Free website vs Wix vs Squarespace: what a year really costs
Plan prices, fees on sales, and what you get for free, pulled from each company's own pricing page.
On this page
"Free website" means different things at different companies. Sometimes it means free with the builder's branding on a subdomain. Sometimes it means a two-week trial. This page compares what it costs to run a small business site on your own domain with three popular options. All prices below come from each company's own site, checked on October 27, 2026, in US dollars before tax.
Prices change. Always confirm on the pricing page before you buy.
The short answer
- Systeme.io: the free plan includes one custom domain, so you can run a site on your own domain for $0 per month. Paid plans start at $17 per month.
- Wix: has a free plan, but connecting your own domain requires a Premium plan. The cheapest, Light, is $17 per month billed yearly.
- Squarespace: no free plan, only a 14-day trial. The cheapest plan, Basic, is $19 per month billed yearly or $25 month to month.
Monthly plan prices
| Systeme.io | Wix | Squarespace | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free option | Free plan, never expires, includes 1 custom domain | Free plan on a Wix address; own domain needs Premium | None (14-day trial) |
| Entry paid plan | Startup: $17/mo | Light: $17/mo yearly, $24/mo monthly | Basic: $19/mo yearly, $25/mo monthly |
| Next tier | Webinar: $47/mo | Core: $29/mo yearly, $36/mo monthly | Core: $29/mo yearly, $39/mo monthly |
| Higher tier | Unlimited: $97/mo | Business: $39/mo yearly, $46/mo monthly | Plus: $49/mo yearly, $65/mo monthly |
| Top tier | — | Business Elite: $159/mo yearly, $172/mo monthly | Advanced: $99/mo yearly, $139/mo monthly |
Systeme.io shows monthly prices and offers a discount for annual billing. Wix's plans page displays yearly-billing prices; its monthly-billing prices come from Wix's own blog.
First-year cost on your own domain (cheapest option)
| Systeme.io Free | Wix Light (yearly) | Squarespace Basic (yearly) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website plan, 12 months | $0 | $204 | $228 |
| Domain | Your registrar's yearly fee | Free for year one with a yearly plan (new domain bought from Wix) | Free for year one with an annual plan |
| Platform fee on sales | None | Light plan does not include accepting payments | 2% online store transaction fee |
The domain row matters for fairness. Wix and Squarespace include a free first-year domain with yearly plans, and both renew at standard rates afterwards. With Systeme.io you buy the domain separately. If you already own a domain, as many readers of this site do, that first-year domain offer does not help you.
Fees when you sell
Every platform uses a payment processor that charges its own fee, so compare the platform's extra fee on top:
- Systeme.io: no transaction fees on any plan, according to its pricing page. You connect Stripe, PayPal, or another supported gateway and pay that gateway's fee.
- Wix: the Light plan does not include accepting payments. Core and above do.
- Squarespace: Basic charges a 2% online store transaction fee. Core and above charge 0% on store sales. For courses, memberships, and other digital content, Squarespace lists separate transaction fees of 7% on Basic, 5% on Core, 1% on Plus, and 0% on Advanced.
What each one is best at
Price is not everything. To be fair to all three:
- Systeme.io is built around marketing: sales funnels, email, courses, and an affiliate program in one account. It suits people who want leads and sales more than an elaborate design.
- Wix has a large template library and a drag-and-drop editor with a lot of design freedom, plus many add-on apps.
- Squarespace is known for polished designer templates and strong built-in commerce tools on its higher plans.
If your main goal is a beautiful portfolio, Wix or Squarespace may suit you better. If your goal is collecting leads, sending email, and selling a digital product or course without stacking subscriptions, Systeme.io's free plan is hard to beat on cost.
How to decide in five minutes
- Already own a domain and want $0 per month? Start on Systeme.io's free plan.
- Need complex design and many pages, with a budget? Try Wix's free editor, then upgrade when you connect your domain.
- Selling physical products at volume? Compare Squarespace Core or Wix Core and above, where the platform's own store fee is 0%.
- Selling courses or memberships? Note the digital-content fees on Squarespace's lower plans, and compare against Systeme.io's 0% platform fee.
Questions
Is Systeme.io's free plan actually free with a custom domain?
Yes. Its pricing FAQ lists one custom domain on the free plan, and says the free plan never expires and needs no credit card.
Does Wix let me use my own domain for free?
No. Wix says connecting your own domain is a Premium plan feature. The free plan uses a Wix address.
Does Squarespace have a free plan?
No. Squarespace says it does not offer a free plan; every site starts with a 14-day free trial.
Why do the yearly and monthly prices differ?
Wix and Squarespace both discount yearly billing. Systeme.io also offers an annual-billing discount on its paid plans.
Sources
Checked October 27, 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm on the provider's site.