Websites: cost, hiring and build
Wix vs Squarespace vs a custom website for a small business
The question is not which looks better. It is what the site has to do, and what you can take with you if you ever need to leave.
This is written by a studio that builds custom sites, so read it with that in mind. We will try to earn your trust the only way we can: by telling you plainly when a builder is the better answer, and by quoting what the vendors themselves say about exporting your work rather than what their competitors say.
When a builder is the right answer
Wix and Squarespace are good products. For a lot of small businesses, one of them is the correct choice. A builder is probably right for you if most of these are true:
- The site mainly needs to say who you are, what you do, where you are and how to reach you.
- You, or someone on staff, will actually log in and edit it.
- The booking, store or form features the builder ships with cover what you need.
- You do not need the site to talk to the software you run the business on.
- You would rather pay a predictable monthly fee than a larger build cost.
A custom site starts to earn its cost when the site has to do something a builder cannot: feed enquiries into your own systems, handle a quote process specific to your trade, load fast with heavy photo galleries, or be fully portable between hosting providers. If none of that applies, do not let anyone talk you into custom work.
What each one costs, at the time of writing
Prices below are from each vendor's own pricing page, checked in October 2026 from a US connection. They change, so check before you commit.
| Wix | Squarespace | Custom | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | Light, $17 a month on a yearly subscription | Basic, $19 a month billed annually ($25 monthly) | No plan. You pay for the build, then hosting |
| Plan that takes payments | Core, $29 a month on a yearly subscription | Basic takes store payments with a 2% transaction fee; Core, $29 annually ($39 monthly), shows 0% | Your own payment processor account, at its rates |
| First year domain | Free on qualifying yearly plans | Free on annual plans | You register it yourself |
| Who you depend on | Wix, for hosting and the editor | Squarespace, for hosting and the editor | Whoever maintains the code, which can be changed |
What you own, and what you can take with you
This is the part most comparisons skip, and the one that matters when you outgrow a platform or a supplier. We checked each vendor's own help center in October 2026.
| Item | Wix | Squarespace | Custom |
|---|---|---|---|
| The site itself | Cannot be moved. Wix says its architecture does not support external hosting and the site must run on its servers | Cannot be moved as a working site. A content export exists (see below) | Portable, if the code is in a repository you own |
| Pages and blog | Wix says it is currently not possible to export blog posts to other platforms | Exports an .xml file in WordPress format: layout pages, one blog with its posts, text and image blocks, some gallery pages | All of it, as files |
| What the export leaves out | Not applicable, since there is no site export | Store pages, product, audio and video blocks, more than one blog, drafts, style settings and custom CSS | Nothing, by definition |
| Products | Exports to a CSV file (digital products excluded) | Exports to a CSV file; featured images, variant images, alt text and reviews are left out | Your database, exportable however you like |
| Contacts | Exports up to 50,000 contacts at once to CSV | Check the current help center for your plan | Your database |
| Domain | Transferable to another registrar | Transferable to another registrar | Wherever you registered it |
The domain is the one asset that moves cleanly on all three, and it is also the one most often registered in the wrong name. Whichever platform you choose, register the domain in your business's own account, or move it there. If a builder registered it for you as part of a plan, confirm the registrant contact is you and your email.
Custom does not automatically mean owned
A custom site is only more portable than a builder if three things are true: the code lives in a repository in your account, the hosting is billed to you, and the contract says the code is yours. A custom site that lives on a developer's server and in their repository is less portable than a Squarespace site, because at least with Squarespace you can log in and export the blog. Whether a contract actually transfers ownership of code or design is a legal question, and a lawyer should read that clause before you sign.
Custom also comes with a duty builders handle for you: someone has to keep the software updated, keep the hosting running and watch for problems. On a builder that is part of the subscription. On a custom site it is a maintenance arrangement you have to set up and pay for.
Wix or Squarespace, if you go with a builder
Both will give a local business a professional site. The practical differences are narrower than the marketing suggests. Try both on their free trials with your own text and photos, not a template's. Check three things on each: whether the booking or store features match how you actually sell, how easy it is to edit a page on your phone, and how the redirects work if you are moving from an older site. Then choose the one you will actually keep updated. A site you edit regularly beats a better one you never touch.
A quick way to decide
- List what the site must do, not just what it must say.
- Cross off everything a builder does out of the box. If nothing is left, use a builder.
- If something is left, ask whether a builder app or integration covers it, and what that adds per month.
- If it still is not covered, or if being able to move hosts matters to you, price a custom build, and ask for the code repository, hosting and domain to be in your name from day one.
What to do next
Write the list in step 1 and keep it in front of you during any sales call, including ours. If you are already on a builder, export whatever it allows today, keep a copy of your photos and text, and confirm the domain is in your name. If the list points to custom work and you are in Central Florida, Corsa Media House builds those sites, with the repository, hosting and domain in your accounts from the start.
Questions
Is Wix or Squarespace good enough for a small business website?
Often, yes. If the site mainly needs to explain what you do and how to reach you, someone on staff will edit it, and the built in booking or store features cover your needs, a builder is usually the right answer. Custom work earns its cost when the site has to do something a builder cannot.
Can I move my Wix site to another host?
No. Wix says its architecture does not support external hosting and the site must run on Wix servers. Wix also says it is currently not possible to export blog posts to other platforms, though products and contacts can be exported to CSV and the domain can be transferred.
What can I export from Squarespace?
Squarespace exports an .xml file in WordPress format covering layout pages, one blog with its posts, text and image blocks and some gallery pages. Store pages, product, audio and video blocks, drafts, style settings and custom CSS are left out. Products export separately to CSV, without images or reviews.
Does a custom website mean I own it?
Only if the code is in a repository in your account, the hosting is billed to you and the contract says the code is yours. Whether a contract actually transfers ownership is a legal question for a lawyer.