How Much Is a Squarespace Website? [2024 Guide and Pricing]
If you have a brewing business idea, you very much know a website is a necessity, but building one sounds time-consuming and expensive.
However, there is Squarespace, the trendy all-in-one platform promising beautiful sites on a budget. But how much is a Squarespace website? Can it fit your budget? Well, let’s find out!
This up-to-date Squarespace pricing guide, put together by experienced Squarespace website designers, will provide the answers you need to make an informed decision. We’ll break down each plan’s costs, features, and value, as well as tips to help you minimize your Squarespace cost.
Squarespace Subscription Plans and Costs
When starting a Squarespace website, you’ll need to choose one of their subscription plans, depending on your needs.
The platform offers 4 main options, and they include:
Personal
Business
Commerce (Basic)
Commerce (Advanced)
Option 1. Personal
At $25 per month or $16 when paid annually, the Personal plan is ideal for a basic website. It offers unlimited pages and storage, 24/7 support, and mobile-optimized templates. However, it only allows two website contributors and has limited eCommerce features.
Option 2. Business
Priced at $36 per month or $23 when paid annually, the Business plan adds eCommerce functionality, course and memberships, and email campaigns. It allows unlimited website contributors and includes professional email from Google. This versatile plan suits most small businesses, creatives, and online stores.
Option 3. Commerce (Basic)
The Commerce (Basic) plan provides advanced eCommerce features like point of sale, product reviews, and advanced merchandising features for $40 per month or $28 when paid annually. Unlike the Business plan, which charges 3% payment processing fees, transactions on this plan attract a 0% fee. This Squarespace plan is tailored for established eCommerce businesses that need robust tools to support their online sales.
Option 4. Commerce (Advanced)
The $72 per month (or $52 when paid annually) Commerce (Advanced) plan delivers enterprise-level eCommerce capabilities, including abandoned cart recovery and Commerce APIs. It also allows you to sell subscription products. Only choose this plan if you have a large eCommerce operation and need the most sophisticated features Squarespace offers.
In summary, Squarespace prices range from $16 to $72 per month, depending on your needs and how you pay. For most users, the Business plan strikes an ideal balance of capability and value. But if you’re launching a bigger eCommerce store or creative studio, the Basic Commerce or Advanced Commerce plans provide the extra functionality and contributor access you require.
Regardless of which plan you choose, Squarespace websites are affordable and stylish — just ensure that you hire a professional designer if you want a unique design that stands out and represents your brand image. You now know how much Squarespace is, but how do these plans differ, and how do you decide which is right for you?
Comparing Squarespace Plans: Which Is Right for You?
In the following sections, we’ll explain each Squarespace plan’s features to help you decide which is right for you.
The Personal Plan: For Small-Scale Websites
The Personal plan is Squarespace’s most affordable option, starting at $16 per month. It’s ideal if you want to create a simple website to represent yourself or your small business. You get a custom domain name, unlimited pages, SEO features for site visibility, Squarespace AI, and 24/7 support.
The Business Plan: For Growing Companies
Priced at $26 per month, the Business plan is a step up and suited for established businesses. It includes everything in the Personal plan plus complete customization with CSS and Javascript, promotional pop-ups and banners, fully integrated eCommerce, and features to create and sell courses, memberships, and videos on demand. This plan can power a medium-sized online store or service-based business website.
The Commerce (Basic) and Commerce (Advanced) Plans: For Serious eCommerce Brands
The Basic Commerce plan has all the features of the Business plan but is geared toward larger eCommerce stores. It offers more advanced eCommerce tools, such as selling on Facebook and Instagram, limited availability labels, and advanced merchandising features. The Advanced Commerce plan empowers your website with more advanced eCommerce functionality, like advanced shipping and advanced discounts.
The Summary: Choose What Fits Your Needs
Depending on how sophisticated your website needs to be, the Personal plan should work great for small portfolios or blogs. Growing businesses will benefit from the Business plan, while established eCommerce stores will require the Squarespace Commerce plans to operate smoothly. Evaluate your specific needs and budget to determine the right Squarespace solution for your website.
In addition to the platform’s pricing and package, there are many other costs to consider when choosing Squarespace for your website. One of the most prominent ones is domain registration.
Squarespace Domain Cost
To get your own Squarespace website up and running, you’ll first need to purchase a domain name. The good news is Squarespace offers domain registration services to make the process quick and easy. If you purchase an annual plan, you can get a free custom domain for the first year, but typically, Squarespace domains cost $20 to $70, depending on its top-level domain (TLD).
