Wix or Squarespace, or a site built for you?
Over three years, a Squarespace site costs about $900–$2,500 in plan fees (roughly $25–$70 a month in Australia) plus the hours you spend building it. A 3–5 page site built by us costs $500 once, plus about $300–$700 for domain and hosting over the same three years. Builders make sense if you enjoy doing it yourself; a built site makes sense if your time is worth more than the difference.
Three-year cost side by side
| Wix / Squarespace (DIY) | Built for you | |
|---|---|---|
| Set-up | Your time, often 10–30 hours | $500 once (3–5 pages) |
| Monthly plan | Squarespace about A$25–70; Wix US$17–39 on annual billing | None from us |
| Domain and hosting | Domain extra after year one | About $100–230 a year, in your name |
| 3 years, money only | About $900–$2,500 | About $800–$1,200 |
| Copy and photos | You write and shoot them | Written for you; AI images if needed |
Squarespace Australian range: whatsthedamage.com.au (verified October 2026). Wix plan prices: websitebuilderexpert.com.
When a builder is the better choice
- You like design and want to change the site yourself every week.
- You need something live today and are happy with a template look.
- Your budget is under $100 and you have time but not cash.
When a built site is the better choice
- You would rather spend those 10–30 hours on paying work.
- You want it to load fast on phones and rank on Google without learning SEO.
- You want to own it: a Wix site cannot be moved to another host, so leaving means rebuilding.