TL;DR: Wix fits owners who want a free start and an AI generate-and-edit flow, then a regional paid Light/Core/Business ladder. WordPress.com fits content sites that may later leave hosted WordPress for self-hosted WordPress.org. Webflow fits teams where a designer owns structure and the CMS; free exists, but published sites and workspace seats stack. Squarespace fits brands that want one template system and will read Basic vs Core on commerce fees, not on the homepage hero.
A website builder is hosted software that publishes marketing or brochure pages. AI site generators sit inside these products. This page is not Kurumsβ ecommerce-platform comparison.
Every entry uses the same fields: published pricing, commerce posture, domain deal, AI posture and the main limitation. The order below is not a quality ranking. Products with a published free site plan appear first (Wix, WordPress.com, Webflow). Squarespace follows because useful sites sit on paid named plans.
Website builders compared at a glance
| Provider | Published pricing | Commerce note | Best for | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | Free plan. Paid Light, Core, Business, Business Elite on wix.com/plans. Displayed prices are regional | Payments and store features start on paid plans | A first business site with AI generate-and-edit | Visit β |
| WordPress.com | Free plan plus paid hosting tiers on wordpress.com/pricing | Store capability depends on plan | Content sites that may later self-host | Visit β |
| Webflow | Free site plan; paid Site and Workspace plans on webflow.com/pricing | Ecommerce is a separate site-plan family | Design-controlled marketing sites | Visit β |
| Squarespace | Basic, Core, Plus, Advanced on squarespace.com/pricing | Basic still has a commerce transaction fee; Core removes it. Card processing sits on top | Template-led brands that want fewer moving parts | Visit β |
Checked 14 September 2026. Toggle annual vs monthly. First-year domain vouchers expire. Wix list prices include local tax in some views β do not copy another countryβs number into a US budget.
Three products let you publish something at $0. A company site with payments is a paid plan on all four.
What a βfree websiteβ actually includes
Free plans carry vendor branding and a vendor subdomain. Custom domains, payments and removing the badge are the upgrade. Domain registration βfree for year oneβ is a voucher, not a permanent $0 domain.
The four providers in detail
1. Wix
FREE START PLUS AI EDITOR
Best for: owners who will accept a Wix-shaped editor in exchange for a fast first site and an AI generate step.
| Published pricing | Free plus Light / Core / Business / Business Elite on wix.com/plans. Light has appeared around the high-teens per month depending on currency and tax display |
| Commerce | Accepting payments and store features are paid-plan items |
| Domain | First year often bundled on annual paid plans; renewals are separate |
| Free plan / trial | Permanent free plan with Wix marks. 14-day money-back is listed on paid upgrades |
| Main limitation | Free is a brochure on a wixsite URL. Regional price tags make casual screenshots unreliable |
- Buy annual only if you will use the domain voucher this year.
- Store owners should read Core/Business feature lists, not Light.
- AI generate does not remove the need for product copy and legal pages.
2. WordPress.com
HOSTED WORDPRESS
Best for: content-led sites that may later move to self-hosted WordPress.org, or teams that already think in posts and pages.
| Published pricing | Free plus paid hosting tiers on wordpress.com/pricing |
| Commerce | Depends on plan. Full plugin freedom is not the free tier |
| Domain | Custom domains sit on paid plans; mapping rules are on the pricing page |
| Free plan / trial | Permanent free plan with WordPress.com branding |
| Main limitation | WordPress.com is hosted software. WordPress.org is the install you put on your own host. They are not the same SKU |
- If you need arbitrary plugins, budget a higher hosted tier or leave for WordPress.org + hosting.
- Do not compare the $0 WordPress.com plan to a $20 VPS running WordPress.org β ops cost is missing.
- Kurums itself is WordPress; that does not make WordPress.com the right SaaS plan for every brochure site.
3. Webflow
SITE PLAN + WORKSPACE PLAN
Best for: marketing sites where a designer owns CMS structure, interactions and hosting in one product.
| Published pricing | Free site; paid Site plans and paid Workspace plans on webflow.com/pricing. You can owe both |
| Commerce | Ecommerce is a separate site-plan family, not an afterthought toggle |
| Domain | Custom domains on paid site plans |
| Free plan / trial | Free site for learning and staging. Production usually wants a paid site plan |
| Main limitation | Seat math and site math stack. A designer workspace is not the published-site invoice |
- Price the site plan that includes the page and CMS limits you need, then add workspace seats.
- Do not pick Webflow to save money versus Wix Free.
- If nobody on the team will touch the Designer, pick Squarespace or Wix instead.
4. Squarespace
NAMED PAID PLANS
Best for: a polished brochure or store with one vendor for template, hosting and support.
| Published pricing | Basic, Core, Plus, Advanced on squarespace.com/pricing. Help centre (updated 2026) lists fee differences: Basic still has a commerce transaction fee; Core removes it; processing fees sit on Squarespace Payments |
| Commerce | Compare Basic vs Core on the transaction-fee line if you sell |
| Domain | Annual billing can include a first-year custom domain |
| Free plan / trial | Trial, not a permanent free production plan like Wix |
| Main limitation | Less free-form than Webflow. Processing fees are extra on every commerce plan |
- If you sell, do not buy Basic to βsaveβ if the commerce fee erases the difference.
- Video storage hours jump by plan β check that row if you host product films.
- This is still a website builder. High-volume retail belongs on the ecommerce comparison.
Kurums Match: which one fits your situation
I need a site this week at $0
Wix Free or WordPress.com Free. Expect branding and a vendor subdomain.
A designer will own the layout
Webflow. Budget site + workspace.
I want one vendor for site, store and phone support
Squarespace paid, or Wix paid commerce rows β not the free plan.
We may self-host later
WordPress.com as a stepping stone, or start on WordPress.org if you already have hosting.
Commerce is the business
Leave this page. Use the ecommerce-platform comparison.
Buying tip: add domain renewal and payment processing to year-one cost. The plan row is incomplete.
How this comparison was put together
Vendor pricing pages and Squarespace help articles, 14 September 2026. Not an ecommerce bake-off. No paid placement. Kurums did not build a production store on each tool.
Order is published free site first. No badge reflects a commercial relationship.
Frequently asked questions
Is the free plan usable for a company?
For a holding page, yes. For payments and a custom domain, budget a paid plan.
Should I use Shopify instead?
If commerce is the product, read the ecommerce comparison. These four are website builders first.
Why donβt you list a dollar price for Squarespace?
The help centre defers dollar amounts to the live pricing page, which changes with billing cycle. Inventing $16/mo would be a guess.
Does AI generate a legally complete site?
No. Privacy, terms and claims copy stay yours.
Can I export later?
WordPress.com β WordPress.org is the cleanest path. Wix, Squarespace and Webflow exports vary β read each vendorβs export article before you treat the site as portable.
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