Quick answer
For selling online, Squarespace Basic costs less than Wix if you have a few orders a month, and Wix Core costs less once orders are steady. Basic has the lower plan price but adds a 2% transaction fee, so a $50 card sale costs $2.75 in fees against $1.75 on Wix, and in this example the two cost the same in total at ten sales a month. Squarespace Core costs $29 a month billed annually, the same as Wix Core, with a 0% transaction fee, so at that level the choice comes down to the editor, templates and product options.
Nation, an AI store builder, publishes this page. It is pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai, so it is not in the comparison or the fee example. See where Nation fits.
How we compared
Wix and Squarespace are both builders for your own store, so on either one you bring the buyers. Squarespace Basic has the lower plan price and Wix Core the lower fee on each sale, so the verdict turns on how many orders you expect. Both were checked against the same four questions.
- Monthly cost of a plan that can sell The cheapest plan on each builder that takes payments online, at its yearly price.
- Fees on each sale Transaction and card processing fees on one order, read from each builder's own pricing and fee pages for a US seller.
- Sales volume A lower plan price helps a seller with few orders. A lower fee per sale helps a seller with many.
- Starting and store limits Free plans, trials and product options that decide how you can start and what you can list.
Wix vs Squarespace at a glance
Each builder is shown at its cheapest plan that accepts online payments. The source and check date for every number are listed under each builder and at the end of the page.
What Wix and Squarespace charge on a $50 sale
Fees are easier to compare on one order than as percentages. Example: one $50 art print, paid online with a standard US card, with free shipping and no sales tax. Wix Core charges card processing of 2.9% + $0.30 through Wix Payments. Squarespace Basic charges 2.9% + $0.30 for the card plus a 2% transaction fee.
- Wix baseline $1.75 plus Core $29 a month (billed yearly, paid in full upfront) Card 2.9% + $0.30 $1.75
- Squarespace $2.75 plus Basic $19 a month billed annually Transaction 2% $1, Card 2.9% + $0.30 $1.75
Assumes a $50 item, free shipping, no tax, a standard US card (not Amex) paid online through each builder's own payments, and no currency conversion. On Wix, Amex costs 3.7% of the transaction amount + 0.30 USD and PayPal costs 3.49% of the transaction amount + 0.49 USD. Squarespace is shown on Basic, its cheapest plan that sells.
Wix and Squarespace in detail
Each builder gets the same five lines: price, fees per sale, what it is strong at, who it is best for and its main limit.
The baseline. A website builder with 2000+ website templates and a store built in, where taking payments starts on the Core plan.
- Price
- Core, the cheapest plan that accepts payments, is $29 a month (billed yearly, paid in full upfront). Business is $39 a month (billed yearly). Free plan: $0, cannot accept payments; a paid plan is needed to take payments.
- Fees per sale
- Card processing of 2.9% + $0.30 through Wix Payments for a standard US card. Amex costs 3.7% of the transaction amount + 0.30 USD, PayPal costs 3.49% of the transaction amount + 0.49 USD, and international cards add 1.5% of the transaction amount on top of the standard processing fee.
- Strong at
- Products with many options: Wix products can have up to 1,000 variants each.
- Best for
- Sellers with steady orders, or with products that come in many sizes and colors.
- Limit
- Core costs more a month than Squarespace Basic, so in months with few sales you pay more in total. Prices on the plans page are for yearly subscriptions paid upfront; other billing periods exist.
A website builder with templates and a store built in. Basic adds a 2% transaction fee on each online sale, and Core drops it to 0% for a higher plan price.
- Price
- Basic is $19 a month billed annually or $25 a month billed monthly. Core is $29 a month billed annually or $39 a month billed monthly. Squarespace has no free plan; every site starts with a free trial. The trial is free for 14 days.
- Fees per sale
- On Basic, a 2% transaction fee plus card processing of 2.9% + $0.30 through Squarespace Payments. On Core the transaction fee is 0% and the card rate stays the same.
- Strong at
- A lower plan price to start selling, and there is no limit to the number of products and services you can sell.
- Best for
- Artists, photographers and makers who sell a few items a month and want one site for their work and their shop.
- Limit
- Basic adds 2% to every online sale, so it costs more in total than Wix once orders pick up. Core removes that fee but costs $29 a month billed annually. Each product can have up to six options and 250 variant combinations.
