Squarespace's $19 Plan Has a 2% Transaction Fee (Wix Doesn't)

The Fee Nobody Mentions Until You Start Selling

<cite index="12-1,12-4">Squarespace pricing plans for 2026 have four paid tiers starting from $19/month, with the Basic plan adding a 2% transaction fee on sales.</cite> That sounds small. But if you're a detailer booking $3,000 a month through your site, Squarespace is taking $60 on top of the $19 subscription. Every month. Forever.

<cite index="11-24">Wix charges 0% transaction fees on all paid plans.</cite> So the "cheaper" platform is actually costing you more the moment you start making money online.

This is how template platforms work. They advertise the monthly price, bury the transaction fees, and count on you not doing the math until you're already locked in.

Photo by Jakub Żerdzicki on Unsplash

What the 2026 Pricing Actually Looks Like

<cite index="12-19,12-20">Wix is cheaper than Squarespace at both the entry and core levels with current 2026 pricing, with Wix Light starting at $17/month and Wix Core starting at $29/month, while Squarespace Basic starts at $19/month and Squarespace Core starts at $35/month.</cite>

But the real cost shows up when you factor in fees. <cite index="11-23,11-24,11-25,11-26">The real cost picture changes when you factor in transaction fees, with Squarespace charging 2-3% transaction fees on its Basic plan ($16/month in some regions), while Wix charges 0% transaction fees on all paid plans, meaning for an online store generating $5,000/month in sales, Squarespace's Basic plan would cost an additional $100-$150/month in transaction fees alone, and to eliminate those fees on Squarespace, you need the Core plan at $23/month or higher.</cite>

So if you're selling $5,000 a month, Squarespace Basic ($19/month + $100 in fees = $119/month) costs you more than Squarespace Core ($35/month, no fees). And Wix Core ($29/month, no fees) beats both.

The Real Math for Austin Small Businesses

Let's say you're a mobile detailer, and you take 20 bookings a month at $150 each. That's $3,000 in revenue.

• Squarespace Basic: $19/month + 2% of $3,000 = $19 + $60 = $79/month total
• Wix Core: $29/month + 0% fees = $29/month total
• Custom site (one-time build, your hosting): ~$2,000 upfront, then $15/month hosting = $15/month after year one

Over two years, Squarespace Basic costs you $1,896. Wix Core costs $696. A custom site we build costs around $2,360 total (build plus hosting), and after that, you're paying $15/month with no transaction fees, ever. You own the code, the design, and the customer data.

<cite index="10-24,10-25">The pattern on both platforms is the same: before you choose a plan based on the headline price, calculate whether the fee savings at the next tier outweigh the extra monthly cost, and on Squarespace, especially, they usually do.</cite> But the better move is to stop renting altogether.

What You Don't Own on Squarespace or Wix

<cite index="10-39,10-40,10-41">Squarespace offers no refunds on monthly plans, period, with annual plan refunds only available within 14 days of purchase, and renewal payments cannot be refunded under any circumstances.</cite>

If you build a year's worth of bookings, blog posts, and customer trust on Squarespace, then decide to leave, you're rebuilding from scratch. <cite index="18-21,18-22">Wix locks you into your template choice, and if you want a fundamentally different design after launching, you're rebuilding from scratch.</cite>

With a custom site, you own everything. If you want to switch hosting providers, redesign the site, or move to a new developer, you can. No one is holding your content or your customer list hostage.

Hidden Costs Keep Piling Up

<cite index="10-28,10-29,10-30">Domain renewal runs $15 to $20/year from year two, with the free domain voucher covering year one only and applying to new domains purchased through Wix, not renewals, and Wix Email Marketing is a separate subscription.</cite>

<cite index="10-37,10-38">Google Workspace email is listed as "included" on Squarespace Core and above, but this means a trial period, with ongoing costs billed directly by Google after the trial ends.</cite>

So the $19/month Squarespace site is actually $19 + transaction fees + domain renewal + email + any apps you need to make the site actually work. By year two, you're paying $50 to $100 a month for a site you don't own and can't fully control.

When Templates Make Sense (and When They Don't)

If you're testing an idea, have no revenue yet, and need something live this week, a Squarespace or Wix site is fine. It's not a bad starting point.

But if you're booking jobs, taking payments, or spending money on Google Ads to drive traffic, the transaction fees and lack of control start costing you real money. <cite index="4-3">83% of small businesses now have a website, up from 64% in 2018.</cite> The businesses that are growing are the ones that treat their website like revenue infrastructure, not a placeholder.

My team builds custom sites for small businesses in Austin, most projects in the $1,000 to $3,000 range. You pay once, you own everything, and there are no transaction fees eating into your bookings. See our work or get a free quote if you want a real look at what you'd actually need.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Squarespace charge transaction fees in 2026?

Yes. <cite index="12-1,12-4,12-12,12-13">Squarespace Basic adds a 2% transaction fee on sales, and the fee adds up quickly if you make regular sales, with Core being the safer choice because it removes that fee.</cite>

Does Wix charge transaction fees?

<cite index="12-34,12-35,12-36">No, Wix does not charge transaction fees on its paid plans, with you still paying standard payment processor fees, but Wix itself does not take a cut, which is especially useful if you plan to sell products or services and want predictable monthly costs.</cite>

What happens if I want to leave Squarespace or Wix?

<cite index="18-21,18-22">Wix locks you into your template choice, and if you want a fundamentally different design after launching, you're rebuilding from scratch.</cite> On Squarespace, you can switch templates more easily, but migrating to another platform means exporting content and rebuilding the design. You don't own the code.

Is a custom website really cheaper than Squarespace long-term?

Yes, if you're selling anything. A $2,000 custom build plus $15/month hosting costs $2,360 over two years. Squarespace Basic with $3,000/month in sales costs $1,896 over two years, but you don't own the site, you can't control SEO or speed as tightly, and the fees never stop. After year two, the custom site is dramatically cheaper and you own everything.