Squarespace: A Website Builder for Creatives & Entrepreneurs

Squarespace at a Glance

Squarespace was conceived in 2003 by Anthony Casalena in his dorm room at the University of Maryland and has grown into a premier website builder and hosting platform. Known for their elegant, design-focused templates and user-friendly interface, Squarespace caters to businesses, creatives, and entrepreneurs looking to establish a professional online presence. Their all-in-one platform provides powerful tools for building, managing, and optimizing websites, making them an attractive choice for users of all skill levels. This versatile website builder is designed to help users create visually stunning and functional websites. The platform serves a wide range of clients, including small businesses, artists, bloggers, and e-commerce stores, offering services across multiple countries. Squarespace’s mission is to empower individuals and businesses by providing tools that simplify the web design process and enhance online visibility.

Squarespace has established itself as a user-friendly website builder that prioritizes aesthetics and ease of use. They have also become well-known for their numerous sponsorships and partnerships with content creators on platforms like YouTube and social media. Their value proposition lies in its ability to deliver visually appealing websites without requiring extensive technical expertise. They offer a variety of features that make website creation accessible and efficient. Key features include a drag-and-drop editor, a vast library of customizable templates, and comprehensive e-commerce capabilities. Users can manage products, integrate payment gateways, and configure shipping and tax settings with ease. Additionally, Squarespace provides built-in SEO tools, analytics, and marketing integrations to help users optimize their sites and reach a wider audience. New users can start with a 14-day free trial to explore the platform’s capabilities.

They offer comprehensive “white glove website security” measures, which include product security features like SSL certificates, denial of service (DoS) protection, login activity monitoring, two-factor authentication (2FA), and password-protected pages. The operational security aspect involves 24/7 security monitoring by Squarespace’s Security Operations Center (SOC), data privacy compliance with global laws like GDPR, as well as PCI compliance for secure payment processing.

In terms of reputation, Squarespace is highly regarded for their commitment to design excellence and user experience. The company has received numerous accolades, including recognition for its product and design teams, workplace culture, and innovation. Squarespace maintains a positive A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), although they are not accredited, and they have been featured in various “best of” lists in the website building industry.

Squarespace's Website Builder Features

Squarespace offers a comprehensive suite of features designed to help users create professional and customizable websites with ease. The below list is not exhaustive, and Squarespace does offer many additional features or functionalities. That said, here’s an overall look at their website design offerings:

• User-friendly interface: Squarespace provides an intuitive drag-and-drop editor that requires no coding knowledge, making it accessible for beginners and advanced users alike. Their extensive design customization options let you personalize your website's fonts, colors, layouts, and animations to match your brand identity
• Extensive template library: You can choose from over 400 professionally designed, mobile-responsive website templates that are tailored for specific industries or use cases, and which can be made to fit your brand and style
• SEO tools: Their built-in search engine optimization (SEO) features include customizable meta tags, automatic sitemaps, and clean URLs to help improve your website’s search engine ranking
• E-commerce integration: They enable you to set up an online store to showcase and sell products directly through your website, but keep in mind that some e-commerce features may come at an additional cost. You can create an online store with features like product listings, inventory management, payment processing, and shipping solutions. Additionally, Squarespace supports the sale of digital products, physical goods, and services
• Blogging platform: A built-in platform enables you to share news, articles, and updates with your audience through your own website's blog
• Custom domains and hosting: Secure and reliable web hosting is included with all Squarespace plans. You can register a new domain through Squarespace, which is ICANN-accredited and may incur a fee, or connect an existing one to establish a professional online presence
• AI tools: They incorporate AI-powered tools to streamline tasks such as generating copy, designing pages, and creating product descriptions. These tools enhance productivity and save time, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business
• Scheduling and appointments: Integrated scheduling tools allow you to manage bookings and appointments directly through your own website. This feature is especially useful if you have a service-based business, enhancing your customer service capabilities
• Third-party integrations: The Squarespace Extensions marketplace offers a variety of third-party integrations to extend the functionality of your website. These cover areas such as SEO, marketing, and e-commerce, allowing you to customize your website’s capabilities

