How much does Zorva Labs cost?

$55 per month, all-in. That includes the custom website build (no setup fee), Cloudflare edge hosting, SSL, daily backups, uptime monitoring, and monthly content changes. Larger custom work is billed at $33/hour, always quoted upfront. There is also a $57/month bundle that adds domain registration, DNS, and yearly renewals.

What's the difference between $55/mo and $57/mo?

The $55/mo plan covers the custom website, Cloudflare edge hosting, monthly content edits, SSL, backups, and ongoing optimization — but you bring your own domain. The $57/mo bundle is the same plan plus we register your domain in your name, manage DNS, set up SSL, and handle every yearly renewal automatically. Just $2 more per month covers $15/year of domain costs and removes one thing from your plate forever.

Is the website really free?

Yes. We design and build your custom 3-page website at no upfront cost — it's bundled into the $55/month plan. As long as you stay subscribed, your site is live and maintained.

How long does it take to launch a website?

Most websites are live within 7 days. We request your content on day 1, send a preview by day 4, and launch after your approval.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes — no contracts, cancel from your Stripe portal anytime. We do ask for a 90-day minimum after launch to cover the initial build cost.

Why not just use Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress?

Those builders look cheap but cost more once you add apps, plugins, hosting, and your own time to build. Wix Business with apps runs $72/mo. WordPress with hosting and plugins runs $60/mo plus your time. And the sites are slow — 40-55 mobile PageSpeed vs Zorva's 95-100. Plus, you have to build it yourself or pay a developer.

What kind of website changes are included?

Text edits, photo swaps, hours and price updates, contact info changes, small layout tweaks, and any change under 15 minutes — all included. Larger projects like new pages, redesigns, or integrations are quoted at $33/hour.

Where is Zorva Labs based?

Zorva Labs is based in Nashville, Tennessee. We serve small businesses across the United States and Canada.

Yes. You own your domain, the source code, the design, your logo, your content, and your brand. If you ever leave Zorva Labs, you take everything with you intact — no rebuild required. Unlike Wix, Squarespace, or most agencies, there's no vendor lock-in.

ComparisonsApril 25, 2026·10 min read

Squarespace vs Wix vs WordPress vs Custom: 2026 Small Business Comparison

A 2026 head-to-head comparison of Squarespace, Wix, WordPress, and custom-built websites for small business — covering price, speed, SEO, ownership, and where each option actually wins.

Michael Blair

Founder, Zorva Labs

Editorial comparison illustration of website builder platforms — Zorva Labs

TL;DR

Squarespace wins on visual templates and ease. Wix wins on app marketplace breadth. WordPress wins on extensibility. Custom-built sites (like Zorva Labs at $55/mo) win on speed, SEO, ownership, and long-term cost. None of them is right for every business — this guide breaks down the trade-offs honestly.

If you're a small business owner trying to pick between Squarespace, Wix, WordPress, and a custom build in 2026, the marketing material from each platform won't help you. They all claim to be "the best." None of them is the best for every business. This is a head-to-head comparison written for small business owners — not for affiliate commissions.

Quick verdict

Squarespace — Best for visual portfolios and brands where the templates already match your aesthetic.
Wix — Best for businesses that need a specific niche app (booking, restaurant ordering, multi-vendor marketplace) that Wix's app market happens to have.
WordPress — Best for content-heavy sites with technical owners who want full extensibility and don't mind maintenance.
Custom build (Zorva Labs $55/mo) — Best for service businesses, local businesses, and small businesses that want speed, ownership, real SEO, and zero maintenance burden.

Price (year-one total)

Platform	Year-One Real Cost
Squarespace Business + apps	$720-960 + 25 hrs DIY
Wix Business + apps	$960-1,200 + 25 hrs DIY
WordPress (managed hosting + plugins + freelancer)	$2,500-4,500
Custom agency build	$5,000-15,000
Zorva Labs $55/mo	$660 (zero DIY)

Full pricing breakdown: How Much Does a Small Business Website Cost in 2026?

