Comparison Research

Wix vs Squarespace vs Hostinger Website Builder 2026

Anna · Designer & web developerUpdated 2026-11-06 · How we test

Wix, Squarespace and Hostinger's AI Builder compared on real yearly cost, renewals, selling online, email, templates and code export. Pick by use case.

Pick Hostinger if price comes first: its AI Builder sits inside hosting plans from $1.99 a month, with a domain and email included. Pick Squarespace if you want a polished site with little effort and a clear, flat price. Pick Wix if you need the most features in one place, such as bookings, events and a large app market, and you're fine paying more for them.

The three tools charge in very different ways. Hostinger asks for a long prepayment and then renews at a much higher price. Squarespace and Wix bill yearly at the same price every year, but cost more from day one. This guide puts the numbers side by side, then matches each builder to a type of site.

I'm Anna, a web designer and developer. I build client sites in Framer, WordPress and plain HTML, but I haven't built on Wix, Squarespace or Hostinger's builder myself. This is a research piece based on official pricing pages, docs and independent reviews. Figures are as of November 2026, so check the checkout before you pay. Some links here are affiliate links.

Quick comparison

Prices from hostinger.com, squarespace.com/pricing and wix.com/plans in November 2026. Wix shows yearly prices on its plans page and the monthly-billing price at checkout. Prices can differ by country and include local tax in some regions.

What each one is

Hostinger AI Builder is a site and app builder bundled with Hostinger's web hosting. In 2026 Hostinger merged its old drag-and-drop builder with Horizons, its chat-to-app tool. You can edit by hand on templates or describe the site in a chat and let the AI write it. You get hosting, a domain and mailboxes in the same plan. Our full Hostinger AI Builder review goes deeper.

Squarespace is a template-first builder known for clean design. You pick a template, swap text and images, and the layout stays tidy. It has a store, bookings, memberships and email campaigns, all inside one account.

Wix is the biggest of the three. The editor lets you drag anything anywhere, and the plans page lists thousands of templates. Bookings, events, restaurant tools and an app market sit on top. More freedom also means more ways to make a messy page.

Price over two years

Yearly cost is where the three differ most. Here is a two-year view for a simple site and for a small shop, based on November 2026 prices.

Hostinger looks far cheaper, and for four years it is. After the term ends, Premium renews at $10.99 a month and Unlimited at $16.99. Even then it stays close to Squarespace Basic. The catch is the upfront payment: the lowest prices need 48 months paid today.

Squarespace and Wix have no intro trick. You pay the same each year, and monthly billing costs more. Squarespace Basic is $19 a month when billed monthly, against $12 on a yearly plan.

Selling online

All three can run a shop, but the entry rules differ.

• Hostinger lists ecommerce on Unlimited and Cloud Startup only, not on Premium. Its AI mode can also build membership sites and take Stripe payments for one-time and subscription products.
• Squarespace sells on every plan. Basic charges a 2% fee on store sales and 7% on digital content and memberships. Core drops the store fee to 0% and the digital fee to 5%, and adds shipping labels, discounts and carrier-calculated rates. Advanced removes the digital fee too.
• Wix doesn't list payments on Light. You need Core or higher to accept payments, with "Basic", "Standard" and "Advanced" ecommerce on Core, Business and Business Elite.

Card processing fees from Stripe, PayPal or the builder's own payments apply on top in every case.

For a shop with a handful of products, Squarespace Core at $17 a month (yearly) is the simplest setup with no store fee. If budget is tight, Hostinger Unlimited costs far less. If you also need bookings, deposits and a loyalty program, Wix Core and up cover more ground. Our sell online section lists more options.

Design and templates

Squarespace has the most consistent look. Templates are strict, which protects you from bad spacing and odd fonts. It suits photographers, studios, restaurants and personal brands that want to look expensive without a designer.

Wix gives the most freedom. You can move any element pixel by pixel, which helps if you have a clear picture in your head and hurts if you don't. Reviewers often note that Wix sites need extra care on mobile because of that freedom.

