What Website Builder Should I Use?
- Quin @ hotmintdigital
- Mar 3
- 5 min read
Comparing Shopify, Squarespace, Wix Editor & Wix Studio (UK Guide)
If you’ve ever Googled “best website builder platform” or “best website builder for small business”, you’ll know the internet has… opinions. And rightly so, they all have their own strengths. I've spent the last 6 months testing out some of the biggies so here's my honest first impressions and opinions.
The truth is that there isn’t one best website builder software for everyone. The best website platform depends entirely on:
Your business model
Whether you’re DIY-ing or hiring
Your budget
How much control you want long-term
Whether you’re selling services or products
Below is an honest breakdown of four major platforms I regularly work with: Shopify vs Squarespace vs Wix Editor vs Wix Studio.
1. Shopify
Best for: Ecommerce businesses
From: ~£19 per month (Basic plan, UK pricing, billed annually)
What it’s best at
Shopify is purpose-built for ecommerce. It’s not trying to be everything to everyone and that’s actually its strength. If you’re selling physical products, digital downloads, subscriptions or scaling a product-based business, Shopify is one of the strongest long-term options. You’re unlikely to “outgrow” it. Even large ecommerce businesses like Gymshark use Shopify.
Learning Curve: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
Not super difficult but there’s more to understand than drag-and-drop builders, especially around:
Shipping logic
Payment gateways
Apps
Themes (free vs paid)
Expect to sink some hours/days/weeks into watching tutorial videos and fiddling around until you get results you're happy with.
Functionality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5 for ecommerce)
Built to scale. Great reporting. Huge app ecosystem. Strong checkout experience. If it's good enough for giants like Gymshark, it's likely it has everything you need (and more) for your business.
How easy is it for clients to manage long-term?
Once set up properly, clients can usually handle their day-to-day comfortably, including adding products, updating stock and processing orders. It's the design changes where most DIY store owners start to struggle as your templates (A.K.A 'themes') can be quite restrictive if you want something bespoke.
2. Wix Editor
Best for: DIY service-based businesses
From: ~£9–£16 per month (Basic plans, UK pricing, billed annually)
If you’re searching for the easiest platform to build a website, Wix Editor is probably it in my opinion - It’s visual. It’s flexible. You can drag things exactly where you want them and create something that doesn't look super 'template-y'.
What it’s best at
Small service businesses
Brochure-style websites
Getting online quickly
There are loads of templates and built-in features, so you’re unlikely to need many paid add-ons. I personally like recommending Wix to clients as pricing is predictable for them long-term - no nasty surprise add-ons later.
Learning Curve: ⭐⭐ (2/5)
This is the most beginner-friendly platform in my opinion. Great if you're building it yourself.
Functionality: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
Solid for small businesses. Can feel restrictive once you want more advanced layouts or scalability.
⚠️ Also worth noting: Wix Editor and Wix Studio are separate platforms and you can’t migrate your paid plan between them — something to consider before committing. If you're hiring a professional to build your site it's likely they'll use Wix Studio instead.
How easy is it for clients long-term?
Very manageable for content edits, blog posts and small updates. DIY site builds can eventually get messy structurally so my advice is to choose a template and stick to it, otherwise that’s when people often call in help.
3. Wix Studio
Best for: Professionals building bespoke service websites
From: ~£9 - £14 per month (Basic plan, UK pricing, billed annually)
Wix Studio is essentially Wix’s more advanced, agency-focused platform. It’s powerful, flexible, and far more structured than Wix Editor. Don't be scared if you're hiring a website developer and they recommend this over Wix Editor - it's built to be great for agencies and non-technical clients alike!
What it’s best at
Bespoke service-based websites
Designers building for clients
Businesses wanting more layout control
You also get a great agency dashboard, client permission management and handover tools.
Learning Curve: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Definitely not for beginners. It takes time to understand sections, grids and responsive behaviour. But once you “get it”, it’s excellent.
Functionality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Strong CMS. Great flexibility. Good SEO tools built-in.
How easy is it for clients long-term?
If built well, clients can do all the day-to-day bits confidently without breaking layout:
Edit text
Update blogs
Swap images
Manage CMS collections
At Hot Mint Digital, we always create personalised handover tutorial videos and leave these on your dashboard for when you log in. That means you and your team are never stuck remembering how to update things yourself.
4. Squarespace
Best for: Small DIY service businesses
From: ~£12 per month (Basic plan, UK pricing, billed annually)
Squarespace is clean, polished and aesthetic out of the box. It’s often positioned as one of the best website platforms for small business, particularly creatives and is most similar to Wix Editor.
What it’s best at
Portfolio sites
Simple brochure websites
Minimal, design-led businesses
Learning Curve: ⭐⭐ (2/5)
Fairly intuitive and works on a grid system so it's reasonably easy to get everything nice and aligned.
Functionality: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
Grid-based layouts can feel restrictive. Customisation can be frustrating without CSS. If you want your website to look super different and creative, this might not be the platform for you.
How easy is it for clients long-term?
Simple edits? Fine. Design tweaks? Often where frustration kicks in. I’ve worked with several businesses who started DIY-ing on Squarespace and eventually felt boxed in and reached out for help.
So… What Website Builder Should I Use?
It all comes down to what your goals and priorities are. Your friend’s Shopify store might be perfect for their product-based business but completely wrong for your therapy practice. Copying someone with a totally different business model is one of the biggest mistakes I see.
When choosing the best website builder software, ask yourself:
Am I selling services or products?
Do I want full DIY control or professional setup?
Will I scale this business?
How confident am I with tech?
There is no universal “best website builder platform”. There is only the right tool for your situation.
Need Help Creating a Website for Your Businesses?
If you’re overwhelmed trying to decide which platform to use, we can help you choose the right website builder, structure it properly from day one, and avoid expensive rebuilds later down the line as your business grows. Get in touch and we’ll figure out the best website platform for your business model... not just the one that your friend's friend recommended that one time.
What Other Website Builders Are There?
I'm well aware there's many other platforms out there, these are just the one's I've focussed on in my first year of freelancing. But because the industry doesn’t stand still (and neither do I ) ... I’m currently considering exploring:
Comments