If you’re a UK solo service business owner trying to choose between WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace, you’ve probably already read ten articles telling you “it depends on your needs.”
That’s true and also useless. So here’s a straight answer, from someone who builds websites for solo service businesses for a living.
For most UK solo service businesses (consultants, accountants, coaches, tradespeople, creatives) the right platform is WordPress. Not because it’s the easiest. It isn’t. Because it’s the only one of the three you actually own, the only one that scales without getting more expensive, and the only one that gives you proper control over how the site works.
That said, there are situations where Wix or Squarespace is the right call. This article explains when each one fits, what each one actually costs over 3 years in real money, and the trap most small businesses fall into.
At a glance
Here’s the short version.
What you want: Best choice
Cheapest to start: Wix (from £12/month)
Easiest to use yourself: Squarespace
Best for ownership and scale: WordPress
Best for a site you’ll keep for 5+ years: WordPress
Best if you’re building it yourself this weekend: Squarespace
Best for a site built by a proper designer: WordPress
Best for tradespeople, consultants, and service businesses: WordPress
Best for artists, photographers, single-product shops: Squarespace
If you just want the answer: for most solo service businesses in the UK, build on WordPress. Pay someone to do it properly if you don’t want to learn. If you’re on a tight budget and just need a basic online presence fast, Squarespace is the next best call. I’d avoid Wix for service businesses, for reasons I’ll come to.
What each platform actually is
WordPress
WordPress is open-source software. That means anyone can use it, modify it, and host it anywhere. It powers roughly 40% of all websites on the internet.
Two things to know. First, WordPress.org (free software you install) and WordPress.com (a hosted service) are different. When people talk about WordPress for small business, they almost always mean .org. That’s what I’m talking about here.
Second, WordPress is a system, not a single product. You need hosting, a theme, and usually some plugins. That sounds complicated, because it is, a bit. But once it’s set up properly, it’s the easiest system to update yourself.
Squarespace
Squarespace is an all-in-one website builder. You pay a monthly fee, you get everything in one place. Hosting, design, templates, the lot. Starts at about £12 per month (billed annually) and goes up to £36 for more features.
It’s known for two things. The templates are clean and well-designed, which makes it hard to build something ugly. And the editing experience is structured, which means you can’t mess it up easily. Both are good and bad, depending on what you’re trying to do.
Wix
Wix is the other major all-in-one builder. Drag-and-drop editor, hundreds of templates, plans from about £9 per month. It’s marketed heavily as the easiest way to build a website yourself.
That’s true. It’s also why I don’t recommend it for most service businesses. The drag-and-drop editor makes it easy to build something, but hard to build something well. Wix sites often end up cluttered, inconsistent, and slow, because there’s no structure forcing you to make good decisions.
The real 3-year cost (in pounds)
This is the bit most comparison articles skip. People quote the monthly price, but the real question is what you’ll have spent 3 years in.
WordPress (built properly, then self-managed)
- Build: from £3,999 (one-off, professional build)
- Hosting: £10 to £20 per month (so £360 to £720 over 3 years)
- Domain: £10 to £15 per year (£30 to £45)
- Optional maintenance: £25 to £75 per month (£900 to £2,700 over 3 years)
Total over 3 years (without maintenance): around £4,500
Total over 3 years (with maintenance): around £5,500 to £7,200
You own the site outright. You can take it to a different host any time. No recurring dependency on a platform.
Squarespace (built yourself)
- Build: £0 (you do the work)
- Subscription: £15 to £36 per month (£540 to £1,300 over 3 years)
- Domain: free with most plans
- Your time: 40 to 80 hours across the first few months
Total over 3 years: £540 to £1,300 plus your time.
Cheaper on paper. But you don’t own anything. Stop paying, the site comes down.
Wix (built yourself)
- Build: £0 (you do the work)
- Subscription: £12 to £30 per month (£430 to £1,080 over 3 years)
- Domain: often £15 to £20 per year after the first free year
- Your time: similar to Squarespace
Total over 3 years: £500 to £1,200 plus your time.
Same deal as Squarespace. Cheaper monthly, but you’re renting.
The honest comparison
Over 3 years, the gap between a properly built WordPress site and a self-built Squarespace site is smaller than it looks. Especially when you add in the value of your time.
