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Wix or Squarespace vs a custom website, in Dubai.
A website builder such as Wix or Squarespace is the right start when you want to edit the site yourself and a standard layout fits. A custom website fits when you need Arabic and English built for both directions, your own design and motion, integrations, or code you can move to any host. Below is what each builder’s own help pages say.
| Question | Wix or Squarespace | A custom build |
|---|---|---|
| Moving it later | Wix says a site cannot be exported to be hosted elsewhere; it runs on Wix’s servers. Squarespace exports a WordPress format file that leaves out many page types, product, video and audio blocks, styles and custom CSS. | The code can be hosted with any provider, as long as your contract hands the code and the accounts to you. Ask for that in writing. |
| Arabic, right to left | Wix Multilingual supports right to left per language, though some apps such as Stores use one direction for all languages. Squarespace says it has no built in way to add right to left text. | Both directions are designed and tested from the start, when the brief asks for Arabic. |
| Redirects | Wix has a redirect manager that needs a custom domain. Squarespace uses URL mappings, and says the homepage and file URLs cannot be redirected. | Redirects are set on the server, with any rule the migration needs. |
| SEO basics | Both let you edit titles, descriptions and page addresses, and both produce a sitemap. Wix adds canonical tags and structured data for some page types by default. | The same basics, plus whatever structured data and page types your search plan needs, built by the developer. |
| Who edits it | You do, in the builder’s editor, within its templates and apps. | You edit content through a content system set up for your pages; layout and new features go through a developer. |
| How you pay | A subscription plan, billed monthly or yearly, set on the builder’s own pricing page. | A project fee in a written proposal, then hosting and any ongoing work. |
Sources
- Wix Help Center. Exporting or embedding your Wix site elsewhere. Read on .
- Wix Help Center. Wix Multilingual: creating a multilingual site with right to left content. Read on .
- Wix Help Center. Setting up a 301 redirect for a page on your site. Read on .
- Wix Help Center. Understanding your site’s default SEO settings. Read on .
- Squarespace Help Center. Exporting your site: what the export includes and what it leaves out. Read on .
- Squarespace Help Center. Writing in your language, including right to left text. Read on .
- Squarespace Help Center. URL mappings: redirect rules and what cannot be redirected. Read on .
- Squarespace Help Center. SEO checklist: the built in search features. Read on .
01 · When a builder fits
Start with a builder when
You want to publish soon, edit every word yourself, and a well made template matches what you sell. For a new company testing an idea, a portfolio or a simple service business, a builder is often the sensible choice, and we would say so on a call.
02 · When custom fits
Choose a custom site when
Arabic and English both matter and must read properly in both directions. The design itself is part of the brand, with motion, film or 3D that a template cannot hold. The site must connect to a CRM, a booking system, WhatsApp or an AI assistant. Or you want the code and the hosting in your own hands, so the site can move when your needs do.
03 · Search
Is Wix good for SEO?
Both builders cover the basics: editable titles and descriptions, clean addresses, a sitemap and a Search Console connection. Google has not said that any one platform ranks higher, and we do not claim it. What moves search is the content, the structure of the pages and the signals around them, whoever builds the site.
04 · Moving off a builder
If you outgrow the builder
Because a Wix site cannot be exported to another host, and a Squarespace export is partial, moving off a builder means rebuilding the pages and redirecting every old address to its new one. Keep the domain registered in your company’s name, so it moves with you. Our guide to moving a website without losing search covers the redirects.
Wix and Squarespace are trademarks of their owners. Althea Growth is not affiliated with either, and everything we say about them above comes from their help pages, read on 29 September 2026.
Questions, answered.
Should I choose Wix or a custom website?
Not for everyone. A builder fits when you edit it yourself and a template matches your business. A custom site fits when you need both Arabic and English done properly, your own design, integrations or code you can move.
Can I move my Wix site to another host?
Wix’s help center says a site cannot be exported to be hosted elsewhere. Moving means rebuilding the pages on the new platform and redirecting the old addresses.
Does Squarespace support Arabic?
Squarespace’s help center says it has no built in way to add right to left text, and that custom code workarounds sit outside its support. Wix supports right to left per language through Wix Multilingual.
Is Wix good for SEO?
Wix covers the standard settings, including titles, descriptions, canonical tags and a sitemap. Google has not said that the platform decides rankings; content and page structure matter more.
Start with a brief.
Tell us what you want to build or fix. We reply within one working day.