Squarespace Review: The Complete Breakdown for Business Owners

Squarespace is one of the most popular website builders out there, known for beautiful templates and an all-in-one approach. But is it actually the right choice for your business? After digging into the details, here's what you need to know before committing.

Squarespace Pricing: What You'll Actually Pay

Squarespace offers four pricing tiers: Basic, Core, Plus, and Advanced. Here's the breakdown when billed annually (monthly billing costs significantly more):

If you pay monthly instead of annually, expect to pay roughly 40% more. For example, Basic jumps from $16 to $25/month.

For a deeper breakdown, check out our Squarespace pricing guide and Squarespace cost analysis.

The Hidden Costs Nobody Mentions

The plan price isn't the whole story. Here's what else you might pay:

Each Squarespace site requires its own subscription - you can't run multiple sites under one plan.

What Squarespace Does Well

Templates That Actually Look Professional

This is Squarespace's biggest strength. They offer 180+ templates that are genuinely well-designed and fully mobile-responsive. Unlike some competitors where templates look dated, Squarespace consistently delivers modern, polished designs.

Since version 7.1, all templates are essentially variations of the same underlying system, sharing the same features and style options. This means you're not locked into limited functionality based on your template choice.

Easy to Use (Mostly)

The Fluid Engine editor uses a drag-and-drop interface that feels intuitive. You can drag blocks anywhere on a page, customize fonts, colors, and spacing from a central Site Styles panel that keeps everything consistent.

If you're comfortable with Microsoft Word or Google Docs, you'll figure out Squarespace. The learning curve is gentler than WordPress, though steeper than something like GoDaddy's builder.

All-in-One Platform

Hosting, SSL security, templates, and basic SEO tools are all included. You don't need to worry about finding separate hosting or managing security updates - Squarespace handles it all. This is a major advantage for business owners who just want their site to work.

Strong Blogging Features

Squarespace has better blogging capabilities than most website builders. You can have unlimited blogs on your site, paywall content for paid memberships, and create stylish summary blocks to showcase posts. If content marketing matters to your business, this is a real plus.

Solid for Portfolios and Creative Businesses

Photographers, artists, musicians, and designers will find Squarespace particularly well-suited to their needs. The image management tools are excellent, and the gallery features make showcasing work easy.

Where Squarespace Falls Short

Limited E-commerce for Serious Sellers

While Squarespace offers e-commerce on every plan, it's not built for high-volume online stores. If you're planning to sell thousands of products or need advanced inventory management, Shopify is the better choice. For a detailed comparison, see our Squarespace vs Shopify guide.

Limited Third-Party Integrations

Squarespace has an extensions marketplace, but as of late, there are only about 49 extensions available. Compare that to WordPress's thousands of plugins. If you need specific integrations, verify they exist before committing.

No Free Plan

Unlike Wix, which offers a free tier, Squarespace requires a paid subscription to publish your site. You can use the 14-day free trial, but eventually you have to pay.

No Phone Support

Customer support is limited to live chat and email. If you prefer picking up the phone when something breaks, you're out of luck. That said, their help documentation is comprehensive.

No Auto-Save

This is genuinely frustrating. If your browser crashes or you lose internet connection while editing, you could lose your work. Save frequently.

Basic Plan Limitations

The $16/month Basic plan doesn't let you add custom CSS or JavaScript, which limits design customization. You also can't use pop-ups, announcement bars, or connect to premium integrations like Zapier. Many businesses will need to jump to Core just to get functional marketing tools.

Squarespace Free Trial: What You Get

Squarespace offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. You get access to nearly all features during the trial, with a few limitations:

If you need more time, you can request a one-time 7-day extension, effectively giving you 21 days total. Your content is saved for four months after the trial expires, so you won't lose your work if you're not ready to commit immediately.

Learn more in our Squarespace free trial guide.

Who Should Use Squarespace

Good fit for:

Not ideal for:

Squarespace vs. The Competition

Wondering how Squarespace stacks up? We've done the detailed comparisons:

Also check out our guide to the best website builders for small business for more options.

How to Save Money on Squarespace

A few ways to reduce your costs:

The Bottom Line

Squarespace delivers on its promise of beautiful, professional websites without requiring technical skills. The templates genuinely look good, the platform is reliable, and everything works together seamlessly.

But it's not the cheapest option, and the walled-garden approach means you're limited to what Squarespace offers. If you need extensive customization or heavy-duty e-commerce, look elsewhere.

For service businesses, creatives, and small shops that prioritize design and simplicity, Squarespace remains one of the best choices. Just make sure you're comfortable with the ongoing costs before you commit.

Try Squarespace Free for 14 Days →

If you decide to move forward, our Squarespace tutorial will help you get started quickly.