Yes, it gives you full control. But that control comes with complexity.

Website builders like Wix, Weebly, and Squarespace offer everything under one roof: hosting, design tools, support, even email and marketing. With WordPress, you’re the builder, the handyman, and the tech support. Cool for developers — less so if you’re just trying to get a website online quickly.

🎨 Themes vs Templates

WordPress has tens of thousands of themes (free and paid), which gives you more design flexibility than any other platform. But it’s also a bit of a Wild West: quality varies, and most premium themes cost $30–$80. Many require extra plugins to look like the demo.

By contrast, Squarespace and Wix offer fewer templates — but they’re curated, supported, and look polished straight out of the gate.

🔌 Features = Plugins

Need SEO tools? Analytics? E-commerce? Booking system? You’ll be adding plugins. Lots of them.

That’s fine if you like tweaking things — but also means more setup, more updates, more things to break. Builders like Wix bundle most features right into the core platform (or offer them through a tightly integrated app store).

💸 Cost Breakdown

WordPress is technically free, but here’s what a basic setup often includes:

• Hosting: $3–10/month (e.g. Bluehost)
• Theme: one-time $40–$80 or more
• Plugins: free for basics, but many advanced features require yearly fees

Compare that to a $10/month Wix or Weebly plan that gives you hosting, templates, SEO tools, backups, and support — no surprises.

🆘 Support: DIY or Bust

WordPress has no official support — just community forums. That’s great for power users, not ideal if you’re stuck and need quick help. Site builders offer live chat and dedicated support teams (you’re paying for it, after all).

✅ When WordPress Makes Sense

• You need absolute control over your site’s design, structure, or backend
• You’re building something custom, like a membership site or multi-language portal
• You enjoy tinkering with tech or working with a developer

Otherwise? If you just want a beautiful, functional site without headaches, you’re better off with a website builder.

In any case, check out our WordPress basics guide for a pain-free start to your WP journey, should you choose that path.

Let’s move on to our final verdicts for each type of user 👇

Which One Should You Choose?

All three major builders — Wix, Weebly, and Squarespace — can help you create a great-looking, functional website. But each one has clear strengths (and trade-offs) depending on what you actually need.

To make it easier, here’s our quick verdict for common use cases:

Need help deciding? You can also try our Website Builder Wizard at the top of this guide — it gives you a personalized recommendation in under a minute.

Share Your Thoughts!

Got hands-on experience with any of the mentioned website builders that you’d like to share? Still have doubts about which one to choose? Want to recommend additions and improvements to this analysis?

Don’t hesitate to drop us a line in the comments section below!

Affiliate disclosure: some links in this guide are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase — at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we’ve tested and genuinely believe in. Thanks for supporting independent content like this!