Squarespace vs Wix vs WordPress
for therapists
The short answer: Squarespace is the easiest way to a polished practice site you'll update yourself. Wix gives you the most drag-and-drop design freedom. WordPress gives you the most control, and the most upkeep. All three work for a therapy practice. What none of them does is run the site for you: the blog, the updates and the SEO stay on your to-do list.
Side by side
| Squarespace | Wix | WordPress | WebsiteTherapy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $19/mo billed yearly ($25 month to month) | $17/mo billed yearly (Light plan) | Software is free; hosting typically $15–50/mo | $99/mo (Growth) or $199/mo (Concierge) |
| Who builds it | You, from a template | You, from a template or its AI starter | You, or a developer | We do, matched to your brand |
| Who keeps it up to date | You | You | You or a paid developer: core, theme and plugin updates | Your AI assistant, plus Lee, our founder, on Concierge |
| Blog posts | You write them | You write them (AI can draft text when you ask) | You write them | Written in your voice on a schedule; you approve |
| Security and backups | Handled by Squarespace | Handled by Wix | Your job: security plugin, backups, updates | Handled; every change is saved and can be undone |
| Therapy intake and PHI | No BAA; keep intake in your EHR | No BAA; keep intake in your EHR | Depends on your host and plugins; most therapists keep intake in their EHR | Intake stays in your EHR; your site links to it |
| Best for | A polished site you'll update yourself | Hands-on design control without code | Maximum control, if you or a developer will maintain it | Practices that don't want to run a website |
Squarespace and Wix prices from their own pricing pages, checked September 30, 2026. WordPress hosting is a typical range, not a quote.
Squarespace for therapists
Squarespace is a hosted builder known for its design. Plans start at $19/month billed yearly (Basic) and $29/month (Core). Hosting, security and software updates are handled for you, and its templates make a calm, professional practice site easy. The trade-off is that everything after launch is yours: every blog post, every page change, every SEO setting.
Squarespace doesn't sign a Business Associate Agreement, so keep intake forms and anything clinical in your EHR and link to it.
Wix for therapists
Wix is the most hands-on of the three: you can place anything anywhere, set your own colors, fonts and logo, and start from a template or from its AI builder, which drafts a first version of the site from a short chat. Paid plans start at $17/month billed yearly (Light). Hosting and security are included.
Many therapists hire a Wix website designer for the launch. That gets you a good-looking site; after launch, the updates, the blog and the SEO come back to you unless you keep paying for help. Like Squarespace, Wix isn't a place for PHI, so intake stays in your EHR. If you'd rather have the site designed and kept up for you, see therapist website design.
WordPress for therapists: free software, real costs
WordPress is the most widely used website software, and many therapy websites run on it. The software is free and you control everything. You also own everything: hosting, the theme, the plugins, security and backups. Here is what a typical practice site pays for (our estimate of common ranges):
| What you're paying for | Typical cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting (SiteGround, WP Engine, etc.) | $15–50/mo | A server someone has to look after |
| Premium theme (Divi, Astra Pro, etc.) | $50–250/yr | A design that can break on updates |
| Plugins (Yoast, Gravity Forms, etc.) | $100–500/yr | Features other platforms include |
| Security plugin (Wordfence, Sucuri) | $100–300/yr | Protection you have to configure |
| Backup plugin | $50–100/yr | Insurance against a bad update |
| Developer or agency retainer (optional) | $100–500/mo | Someone to make changes and fix things |
| Total | About $40–145/mo on your own; about $140–645/mo with a developer | Plus your time |
Plugin updates break things.
A typical site runs 15–30 plugins, each updating on its own schedule. An update can conflict with another plugin or the theme. Either you spend a Saturday updating and testing, or you pay someone to.
Security is your job.
Because WordPress is so widely used, it is a constant target for automated attacks. Out-of-date plugins are the usual way in, so a security plugin, regular updates and backups aren't optional.
Changes wait on a developer.
If a developer built it, small edits often go through them: email, wait a few days, get an invoice.
Squarespace vs WordPress for therapists
Choose Squarespace if you want the least maintenance from a builder and you'll write and update the site yourself. Choose WordPress if you want full control, specific plugins, or a developer already maintains it for you. Squarespace costs less in time; WordPress can do more but needs looking after.
Wix vs WordPress for therapists
Wix is easier to design without code and handles hosting and security for you. WordPress is more flexible and easier to move between hosts, at the cost of ongoing updates. If you're doing it yourself, Wix is the gentler start.
Or hire a web developer?
A developer is the right call for something custom. For a practice site, the catch is what happens after launch: changes are billed per request or on a retainer, and blog posts, your Google Business Profile and reviews usually aren't part of the job. If you like your developer, keep them. Just ask how long a simple text change takes, what you pay each month, and when they last suggested an improvement unprompted.
