// Compare
Squarespace, Wix, GoDaddy, Shopify — and what changes when you switch.
A side-by-side of the four platforms people usually come to me on, and what the move to a hand-coded site actually looks like in dollars, lock-in, and day-to-day control. Not an attack piece — a comparison.
TL;DR
| Platform | 2-year cost | Mopheus Code |
|---|---|---|
| Squarespace | $384–$1,560 | One-time $500–$1,500 |
| Wix | $408–$2,808 | One-time $500–$1,500 |
| GoDaddy Builder | $240–$600 | One-time $500–$1,500 |
| Shopify (basic + apps) | $936–$9,576 | One-time $800–$2,000 |
| WordPress.com (Business) | $600–$1,080 | One-time $500–$1,500 |
| Weebly (Professional) | $240–$624 | One-time $500–$1,500 (break-even ~10y) |
| Duda (Team) | $696–$1,776 | One-time $500–$1,500 (break-even ~3y 11m) |
Squarespace
$16/mo base plan · $16–$65/mo for higher tiers Read the full Squarespace vs Mopheus Code deep dive →Beautiful templates, monthly fee, hard to escape. Good for a portfolio site that never needs to change. Bad for anything that needs custom code or SEO leverage.
| Aspect | Squarespace | Mopheus Code |
|---|---|---|
| Code ownership | No — Squarespace owns the platform code. You get a hosted site, not a codebase. | You own the code from day one. Walk away whenever. |
| Hosting | Forced on Squarespace servers. You can't move your site elsewhere without rebuilding it. | Static hosting in your own account — separate from any platform. |
| Custom code | Limited — CSS overrides and Code Blocks (HTML/CSS/JS in a sandbox). No backend. | Any stack. Any framework. Backend, frontend, both. |
| SEO control | Configurable meta tags, but the platform's own JS bloat limits what you can actually optimize. | Full control. Lighthouse 100, structured data, llms.txt, schema.org markup. |
| AEO (LLM citation) | Not a focus. No llms.txt, no structured data for AI crawlers, no FAQ schema by default. | First-class. llms.txt + JSON-LD + FAQ schema + AI-friendly content shapes are part of the build. |
| Lock-in | High. No code export. Content export is a hacky XML file that needs re-importing anywhere else. | None. Source code is yours, deploy is in your account, content lives in plain files. |
| 2-year cost (basic plan) | $384–$1,560 in subscription fees alone, plus any add-ons. | One-time project cost, typically $500–$1,500. No subscription. |
| 3-year cost | $576–$2,340 in fees, with feature updates gated to current plan tier. | Same. The site you launch in 2026 still belongs to you in 2036. |
Drag-and-drop freedom, big app marketplace, very high lock-in. Good for non-developers who want maximum control of layout. Bad for performance, code export, and serious SEO.
| Aspect | Wix | Mopheus Code |
|---|---|---|
| Code ownership | No. You can't export the site as code. Even Wix's "export" gives you a partial HTML dump that doesn't preserve the editor relationships. | You own the code from day one. Walk away whenever. |
| Hosting | Forced on Wix servers. CDN is theirs, no other option. | Static hosting in your own account, behind a CDN you control. |
| Custom code | Velo (their IDE) is sandboxed JavaScript. You can't ship arbitrary backend code or use a real database. | Any stack. Any framework. Any database. |
| App marketplace | Required for many features. Most useful apps cost $5–$50/mo each, on top of the base plan. | No marketplace needed. Custom-built features ship with the project, no recurring fees. |
| SEO control | Configurable meta tags. Performance is heavy (lots of JS for the editor) — Core Web Vitals are typically "needs improvement." | Lighthouse 100, hand-coded, no editor bloat. |
| AEO (LLM citation) | Minimal. No llms.txt. JSON-LD is possible but not built-in. | llms.txt + JSON-LD + FAQ schema are part of every build. |
| Lock-in | Very high. No code export. Migrating away is a from-scratch rebuild. | None. |
| 2-year cost (basic plan + 2 apps) | $408–$2,808. App subscriptions are recurring even if you stop using them. | One-time $500–$1,500. No apps to subscribe to. |
GoDaddy Website Builder
$10/mo base plan · $10–$25/mo for higher tiers Read the full GoDaddy vs Mopheus Code deep dive →Cheapest entry, highest lock-in, worst performance. The classic "I paid $200 and now I'm on GoDaddy forever" trap. The plan and the domain upsell are designed to keep you in.
