Wix and Squarespace are fine for simple brochure sites. They start to fail when you need serious speed, unique positioning, or lead systems that match how you sell. Here is an honest comparison so you can choose without hype.
Quick comparison
Also see our website builder alternatives and WordPress comparison.
When a template builder is the right call
- You are validating an idea this month
- You will personally edit everything and enjoy tinkering
- The site is mostly an online business card
- Budget cannot support any custom work yet
Start there. Upgrade when leads justify it.
When templates stop working
You look like every competitor
Buyers cannot tell you apart. Your offer gets buried in generic sections.
Speed and ads collide
Paid traffic to a sluggish template page burns money.
You need custom lead flow
Quote logic, multi-step intake, CRM hooks, or city pages at scale get awkward fast.
Brand matters
Premium services need a site that feels intentional, not rented.
Cost over 24 months (rough)
Template builders look cheap monthly until you add:
- Premium plan
- Domains
- Apps and extensions
- Freelancer fixes when you hit a wall
- Opportunity cost of a site that does not convert
A focused custom landing page from North Star Global starts at $299 after a free preview. Many owners spend more than that in a year of builder subscriptions and patchwork help.
Our recommendation
Use Wix or Squarespace to learn. Move to custom when the website is a sales channel, not a checkbox. We specialize in that jump: free preview first, then launch on Next.js.
Get a free custom preview → · Affordable custom under $300 →