Speed (Google PageSpeed Insights, mobile)

Speed is no longer optional. Google ranks faster sites higher and conversion rate drops 7% for every additional second of load time. Mobile PageSpeed scores in 2026:

Squarespace: 55-70 typical
Wix: 40-65 typical
WordPress: 50-80 (varies wildly with theme + plugins)
Zorva Labs custom on Zorva edge hosting: 95-100 consistent

The gap between 55 and 95 is the difference between "Google buries this site" and "Google promotes this site." It's not a small thing.

SEO foundations

All four platforms can technically do SEO. The question is how much friction is involved.

Squarespace: Built-in title tags, meta descriptions, basic schema for some content types. Limited control over advanced schema or structured data.
Wix: Similar to Squarespace. Wix SEO has improved a lot but still less granular than custom.
WordPress: Plugin-dependent. Yoast or RankMath give you a lot of control, but you have to know what you're doing.
Custom (Zorva): Full schema markup baked in — SEO, GEO, AIO, AEO. Every page gets proper structured data automatically.

The new AI search disciplines (GEO, AIO, AEO)

This is where the platforms diverge dramatically in 2026. Generative Engine Optimization, AI Overview Optimization, and Answer Engine Optimization all require specific schema, content structure, and crawler permissions that the DIY platforms don't expose.

Squarespace: No native llms.txt support. No granular AI crawler controls. Limited Speakable schema.
Wix: Same.
WordPress: Possible with plugins and code edits, but you're stitching it together yourself.
Custom (Zorva): Full GEO/AIO/AEO architecture baked in by default. Read about GEO.

Ownership and lock-in

The single biggest difference for long-term thinking:

Squarespace: You own your domain and content. You don't own the platform. Leaving = rebuild on a new platform from scratch.
Wix: Same lock-in. Wix specifically blocks easy site export.
WordPress: You own everything. Self-hosted means full portability.
Custom (Zorva): You own everything — domain, code, design, brand, content. If you leave, you take it all.

Maintenance burden

Squarespace: Low. Updates handled by Squarespace.
Wix: Low. Updates handled by Wix.
WordPress: High. You're responsible for plugin updates, security patches, and resolving conflicts when something breaks. Ongoing mental tax.
Custom (Zorva): Zero. We handle hosting, updates, and content changes for you.

When Squarespace is the right choice

If you have a strong visual brand that already fits a Squarespace template, you enjoy building sites yourself, you don't have ongoing content needs, and you're not competing for traffic on local SEO terms — Squarespace is fine. Photography portfolios, artists, and personal brands often do well here.

When Wix is the right choice

If you specifically need an app from Wix's marketplace (a niche booking system, a restaurant ordering integration, a multi-vendor marketplace) that nothing else easily provides, Wix's breadth wins. Otherwise, the trade-offs are similar to Squarespace at a slightly higher cost.

When WordPress is the right choice

If you publish content frequently, you have technical chops or a developer on retainer, and you need extensibility that no closed platform offers — WordPress is still excellent. Big publishers, complex membership sites, and developer-led businesses all live on WordPress for good reasons.

When custom (Zorva $55/mo) is the right choice

If you're a service business, local business, or small business owner who:

Wants a real, fast, professional site without learning to build one
Cares about Google rankings and the new AI search ecosystems
Doesn't want to maintain plugins or worry about hosting
Wants to own everything in case you ever leave
Wants the lowest total cost over a 3-5 year window

...then Zorva Labs is built specifically for you.

What about AI website builders?

You've seen ads for Durable, Hostinger AI, Wix AI, and similar. They generate a templated site in 30 seconds. Quality is improving but the output is still recognizably "AI-generated default" — not a brand. They suffer the same lock-in and SEO limits as their non-AI counterparts. Useful for prototyping or hobby projects. Not a replacement for a real business website.

Ready to compare for yourself?

The fastest way to see which option fits your business: request a free Zorva Labs mockup. We'll design a homepage preview specifically for your business and you can stack it next to whatever Squarespace template you've been considering. No call, no commitment.

Want this done for you?

Zorva Labs ships SEO, GEO, AIO, and AEO as part of every site we build.

Get a free strategy call →