| Aspect | GoDaddy Website Builder | Mopheus Code |
|---|---|---|
| Code ownership | No. There is no code export. The site is GoDaddy's, not yours. | You own the code from day one. |
| Hosting | Forced on GoDaddy. Bundled with the domain upsell. | Static hosting in your own account, and your domain is registered separately. |
| Custom code | None. The editor is the platform. You can't add custom HTML or JavaScript. | Any stack. Any framework. Any custom code you need. |
| SEO control | Basic. Meta tags configurable, but the platform's bloat (heavy themes, mandatory tracking scripts) limits real performance. | Full control. Lighthouse 100. |
| AEO (LLM citation) | None. No llms.txt. No structured data. | First-class. |
| Lock-in | Extreme. No export. The domain is usually registered through GoDaddy too, which makes the transfer process adversarial. | None. Domain is yours, separately registered. |
| Upsells | Constant. Email, SSL, "professional email," SEO add-on, "site boost" — all upsold via email and dashboard. | No upsells. You pay once for what you agreed to. |
| 2-year cost (basic plan) | $240–$600 in fees, plus the "SEO add-on" ($120/yr) and email ($60/yr) they'll push on you. | One-time $500–$1,500. No add-ons to upsell. |
Shopify
$39/mo base plan · $39–$399/mo for higher tiers Read the full Shopify vs Mopheus Code deep dive →Best e-commerce platform for non-developers. The standard for small-to-medium online stores. But the transaction fees, app subscriptions, and platform lock-in add up fast at scale.
| Aspect | Shopify | Mopheus Code |
|---|---|---|
| Code ownership | No. You can't export the store. You can export a CSV of products, but the storefront is Shopify's. | You own the code from day one. |
| Hosting | Forced on Shopify. The CDN is theirs, the checkout is theirs, the data is theirs. | Static hosting for the frontend in your own account + your choice of backend (Stripe direct, a custom API, whatever fits). |
| Transaction fees | 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction is the standard rate (Shopify is the merchant of record). +2% if you use a third-party gateway. The real differentiator is merchant lock-in, not the percentage. | Stripe direct. 2.9% + 30¢, no markup, no lock-in. |
| Custom code | Liquid (their templating) + limited API access. Apps can extend the platform but cost $5–$500/mo each. | Any stack. Any framework. No apps to subscribe to. |
| App subscriptions | Required for most useful features (reviews, upsells, email, abandoned cart). $5–$500/mo per app, $50–$300/mo for the typical store. | Custom-built. The features ship with the project. |
| SEO control | Configurable. Performance is decent but template-bloat is real. Lighthouse 60–80 is typical. | Lighthouse 100, hand-coded. |
| Lock-in | High. Customer data, order history, and product data export is awkward (CSV only). Migrating away is a months-long project. | None. Source code is yours, content is yours, data is yours. |
| 2-year cost (basic plan + 4 apps) | $936–$9,576 in plan + app fees alone, before transaction fees. | One-time $800–$2,000 for the storefront. Stripe fees only on actual sales. |
WordPress.com
$25/mo base plan · $4–$45/mo for higher tiers Read the full WordPress.com vs Mopheus Code deep dive →The .com half of the WordPress brand. Hosted platform run by Automattic — pay monthly, the cheap plans don't allow plugins, and the template + plugin configurations are not portable to a self-hosted setup. Most "WordPress alternative" searches are really about this one.
| Aspect | WordPress.com | Mopheus Code |
|---|---|---|
| Code ownership | Limited. Content export is available (XML, all posts + pages + media), but the template, theme, plugin configurations, and any customizations are WordPress.com's. | You own the code from day one. |
| Hosting | Forced on WordPress.com servers. Even with the Business plan, you can't move the install elsewhere without rebuilding it. | Static hosting in your own account, separate from any platform. |
| Plugin access | Business plan and above only ($25+/mo). The cheap plans (Personal, Premium) don't allow any plugin installs. | No plugins needed. Custom functionality is built into the project, no marketplace, no version conflicts. |
| SEO control | Configurable via plugin (Yoast, RankMath) on the Business plan. On the cheap plans, SEO is limited to the WordPress.com settings UI. | Full control. Lighthouse 100, structured data, llms.txt, schema.org markup — all built in. |
| AEO (LLM citation) | Minimal. JSON-LD is possible via plugin (on Business plan) but not built-in. No llms.txt. Heavy template + plugin JavaScript hurts Core Web Vitals. | First-class. llms.txt + JSON-LD + FAQ schema in every build. |
| Lock-in | Medium. Content is portable (XML export). Theme + plugins are not — they don't transfer to self-hosted WordPress or any other platform. | None. Source code is yours, content is yours, no platform dependency. |
| 2-year cost (Business plan) | $600 in subscription fees alone, plus the SEO plugin ($0–$100/yr) and any paid plugins you need. | One-time $500–$1,500 for a 5-page site. No plugins to subscribe to. |
| The .com vs .org thing | A frequent point of confusion — these are two different products from two different companies. "WordPress" on its own usually means the open-source software (WordPress.org), which is free to self-host anywhere. | No confusion — it's a hand-coded site, in your own repository, with a handoff doc that names every piece. |
Weebly
$12/mo base plan · $10–$26/mo for higher tiers Read the full Weebly vs Mopheus Code deep dive →Was a serious Squarespace competitor until Square bought it in 2018. Still functional, but development has slowed and the platform hasn't kept pace on features. The Professional plan is $12/month — the cheapest of the major builders.