The part all three leave to you
A builder gives you tools, not time. Many therapists we talk to built a site a few years ago and haven't touched it since: the blog is empty and the bio lists an old certification. WebsiteTherapy is the done-for-you option. Here is the same work, both ways:
| What needs doing | Squarespace, Wix or WordPress | WebsiteTherapy |
|---|---|---|
| Update your bio | Log in, find the page, edit, save, check the SEO settings | “Update my bio to include my new EMDR certification” → preview → approve |
| Add a new service page | Create the page, write it, set the SEO, add it to the menu (or email your developer) | “I now offer EMDR” → page drafted, SEO set, added to the menu |
| Write a blog post | You write it, or it doesn't happen | Your assistant writes it in your voice. You approve. |
| Update your hours | Edit the site, then Google, Yelp, Facebook one by one | Change it once; your site updates and the matching Google Business Profile change is drafted for you |
| Answer a visitor's question at 9pm | They fill out a form and wait | A visitor assistant answers from your own site content |
| Plugin, theme and core updates | Squarespace/Wix: none. WordPress: yours, on 15–30 schedules | None |
| Reply to Google reviews | By hand, on your own | Your assistant drafts a reply that never confirms someone is a client; you approve it |
| Structured data for search and AI answers | Basic settings; the rest is up to you or plugins | Generated for every page from your practice details |
Moving from Squarespace, Wix or WordPress
We handle the migration for you:
- 1We read your current site — every page, blog post and image is carried over
- 2We rebuild your design — your colors, fonts, layout and brand, or a fresh look if you want one
- 3Review page by page — your assistant walks you through each page and suggests improvements
- 4Connect your domain — same address, with redirects for any page whose address changes
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Squarespace or WordPress better for a therapist website?
For most solo therapists who will run the site themselves, Squarespace. It is hosted, secure and updated for you, and its templates look professional with little effort. WordPress gives you more control and a huge plugin library, but you (or a developer) own the hosting, security, backups and updates. Choose WordPress if you want that control and have someone to maintain it; choose Squarespace if you want the least upkeep from a builder.
Is Wix or WordPress better for therapists?
Wix is easier: drag-and-drop editing, hosting and security included, and an AI starter that drafts a first version of the site. WordPress is more flexible and portable, but it needs ongoing maintenance. If you want to design it yourself without code, Wix. If you want full control and have technical help, WordPress.
Is Squarespace good for therapists?
Yes, as a design tool. Plans start at $19/month billed yearly ($25 month to month), checked September 30, 2026. It gives you professional templates, a custom domain and basic SEO settings. The gaps therapists run into: no Business Associate Agreement for handling PHI, no one writing your blog, no therapist-specific structured data, and no syncing of your practice details to Google and other listings. It works well if you'll keep it updated yourself.
Is Squarespace HIPAA compliant for a therapy practice website?
Squarespace does not offer a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) and is not designed for storing or transmitting Protected Health Information (PHI). Therapists can use it for public pages (services, bio, blog) as long as PHI never flows through Squarespace forms. Intake forms, telehealth and clinical scheduling belong in a HIPAA-compliant platform such as SimplePractice, TherapyNotes or Jane, and the website links to it. The same applies to Wix and to most WordPress setups.
Can I hire a Wix website designer for my therapy practice?
Yes. Wix runs a marketplace of designers you can hire, and many freelancers build on Wix. A designer gets you a good-looking launch; after launch, updates, blog posts and SEO fall back to you unless you keep paying them. If what you actually want is to not run the site at all, that is the gap WebsiteTherapy fills: we build it to your brand and it stays maintained.
Can I brand my therapy practice on Wix?
Yes. Wix lets you set your own colors, fonts and logo across a template, and you can edit layouts freely. The work that makes branding consistent over time, such as new pages matching the old ones and your Google Business Profile matching your site, stays with you.
Do many therapy websites use WordPress?
Yes. WordPress is the most widely used website software, and plenty of practices run on it, often built by a developer years ago. The common story we hear is a site that looked right at launch and now waits on a developer for every change.
Should I hire a web developer instead of using a builder?
A developer is worth it for a custom build, but ongoing changes are billed per request or on a retainer (typically $100–500/month), and most developers don't write your blog or keep your Google Business Profile current. If you like your developer, keep them for custom work. Every WebsiteTherapy site is a standard Next.js project in a GitHub repository, so any React developer can work on it too.
Isn't $99/month more than Squarespace or Wix?
Yes, on the website fee alone. Squarespace and Wix are cheaper if you do everything yourself. WebsiteTherapy's $99/month includes the building and the running: an AI assistant that makes changes, a visitor assistant, blog posts written for you, SEO and structured data, Google Business Profile upkeep and review replies drafted for you. The comparison that matters is the builder plus your hours (or a developer's invoices).
Will I lose my Google rankings if I switch?
Your domain stays the same, and any page whose address changes gets a permanent redirect, so search engines carry the old page's standing to the new one. We check the old site's pages against the new one before your domain moves.
Will my site look the same?
It can. We rebuild your existing design (colors, fonts, layout, images, content), so visitors won't notice a change. If you'd rather have a fresh look, we can do that instead.
Can I leave if I don't like it?
Yes. There's no contract, and your site is a GitHub repository you can take with you. Your content is in standard formats and your leads export as CSV.
Built it yourself once? Let your website run itself now.
Book a free consultation. We'll move your Squarespace, Wix or WordPress site over and set up your AI assistant: blog posts, lead capture and SEO included.