Website builder or a custom website?
With Wix, Squarespace or Shopify you can make a website yourself and pay by the month. That suits some businesses well. For others it ends up costing more than it seemed, and they often notice on the day they want to switch.
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Short answer
A website builder is a subscription. You make the site yourself in the provider’s tool, and it exists for as long as you pay. A custom website is made for you, the files are yours, and it can be moved to another provider.
A builder is enough when the site is simple, you have time to do the work yourself, and you can live with the site staying where it was made. A custom website pays off when the site has to stand out, do more than show information, or when you do not want to be locked to one platform.
When a website builder is enough
- You want to test an idea quickly, before you know whether it works
- The site is small: a few pages with text, photos and contact details
- You have the time, your own photos and want to do it yourself
- You can live with the design looking like other sites that use the same template
Buy the domain from a separate registrar and connect it to the builder. Then the address is yours, whatever you do with the site later.
What you can take with you if you switch
This is where the difference is biggest, and few people think about it when they start.
| Solution | When you want to move |
|---|---|
| Wix | The site cannot be moved. Wix writes that sites must run on Wix’s servers. You can take the domain with you, but the site itself has to be made again. |
| Squarespace | You can download a file in WordPress format with basic pages, one blog and text and images. Store pages, products, design and custom CSS are not included. |
| Custom website | If you own the files, they can be moved to another provider and the domain pointed there. |
Always ask who owns the design, texts and code once the site is paid for. With us, you do.
What it costs over time
Builders show their prices per month. Work it out over three years instead, and include what comes on top. The prices below are taken from the providers’ own pages on 15 November 2026, where they are shown in US dollars.
| Solution | Subscription | On top |
|---|---|---|
| Squarespace | From 19 dollars a month billed yearly, 25 dollars billed monthly. | On Basic, Squarespace takes 2 percent of online store sales. |
| Shopify | Basic: 29 dollars a month billed yearly, 39 dollars billed monthly. | If you use a payment provider other than Shopify’s own, Shopify takes 2 percent per sale on Basic. |
| Wix | Depends on the plan you choose. | You need a paid plan to use your own domain. |
On top come apps and add-ons you need along the way, and the time you spend making and keeping up the site. A custom website has a one-time price and a monthly price for upkeep. What that costs is in What does a website cost?
When a custom website pays off
- The site should stand out from your competitors, not look like them
- It has to do more than show information, for example booking, an online store or forms that go straight into your systems
- You want control over all of the code, including what decides how fast the site loads and how Google reads it
- You do not want to depend on one platform, or pay it a fee on every sale
- You would rather spend your time on the business than on building a website
What about WordPress?
WordPress is free software that is installed with a hosting provider. The site can be moved, and there are plugins for most things. In return, WordPress, the theme and the plugins have to be updated regularly, or the risk of a break-in grows. That is a job you either do yourself or pay someone for.
Common questions
Can I move a Wix site to another provider?
No. Wix writes that sites must run on Wix’s servers. You can take the domain with you, but the site itself has to be made again.
What can I take with me out of Squarespace?
A file in WordPress format with basic pages, one blog and text and images. Store, products and design are not included.
Is a website builder cheaper?
At the start, often yes. Over time come the subscription, add-ons and any fees per sale. Work it out over three years, and count your own time.
Who owns the domain when I use a website builder?
It depends on where you bought it. If you bought the domain from a separate registrar and connected it to the builder, you can take it with you whenever you want.
Can you make a new site to replace one I have in Wix or Squarespace?
Yes. We make it again with the texts and photos you have, and connect the domain to the new site when it is ready.
Sources
Not sure what fits?
Tell us briefly what your business does and what the site should achieve. You get a fixed price and three proposals to choose from before you pay anything.
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