Squarespace, GoDaddy Airo, Wix, and Showit can all launch a good-looking site. The difference is a year later, when the designer has moved on, your Instagram is up to date, and the website still shows last winter.
Side by side
Entry-level plans, checked September 2026. Prices are in US dollars. We’ve marked who does each one best, including where that isn’t us.
Topic
Pancakes
Squarespace
GoDaddy Airo
Wix
Showit
Starting price
Pancakes$29/month, hosting included
Squarespace$25/month, or $19/month billed annually
GoDaddy Airo$9.99/month the first year, then $16.99/monthWinner
Wix$17/month billed annually for Light
Showit$27/month, or $22/month billed annually
Price after the first year
PancakesLocked for two years from signupWinner
SquarespaceRose up to 26% for existing annual plans in July 2026
GoDaddy AiroRenews well above the first-year price
WixPlans were restructured in 2025; renewal charges are a common complaint
ShowitNo published price lock
Free plan or trial
PancakesAI setup included on every plan
Squarespace14-day free trial
GoDaddy AiroFree plan on a GoDaddy address, with GoDaddy adsTie
WixFree plan on a Wix address, with Wix adsTie
Showit14-day free trial, without your own domain
Your own domain
PancakesConnect one on Launch, five on Business
SquarespaceFree for one year on annual plansTie
GoDaddy AiroFree for the first year on paid plansTie
WixFree for one year on yearly plansTie
ShowitConnect a domain you already own
Change your design after launch
PancakesSwitch to any theme whenever you likeTie
SquarespaceRestyle colors and fonts; 7.1 sites cannot change templates
GoDaddy AiroSwitch themes, with a restore pointTie
WixCannot switch templates; rebuild on a new site instead
ShowitRearrange elements by hand, on desktop and again on mobile
Editing for phones
PancakesOne layout that adapts to every screen sizeTie
SquarespaceAdapts automatically, with optional mobile rearranging
GoDaddy AiroAdapts automaticallyTie
WixA separate mobile editor to tidy each page
ShowitA second mobile composition you arrange and keep in sync
Shared content
PancakesEdit a shared section once and every page that uses it updatesTie
SquarespaceGlobal header and footer; saved sections are copies
GoDaddy AiroGlobal header and footer
WixHeader, footer, and sections shown on every page
ShowitSite Canvases shared across chosen pagesTie
Keeps itself current
PancakesSpots upcoming holidays and stale details, and updates hours on the right day (every plan)Winner
SquarespaceOnly when someone remembers to edit it
GoDaddy AiroOnly when someone remembers to edit it
WixOnly when someone remembers to edit it
ShowitOnly when someone remembers to edit it
Seasonal changes
PancakesMenus, prices, and offers go live and come back down on their own (Business and Partner)Winner
SquarespaceBlog posts and podcast episodes
GoDaddy AiroNot offered for page changes
WixBlog posts
ShowitBlog posts, through WordPress
AI
PancakesAI setup, writing help, and calendar suggestions you approve
SquarespaceAI site builder
GoDaddy AiroAI-generated site, copy, images, and social postsWinner
WixAI site builder and AI agents
ShowitNo built-in AI
AI on your terms
PancakesNo credits to count, and you can switch AI off completelyTie
SquarespaceMonthly AI credits that vary by plan
GoDaddy AiroMonthly AI credits that expire each billing cycle
WixMore monthly AI credits on paid plans
ShowitNo AI to turn offTie
Help from people
PancakesEdit requests from our team on Business and PartnerWinner
SquarespaceHire an outside designer through Squarespace Marketplace
GoDaddy AiroPaid GoDaddy website design service
WixHire a Wix Partner through Wix Marketplace
ShowitBuy a template or hire a designer from its partner marketplace
Online store fees
PancakesNo online store yet
Squarespace2% on Basic, 0% on Core and up, plus card feesTie
GoDaddy AiroCard fees of 2.3% + 30¢ with GoDaddy Payments
WixCard fees of 2.9% + 30¢ with Wix Payments, no Wix commissionTie
ShowitNo built-in store; WooCommerce on the $49 plan, or Shopify buttons
Pick Pancakes if you want a site that stays accurate and on-design long after launch, without a web person on call. AI is optional, and you can turn it off completely.
Squarespace
Pick Squarespace if you sell a lot online or want a very large template library and are comfortable keeping the site current yourself.
