Website Builders for Small Business: Costs and How to Choose

By Office Stack Guide Editors · Updated 2026-11-12

Pick Wix Light or Squarespace Basic for a brochure site, Wix Core if customers book appointments online, and Squarespace Core or Shopify Basic with Shopify Payments for a small store. The plan you pick changes the three-year bill more than the monthly price does. A store selling $2,000 a month pays $1,084 on Squarespace Core but $2,164 on Basic. On Shopify it pays $1,104 with Shopify Payments but $2,544 with another processor. A booking business pays $1,084 on Wix Core against $1,660 on Squarespace plus Acuity Scheduling.

At a glance

Three-year totals: plan fees, domain renewal and platform fees. Card processing and sales tax are not included. Prices checked November 2026.

Website builder prices as of 2026

A website builder is a hosted service. One subscription covers the server, a drag-and-drop editor, templates, and tools for forms, bookings or a store, so you never install or patch software. WordPress is the main alternative. With WordPress you pay separately for hosting, a theme (the design) and plugins (add-on features), which gives you more flexibility and more upkeep.

Prices checked: November 2026. US dollars, before sales tax.

Pricing pages change with your location, so confirm the US price on each vendor's own site at checkout. Higher Shopify tiers and GoDaddy's plans are left out because their current US prices could not be confirmed on the vendors' own pages. Monthly billing costs more on every builder. On Squarespace Core, paying monthly adds $120 a year.

The three-year bill for three kinds of business

The tables total 36 months of fees using these assumptions:

• Plan price: the annual-billing rate times 36.
• Domain: free in year one on Wix and Squarespace annual plans. A .com renews at $20 a year on Squarespace, according to its domains FAQ. The tables use $20 a year for every platform and charge Shopify all three years. Wix shows its renewal rate at checkout.
• Excluded: card processing and sales tax.

1. Five-page brochure site

Wix Light wins by $72 over three years. That gap is small enough that the template you can edit yourself should decide it. GoDaddy also sells entry-level site plans, but its current US prices could not be confirmed on its own pricing page, so read the year-two renewal line in the checkout terms before you pay.

2. Service business taking online bookings

Squarespace sells scheduling through Acuity Scheduling, a separate subscription at $16 (Starter), $27 (Standard) and $55 (Premium) a month on annual billing, according to Acuity's pricing page. The $576 uses the Starter tier. Wix runs bookings inside the site plan: its plans page lists scheduling and online payments from Core upward, not on Light.

3. Small online store selling $2,000 a month

That is $72,000 in sales over three years.

Squarespace's breakeven is about $500 a month. Core costs $120 a year more than Basic. Basic's 2% fee on $6,000 a year of physical product sales is also $120. Above roughly $500 a month in physical sales, Core is cheaper than Basic. Digital products carry their own fees on Squarespace: 7% on Basic, 5% on Core, 1% on Plus and 0% on Advanced, according to its help center.

Card processing is the biggest line, and it doesn't change the ranking. In the US, Shopify Payments on Basic charges 2.9% plus 30 cents per online card sale, according to Shopify's pricing page. Squarespace Payments charges the same rate on Basic and Core, according to Squarespace's help center. On $72,000 in sales with a $50 average order, that comes to about $2,520 over three years:

• $2,088 from the 2.9%
• $432 from the 30-cent fee on 1,440 orders

That is more than twice the plan cost, and it is about equal on both platforms. Premium cards cost more: Squarespace charges 3.2% plus 30 cents on cards such as Amex and adds 1.5% for international cards.

What changes the price

• Price increases on existing plans. Squarespace raised plan prices in 2026. Its help center says customers who receive a price-increase email pay the new rate at their next renewal, so a price you lock in today is not guaranteed for year two.
• Plan upgrades. Storage, staff accounts and advanced store features sit in higher tiers. Wix's plans page lists the limits by tier.
• The "free" domain. It is free for one year on annual plans only. Wix's voucher covers new domains bought from Wix and must be redeemed within 60 days.
• Sales tax. US pricing pages show prices before tax, and many states add it at checkout.

Speed, SEO and accessibility

Core Web Vitals are Google's measures of loading speed, how quickly a page responds to a tap, and whether the layout jumps around. Search Engine Journal (Roger Montti, May 27, 2026) reported HTTP Archive data for April 2026 on the share of live sites on each platform that pass all three:

These figures are platform averages, not a score for your site. One page with oversized images can still fail. Squarespace was not in the report. Check your own live pages in Google Search Console after launch.

The Department of Justice's guidance of March 18, 2022 says ADA Title III covers the websites of businesses open to the public. In practice:

• Choose a template with readable text contrast.
• Add alt text, the short image descriptions that screen readers announce.
• Test that every form works with a keyboard alone.

Red flags: domain lock-in and host security

Most reviews stop at features. Two checks tell you what leaving would cost.

Check 1: Can you take your domain and content with you?

Register the domain in your business's name, in an account you control, with an email address you will keep. The registrar deals only with whoever holds the account. If a designer or the builder holds it, you need their cooperation to move it.

ICANN's registrant FAQ sets the transfer rules:

• Auth-Code. You need this code to move a domain, and your registrar must provide it within 5 calendar days.
• 60-day windows. A registrar can deny a transfer within 60 days of the first registration or a previous transfer.
• Ownership changes. Changing the registrant name, organization or email triggers a 60-day transfer lock. Some registrars let you opt out of it.

ICANN is rolling out a revised Transfer Policy that changes some lock periods, so check its current FAQ before you plan a move.

Content is harder to move than the domain. Templates belong to the builder, so a move means rebuilding the design. Ask what you can export (pages, blog posts, products, customer lists) and in what format, and keep your own copies of text and photos.

Check 2: How secure is the host?

