It’s not all plain sailing, though. While these hosting-included website builders offer drag-and-drop interfaces and pre-built templates, they aren’t without their pitfalls. Neither do they offer anything that isn’t also available with a WordPress website builder like Breakdance.
The plain truth is that these website builders have downsides, and it pays to know about them in advance. This article delves into the drawbacks of each platform, helping you to make an informed decision before you commit.
One major downside of Wix is its potential to overwhelm users who aren't tech-savvy.
The platform’s editor offers considerable flexibility, allowing elements to be placed anywhere on the page, but this unstructured approach can lead to messy designs and frustration for beginners.
Wix sites sometimes suffer from slower load times, especially on pages heavy with images and videos. This can negatively impact the visitor’s experience and hamper a site’s search engine ranking.
Wix users also suffer from restricted scalability, and the owners of growing businesses sometimes find this rather frustrating.
While Wix is fine as far as website builders go, it's really only suitable for small sites. It lacks advanced e-commerce features, making it a challenge when it comes to handling complex inventories and high-traffic stores.
Another limitation with Wix is that once you choose a template, switching to another requires rebuilding the site from scratch. For larger sites, that’s not something the site owner is likely to relish paying for.
Website builders like Squarespace emphasise polished, design-focused templates, but this often comes at the cost of customisation and flexibility.
The platform restricts what users can do in an effort to maintain a consistent aesthetic. This means advanced tweaks often require custom CSS, which can lead to unsupported display issues across different devices. Fixing this issue is one of the reasons professional web designers get called in by frustrated Wix users.
This builder’s structured editor can feel confining for those who want a unique layout for their website.
Squarespace also falls short in e-commerce capabilities for international sellers. It has limitations in localisation, such as fewer payment gateways and inadequate support for multi-currency transactions without additional fees or third-party integrations.
When it comes to e-commerce, Squarespace doesn’t hold a candle to WooCommerce on WordPress (or Shopify).
The SEO tools in Squarespace are relatively basic, often resulting in poorer search engine performance compared to more flexible platforms.
This can hinder the traffic growth of sites running platform-independent systems like WordPress. And there’s nothing in Wix or Squarespace that comes close to popular WordPress plugins such as Yoast SEO or Rank Math SEO.
As website builders go, I prefer Squarespace over Wix. In my opinion, it produces better page designs, but as you can see, it has its limitations.
| Platform | Primary Type | Key Focus Areas | Target Users |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | Website Builder | General websites, e-commerce, blogging, scheduling, marketing. | Individuals, small businesses, creators. |
| Squarespace | Website Builder | Professional websites, e-commerce, scheduling, email marketing. | Creatives, entrepreneurs, small businesses. |
| Shopify | E-commerce Platform | Online stores, multichannel sales, POS, scaling businesses. | Merchants, retailers, enterprises. |
Shopify is renowned for its e-commerce prowess, but it isn't immune to drawbacks, particularly when it comes to cost.
Shopify isn’t among the best of the website builders, and its primary focus is on e-commerce.
The platform’s subscription fees, combined with additional transaction charges if you don't use Shopify Payments, can add up quickly. This can impact small businesses that rely on multiple apps to extend functionality.
Vendor lock-in is another significant issue with Shopify. Migrating away from the platform is notoriously difficult due to its proprietary data formats and the inability to easily export all site elements.
These proprietary formats can and do trap users who outgrow the Shopify ecosystem.
Additionally, customisation beyond basic themes requires coding knowledge or hiring specialist developers. Shopify has even developed its own programming language!
When comparing these website builders, a common thread is their proprietary nature. This limits true ownership and places restrictions on the portability of your site.
Open-source alternatives like WordPress allow you to migrate your site from one hosting company to another. What’s more, the move is straightforward thanks to tools like WPvivid Backup and its competitors.
If your current web hosting company suddenly ramps up its pricing, you can use a free plugin like WPvivid Backup to move your entire site to another provider.
That’s not the case with Wix, Squarespace, or Shopify. Once they have you in their clutches, the cost and logistics to move your site can be painful.
With these hosting-included website builders, you’re at the mercy of their updates and policies. These can disrupt your website without warning.
For instance, all three charge for premium features that might be free elsewhere, potentially making them less cost-effective for long-term use.
The security and performance of these platforms also varies. Wix and Squarespace sometimes lag when it comes to advanced protections and speed optimisations. Shopify's reliance on add-ons can also introduce vulnerabilities if they’re not managed well.
Contrast this with the plethora of security options, free advice, and updates available in the WordPress ecosystem.
Businesses should weigh these factors against their specific needs, such as e-commerce scale and design priorities.
While Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify democratise the process of building and publishing a website, their downsides can hinder ambitious projects.
It’s crucial that you assess your business goals and explore alternatives like WordPress to see whether its flexibility, scalability, security, and ubiquity may prove less expensive and more suitable in the long term.
Ultimately, the right choice depends on balancing ease of use against future-proofing your online presence. By understanding these limitations, you can avoid common pitfalls and build a site that truly supports your growth.
If you’re still unsure, get in touch and let’s chat.
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