GoDaddy Airo
Pick GoDaddy Airo if the lowest first-year price matters most, or you already keep your domain and email at GoDaddy.
Wix
Pick Wix if you want a free plan to start and plenty of add-on apps, and you can live with the template you launch on.
Showit
Pick Showit if you are a photographer or creative with a designer or template you love, and you enjoy placing every element by hand on desktop and mobile.
Freedom to design is nice. Freedom from designing is better.
Social gets the update. The site doesn’t.
Posting a snow-day closure takes ten seconds on your phone. Changing the website means finding a login and remembering how the editor works, so it waits, and customers find the old hours.
Every edit becomes a design decision
In a freeform editor, a longer headline means checking the spacing, the wrapping, and the phone layout. Once the designer who built it has moved on, those small fixes pile up and the site drifts.
Pancakes carries the design for you
Change the words, swap a photo, or add a section, and the theme keeps it matching on every screen. Shared content updates everywhere at once, and the site calendar flags what is about to go stale.
Pancakes next to each one, in plain words.
Pancakes vs. Squarespace
Squarespace makes beautiful sites and has a mature online store, so it is a strong pick if selling products is the center of your business. Its Fluid Engine editor lets you drag blocks anywhere on a grid, which gives you room to design and also leaves the design in your hands.
The catch shows up later. A Squarespace 7.1 site cannot switch templates, so a new look means restyling what you have. Holiday hours and seasonal specials are edits you have to remember to make and undo. And in July 2026, existing annual plans went up by as much as 26%.
Pancakes is narrower. There is no online store yet. In exchange, you can switch themes whenever you like, the site calendar handles the dates that trip up most small-business sites, and your price is locked for two years.
Pancakes vs. GoDaddy Airo
GoDaddy is the cheapest way to get online in the first year, and Airo will generate a whole site, its copy, and social posts from a short description. If your domain and email already live at GoDaddy, keeping everything in one account is convenient.
The first-year price is an introductory rate, and renewals cost noticeably more. Airo runs on monthly AI credits that expire each billing cycle. Once the site exists, keeping hours and offers current is still a manual job.
Pancakes costs more on day one and less in surprises. There are no credits to count, you can turn AI off entirely, and the site calendar does the upkeep that a generated site leaves to you.
Pancakes vs. Wix
Wix has a free plan, a large app market, and a lot of features, which makes it a good sandbox if you like trying things. Wix Studio adds serious responsive tools for professional designers.
For a small business, that breadth can mean more to look after. You cannot switch templates on a Wix site; a new design means building a new site and moving your content over. The standard editor has a separate mobile view to tidy, and renewal charges are a frequent complaint in Wix reviews.
Pancakes does less, on purpose. Themes carry the layout on every screen size, shared content keeps repeated sections in sync, and the price you start at is the price you pay for two years.
Pancakes vs. Showit
Showit is a design tool first. Photographers and creatives love it because every element can go exactly where you put it, and many buy a template from a designer whose style they already admire. If arranging the page is part of the fun, Showit is hard to beat.
That freedom has a cost after launch. Desktop and mobile are two compositions, so a longer headline or a new photo can mean adjusting both. Tablets and other in-between widths get no layout of their own; Showit scales the nearest one to fit, which keeps the arrangement but can shrink or crowd the text. Blogs and collections run through a connected WordPress install, and a store needs WooCommerce on the $49 plan or embedded Shopify buttons.
Pancakes trades pixel placement for a site that stays designed without you. You edit words and photos, the theme handles the layout, and nobody has to maintain a second phone layout.
Your price stays put for two years.
The price you sign up at is the price you pay for your first two years on that plan, with the same rate at renewal as on day one.
What changed elsewhere lately
SquarespaceJuly 2026
Annual plans went up by as much as 26%: Basic from $16 to $19 a month, Core from $23 to $29, and Plus from $39 to $49. Source
SquarespaceSeptember 2024
Domains moved over from Google Domains lost their old renewal prices after one year and now renew at Squarespace rates. Source
GoDaddyOngoing
Airo plans are sold at an introductory first-year price. Airo Plus, for example, goes from $59.88 to $95.88 a year at renewal. Source
GoDaddyMay 2025
The FTC finalized an order over hosting security failures it says led to breaches of customer websites between 2019 and 2022. Source
A website that keeps up without you.
Plans start at $29/month with hosting included. Build your site with AI in a few minutes, or ask our team to set it up with you.