Squarespace or Wix vs. a custom website: which is right for a small business?

By Jennie Tewell

You can build a good small business website on Squarespace or Wix. The real question is whether you want to. With a builder, the design, the setup and the upkeep are all yours to figure out. With Made by Crane, we design it, build it, host it and look after it, and you get a simple editor for the day-to-day changes. For most busy owners, that's the easier path.

We build custom sites, so we're not neutral. But we'll be honest about where a builder makes sense.

What a website builder does well

Squarespace and Wix have made it possible for almost anyone to put a decent website online. That's a real achievement.

• Low cost to start. You pay a subscription and there's no build fee. Squarespace runs $19 to $99 a month billed yearly ($25 to $139 month to month), and Wix runs $17.77 to $159.77 a month billed yearly. Prices last checked October 4, 2026.
• Start today. You can pick a template this afternoon and have something live this weekend.
• Total control. You can move anything anywhere, any time.
• Lots of add-ons. Both have app stores and built-in tools for things like online stores and scheduling.

If you have more time than money, like design, and need a simple site, a builder is a good answer. We'll tell you that on a call. Just know that time is the real cost: the hours of setup, and every fix after that, are yours.

Where builders get harder

The trade-off for total control is that everything is on you.

• You're the designer. Templates look good with the sample photos. With your photos and your words, getting it to look right takes skill and patience.
• More menus than you need. Builders are made for every kind of site, so the editor has settings for everything. Finding the one thing you want to change can take a while.
• Easy to break the layout. When you can move anything, it's easy to end up with a page that looks off on a phone.
• Upkeep is yours. The platform keeps the servers running, but checking your forms, fixing what breaks and keeping your pages current is your job.
• Tools add up. Many businesses end up paying for a separate form tool, email tool, booking tool and so on, each with its own login and bill.

What a custom website does differently

The short version: we do the hard parts, and you keep the easy ones.

• We build it for you. You send your words and photos. We handle the design, the pages, the forms, connecting your domain and the launch.
• It's designed for you. Every site is designed around your business, not a template someone else picked first. We design your homepage first so you can see the direction before we build the rest.
• The editor fits your business. You change your text, photos, posts, events and prices from a simple dashboard, with none of the extra menus. Pages are made of sections you edit and reorder, and the design stays finished.
• Hosting and care are done for you. No plugins to update and no hosting bills to figure out. Backups, security updates and monitoring are handled in your care plan.
• More in one place. Inquiry forms, a lead list, a blog, galleries, events, a newsletter and visitor stats can all live in the same admin, with no extra logins. When you're ready, client portals, booking and proposals can be switched on too.

A side-by-side look

*Squarespace and Wix plans billed yearly. Prices last checked October 4, 2026.

The honest trade-offs of going custom

A custom site isn't free of trade-offs, and you should know ours before you decide.

• It costs more upfront. Our packages start at $999.
• A care plan is required. We host every site we build, so there's always a monthly cost. You can cancel with 30 days' notice, but when the plan ends the site goes offline, so plan any move with us first.
• You own your content, we license the software. Your domain, words, photos and brand are yours. We keep the software that runs the site and the editor, which is what lets us host and care for it.
• It takes a couple of weeks. Most custom sites launch in about 2 to 3 weeks.

There's a middle option

If you want a finished, professional site but don't need a custom design, a ready-made site might fit. It's a design made for one kind of business, with an editor built for it. You send your words and photos, and we set it up and launch it within 7 days of getting everything. It's $399 to launch, then $49 a month, or $490 a year with the launch included.

Ready-made sites are available for any kind of small business. You can see demos for wedding photographers and churches, and if you run something else, we'll set one up for you.

How to decide

Pick a builder if you enjoy building things yourself and have the hours to spend on it.

Pick Made by Crane if you'd rather hand it off. Could you build it yourself in Squarespace? Yes. It's just much easier to let us handle it. You run your business, we take care of the site, and you can still change anything yourself in a few clicks.

Not sure? Tell us about your business and we'll be straight with you on a 20-minute call, even if the answer is a builder. Or see our packages and ready-made sites.

Quick answers