Wix vs Squarespace vs custom: the real 3-year cost

Over three years, a Wix or Squarespace site is usually the cheapest option in cash, while a custom site costs more up front but often ends up not far off once you count your own time. The Wix vs Squarespace vs custom website cost question only makes sense when you add up all three years, not the first month.

The right answer depends on whether you'll build and maintain the site yourself, and how much an hour of your time is worth.

What do you pay for with a website builder?

With Wix or Squarespace, you pay a monthly or yearly plan fee to the platform. That covers hosting, the editor, templates and support.

Plan prices change, and higher tiers add features like online stores or removing branding, so check their current pricing pages before you budget. On top of the plan, you'll typically pay for:

• A domain, after any free first year.
• Paid apps or extensions for things like booking or extra forms.
• Business email, which is usually a separate service.
• Your own time, or someone else's, to build and update the site.

What do you pay for with a custom site?

A custom site is a one-time build, then whatever ongoing hosting and care you choose. For small businesses using freelancers or boutique studios, one Canadian pricing guide puts the range at $599 to $2,995+ one-time plus $69 to $199 a month (Elevate Web Design).

At Papaya, a one-page site starts from $950, a business site of up to 10 pages is $3,000–$5,000, a content-rich or multi-location site of 10–30 pages is $6,000–$10,000, and a custom site or online store is $5,000+, quoted per scope, all plus HST. Those are published, fixed prices: we don't discount, we re-scope. Our sites are hosted on Cloudflare with no monthly platform fee, and the Care plan, from $79 a month, covers hosting, small edits, backups and speed checks.

How does a 3-year comparison work out?

Here's a worked example. The builder plan price is illustrative, so swap in the current price of whichever plan you'd actually need.

Assumptions:

• Builder plan: $40 a month (example only).
• DIY build time: 25 hours. Ongoing updates: 1 hour a month.
• Your time valued at $60 an hour.
• Custom option: Papaya business site at the low end of its range, $3,000, with the Care plan at $79 a month, which covers small edits.
• All figures before HST, and domain costs left out because every option needs one.

In this example, the custom site costs $744 more over three years, about $21 a month. If you value your time at zero, the builder is clearly cheaper in cash. If you'd rather be running your business than fiddling with templates, that gap buys back the hours and a site designed around your customers.

Where does the custom site pull ahead?

Cost isn't the only line. A custom build tends to win on:

• Speed. Hand-built pages without a page builder's extra scripts load lighter.
• Ownership. You own the domain and the files. On a builder, the site lives on the platform and usually can't be moved elsewhere intact.
• Fit. The site is built around your services and your main call to action, not a template's layout.
• Search and AI setup. Schema markup, a sitemap, llms.txt and a robots.txt that allows AI search crawlers are part of our builds.

We cover ownership in more detail in who owns your website.

Where does a builder make more sense?

• You enjoy doing it yourself and have the time.
• You need something live this weekend and will rebuild later.
• Your site is a simple placeholder with contact details.
• You're testing an idea and may not keep it.

There's no shame in starting on a builder. Just know that moving off it later usually means rebuilding.

What hidden costs catch people out?

• Plan upgrades when you need a feature on a higher tier.
• App subscriptions that add up quietly.
• Rebuild cost if you outgrow the platform and can't take the site with you.
• Lost enquiries from a slow or confusing site, which never show up on an invoice.

That last one is the hardest to see and often the biggest. A site that costs $1,000 less over three years but drops a few enquiries a year isn't cheaper.

Where Papaya fits

We custom-design every site from a blank page, hand-build it on Cloudflare with no monthly platform fee, and the client owns the domain and files. A one-page site starts from $950 and a business site of up to 10 pages is $3,000–$5,000, with Care at $79 a month, all plus HST. Run your own numbers, then see the full list on pricing, how we work across Ontario, or request a fixed quote.

Common questions

Is Wix or Squarespace cheaper than a custom website?

In cash, usually yes, especially if you build it yourself. Once you count your own time to build and maintain it over three years, a custom site with a care plan can end up in a similar range.

Can I move my Wix or Squarespace site to another host?

Generally not intact. The site lives on the builder's platform, so moving usually means rebuilding the pages elsewhere, though you can transfer your domain.

How much does a custom small-business website cost in Canada?

One Canadian pricing guide for freelancers and boutique studios puts it at $599 to $2,995+ one-time plus $69 to $199 a month. At Papaya, a one-page site starts from $950 and a business site of up to 10 pages is $3,000–$5,000, plus HST.