And past 3 years, WordPress gets cheaper and the others get more expensive. You’ve already paid for the build. The builders keep charging you every month, forever.
Which one fits which business
WordPress is right if…
You run a solo service business. You sell your time, expertise, or a service with multiple elements. You’re going to want to add a proper Learning Hub, case studies, or blog content over time. You care about the site being owned outright. You don’t want to be locked into paying someone forever.
Typical fits: consultants, coaches, accountants, solicitors, tradespeople, creatives, recruiters, freelancers of all stripes, anyone selling a service rather than a product.
Squarespace is right if…
You’re an artist, photographer, or creative who mostly needs a portfolio. You sell one or two products and want a simple shop. You’re going to build it yourself this week and you want it to look decent without learning anything complicated. You’re fine with the site being tied to Squarespace forever.
Typical fits: photographers, fine artists, single-product makers, small restaurants with a menu and not much else.
Wix is right if…
You need a drag-and-drop editor and you’re not bothered about the site looking coherent. You’re building something experimental. You want the cheapest possible monthly fee.
Typical fits: honestly, not many. Most businesses that start on Wix outgrow it within a couple of years and migrate to WordPress or Squarespace. If you’re going to end up migrating, you might as well start on the right platform.
What nobody tells you about migration
Switching platforms later is painful. You can’t just “export” a Wix site to WordPress. The software doesn’t work the same way.
In practice, migrating means rebuilding the site from scratch. Every page. Every image. Every bit of copy. Every form. Every connection to your email list, CRM, or calendar.
Which is why the choice you make now matters. If you build on Wix because it’s cheap and easy, and then two years later you realise you need the flexibility of WordPress, that’s not “switching platforms.” That’s paying for a second website.
WordPress is the only one of the three that you can take anywhere. Hosting is separate from the software. If you don’t like your host, you move the site to a different one. The site itself doesn’t change. With Wix and Squarespace, the site only works on their platform. Leave the platform, the site stops working.
That’s the biggest reason I build on WordPress. Not the features, not the flexibility. The ownership.
Which one Northern Sauce builds on (and why)
Northern Sauce builds every website on WordPress. Not because it’s the fastest or the easiest. Because it’s the one you actually own.
Specifically, every site is built on WordPress with a custom theme designed for the client’s business. Not a generic template. Not a page-builder plugin that’ll break when the next update drops. A proper theme, designed around what the business needs to do.
That means the site can be updated without breaking, scaled without starting over, and maintained without a monthly subscription to a platform. You can run it yourself. You can hire a different developer later. You can take it anywhere.
Every project starts with the Growth Blueprint at £999, a paid diagnosis of what’s blocking your growth that’s yours to keep. Builds run from £3,999, with strategy, copy, design, and build under one roof, plus 90 days of measured optimisation after launch.
If that sounds like the right fit, book a 20-minute call. Free, no pressure, no sales pitch. We’ll work out if it’s a match in 20 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
What is better, WordPress or Wix or Squarespace?
For a UK solo service business that wants a site that lasts 5 or more years, WordPress. For a photographer or artist building a portfolio themselves, Squarespace. For most use cases, not Wix. WordPress gives you ownership, Squarespace gives you ease, Wix gives you the cheapest monthly fee and the most regret if you try to grow the site later.
Why use WordPress over Squarespace?
Three reasons. You own it outright, so you can take it anywhere. It scales without getting more expensive (Squarespace keeps charging you monthly forever). And it gives you proper control over how the site works, which matters if you want to add things like a proper Learning Hub or integrations with your other tools.
Why use WordPress instead of Wix?
Ownership. Performance. Flexibility. Wix sites live on Wix’s servers and only work on Wix’s platform. You can’t take your Wix site anywhere. You can’t replace the platform without starting over. You’re paying rent, forever. WordPress sites live on whatever host you choose. Change your mind about the host, move the site. The site itself is yours.
What are the top 5 website builders?
In rough order of what most small businesses in the UK end up on: WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Shopify (if you’re running an ecommerce shop), and GoDaddy’s website builder. The first three are the main options for service businesses. Shopify is for product businesses. GoDaddy’s builder is fine for a basic online presence and not much else.