In January 2025 the FTC alleged that GoDaddy advertised "award-winning security" for its hosting while failing to use standard protections, including:

• Multi-factor authentication
• Threat monitoring

The FTC said the company was "blind to vulnerabilities and threats in its hosting environment." It tied those failures to compromises from 2019 to 2022.

GoDaddy settled through a consent order, which the FTC finalized on May 21, 2025 by a 3-0 vote. The order:

• Bans GoDaddy from misrepresenting its security
• Requires an information-security program
• Requires independent third-party assessments of that program

These were allegations settled by consent order, not a court finding.

The lesson applies to every provider: a security claim in marketing is not evidence. Ask what protections exist. Turn on multi-factor authentication (a second login step, such as a code on your phone) for every person with access.

How to choose a builder, or hire a designer

Match the builder to the business:

• Brochure site: Wix Light or Squarespace Basic. Choose the template you can edit yourself.
• Booking business: Wix Core keeps scheduling in one bill and costs $576 less over three years than Squarespace plus Acuity.
• Online store: Squarespace Core suits a modest catalog. Shopify Basic is built for commerce, so keep Shopify Payments to avoid the 2% surcharge.

Build a test page during any refund window before you commit. Wix offers a 14-day money-back guarantee.

When paying someone beats doing it yourself. Split the work into two parts:

• Content: your text, photos and prices. You supply these whether or not you hire.
• Design and setup: what a designer actually takes off your plate.

According to Clutch's pricing guide (updated September 21, 2026):

• Companies that build on website builders such as Wix, Squarespace and Shopify charge $25 to $49 an hour.
• Design agencies charge $100 to $149 an hour.
• Most projects reviewed on Clutch cost under $10,000.

The threshold is simple. If your hour is worth more than a builder freelancer's rate, pay for setup. For example, 20 hours of setup at $40 an hour costs $800. If you bill clients $100 an hour, those same 20 hours cost you $2,000. Before you compare, add the plan fee and any monthly maintenance charge to the quote.

Pay for custom design only when you need an integration the builder's app market lacks, such as a link to practice-management or inventory software. In Clutch's 2025 small-business survey, 45% of recent site builds were handled by outside partners.

Questions to ask before you sign:

1. What is the year-two renewal price for the plan and for the domain?
2. Which tier do I need to take payments or bookings, and what platform fee applies on top of card processing?
3. Whose name and account is the domain registered in?
4. What can I export if I leave, and in what format?
5. If you are hiring a designer: will I own the builder account and admin login, and what do updates and small changes cost each month after launch?

FAQ

Should I pay monthly or annually?

Pay monthly for the first month or two if you are still testing. Switch to annual once the builder fits. Annual billing saves $120 a year on Squarespace Core and is the only way to get the free first-year domain on Wix and Squarespace.

Can Wix's cheapest plan take bookings or payments?

No. Wix's plans page lists online payments and scheduling from the Core plan upward, not on Light. If you take bookings or sell anything, budget for Core at $29 a month on annual billing, or $1,084 over three years with the domain.

Can I move my site to a different builder?

Your domain can move with an Auth-Code under ICANN's transfer rules. Your design cannot, because templates belong to each builder. Plan to rebuild the pages and copy your text and images across.

Does my website have to meet WCAG?

No regulation names WCAG as the required standard for private businesses. DOJ's 2024 rule adopting WCAG 2.1 AA applies to state and local governments, not private businesses. DOJ's 2022 guidance says businesses open to the public must make their sites accessible and have flexibility in how they do it, and WCAG is the common benchmark. This is general information, not legal advice: talk to an attorney if you receive a complaint or demand letter.

Clutch reports an average web design project of $38,105. Is that what I should expect?

No. That average covers every project reviewed on Clutch, including large builds that run around seven months, and a few big jobs pull it up. Clutch says most projects come in under $10,000. Get at least three written quotes that list post-launch costs.

Key takeaways

• Total three years of plan fees, domain renewal, platform fees and add-ons before you compare builders.
• Choose the tier by fees if you sell: Squarespace Core beats Basic above about $500 a month in physical sales.
• Register the domain in your business's own name and account.
• Turn on multi-factor authentication for every user on day one.

The bottom line

The three-year totals here are a starting point. Your year-two and year-three bills can rise without you changing anything. Squarespace's 2026 increase reached existing customers at renewal, and ICANN's revised Transfer Policy is changing the exit rules. Price your setup on two builders now, and recheck the renewal line on your invoice every year.

Sources

• Wix Premium Plans (Wix, checked November 2026)
• Squarespace Pricing (Squarespace, checked November 2026)
• Transaction fees and payment processing rates (Squarespace Help Center, checked November 2026)
• Squarespace domains FAQ (Squarespace Help Center, checked November 2026)
• Wix Premium Plans: Which Plan to Pick (Wix, November 2026)
• Acuity Scheduling plans and pricing (Acuity Scheduling, checked November 2026)
• Shopify Pricing (Shopify, checked November 2026)
• FTC Takes Action Against GoDaddy for Alleged Lax Data Security (Federal Trade Commission, 2025)
• FTC Finalizes Order with GoDaddy over Data Security Failures (Federal Trade Commission, 2025)
• FTC orders GoDaddy to fix poor hosting security practices (BleepingComputer, 2025)
• FAQs for Registrants: Transferring Your Domain Name (ICANN, checked 2026)
• Guidance on Web Accessibility and the ADA (US Department of Justice, 2022)
• Core Web Vitals pass rates by platform (Search Engine Journal, Roger Montti, 2026)
• Web design pricing guide (Clutch, 2026)
• Small business website survey press release (Clutch, 2025)
• Clutch report: no-code tools fuel website growth (Business Wire, 2025)