.com Domains
The most popular domain extension is .com, which stands for “commercial.” A .com domain with Squarespace will cost you $20 per year. This is a great, versatile option if the .com version of your desired domain name is available. For example, if you snag the domain “mybusiness.com,” you’ll pay $20 per year to Squarespace to register and renew it.
Other Domain Extensions
In addition to .com, Squarespace offers various other domain extensions, such as .biz .photography, .miami, and .cafe, which can cost as much as $70 per year.
Renewal Costs
After the first year, all domains are renewed at the same price you purchased them — there are no hidden fees. If you take advantage of the complimentary one-year free domain for annual plans, you’ll also renew the domain at the regular price.
Note: Squarespace will automatically renew your domain each year on the registration date to ensure you retain ownership unless you disable the auto-renew feature. You can cancel automatic renewal at any time through your Squarespace account.
While domain registration fees are generally quite affordable, it’s important to secure your desired domain name as soon as possible. The domain you want could get snatched up by someone else at any time, especially for a popular .com domain. Once a domain is registered, it’s not available again until the registration period ends — if the owner decides not to renew it. So, if there’s a domain name you’ve had your eye on, register it with Squarespace right away to avoid missing out!
In addition to the Squarespace fees we’ve considered so far, there are more to consider to budget properly for your website design and launch, as we’ll see in the sections that follow.
Additional Costs to Consider With Squarespace
Other costs to consider when creating a Squarespace site are professional email costs, transaction fees, website designer fees, and premium integrations.
1. Professional Email
In addition to the Squarespace subscription fees, you’ll need to factor in the cost of a professional email address. A custom email helps you personalize your business and helps you gain more confidence with skeptical customers.
If you’re on the Squarespace Business plan upward, a one-seat G Suite professional email is included in your package — free for the first year. However, you’ll have to renew this service at the standard Google Workspace rate after the first year. If your domain is already associated with a Google Workspace account, you’ll have to pay the standard rate outright.
2. Transaction Fees
If you sell products or services on your site, Squarespace charges a 3% transaction fee on all sales in its Business plan. For high-volume stores, these fees can really add up. You should consider upgrading to a Commerce plan to save costs. You’ll need to calculate which is more: the extra cost of a Commerce plan or the 3% transaction fee.
3. Professional Services
While Squarespace makes it easy to build a beautiful website yourself, it’s more intuitive to hire a professional designer to handle the project. Website design agencies don’t just re-invent the wheel; they capitalize on custom code customization features of Squarespace to create a unique design that will not only stand out from the rest but also convert visitors into paying customers.
You can either buy a Squarespace custom template from these designers or hire their services for a bespoke website design. Buying a template is usually more cost-effective and they’re easy to set up; check out these beautiful and practical Squarespace templates from Golden Launch Creative.
4. Premium Integrations
Squarespace offers a decent set of native features, but if you need advanced functionality, you’ll need to pay for third-party integrations. Booking/appointment software, project management, and membership platforms can add $10–$200/month. For example, a project management platform like HoneyBook starts at $16/month, while a tool like PipeDrive for sales management is $14/user/month. These types of tools may be essential for your business, even though they increase your costs.
Squarespace pricing plans can be quite affordable. But to truly maximize your online presence, you need to budget for critical add-ons like email, fees, and professional services. With some smart choices, though, you can keep your total cost of ownership under $500/month for a high-functioning site. Keep reading to discover our recommendations for reducing your Squarespace monthly cost.
4 Tips to Reduce Your Squarespace Expenses
Consider the following tips to keep your monthly Squarespace website expenses as low as possible:
Buy an annual plan.
Purchase your domain elsewhere.
Start with a lower-tier plan.
Explore promo codes and discounts.
1. Buy an annual plan.
Opting for annual Squarespace plans instead of monthly billing can save you up to 36% per year. Annual plans provide the same features as monthly plans but at a lower effective price. If you’re committed to using Squarespace for at least a year, an annual plan is definitely the most budget-friendly option.
2. Purchase your domain elsewhere.
While Squarespace does offer domain name registration, you can often find lower prices from third-party domain registrars like Namecheap, GoDaddy, or Bluehost. You can purchase your domain from one of these registrars and then point it to your Squarespace site. This allows you to keep using Squarespace for hosting and design but at a lower cost for your domain.
