Wix or Squarespace vs. a custom website: what's the real cost?
Short answer
Website builders like Wix and Squarespace cost little to start but charge roughly $15 to $50 a month for as long as you have the site, about $900 to $3,000 over five years, and you do the building and updating yourself. A custom site from a freelancer costs more upfront but can have little or no monthly cost if it's hosted on a free platform. Builders suit hands-on owners with time; a custom site suits owners who'd rather pay once and get back to work.
How do the five-year costs compare?
| Website builder | Custom site on free hosting | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront | $0 | About $800 to $2,000 |
| Monthly | About $15 to $50 | $0 (domain only, about $12/year) |
| Five-year total | About $900 to $3,000 | About $860 to $2,060 |
| Who builds and updates it | You | The developer, then small changes as needed |
Builder prices vary by plan and change over time. Check current pricing before you decide, and note that online stores and premium features cost more on every platform.
What about the time it takes?
A builder's real cost is often your time. Choosing a template, writing every page, sourcing photos, learning SEO settings, and fixing layouts on phones easily takes 20 to 40 hours for a first site. If your time is worth $50 an hour, that's $1,000 to $2,000 of work before you've earned anything from the site.
Who owns the site?
With a builder, you're renting. Stop paying and the site goes offline, and you generally can't move your design to another host. With a custom static site, you can own the code, the hosting account, and the domain outright. That matters if you ever change providers. More on that in who should own your website.
Which one is faster and more secure?
Builders have improved, but they load a lot of platform code on every page. A hand-built static site loads only what it needs, which usually makes it faster on phones, and it has no admin login or plugins for attackers to target.
Which should I choose?
- Choose a builder if you enjoy doing it yourself, change your site weekly, or need a large online store with built-in inventory tools.
- Choose a custom site if you want it done right once, want no monthly bill, and would rather spend your time running your business.
Common questions
Can I move my Wix site to another host later?
Generally no. Wix sites run only on Wix. You can move your domain and your content (text and images), but the design itself usually has to be rebuilt.
Is Squarespace better than Wix for small businesses?
They're similar. Squarespace is known for polished templates, while Wix offers more flexibility. Either works for a hands-on owner.
Does a custom website need a monthly fee?
Not necessarily. A static site can be hosted free on platforms like Cloudflare Pages, leaving only the domain renewal. Hardline WebWorks sites work this way.
Founder of Hardline WebWorks in Lacey, Washington. Web developer with a background in networking and offensive security. About Isaiah