Which one fits you
You sell a few pieces a month, for example as an artist or photographer.
Squarespace Basic
Basic costs $19 a month billed annually against $29 a month (billed yearly, paid in full upfront) for Wix Core. Example: at $50 a sale, that saving is larger than the extra 2% fee on each sale while you make fewer than ten sales a month.
You sell steadily and orders keep growing.
Wix Core
Wix charges $1.75 on a $50 card sale against $2.75 on Squarespace Basic. Example: past ten $50 sales a month, that gap is larger than the difference in plan price.
You prefer Squarespace's editor and templates and sell steadily.
Squarespace Core
Core costs $29 a month billed annually with a 0% transaction fee and the same card rate of 2.9% + $0.30, so plan price and fees match Wix Core.
You sell products with many sizes, colors or options.
Wix
Wix products can have up to 1,000 variants each, against up to six options and 250 variant combinations per product on Squarespace.
You want to build the whole store before paying anything.
Wix
Wix gives an unlimited free trial for building and publishing a store, and payments start on Core. Squarespace's trial is free for 14 days.
Where Nation fits
Nation
Category: an AI store builder
Nation says one description of what you make builds the store, then agents handle orders, customers and delivery and run ads, content and social posts, with you approving the work. Because pricing is not announced yet, it is not compared on fees here.
Limits today
- Status: pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai.
- Pricing and fees: not announced yet.
- Shopper marketplace: no shopper marketplace has been announced.
- Track record: no independent reviews or public stores yet.
Nation publishes this page. Nation is not ranked here and will not be added to the comparison or the fee example until signup is public and pricing is published.
Describe what you makeDisclosure and method
Nation, an AI store builder, publishes this page. Nation is not ranked here and will not be added to the comparison until signup is public and pricing is published.
The page compares Wix and Squarespace for a US seller of physical products, each at its cheapest plan that accepts online payments, with Squarespace Core noted where it changes the answer. Neither company paid to be included, and none of the links are affiliate links.
Every fee and price was read on the builder's own pricing or help page on 2 Oct 2026, then re-read in a separate check. Each builder's section names its source, and the full list is below.
Questions about Wix vs Squarespace
Is Wix or Squarespace cheaper for selling online?
Whether Wix or Squarespace is cheaper depends on sales volume. Squarespace Basic has the lower plan price, $19 a month billed annually against $29 a month (billed yearly, paid in full upfront) for Wix Core. Wix has the lower fee on each sale: $1.75 on a $50 card sale against $2.75 on Squarespace Basic. Example: at $50 a sale, Squarespace Basic costs less in total below ten sales a month.
Does Squarespace charge transaction fees?
Squarespace charges a 2% transaction fee on online sales on its Basic plan, on top of card processing of 2.9% + $0.30 through Squarespace Payments. On a $50 card sale the two come to $2.75. On Core, which costs $29 a month billed annually, the transaction fee is 0%.
What does Wix charge on each sale?
Wix charges card processing on each sale made through Wix Payments: 2.9% + $0.30 for a standard US card, 3.7% of the transaction amount + 0.30 USD for Amex and 3.49% of the transaction amount + 0.49 USD for PayPal. On a $50 card sale that comes to $1.75. Core, the cheapest plan that accepts payments, costs $29 a month (billed yearly, paid in full upfront).
Can I sell on Wix or Squarespace for free?
You cannot take payments on Wix or Squarespace for free. Wix gives an unlimited free trial for building and publishing a store, and taking payments starts on Core at $29 a month (billed yearly, paid in full upfront). Squarespace has no free plan; every site starts with a free trial. Its trial is free for 14 days, and selling starts on Basic at $19 a month billed annually.
Is Wix or Squarespace better for artists?
Squarespace Basic suits artists who sell a few pieces a month, because it costs $19 a month billed annually against $29 a month (billed yearly, paid in full upfront) for Wix Core. Example: with $50 prints, Basic costs less in total below ten sales a month. An artist who sells more pays less on Wix Core, or on Squarespace Core with its 0% transaction fee.
Is Nation an alternative to Wix and Squarespace?
Nation is not an alternative to Wix and Squarespace that you can compare today. It is an AI store builder, pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai, and its pricing is not announced yet. Because no shopper marketplace has been announced, it would sit with own-store builders like Wix and Squarespace. Nation will be added to this comparison once signup is public and pricing is published.