Red Isle WebA $1,000 website and a $21 per month website plan are paying for different things. One includes someone building the site for you. The other gives you the tools to build and maintain it yourself, so comparing the two means adding up the work as well as the bills.
For a PEI business comparing quotes, I'd separate the build price from the costs that continue afterwards. Ask about the web address, hosting and changes before deciding which price suits you.
Current Wix and Squarespace prices in Canada
These are the Canadian prices displayed on Wix's pricing page and Squarespace's pricing page on October 10, 2026, with annual billing selected. The monthly figure is an annual price divided by twelve. You pay the year up front.
| Plan | Per month, billed annually | Annual payment |
|---|---|---|
| Wix Light | $21 | $252 |
| Wix Core | $33 | $396 |
| Squarespace Basic | $21 | $252 |
| Squarespace Core | $32 | $384 |
These plans include hosting and an editor, but hiring someone to design the site is a separate cost. Compare the features you need, too. A site showing your services and a store taking payments may need different plans.
When a platform offers a promotion, list that discount separately from its renewal price. Wix says its promotional discounts apply to the first paid term, not renewals. Squarespace's offer displayed when I checked applied to the first payment only, and its renewal guidance says prices can change. Confirm the renewal amount before buying. Today's rate is not a five-year guarantee.
What continues after the build
- Your web address. A domain is the address people type to find you. Eligible annual Wix and Squarespace plans offer the first year free, subject to their terms. Squarespace charges its listed domain renewal price after that. Ask for the renewal price of your particular address, including on a site with free hosting.
- Hosting. This keeps the site available online. It is included in the platform plans above. My standard business sites use free hosting, so there is no required hosting bill from me.
- Changes. An editor lets you make changes yourself. It doesn't mean someone else will do them for you. Ask what help costs and how long it takes.
- Other services. Business email, appointment software, paid apps and payment processing can have their own charges. Include the ones your business will use.
What my build price includes
Red Isle Web starts at $1,000 for up to five pages and 25 photos. The $1,500 package allows up to eight pages and 75 photos, with Google Business Profile work and six blog posts included. If you sell online, it also covers a store with up to 50 products. The $2,500 package removes the page and photo limits, adds twelve blog posts and a logo if needed, and covers a store with more than 50 products. Every package comes with your first month of changes free.
After that first month, you can pay $50 for a batch whenever you need it, and changes come back within three business days. Optional yearly change plans start at $125 per year for one batch per month, with $250 and $500 plans for more frequent help. Larger work gets a quote. The pricing page has the full package details.
There is no required monthly subscription to keep one of my standard sites online. Your site and web address stay in your name, and domain renewal should be listed separately in your quote. Email or other paid services still need their own budget.
Compare five years without hiding the work
A plan costing $30 per month would be $1,800 over five years if the price stayed the same. That is the platform bill alone. Add domain renewals, any paid extras and outside help, then allow for your own time building and updating it.
For a $1,000 build, two $50 batches of changes each year would bring the five-year build-and-changes bill to $1,500. That example excludes domain renewal, tax and other services, and assumes the current change price stays the same. It also assumes the work fits within those batches. Your business may need more help or hardly any.
If you enjoy building the site yourself, a platform can suit you quite well. If you'd rather have someone do it, include that person's fee when comparing the platform route with a finished build. I wouldn't call either one cheaper until the scope matches.
A PEI example of what the work involves
For MW Fitness and Coaching in Charlottetown, the rebuild included separate pages for its coaching services and open gym, Marcel's photographs, and a sitemap to help search engines find the pages. The old site had an instruction telling search engines not to index it, which I removed. That is work a monthly platform price alone doesn't describe.
Questions to ask before accepting a website quote
- Which pages and features does the build price include? Ask who supplies the words and photos.
- Have the first-year and renewal costs been listed separately, including the domain and any paid apps?
- What does a batch of changes cover, and what gets a separate quote?
- Will the domain and website accounts be in my name, with access I control?
- If I move to another provider, which files and content can I take, and what would need rebuilding?
- Is an ongoing plan required to keep the site online, or can I pay for help when I need it?
Questions people ask about website costs
How much does a website cost per month?
The annual-billing Wix and Squarespace plans listed here display $21 to $33 per month in CAD, paid for the year up front. Domain renewals and extras can add to that. Red Isle Web's standard business sites have no required monthly subscription, with changes available separately after the included period.
What is the average cost of a website in Canada?
I haven't verified a Canada-wide average that compares the same scope of work. A five-page service website and a custom booking system are different jobs. My packages start at $1,000, and I'd compare written quotes for the pages and features your business needs.
Is it cheaper to pay once or pay monthly?
You need the build price and the ongoing costs to answer that for your business. Include renewals, changes, paid extras and your own time. A first-year promotion or free hosting on its own doesn't settle the comparison.
What happens if I stop paying a website subscription?
A paid platform site needs an active subscription for its paid features, so check the provider's expiry rules and options for taking your content elsewhere before cancelling. Domain registration is a separate service, so keep its renewal current if you want to retain the address.
If you'd like me to look at your current site or a quote you're comparing, send me a note. You can also see the PEI web design page and finished client sites before deciding.