Some additional perks

• Form builder: You can create custom contact forms, appointment booking forms, and other online forms to collect information from visitors
• Member areas: They also allow you to create password-protected areas for exclusive content or online communities, though this is only available on the Business or Commerce plan
• Unfold: Through an optional Unfold add-on, you can design stunning landing pages for promotions or product launches
• Marketing tool integrations: Available through a Marketing add-on, you can design and send marketing emails and campaigns directly from Squarespace. Integrated marketing solutions include email marketing campaigns, social media integrations, and promotional pop-ups designed to drive traffic and engagement. They also offer analytics tools to track and measure the performance of marketing campaigns, providing insights into audience behavior and campaign effectiveness
• Squarespace experts: Squarespace offers a platform to connect users with professional designers and developers, known as Squarespace Experts. These professionals can assist with various website-related tasks, from building a new site to enhancing an existing one. Users can find and hire experts based on their specific needs, with Squarespace providing support throughout the process

Squarespace’s Plans & Pricing

Squarespace offers a variety of premium plans designed to meet different needs, from simple personal websites to advanced e-commerce platforms. A 14-day free trial is available, allowing you to explore the features before committing to a paid plan. The plans can be purchased on a monthly or yearly basis, with significant discounts for annual subscriptions. Here’s an overview of the available plans:

• Personal: This basic package costs $25 a month, or you can sign up for a year to save 36% annually, or $16 a month. It allows you to have two contributors and aims to provide a solid foundation for creating a professional website with access to fully customizable, mobile-optimized templates to ensure your site looks great on any device. You get a free custom domain name for one year, although only with an annual purchase, and you can sell products and services with no transaction fee on invoices. Additional common features include built-in SEO tools, unlimited bandwidth, video hosting, 24/7 customer support, an easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor, SSL security, AI-powered tools, and third-party integrations via Squarespace Extensions
• Business: This costs $36 a month, or $23 a month on an annual plan. It includes all features of the Personal plan and adds advanced website analytics to provide deeper insights into your website’s performance, and allows you to have an unlimited amount of contributors. It also allows customers to checkout on your domain, enhancing the professional look of your site. Note that there is a 3% transaction fee on online store transactions, so this plan is ideal for those looking to grow their audience and start accepting payments
• Commerce Basic: This intermediate plan costs $40 a month, or $28 a month on an annual term. It builds on the Business plan with advanced e-commerce capabilities, like point of sale functionalities with the Commerce app. The plan also includes powerful merchandising tools to enhance your online store, and it eliminates transaction fees on online store transactions, making it suitable for small businesses looking to expand their online sales without transaction fees
• Commerce Advanced: This top-tier package costs $72 a month, or $52 a month for the annual term. It includes all the features of Commerce Basic and adds tools for the advanced seller, such as advanced shipping options, advanced discounting features, and the ability to sell subscriptions. This plan is ideal for established businesses needing comprehensive e-commerce capabilities with no transaction fees on online store transactions

Squarespace plans include fully managed cloud hosting to ensure your website remains available at all times. You can often find special discount codes to reduce initial costs, some of which may be available from your favorite social media creators, but keep in mind that prices do not include taxes, which are calculated at checkout. They accept many payment methods, including AMEX, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, PayPal (for non-US clients only), SEPA, Diners Club, and JCB.

The Advantages of Squarespace 

• Attractive, responsive designs: Squarespace offers hundreds of sophisticated themes that are optimized for tablets and phones, ensuring your site looks great on any device
• User-friendly interface: The intuitive drag-and-drop editor makes it easy for users of all skill levels to build and customize their websites
• Robust e-commerce capabilities: They provide you with strong e-commerce features, including the ability to sell digital downloads, physical goods, and services, with powerful merchandising tools
• Integrated SEO tools: Their built-in SEO features can help improve your site’s visibility in search engine results
• Reliable hosting: Fully managed cloud hosting ensures your website remains available and secure at all times.
• Comprehensive customer support: Their 24/7 email support, live chat, and a well-supplied knowledge base aim to help you resolve issues quickly
• Additional integrated features: You can increase your web content's capabilities with many tools, including built-in email marketing, blogging tools, and marketing integrations

Why You Might Not Choose Squarespace

• Limited customization options: Compared to some other platforms like WordPress, Squarespace offers fewer customization possibilities
• No free plan: Unlike some competitors, like Wix, Squarespace does not offer a free website builder option, only a 14-day free trial
• No phone support: Customer support is limited to email and live chat, with no phone support available
• Cost: Squarespace’s pricing can be higher compared to some other website builders, especially if you need improved e-commerce capabilities, which might be a deterrent for individuals and small businesses on a tight budget

The Squarespace Customer Experience

This website builder garners mixed reviews online from current and past customers. They get mostly positive feedback on Capterra and G2, where they have high review scores of 4.6 and 4.4 out of 5, respectively. Conversely, they currently hold a low score of 1.2 out of 5 on Trustpilot. They also receive a moderate amount of complaints on the BBB.

