Short answerA website builder such as Wix or Squarespace makes sense when you have the time to build and update the site yourself, need a few simple pages and accept the platform's limits. A custom website makes sense when the website is the first meeting with buyers, needs its own functions, several languages or connections to your systems, or has to move with you if you change provider. Wix says its sites cannot be moved to another host, and Squarespace exports only part of a site. A managed website, built and run for a monthly fee, sits in between.
A new bakery in Al Quoz builds its website on a weekend with a builder template: four pages, photos of the croissants, opening hours and a WhatsApp button. It works. Two streets away, a supplier of industrial valves needs product pages with datasheets, a quotation form that reaches its CRM and the same site in English and Arabic. A template gets it halfway, and the second half costs more than the first. Both owners asked the same question. They needed different answers.
What a website builder is good at
Builders such as Wix and Squarespace give you hosting, templates and an editor in one subscription. You can have a presentable site in days without a developer.
- Speed and low start cost. You pay a subscription and start the same day.
- Editing without help. Text, photos and prices are changed in the editor.
- Hosting and security handled by the platform. You do not manage a server.
The work does not disappear: someone still has to write the pages, take the photos, set up the search basics and keep it all current. With a builder, that someone is usually you.
Where builders reach their limits
- Functions the platform does not offer. A quotation workflow, a customer portal or a connection to your stock system often needs workarounds or paid add-ons, if it is possible at all.
- Design that looks like a template. For a company whose website is the first meeting with a buyer, looking like many others is a cost.
- Speed on a phone. Templates carry code for features you do not use. You can tune a lot, but not everything.
- Leaving. This is the point most owners only check when they want to change.
What happens when you want to leave
Read the platform's own export rules before you build, not after. Wix's help centre says a Wix site must be hosted on Wix's servers and cannot be moved to another host, while your content remains yours and your domain can be managed elsewhere. Squarespace's export creates a file meant for WordPress that includes basic pages, one blog and text and image blocks, but leaves out store pages, product blocks, style settings and custom code. Products and contacts export separately, and images are downloaded one at a time.
A builder can still be the right choice. Just know before you start that the website you build there stays there, and a move later means a rebuild.
What a custom website gives you
A custom website is planned and built for your business: the pages follow what your buyers ask, the functions do what your process needs, and the code and content can move with you. It costs more at the start and needs someone to build and look after it. In return it can do exactly what you need, load fast on a phone and grow with the business.
The middle option: a managed website
Many small businesses do not want to build a site themselves and do not need custom software. A managed website is built for you and run for a monthly fee that covers hosting, the domain, changes and care. At MM² a managed website costs AED 1,500 to AED 5,000 once and AED 299 to AED 799 a month. A custom company website starts at AED 4,900, quoted in writing. Our guide to website costs in Dubai compares the options over two years.
How to decide
- Choose a builder if you have the time to build and maintain it, need a few simple pages and are fine staying on the platform.
- Choose a managed website if you want a good site without the work, and your needs are those of a shop, a clinic, a salon or a restaurant.
- Choose a custom website if buyers judge you by it, if you need your own functions, several languages or connections to your systems, or if the site must be able to move.
Before you sign up anywhere
- Write down the five things your website must do for customers.
- Check whether the platform does each of them without an add-on.
- Read the platform's export help page and note what you could take with you.
- Make sure the domain is registered in your company's name.
- Compare the total cost over two years, including your own time.
Questions
Is Wix or Squarespace good enough for a business in Dubai?
For a small business with a few simple pages and an owner who has time to build and update it, often yes. For a company that needs its own functions, several languages, system connections or a design buyers remember, a custom website usually fits better.
Can I move my Wix website to another host later?
Wix's help centre says a Wix site must be hosted on Wix's servers and cannot be moved to another host. Your content remains yours and your domain can be managed elsewhere, so a move means rebuilding the site.
What can I export from Squarespace?
Squarespace exports a file meant for WordPress with basic pages, one blog and text and image blocks. Store pages, product blocks, style settings and custom code are not included. Products and contacts export separately as spreadsheets.
How much does a custom website cost in Dubai?
At MM² custom company websites start at AED 4,900 and are quoted in writing. A managed website costs AED 1,500 to AED 5,000 once and AED 299 to AED 799 a month, with hosting and changes included.
Is a website builder cheaper than a custom website?
At the start, usually yes. Over two years, add your own time for building and updates, any add-ons and the cost of a rebuild if you later need to move. Compare the totals with the same things included.