Squarespace vs Wix vs WordPress for Therapists: Which Platform Fits Your Practice?

For most solo therapists, Squarespace or Wix is the faster start, and WordPress is the more flexible long-term choice. None of the three should be treated as a home for client health records. The right pick depends on how much you want to manage yourself, how much your practice will grow and how you plan to handle intake and scheduling.

This comparison uses each vendor's own pages, checked on 29 October 2026. It is part of our Therapy Practice Marketing Guide. It is marketing guidance, not compliance advice, so confirm any HIPAA setup with your compliance advisor.

Quick comparison

What each platform says about HIPAA

This is the question therapists ask most. Here is what each vendor says on its own pages.

Squarespace

Squarespace's HIPAA help article says Acuity Scheduling is "the only Squarespace feature currently designed to offer services consistent with HIPAA obligations." It also says:

• The Business Associate Agreement (BAA) "doesn't cover other Squarespace features."
• Other parts of the platform, including forms, "can't be used as part of a HIPAA compliant solution."
• You "shouldn't maintain or transmit Protected Health Information through Squarespace outside of Acuity."
• A HIPAA-enabled Acuity account needs the Powerhouse or Premium plan.

In short: a Squarespace site can show information about your practice, and Acuity can handle scheduling on an eligible plan. Contact forms that might collect health details need a different tool.

Wix

Wix's HIPAA help article says a site can be HIPAA compliant on a supported plan: Business, Plus, Elite, Business Elite or Enterprise. Points to know:

• You sign a BAA and turn on PHI protection in the dashboard, and Wix recommends collecting no PHI until both are done.
• PHI protection can only be turned on from desktop.
• Old Wix Forms must be deleted and rebuilt with the new Wix Forms.
• Non-compliant apps are hidden from the App Market, and Wix "cannot guarantee HIPAA compliance for apps or services we do not control."
• Visitor data that could identify someone is hidden, so you lose some analytics.
• Facebook and Instagram must be disconnected from Wix Inbox.

Wix offers more built-in HIPAA coverage than Squarespace. The trade-off is fewer apps and less analytics once protection is on.

WordPress

WordPress.org describes WordPress as open-source software licensed under the GPL. There is no single "WordPress company" that signs a BAA for your site. Coverage depends on:

• Your host. If health data is stored on your server, your host may be a business associate. Ask your host for its BAA in writing.
• Your form plugin. Some form plugins save entries in your site's database, so check where yours stores them.
• Other plugins. Chat, analytics and booking plugins may send data to third parties.

The common approach is to keep PHI off the WordPress site entirely. Embed a form from a vendor that signs a BAA, and link to your EHR's portal for intake. For example, Jotform's HIPAA page says covered entities who turn on its HIPAA features receive a signed BAA, on its Gold or Enterprise plans.

Cost and ownership

Builders: one subscription

Squarespace and Wix bundle hosting, security updates and the editor into a subscription. As of October 2026, Squarespace's pricing page lists Basic, Core, Plus and Advanced plans and says annual billing saves up to 36%. Wix's plans page lists Light, Core, Business and Business Elite, with Business at $39.77 a month on a yearly plan and a note that prices vary by location.

Remember that Wix's HIPAA features require one of its higher plans. On Squarespace, HIPAA support is tied to Acuity's plan, not the website plan. If you need covered tools, add those plan costs to your budget. Our guide to therapist website cost walks through all the cost drivers.

WordPress: pieces you assemble

WordPress itself has no license fee, but you pay for hosting, a theme, any premium plugins and maintenance. You also need someone to keep core, theme and plugins updated. Skipping updates is one of the main security risks on WordPress, so budget for care. See our website security services for what ongoing protection covers.

Who owns what

With WordPress, you own the files and can move hosts. With a hosted builder, your site lives on the vendor's platform. You can usually export some content, but moving away later takes more work. If you think you may outgrow a builder, read moving your therapy website off Squarespace or Wix.

SEO and flexibility

All three can rank. Search engines care about useful content, clear structure and a fast, mobile-friendly site. Differences show up as a practice grows.

• Squarespace gives you clean templates and the basic SEO settings: page titles, descriptions and URLs. Fine control over page structure is more limited.
• Wix offers a flexible editor and SEO settings. Turning on PHI protection hides some visitor data, which affects reporting.
• WordPress gives full control over structure, schema markup, speed tuning and content types such as clinician directories. It needs more expertise to use well.

For a solo therapist with a handful of pages, the platform matters less than the copy. For a group practice with many clinicians, specialties and locations, WordPress or a custom build tends to scale better.

What to keep off-site, whatever you choose

Your public website is a marketing tool. Keep clinical data somewhere built for it.

Also be careful with tracking. Google says it does not offer a BAA for Google Analytics and tells HIPAA-regulated customers not to send it PHI. The FTC has acted against health apps that shared sensitive data with advertisers, including its order against BetterHelp. Our guide to tracking pixels on therapy websites explains what to turn off.

For a full walk-through of forms and scheduling on each platform, see HIPAA-compliant forms, intake and scheduling for therapists.

Which platform should you choose?

Choose Squarespace if:

• You want a clean, simple site with little upkeep.
• You will use Acuity on an eligible plan, or your EHR, for scheduling.
• You will embed a BAA-backed form or link to your client portal.

Choose Wix if:

• You want built-in HIPAA features on the website itself.
• You are comfortable with a higher plan and fewer third-party apps.
• You do not rely heavily on detailed analytics.

Choose WordPress if:

• You run, or plan to run, a group practice with many pages.
• You want full control over SEO, speed and design.
• You have a developer or agency to handle updates and security.

Next step

If you are starting a new site, your next decision is who builds it. Read how to choose a website designer for your therapy practice. If you would rather hand it off, eSEOspace designs and builds sites for therapy practices on the platform that fits your plans.

Frequently asked questions