Positive feedback

Customers have praised Squarespace for their ease of use and intuitive interface, suggesting that they're an excellent choice for beginners and those without technical skills. Many users appreciated the aesthetically pleasing and professional-looking templates that are easy to customize, as well as the drag-and-drop editor and mobile-optimized designs that help users create attractive websites quickly. Users also highlighted the platform’s integration with various third-party tools and services as a significant advantage. Many found it straightforward to integrate payment systems like Stripe and PayPal, which facilitate seamless online transactions. Additionally, Squarespace’s built-in SEO tools, unlimited bandwidth, and reliable hosting were frequently mentioned as beneficial features.

Many users also commended Squarespace’s customer service, noting that they received helpful and responsive support when needed. The ability to manage bookings and appointments, sell products and services, and utilize advanced website analytics further enhanced the user experience. Overall, these customers found Squarespace to be a powerful and versatile platform for building and maintaining websites.

Critical feedback

Despite the positive aspects, some customers have encountered several issues with Squarespace. A common criticism surrounded the limited customization options compared to competitors like WordPress. Users who required more flexibility and advanced features sometimes found Squarespace restrictive and considered switching to other platforms for better scalability. Another major point of dissatisfaction is customer support, with several reviews mentioning difficulties in reaching human support agents, slow response times, and unhelpful assistance. This lack of prompt and effective support led to much frustration, particularly when dealing with critical issues like domain transfers and billing problems.

Some users also felt that Squarespace’s pricing was high compared to the value offered. The absence of a free website plan for individual users and the cost of additional features was a deterrent for some small businesses and individuals just starting out. In addition, technical limitations, such as difficulty in customizing landing pages and managing spacing and layout, were also noted. These issues tended to make the design process cumbersome for users who want more control over their website’s appearance. Also, certain features, like repeating calendar events, were missing, which was a drawback for specific user needs.

Squarespace’s responses to customer complaints on the BBB generally maintain a professional and courteous tone. They typically provide a detailed explanation of the issue, referencing specific support ticket numbers, and clarifying the steps taken or needed to resolve the problem. The responses often highlight ongoing communication with the customer and emphasize that the case was already active with their support team at the time of the complaint. Squarespace also offers to provide further assistance and invites additional contact if needed. Overall, the quality of the responses is thorough and aimed at resolving the issues, although some customers may still find the resolutions unsatisfactory.

Customer Support Options at Squarespace

Squarespace offers various channels for customer support to ensure you get the assistance you need. While they don’t provide direct phone support, they offer several ways to get help:

• Contacting an agent: You can contact an agent from their customer support team through their live chat option, available from 4 AM to 8 PM EST, Monday to Friday. They also offer 24/7 email support for more detailed inquiries and assistance. You can access both by first answering a few questions about what you're looking for
• Other 24/7 support: You can explore the Squarespace Help Center for answers to common questions, browse articles, and watch video tutorials and webinars covering a wide range of topics. Their comprehensive community forum also provides valuable resources and support from other users

The Bottom Line

Squarespace is a compelling option for those looking to build a visually appealing and functional website. Their platform is designed with ease of use and aesthetics in mind, making it an excellent choice for creatives, small business owners, and entrepreneurs. Squarespace’s robust feature set, including an intuitive drag-and-drop editor, extensive template library, and comprehensive e-commerce capabilities, allows users to create and manage their websites efficiently. The company aims to provide a seamless website building experience, ensuring users can establish a professional online presence with minimal technical know-how.

However, there are various factors to consider when deciding whether Squarespace is the right choice for you. On the positive side, they offer hundreds of beautiful, responsive templates, built-in SEO tools, and reliable hosting. Their integrated features, such as blogging tools, scheduling, and e-commerce capabilities, add significant value. On the downside, the platform has limited customization options compared to some of their competitors, lacks a free plan, and does not offer phone support. Additionally, some users have reported difficulties with customer support and high pricing relative to the value provided.

When choosing a website builder, it's important to consider your specific needs and preferences. We recommend checking out our in-depth company reviews to learn more about the best website builders available. To narrow down your options, you can use our comparison tool to compare different companies. Additionally, you can find helpful articles on our blog page to guide you in making an informed decision. Conducting thorough research will help ensure that you select the platform that best fits your requirements and helps you achieve your online goals.