Wix vs Squarespace vs Shopify vs WordPress: which should you use?

Wix vs Squarespace: which is better?

Wix is better if you want to drag things anywhere on the page and add lots of apps. Squarespace is better if you want a clean, consistent design without fiddling. Both include hosting and support, both can sell a few products, and both are hard to leave later.

Wix is the friend who lets you rearrange all the furniture. Squarespace is the friend whose apartment already looks great and gets a little nervous when you move the lamp. Neither is wrong. It depends on whether you enjoy moving lamps.

One thing to know before you start: you can't pack up a Wix site and move it to another platform. If you switch later, you rebuild. Squarespace lets you export some content, but not the design.

Wix vs WordPress: what is the difference?

Wix is an all-in-one builder, so hosting, security and updates are handled for you. WordPress is free software you install on your own hosting. That gives you full control and thousands of plugins, but you're responsible for updates, security and fixes.

Wix is renting a furnished apartment. WordPress is owning a house: you can knock down any wall you like, and you also get to deal with the roof. Personally. At 11 p.m.

WordPress.com is a hosted version that handles some of this for you. When people say "WordPress", they usually mean the self-hosted kind from WordPress.org.

Shopify vs Squarespace for selling online

Shopify is the stronger choice if selling products is the main job, especially as you add products, inventory and sales channels. Squarespace works for a service business that also sells a few things. Shopify charges a monthly plan plus payment fees, and many features come from paid apps.

Squarespace with a shop is a café that sells mugs at the counter. Shopify is the mug factory. If you're mostly selling coffee, you don't need the factory.

Already on one of these and not getting sales? The platform is rarely the problem. A free website audit shows what's actually stopping people.

Shopify vs Wix: which is better for an online store?

Shopify is built for online stores first. Wix is built for websites first and adds a store on top. For a handful of products, Wix is fine. For a growing catalogue, lots of orders, or selling across several channels, Shopify is the safer long-term choice.

Picking Wix for a big store is like buying a minivan to start a moving company. It works for the first few jobs. Then you buy a truck.

WordPress vs Shopify: which should you pick?

WordPress with WooCommerce gives you more control and can cost less in platform fees, but you manage hosting, updates and security. Shopify costs more each month and handles all of that for you. If you don't want to be your store's IT department, choose Shopify.

Some people love being the IT department. Those people have usually never been woken up by a plugin update on a long weekend.

Which platform is best for a small service business?

For most small service businesses in Canada, any of the four can work. Pick the one you or your designer can update easily, then spend your energy on what the site says and what it asks visitors to do. A clear offer and one main button do more for leads than the platform does.

That's how I plan every site: the goal first, the platform second. You can see how on my Vaughan web design page. For build prices, see how much a website costs in Canada.

Why I build on Shopify and Next.js

I've worked on CamAutoPro's Shopify store, and I built my own store, PosterGenius, on Next.js. Shopify handles payments and inventory well. Next.js gives fast, custom pages without a pile of plugins to keep updated.

That's not a knock on the others. It's what I can support best over the long run. The right answer for you depends on who will update the site after launch, and that person should get a vote. (If that person is you at 11 p.m., you get two votes.)

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