Template-led website builder known for design quality, with a 14-day trial.
- Starting price
- $19/month (Basic, billed annually)
- Pricing model
- Free-trial
- User rating
- 4.4 / 5
- Best for
- Design-led sites for creatives and small brands
Squarespace is a website builder that competes on taste. Its templates are more restrained than Wix, and the constraint is deliberate: it is harder to make an ugly Squarespace site.
Who Squarespace is for
Photographers, restaurants, studios and personal brands. If your site is judged on how it looks rather than what it does, Squarespace is the safer choice.
It is less flexible than Wix. Elements snap to a grid instead of going anywhere, which frustrates some people and saves others from themselves.
Which Squarespace plan should you pick?
Basic runs $19 a month billed annually, or $25 monthly, but carries a 2% transaction fee on online store sales.
Core at $29 annually, or $39 monthly, drops that fee to zero. If you sell anything at all, Core pays for itself quickly.
Plus at $49 and Advanced at $99, both billed annually, lower the card processing rate and add memberships and advanced commerce. Paying annually saves up to 36%.
Squarespace pricing and plans
Basic
$19
per month, billed annually
$25 billed monthly. 2% store transaction fee.
- Unlimited pages
- Custom domain
- SSL and hosting
- 2.9% + $0.30 card processing
Core
$29
per month, billed annually
$39 billed monthly. 0% store transaction fee.
- No store transaction fee
- Full ecommerce
- Abandoned cart recovery
- 2.9% + $0.30 card processing
Plus
$49
per month, billed annually
$65 billed monthly.
- 1% fee on digital goods
- Lower card rate at 2.7% + $0.30
- Advanced shipping and discounts
- Commerce APIs
Advanced
$99
per month, billed annually
$139 billed monthly.
- 0% on memberships
- Lowest card rate at 2.5% + $0.30
- Advanced merchandising
- Full commerce feature set
Pricing checked against the official Squarespace pricing page on 5 September 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm before you buy.
What Squarespace actually does
- Design-led templates with consistent typography
- Drag-and-drop within a structured grid
- Built-in hosting, SSL and CDN
- Ecommerce with inventory and shipping
- Memberships and paid content
- Email campaigns
- Scheduling with Acuity
- Built-in analytics and SEO controls
Pros and cons
What works well
- Templates look professional with little effort
- No store transaction fee from Core upwards
- Card processing rate falls on higher tiers
- Memberships and paid content built in
- Up to 36% off on annual billing
What to watch out for
- No free plan at all
- Basic charges a 2% store transaction fee
- Less layout freedom than Wix
- Monthly billing is roughly a third more expensive
- Content export is only partial
Squarespace FAQs
Is there a free Squarespace plan?
No. There is a free trial, but every published site requires a paid plan.
How much does Squarespace cost?
Billed annually, Basic is $19 a month, Core $29, Plus $49 and Advanced $99. Monthly billing costs $25, $39, $65 and $139.
What are the transaction fees?
Basic charges 2% on online store sales. Core, Plus and Advanced charge 0%, though card processing is separate.
What is the card processing rate?
2.9% plus $0.30 on Basic and Core, 2.7% plus $0.30 on Plus, and 2.5% plus $0.30 on Advanced.
Which plan should I pick if I sell products?
Core at minimum. The 2% store fee on Basic usually costs more than the $10 monthly difference once sales start.
How does it compare with Wix?
Squarespace produces better-looking sites with less effort. Wix offers more layout freedom and a bigger app ecosystem.
Can I move my site elsewhere later?
Partially. Squarespace exports some content as WordPress-compatible XML, but layouts and styling do not transfer.
Is a domain included?
Annual plans typically include a free custom domain for the first year, after which it renews at standard rates.
Where does the 4.4 rating come from?
It is the aggregate score from 1,136 reviewers on G2, checked 12 August 2026. It is not our own hands-on test score.
Weighing up other options? Read the 8 best Squarespace alternatives.
Ready to try Squarespace?
Go to Squarespace