Three different starting points
The biggest difference between these options is not features. It is where you start. Wix and Squarespace start you with a template full of placeholder text and photos, and you replace it piece by piece. An AI website builder starts you with a draft written for your business, and you edit it. Which approach suits you depends on how much time you have and how much you enjoy design.
Wix
Wix is known for flexibility. Its editor lets you place elements almost anywhere on the page, and it has a large app market for adding features such as bookings, shops and forms.
Good for: owners who like to design and want control over every detail.
Watch out for:
- Freedom cuts both ways. It is easy to create a page that looks fine on a laptop and messy on a phone.
- Many features come from apps, some of which carry their own fees or set their own cookies.
- Plans and what they include change over time, so compare the current tiers on their site rather than relying on reviews.
Squarespace
Squarespace is known for polished, design-led templates. Its editor is more structured than Wix, which makes it harder to break the layout.
Good for: creative and visual businesses where photography carries the message.
Watch out for:
- Templates look best with strong photography. With weak photos, the design can feel empty.
- You still write all of the wording yourself, page by page.
- As with any platform, check where your site is hosted and which third-party services it loads if EU data rules matter to you.
An AI website builder
An AI builder asks you about your business and produces a first version of the whole site, including pages and wording. You then correct and personalise it.
Good for: owners who want a credible site quickly and would rather edit than write from scratch.
Watch out for:
- Generated wording needs checking. Prices, service areas and claims must be accurate, and only you know them.
- Some AI builders produce a draft and leave you alone with it. Check what help is available after the first version.
- Check the basics are handled properly: search settings, accessibility and legal pages.
Questions to ask before you choose
- How long until I have something I would show a customer? Be honest about your own time.
- Can I use my own domain? And who owns it if you leave?
- Where is the site hosted? If you serve European customers, EU hosting keeps things simpler.
- Does it need a cookie banner? That depends on the tracking the platform or its apps add. See do I need a cookie banner.
- Are search basics set up for me? Page titles, descriptions, a sitemap and structured data matter for being found.
- What happens to enquiries? An email notification is the minimum. Better is a system that records each enquiry and assigns someone to reply.
- Is the price fixed? Add up the plan plus any apps or extras you would need.
A quick way to decide
- If you enjoy design and have time, a flexible template editor gives you the most control.
- If your business is visual and you have great photos, a design-led template can show them off.
- If you want a complete, sensible site this week and prefer editing to writing, an AI builder saves the most time.
Whatever you choose, the pages you need are much the same. Our guide to pages every small business website needs helps you plan, and what a small business website costs helps you compare the total.
How our AI builder works
You answer six questions, which takes about ten minutes, and get a complete site with pages, wording and photographs. Allow about an hour to make it your own. There are 13 designs, each in 4 styles, and you can change the logo, colours, fonts, header and footer styles. Sites are static and fast, hosted in the EU, and do no visitor tracking, so no cookie banner is needed. Publishing is blocked until the site passes findability and accessibility checks. It costs €29.95 a month, cancel any month, and a real person helps with setup at no extra charge. Try the builder or see pricing.
Frequently asked
Is an AI website builder good enough for a real business?
It can be, as long as you check the wording and add your own details. Treat the first draft as a starting point that saves you writing time, not as the finished site.
Can I move from Wix or Squarespace to another builder?
Yes. You will need to recreate the pages and set up redirects from old addresses so search engines and bookmarks still find you.
Which option is best for search engines?
No platform guarantees rankings. What matters most is accurate titles and descriptions, useful content, fast mobile pages and a correct listing on Google.
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Ten minutes of questions, an hour of polishing, and you are live on your own domain.
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