Website Builder Prices Compared: Squarespace, Wix, Shopify & Alternatives (2026)
Choosing a website builder often comes down to price. But comparing website builder prices is harder than it should be — every platform structures its pricing differently, hides features behind higher tiers, and charges extra for things you'd expect to be included.
Here's an honest, side-by-side comparison of what the major website builders actually cost in 2026.
Website builder prices compared
| Platform | Cheapest plan | Recommended plan | E-commerce plan | Custom domain | Transaction fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squarespace | $16/mo (Personal) | $23/mo (Business) | $27/mo (Basic Commerce) | Included (year 1) | 3% on Business |
| Wix | $17/mo (Light) | $29/mo (Core) | $36/mo (Business) | Included (year 1) | None (via Wix Payments) |
| Shopify | $39/mo (Basic) | $105/mo (Shopify) | $39/mo+ | Included | 2.9% + 30¢ |
| WordPress.com | $4/mo (Free+domain) | $8/mo (Personal) | $45/mo (Commerce) | Included (year 1) | Varies by gateway |
| GoDaddy | $10/mo | $17/mo | $21/mo | Often included | Varies |
| Managed service | $49–$99/mo | $99–$149/mo | Custom | Included | None |
Prices in AUD where available; some platforms price in USD.
What the prices actually mean
Squarespace ($16–$65/month)
Best for: Portfolios, creative businesses, restaurants, service businesses.
Squarespace has the most polished templates and the most consistent design quality. Every plan includes hosting, SSL, and basic analytics.
What to watch: The $16/mo Personal plan doesn't include e-commerce or custom CSS. The $23/mo Business plan adds those but charges a 3% transaction fee on sales. To sell without the fee, you need Basic Commerce at $27/mo.
Real cost for a small business: $23–$33/month plus your time to build and maintain it.
Wix ($17–$159/month)
Best for: Small businesses that want flexibility and an easy editor.
Wix offers the most feature-rich builder at the lower tiers. The drag-and-drop editor is intuitive, and the app marketplace adds functionality without code.
What to watch: Wix sites can be slower than competitors due to the amount of JavaScript loaded. The $17/mo Light plan is very limited (no form submissions, analytics, or e-commerce). Most businesses need Core ($29/mo) at minimum.
Real cost for a small business: $29–$36/month plus your time.
Shopify ($39–$399/month)
Best for: Online stores, product-based businesses, multi-channel selling.
Shopify is purpose-built for e-commerce. If selling products is your primary business, it's the strongest platform. Inventory management, shipping, payment processing, and point-of-sale are all integrated.
What to watch: Shopify charges transaction fees on top of payment processing fees unless you use Shopify Payments. Apps (often required for basic features) can add $10–$50/month each. A "simple" Shopify store often costs $80–$150/month once you add the apps you need.
Real cost for a small business store: $60–$150/month including essential apps.
WordPress.com ($4–$45/month)
Best for: Blogs, content-heavy sites, businesses that want maximum flexibility.
WordPress powers over 40% of the web, so there's no shortage of themes, plugins, and developers. WordPress.com (the hosted version) handles the technical setup.
What to watch: The cheap plans ($4–$8/mo) are extremely limited — no plugins, no custom themes, WordPress.com branding on your site. The Business plan ($33/mo) is where it gets useful, and Commerce ($45/mo) for selling.
Don't confuse WordPress.com with self-hosted WordPress (WordPress.org) — self-hosted gives you full control but requires separate hosting ($5–$60/mo) plus more technical knowledge.
Real cost for a small business: $33–$45/month on WordPress.com, or $10–$60/month self-hosted plus your time managing updates and security.
GoDaddy ($10–$21/month)
Best for: Getting something up quickly with minimal effort.
GoDaddy's builder is the simplest of the bunch. It's good for a basic online presence — a few pages, contact form, maybe a simple store.
What to watch: Limited design customisation, fewer templates, and the builder is less capable than Squarespace or Wix. It's cheap, but you get what you pay for.
Real cost for a small business: $17–$21/month.
The hidden costs of "cheap" website builders
The monthly subscription is just the starting point. Factor in:
Your time. Building a website on Squarespace or Wix takes 20–40 hours if you've never done it before. Maintaining it (content updates, troubleshooting, learning the platform) is ongoing. Your time has a cost.
Premium templates or themes: $30–$80 one-off for most platforms.
Third-party apps and plugins: $5–$50/month each. A typical small business site might need a booking system, form builder, SEO tool, and email marketing integration.
Professional photos and copywriting: $200–$1,000+ if you want polished content.
Domain renewal: Free for year one on most platforms, then $15–$30/year.
Email hosting: Most builders don't include business email. Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 costs $7–$20/user/month.
When a managed service makes more sense
DIY website builders make sense when you have the time and interest to learn the platform, maintain the site, and handle issues when they come up.
A managed website service makes more sense when:
- Your time is worth more than the price difference. If you bill $80/hour and spend 30 hours building a Wix site, that's $2,400 in time — equivalent to 4 years of a managed service.
- You need a professional result fast. A managed service delivers a finished website without the learning curve.
- You don't want to deal with maintenance. Updates, security, backups, hosting — it's all handled.
- You want someone to call when something breaks. Real support, not a chatbot.
At Domato, our managed website plans start at $49/month and include custom design, Azure cloud hosting, domain, SSL, email, and ongoing support. No lock-in contracts — if it's not working for you, cancel anytime.
How to decide
Choose a DIY builder if: You enjoy building things, have time to learn, and want maximum control over every detail.
Choose Shopify if: You're primarily selling physical or digital products online.
Choose a managed service if: You want a professional website without the time investment, and you'd rather focus on running your business.
The best website is one that actually gets built, looks professional, and brings in customers. The platform matters less than the outcome.