| Aspect | Weebly | Mopheus Code |
|---|---|---|
| Code ownership | Limited. Content export is available (ZIP with all pages + media), but the template, editor, and app center configurations are Weebly's. | You own the code from day one. |
| Hosting | Forced on Weebly servers (Square infrastructure post-2018). You can't move the install elsewhere without rebuilding. | Static hosting in your own account, separate from any platform. |
| App center | Smaller than Squarespace or Wix. Most useful features (forms, memberships, booking) require apps, but the third-party ecosystem is less developed since the Square acquisition. | No apps needed. Custom functionality is built into the project, no marketplace, no version conflicts. |
| SEO control | Configurable. The editor JavaScript + Square tracking pixel add up — typical Weebly sites score 70-85 Lighthouse on mobile. | Lighthouse 100, hand-coded, no third-party tracking scripts. |
| AEO (LLM citation) | Minimal. JSON-LD is possible via third-party app but not built-in. No llms.txt. Square tracking adds JS payload that hurts Core Web Vitals. | First-class. llms.txt + JSON-LD + FAQ schema in every build. |
| Lock-in | Medium. Content is portable (ZIP export). Template + apps are not. The 2018 Square acquisition adds a parent-company-direction risk that wasn't there before. | None. Source code is yours, content is yours, no platform dependency, no parent-company risk. |
| 2-year cost (Professional plan) | $288 in subscription fees alone — the cheapest of the major builders. The hand-coded break-even is ~10 years for the Professional plan. | One-time $500–$1,500 for a 5-page site. No monthly fees, no parent-company risk. |
| The Square situation | Square acquired Weebly in 2018 for $365M. Square's focus is on online checkout (Square POS, Square Banking, etc.), not website building. Weebly is in maintenance mode under Square's ownership. | No parent company. Hand-coded by one person, named in every reply. |
Built for digital agencies, not small businesses. The Team plan is $29/month, with a multi-site dashboard, white-label branding, and team collaboration features. If you're a small business owner looking at Duda, you probably want a developer who uses Duda — not Duda directly.
| Aspect | Duda | Mopheus Code |
|---|---|---|
| Code ownership | Limited. Content export is available (ZIP), but the template, the white-label layer, and the multi-site dashboard are Duda's. | You own the code from day one. |
| Hosting | Forced on Duda servers. If your site was built by an agency, the agency owns the account and the hosting — you may not even have direct access. | Static hosting in your own account, separate from any platform or agency. |
| Who it's built for | Digital agencies. The platform assumes you're building sites for multiple clients, with team collaboration, white-label branding, and a multi-site dashboard. | Small businesses. Direct from the dev, no multi-tenant layer, no agency markup. One site, one owner, one dev. |
| SEO control | Configurable. The editor + white-label layer JavaScript adds up — typical Duda sites score 70-85 Lighthouse on mobile. | Lighthouse 100, hand-coded, no white-label layer. |
| AEO (LLM citation) | Minimal. JSON-LD is possible via the platform's built-in SEO but not optimized for LLM citation patterns. Agency-built sites often skip AEO entirely. | First-class. llms.txt + JSON-LD + FAQ schema in every build. |
| Lock-in | Medium. Content is portable (ZIP export), but if your site was built by an agency, the agency owns the Duda account. Template + white-label layer are not portable. | None. Source code is yours, content is yours, no platform dependency, no agency dependency. |
| 2-year cost (Team plan) | $696 in subscription fees. The hand-coded break-even is ~3 years, 11 months — shorter than Squarespace because Duda's Team plan is more expensive. | One-time $500–$1,500 for a 5-page site. No monthly fees, no agency layer. |
| The agency question | If you have an agency building on Duda for you, the cutover is partly a conversation with the agency (account ownership, ongoing relationship). | No agency layer. Direct from the dev to your business, named in every reply. |
The 2-year math
Subscription fees add up. Here's the side-by-side if you stay on each platform for 2 years vs. switching to a hand-coded site once.
2-year cost comparison
Subscription fees vs. one-time project cost. Doesn't include time spent fighting the platform, transaction fees, or app subscriptions.
| Platform | 2-year cost (subscriptions) | Mopheus Code (one-time) |
|---|---|---|
| Squarespace | $384–$1,560 | One-time $500–$1,500 |
| Wix | $408–$2,808 | One-time $500–$1,500 |
| GoDaddy Builder | $240–$600 | One-time $500–$1,500 |
| Shopify (basic + apps) | $936–$9,576 | One-time $800–$2,000 |
| WordPress.com (Business) | $600–$1,080 | One-time $500–$1,500 |
| Weebly (Professional) | $240–$624 | One-time $500–$1,500 (break-even ~10y) |
| Duda (Team) | $696–$1,776 | One-time $500–$1,500 (break-even ~3y 11m) |
One-page businesses: if you genuinely only need a single page (landing page, link-in-bio, single-offer), Carrd Pro Lite at $9/year is the cheapest option. The table above is for multi-page sites — services, about, contact, blog, custom functionality.
Want a longer view? The small business website cost guide breaks the 5-year TCO for hand-coded vs. Squarespace, Wix, GoDaddy, Shopify, and WordPress.com — and shows the exact break-even month where owning beats renting.
Still deciding if hand-coded is right for you? The Squarespace vs hand-coded decision tree walks through who each option is actually for, the 5-year TCO math worked out, and a 4-step decision tree that figures out which one fits your business.
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