If you run a one-person business and need a website, you have probably narrowed it down to a few names: Framer, Webflow, Wix and Squarespace. Search for a comparison and you will find long feature tables written for designers and agencies. Those are useful, but they do not answer the question a solo business owner is actually asking: which of these will let me get a good site live and keep it up to date without hiring someone?
This guide compares the four on the things that matter for that decision: how editing feels, bookings and selling, cost, and what happens if you want to leave. Prices and features change often, so check each platform's pricing page before you decide. This comparison reflects the platforms as of October 2026.
The short answer by type of business
There is no single best website builder. The right one depends on what your site has to do.
- You need online booking built in (a salon, a therapist, a tutor): Wix or Squarespace. Both offer their own scheduling tools. Framer and Webflow need a third-party booking tool embedded in the site.
- You sell many products online all year: Wix or Squarespace for simplicity, Webflow if you want more design control. Framer does not include a full online store.
- You want a site that looks distinctive and you are comfortable editing visually: Framer or Webflow.
- You want the most design control and do not mind learning: Webflow.
- You want to start from a template made for your trade and change the words and photos: any of them can work, but the quality and specificity of templates varies a lot. Framer has a large market of independent templates.
How editing feels on each
Wix uses a drag-and-drop editor. You can place elements almost anywhere on the page, which feels free at first. The downside is that pages can become messy, and layouts sometimes need separate attention on mobile.
Squarespace uses a structured editor with sections and blocks. It is harder to make a mess, and harder to do something unusual. Most owners find it easy to update text and images.
Framer feels closer to a design tool. You edit directly on the canvas: click text to change it, drag in an image to replace one. Layouts are responsive, so they adapt to phones and tablets, and you can adjust each breakpoint. It also includes an AI agent that can make changes from written instructions. If you start from a well-built template, most edits are swapping words and photos.
Webflow gives the most control over layout and structure, and it is the steepest to learn. It is built around web concepts such as classes and boxes. Owners who are not designers often find it harder to edit without help, though Webflow has added simpler content editing for clients.
Bookings and selling
This is where the four differ most for small businesses.
Bookings. Wix has Wix Bookings, and Squarespace has its own scheduling tool. Both let clients book and pay for appointments on your site. Framer and Webflow do not include native appointment booking. You embed a booking tool such as Calendly, Cal.com or an industry-specific tool. Many businesses already use one of these, so this may not matter, but it is an extra subscription and an extra login.
Selling products. Wix, Squarespace and Webflow all offer ecommerce plans with product catalogues, carts and checkout. Framer does not include a full store. You can link out to a store, embed a third-party checkout, or use a template that takes simple orders by email and hands off to a payment link. For a few products sold occasionally, that can be enough. For a large catalogue, it is not.
Forms and email capture. All four support contact forms. Check where form submissions go and whether you can connect them to your email tool.
What you will pay
Each platform has several plans, and the cheapest plan that removes the platform's branding and allows a custom domain is usually the relevant one for a small business.
As of October 2026, Framer's Basic plan is $10 a month billed yearly and includes a custom domain and 50 GB of bandwidth, and its Pro plan is $30 a month with 100 GB. Framer's pricing has a feature to watch: bandwidth. Sites that go over their monthly bandwidth limit repeatedly may be upgraded or charged for overages. This became a widely discussed issue on X in early October 2026, mainly involving sites that hosted large video files. Most small business sites with optimised images stay well within limits, but read our guide to Framer bandwidth limits before you choose.
For Wix, Squarespace and Webflow, check the current pricing on each site:
Add the cost of anything you will need to bolt on, such as a booking tool, an email marketing tool or a premium template. A cheaper platform with three add-ons can cost more than a pricier one that includes them.
Leaving later
Few people think about this when they start, and it matters. None of these four platforms lets you pack up a complete, working website and move it somewhere else.
- Wix: sites must run on Wix. You can export some content, such as CMS collections, but the design has to be rebuilt elsewhere.
- Squarespace: you can export certain content in a format WordPress can import, but not the design or many page types.
- Webflow: paid workspace plans can export static HTML, CSS and JavaScript, but CMS content, ecommerce and some features do not come with it.
- Framer: there is no HTML export for self-hosting. Moving away means rebuilding.
In practice, moving any site between these platforms is a rebuild. Two things make it easier: owning your domain name through a registrar you control, and keeping your own copies of your text and images. Do both, whichever platform you choose.
Where a trade template changes the decision
Much of the work of building a small business website is deciding what goes on it: which pages, which sections, what questions to answer and in what order. A template designed for your type of business makes most of those decisions for you. A template built for tattoo studios will already have an artist roster and a deposit policy. One built for small hotels will already have a booking bar and room pages.
That shifts the question. Instead of "which platform is best?", it becomes "which platform has a template that already fits my business, and can I edit it myself?" If you find a template that fits, the platform it is built on matters less.
getsites makes Framer templates for specific trades, from law firms and accountants to sauna studios and restaurants. You can browse all templates to see whether one fits your business. For more detailed head-to-heads, read Framer vs Wix, Framer vs Squarespace, Framer vs Webflow for templates and Framer vs WordPress.
A simple way to decide
1. List the three things your website must do, such as take bookings, show work or sell products.
2. Rule out any platform that cannot do them without workarounds you are not comfortable with.
3. Look for a template built for your trade on the platforms that remain.
4. Try editing it. Most platforms let you start free. Spend an hour changing words and photos.
5. Pick the one you would be happy to update yourself next month.
The best platform for a one-person business is the one you will actually keep up to date.