Hostinger has 900+ templates according to its plan cards, plus the AI mode. Reviews describe the templates as clean and simple, a step below Squarespace in polish. The AI mode helps when you'd rather describe a site than drag blocks.

If design control matters most, none of these three is my own pick. I build client sites in Framer, which sits closer to a design tool. See our Framer vs Webflow vs Lovable comparison for that route.

Email, domain and hosting

Hostinger bundles the most. Every plan includes a free domain for the first year, SSL and email on your domain: 2 mailboxes per site on Premium and unlimited on higher plans, both free for a year. You'll pay for the domain and mail after year one.

Squarespace includes a free domain for the first year on annual plans. Email on your domain is sold separately through Google Workspace.

Wix gives a one-year domain voucher on most premium plans. Its FAQ says the voucher only works for a new domain bought from Wix, not for renewing one you already own. Email is again a paid add-on. For cheaper mail options, read our guide to professional email on your own domain.

Leaving later: code export

This is the question clients rarely ask until it's too late.

• Hostinger says you can export the full source code of a site built in AI mode and host it anywhere.
• Squarespace lets you export some content, but not the design. Moving means rebuilding.
• Wix sites stay on Wix. You can copy text and images out by hand, but the site itself doesn't move.

If you expect to outgrow the builder or hand the site to a developer, export matters more than a few dollars a month.

AI features

All three now have AI site generation. Hostinger leans on it hardest: plans come with AI credits (250, 500 or 1,000 by plan, doubled during the November 2026 sale), and the chat mode can build small web apps with a database and logins. Wix and Squarespace use AI to draft a first version of the site and write copy, and then you edit in the normal editor. If you want to go further with AI, our best AI website builders list covers Lovable, Bolt and others.

Which one to pick

• Cheapest working site with email: Hostinger Premium.
• Small shop on a tight budget: Hostinger Unlimited.
• Portfolio or brand site that must look polished: Squarespace Core.
• Bookings, events, restaurants or lots of apps: Wix Core or Business.
• A site you may move or hand to a developer later: Hostinger, thanks to code export.
• Trying before paying: Wix's free plan or Squarespace's 14-day trial.

FAQ

Is Hostinger cheaper than Wix and Squarespace?

Yes, on the first term. As of November 2026, Hostinger Premium costs $95.52 for 48 months, while Squarespace Basic is $12 a month on a yearly plan and Wix Light is $17. After the term, Hostinger renews at $10.99 a month, which is still close to Squarespace Basic. The low price needs a 48-month prepayment.

Which is better for an online store, Wix or Squarespace?

Squarespace is simpler for a small store. Core costs $17 a month on a yearly plan with no store transaction fee, plus shipping labels and discounts. Wix needs Core at about $29 a month yearly to accept payments, but adds more tools for bookings and services. Card processing fees apply on both.

Does Wix have a free plan?

Yes. Wix has a free plan with hosting, the drag-and-drop editor and templates. To connect your own domain and remove Wix branding you need a premium plan, starting with Light at about $17 a month on yearly billing as of November 2026. Light doesn't list payments, so selling needs Core or higher.

Can I export my site from Wix, Squarespace or Hostinger?

Only Hostinger offers full export. Hostinger says you can export the full source code of a site built with its AI Builder and host it elsewhere. Squarespace exports some content but not the design, so moving means rebuilding. Wix sites stay on Wix, and you can only copy text and images out by hand.

Do these builders include email on my domain?

Hostinger does. Every plan includes email on your domain, 2 mailboxes per site on Premium and unlimited on higher plans, free for the first year. Squarespace and Wix sell email as a paid add-on through Google Workspace. All three include a free domain for the first year on qualifying plans.

Which builder is best for beginners?

Squarespace is the easiest to keep looking good, because its strict templates stop layouts from breaking. Hostinger is the cheapest and has an AI mode where you describe the site in a chat. Wix gives the most freedom, which beginners sometimes find harder to manage on mobile. Squarespace has a 14-day trial without a card.

Bottom line

Hostinger wins on cost and on the right to take your code with you. Squarespace wins on design with the least effort. Wix wins on features and flexibility. Decide what you'll need in year three, not just this week, and check each checkout for the current price.