# Wix vs Squarespace for a Canadian small business (2026) > Wix vs Squarespace for Canadian businesses: CAD prices, store and card fees, bookings, design freedom and how hard each is to leave. Which one to pick. Canonical: https://canadianwebmaster.ca/vs/wix-vs-squarespace Last updated: 2026-10-22 Both are all-in-one website builders billed in Canadian dollars, with hosting included. They cost about the same to start. They differ on design freedom, bookings, renewal pricing and what happens if you ever want to leave. Prices and facts checked October 22, 2026 ยท by Shane Heyworth. About: Wix, Squarespace. ## The quick answer - **Pick Squarespace** if you want a polished site with less fiddling, plan to sell products, and like predictable pricing. - **Pick Wix** if you want to place things freely on the page, need bookings built in, or want to try it free before paying. - **Pick neither** if you want to own a portable site or need specific plugins. Look at [WordPress](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/reviews/wordpress) instead. **Wix vs Squarespace at a glance (CAD, before tax)** | | Wix | Squarespace | | --- | --- | --- | | Cheapest paid option | $21/mo yearly ($252/yr) | $21/mo annual ($252/yr) | | Cheapest plan, paid monthly | Shown at checkout | $30/mo | | Free plan | Yes, with Wix branding | No (14-day trial) | | Billing currency in Canada | CAD (by your location) | CAD | | Selling online | From Core ($33); not on Light | Every plan; 2% store fee on Basic, 0% from Core ($32) | | Card processing (Canada) | 2.9% + $0.30; Amex 3.5% + $0.30 | 2.9% + $0.30 (2.5% on Advanced) | | Who handles updates and security | Wix | Squarespace | | Add-ons | Wix App Market | Built-in blocks and extensions; code injection from Core | | Changing the design later | Can't switch template once the site exists | Restyle any time with site styles (no template switching on version 7.1) | | Leaving the platform | Site can't be exported; contacts and products as CSV | Partial XML export (one blog, basic pages); products as CSV | Prices from each platform's own pricing page; export rules from their help centres. Full detail and sources on the [pricing pages](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/compare). ## Price: closer than it looks The cheapest paid plans cost the same: $21 a month, paid yearly, on both. The difference is what you get for it. Squarespace Basic can sell (with a 2% store fee); Wix Light can't take payments at all. For a selling business the real comparison is Squarespace Core ($32/month annual) against Wix Core ($33/month regular). Both charge 2.9% + $0.30 per card payment in Canada. Watch Wix's renewals. Its headline prices are often first-term sales (50% off Core and up when we checked), and the regular price applies from the second term. Squarespace showed no first-term discount; its saving is for paying annually instead of monthly. Full numbers: [Wix pricing](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/pricing/wix) and [Squarespace pricing](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/pricing/squarespace). ## Design: freedom vs guardrails Wix lets you drag elements almost anywhere, which is great until the mobile version needs separate fixing. Squarespace keeps you inside a grid that tends to look good on every screen. The bigger difference shows up later: Wix [can't switch the template](https://support.wix.com/en/article/switching-your-site-template) of an existing site, so a redesign means a new site. Squarespace's current version (7.1) has no template switching either, but every 7.1 site shares one structure, so you can restyle it completely with [site styles](https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/205815788-Making-style-changes). ## Bookings, stores and payments For appointment-based businesses (clinics, trades taking site visits, studios), Wix includes scheduling and services from Core. Squarespace's plans focus on selling products, services, invoices and memberships, with store features like discounts, shipping labels and Google Shopping from Core. If bookings are the heart of the site, Wix has the edge; if a product catalogue is, Squarespace does. ## Getting out Neither is easy to leave. Squarespace exports a WordPress-format file with basic pages, one blog, text and images; store pages and design stay behind ([help centre](https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/206566687-Exporting-your-site)). A Wix site [can't be exported at all](https://support.wix.com/en/article/exporting-or-embedding-your-wix-site-elsewhere); contacts and products come out as CSV files. Squarespace is a little easier to leave, but plan on a rebuild either way: see [moving off Wix](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/switch-from/wix) and [moving off Squarespace](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/switch-from/squarespace). ## Our take For most small Canadian service businesses that will build their own site, Squarespace is the safer default: steadier pricing, a site that looks right on phones without extra work, and a slightly easier exit. Choose Wix when bookings or design freedom matter more than those. Read the full [Wix review](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/reviews/wix) and [Squarespace review](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/reviews/squarespace) before you commit. ## Questions people ask ### Is Wix or Squarespace cheaper in Canada? The cheapest paid plans are both $21 a month on a yearly plan. Wix Light can't take payments, though, while Squarespace Basic can (with a 2% store fee). For a selling site, Squarespace Core ($32) and Wix Core ($33 regular price) are close; Wix often discounts the first term. ### Which is easier to leave, Wix or Squarespace? Squarespace, slightly. It exports some content in a WordPress-format file. A Wix site can't be exported or hosted elsewhere; only contacts and products export as CSV files. Either way, expect to rebuild the design. ### Do Wix and Squarespace charge GST/HST? Yes. Both prices exclude tax, and GST/HST is added based on your billing address: 5% GST in most provinces, 13% HST in Ontario, 14% in Nova Scotia and 15% in the other Atlantic provinces. ## Sources Each checked October 22, 2026. Platforms change prices often; their own page is the final word. - [Squarespace: Pricing plans and features (CAD)](https://www.squarespace.com/pricing) - [Squarespace Help: Make style changes to your site](https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/205815788-Making-style-changes) - [Wix: Premium plans (CAD when viewed from Canada)](https://www.wix.com/plans) - [Wix Help: Wix Payments service fees (Canada)](https://support.wix.com/en/article/wix-payments-processing-fees-7668440) - [Wix Help: Switching your site template](https://support.wix.com/en/article/switching-your-site-template) - [Wix Help: Exporting or embedding your Wix site elsewhere](https://support.wix.com/en/article/exporting-or-embedding-your-wix-site-elsewhere) - [Squarespace Help: Export your site content](https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/206566687-Exporting-your-site) ## Keep comparing - [Pricing: Squarespace pricing](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/pricing/squarespace) - [Pricing: Wix pricing](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/pricing/wix) - [Review: Squarespace review](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/reviews/squarespace) - [Review: Wix review](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/reviews/wix) - [Comparison: Wix vs WordPress](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/vs/wix-vs-wordpress) - [Comparison: Squarespace vs WordPress](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/vs/squarespace-vs-wordpress) - [Comparison: Shopify vs Squarespace](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/vs/shopify-vs-squarespace) - [Switching: Moving off Wix](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/switch-from/wix) - [Switching: Moving off Squarespace](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/switch-from/squarespace) - [All platform pricing, reviews and comparisons](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/compare)