3. Start with a lower-tier plan.
If you’re just launching your site, consider starting with Squarespace’s cheapest plan (Personal). This plan provides a solid set of core features for most small websites at only $16 per month. You can always upgrade to a higher plan later once your site is established and generating more traffic or revenue. The difference between Personal and higher plans is mainly additional eCommerce capabilities, which many new sites don’t need from the get-go.
4. Explore promo codes and discounts.
Squarespace sometimes offers promo codes and special discounts. These are often available around major holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. They also regularly offer student discounts for those with a valid .edu email address. Be on the lookout for these special offers and promo codes to save on your Squarespace subscription.
With these tips, you can significantly reduce your Squarespace expenses. By opting for an annual plan and a third-party domain, starting with a lower-tier plan, and using available promo codes, you can save money on your Squarespace website. Considering how much a Squarespace website does costs overall, your priority will be to derive as much value as you can from your subscription.
Getting the Most Value From Your Squarespace Subscription
Investing in a website is one thing, but getting the best value for your money is essential to making your efforts worthwhile. With a few optimizations, you can enhance your site’s functionality, improve the user experience, and potentially even generate revenue to recover your Squarespace website cost.
Here are four ways to maximize your website’s capabilities and generate more revenue:
Utilize extensions and integrations.
Enable gated content and subscriptions.
Partner with brands.
Customize with code.
1. Utilize extensions and integrations.
Squarespace offers a variety of extensions, plugins, and third-party integrations that can enhance your website. For eCommerce sites, consider adding a live chat tool like Drift to provide customer support, an email capture app like Privy to build your mailing list, or the Squarespace SEO plugin to boost traffic and revenue. Authors and content creators may also benefit from a newsletter service like Mailchimp or a social sharing plugin. There are many free and paid options to choose from.
2. Enable gated content and subscriptions.
If you produce digital content like online courses, ebooks, podcasts, or video tutorials, consider monetizing that content through gated access, subscriptions, or paid memberships. Squarespace lets you create paywalled content, set up different subscription levels, and accept recurring payments on their Business and Commerce plans. You can charge a monthly or annual fee to access your premium content — a good way to recoup your subscription fee, considering how much Squarespace does costs.
3. Partner with brands.
Another way to generate revenue from your Squarespace site is to partner with brands that want to reach your audience. You can promote products and services to your readers or email subscribers in exchange for a commission. Look for affiliate programs and sponsorships that are a good fit for your niche. Also, be transparent with your audience about any paid partnerships or sponsorships.
4. Customize with code.
For advanced customizations that the Squarespace interface doesn’t allow, you have the option to edit the code. Squarespace uses a block system with sections, columns, and elements that can be rearranged on the page. You can add a code block to a section to add HTML, CSS, and Javascript. You can also target any element on your pages and customize it with custom CSS.
Tip: You can find code snippets online to adjust spacing, add custom fonts, create slideshows, and more. However, if you need a professional touch, consider hiring a professional Squarespace designer.
With a little effort, optimizing your Squarespace site can maximize the value of your subscription and help you achieve your goals as an entrepreneur, author, or small business owner. The options for enhancing functionality, engaging your audience, and generating revenue are endless. Put these tips into action and watch as your Squarespace site becomes an even more powerful tool for your business or creative endeavors.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The cost of owning a website on Squarespace ranges from $16 to $72. The Personal and Business plans are $16 and $23, respectively, while Squarespace eCommerce pricing ranges from $28 to $72. With the Business plan, expect to pay a subscription fee plus 3% transaction fees on sales, while the Basic and Advanced Commerce plans have no transaction fees but differ in subscription costs.
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Squarespace isn’t free; it doesn’t offer a free plan like some other site builders. But you can explore its features with a 14-day free trial before committing to one of their paid subscriptions.
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Squarespace is worth it, especially for creatives like designers, freelancers, and artists. It provides a comprehensive set of web-building tools and aesthetically pleasing templates, ensuring a professional and stylish online presence for any business.
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After the initial year of a complimentary free domain from Squarespace, the renewal cost is $20 annually (or more if your domain price is more than $20). This fee will be charged to the credit card linked to your Squarespace account.
Conclusion
You’ve just scratched the surface of Squarespace’s pricing plan and what the platform can do for your business. While the price ranges we’ve outlined give you a solid estimate, the value these DIY website builders provide goes far beyond the monthly cost. With custom domains, hosting, templates, integrations, and award-winning support, Squarespace empowers you to create an online presence as unique as your brand.
Don’t just build a website; build your brand’s home with Squarespace.
The investment will pay dividends as your business grows. Take the leap today with a custom template from Golden Launch Creative, or contact us for other Squarespace website design needs.
