Quick answer: WordPress is the best choice for most established small businesses that want strong SEO, full ownership and room to grow.
Wix suits beginners who want to build a simple site themselves on a small budget.
Squarespace suits creatives who want a polished, visual site without much customisation. In short: Wix and Squarespace are quicker to start; WordPress is the better long-term business asset.
How do WordPress, Wix and Squarespace compare at a glance?
| WordPress (self-hosted) | Wix | Squarespace |
|---|
| Best for | Growing businesses, SEO, flexibility | Beginners and DIY on a budget | Creatives and visual brands |
| UK cost (2026) | Free software; hosting and domain roughly £80–£300/year | About £9–£119/month (annual billing) | About £12–£79/month (annual billing) |
| Ease of use | Easy once set up professionally | Easiest to start | Easy, more structured |
| SEO control | Excellent | Good basics | Good basics |
| Design freedom | Unlimited | High, but easy to get messy | Polished templates, less flexible |
| Ecommerce | WooCommerce, very capable | Built in on higher plans | Built in |
| Ownership | You own it and can move hosts | Rented; can’t export the site | Rented; can’t export the site |
What is WordPress, and why do so many businesses use it?
WordPress is free, open-source website software. It runs around 42% of all websites and roughly 60% of sites built on a known content management system, according to W3Techs data reported in 2026. There are two versions:
- WordPress.org (self-hosted): you install it on your own hosting and have full control. This is what most professional business sites use.
- WordPress.com: a hosted, subscription service that works more like a website builder.
Businesses choose WordPress because it can handle anything from a 4-page brochure site to a large online shop, has thousands of plugins for features like bookings and forms, and gives you complete control over SEO.
What are Wix and Squarespace?
Wix is an all-in-one website builder with a drag-and-drop editor, hosting and templates in a single monthly subscription. It’s popular with start-ups and anyone who wants to build their own site.
Squarespace is a website builder known for sleek, modern templates. It’s popular with photographers, designers, artists and lifestyle brands who want a visually polished site quickly.
Which platform is cheapest?
On monthly cost alone, the platforms look similar, but they’re charged differently:
- WordPress: the software is free. You pay for hosting and a domain (roughly £80–£300 a year for a small business), plus any premium plugins and the cost of a professional build if you use a designer.
- Wix: around £9–£35 a month for most small businesses in 2026, with the top Business Elite plan at £119 a month. The domain is free for the first year only.
- Squarespace: around £12–£29 a month for most small businesses in 2026, rising to £79 a month for its Advanced plan.
Over several years, subscription fees add up. For the same level of features, WordPress running costs are often lower. See our
full guide to website costs in the UK.
Which is easiest to use?
- Wix is the easiest to start with. You drag elements wherever you like, with no code.
- Squarespace is also beginner-friendly but more structured, which stops layouts getting messy.
- WordPress has a steeper learning curve if you set it up alone. When a professional builds it for you, day-to-day editing (updating text, adding blog posts, swapping images) is straightforward. That’s why we include 1-2-1 training with our Business and Professional packages.
Which is best for SEO?
WordPress is the strongest platform for SEO when it’s set up properly. It gives you full control over page titles, URLs, meta descriptions, site structure, schema markup and page speed, and works with leading SEO plugins such as Rank Math and Yoast.Wix and Squarespace both cover the basics well and can rank in less competitive local searches. Where they fall behind is fine control: heavier code, less say over technical details, and fewer options for advanced SEO. If ranking in Google is important to your business, WordPress usually wins. Read more in
do I really need SEO?Which gives you more control and ownership?
With Wix and Squarespace you’re renting your website. If prices rise or you want to leave, you can’t download your site and move it; you rebuild it. With self-hosted WordPress you own the files, can switch hosting providers whenever you like, and decide how your site works. For a business, that independence matters.
Which is best for growth and ecommerce?
All three can sell online. Wix and Squarespace include shops on their commerce plans and are fine for small product ranges. For bigger catalogues, custom shipping rules or integrations with stock and accounting systems,
WordPress with WooCommerce (or a dedicated platform like Shopify) is usually the better fit. WordPress also copes well when you later want a blog, booking system, member area or CRM integration.
Which platform should you choose?
Choose Wix if you’re just starting out, have a very small budget, and are happy to build and maintain the site yourself.
Choose Squarespace if you’re a creative business where visuals matter most and you love its templates.
Choose WordPress if you want the strongest SEO foundation, full ownership, and a site that can grow with your business.
Frequently asked questions
Is WordPress better than Wix for SEO?
Yes, in most cases. WordPress gives you more control over site speed, structure, URLs and schema markup, and supports powerful SEO plugins. Wix covers the basics and can rank in less competitive niches.Is WordPress free?
The WordPress software is free. You still pay for hosting and a domain name, typically £80–£300 a year for a small business, plus any premium plugins or professional design.Can I switch from Wix to WordPress?
Yes, but Wix sites can’t be exported, so the site has to be rebuilt in WordPress. Your text and images can be reused. IceRocket Design handles Wix to WordPress migrations for small businesses.Is Squarespace good for small businesses?
Squarespace is a good choice for small, design-led businesses that want an attractive site quickly and don’t need advanced features or deep SEO control. It’s less flexible than WordPress as a business grows.Not sure which platform is right for you?
We build on WordPress, but we’ll tell you honestly if your current platform is fine for now.
Talk to us or call
01666 817151. Find out more about our
WordPress development service.
Related reading: Web designer vs website builder ·
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