Are you considering a new website builder? Find out if Squarespace is right for you in our in-depth Squarespace review.
SquareSpace is well known for its beautifully designed templates and outstanding features. However, it can take a little bit of getting used to in comparison to other website builders like Wix or Weebly. Once you get the hang of SquareSpace, you can reap the rewards of a professional website that looks fantastic. I highly recommend SquareSpace for creative individuals or those with a little technical expertise.
To find out if Squarespace is your next website builder of choice, let’s begin our Squarespace review.
SquareSpace Review Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Absolutely stunning templates – optimised for mobile devices | No autosave option, so you’ll have to manually save after each change |
| You can edit pages and posts on-the-go with the mobile app | No app store available so you’ll need to use in-house features |
| Able to restore deleted posts and pages up to 30 days |
Ease of Use
SquareSpace is a drag and drop builder which makes it reasonably easy to use, however, unlike Wix, you can’t just drop anything anywhere. SquareSpace is slightly more section-based, but once you’ve used it for a while, you’ll find out it’s easy to navigate.
SquareSpace’s interface is clean, slick, and modern. It’s easy to navigate around the editor, so once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to build a website in no time at all.
Much like Weebly and Wix, SquareSpace is a WYSIWYG editor, so if you make changes you’ll see exactly what your website visitors would see when your website goes live. Some website builders like WordPress don’t offer this feature.
For beginners, SquareSpace is a real treat. You can see exactly what you’re editing and what it will look like. If you want to add text or images, it’s easy to do. If you want to add a contact form or add products, there will be multiple options for you to choose from.
One of the most appealing features of SquareSpace is that anyone can use it. If you have coding experience – great, if you don’t, it’s not an issue. What’s more, you can edit your website pages and posts on-the-go with SquareSpace’s handy mobile app. This is useful if you need to make some quick updates, or you need to fix an issue.
In comparison to other website builders, I wouldn’t say SquareSpace was the easiest to use because it takes a bit longer to get used to. With Wix, you can get straight to work and publish your website within a few hours. However, with SquareSpace, it’s a bit of a long process but it really is worth its weight in gold, in my opinion.
Themes
Things are a little different with SquareSpace at the moment; in early 2020, SquareSpace introduced version 7.1. The good news is, you can still use version 7.0 if you prefer it, which most people will be more familiar with.
In version 7.0, templates are categorised into families; each family has its own features and style rules where you can customise them to match your desired outcome. However, you can’t change the underlying structure. So if there’s something you really don’t like about your template, you won’t be able to change it and you’ll have to choose a new one.
Whilst SquareSpace doesn’t offer hundreds of themes like Wix, it certainly feels like they’ve chosen quality over quantity. Their templates are absolutely stunning – they are all mobile friendly so you can design your website so it looks great on any device.
It’s easy to browse through SquareSpace’s range of template categories. For example, if you choose a template from a specific industry, you’ll find the template offers features that suit that industry.
If you change your mind about your chosen template, you can switch templates at any point, even once your website has gone live (unlike Wix). If you like, you can work on multiple designs at once and choose your favourite before publishing it.
Customisation
Although SquareSpace’s templates are really nice, you’ll want to customise them to make your website your own style. It’s what makes your site unique and stands out against the competition.
With SquareSpace, you can make your website completely unique. You can customise pages, replace images, add/remove sections, etc.
Whilst it’s not a drag and drop builder in the sense you can’t drag certain elements around, you can reformat the design to fit your needs, switch your template at any time, and let your creative vibe explode.
If you do have some coding knowledge you can use your skills to your advantage by customising fonts, colours, background, and more. SquareSpace recommends using coding to change cosmetic items rather than anything else, so it’s limited somewhat.
However, even without any coding experience, you can still alter the templates colours, background, add pages, manage menu structure, etc. SquareSpace is a great platform for most individuals, and that’s just one of the reasons I’m really enjoying using it.
Tools & Features
With the release of version 7.1, some new design features have been introduced. The Design panel makes it easier to make changes across the entirety of your website, e.g. colours, fonts, spacing. However, many features still remain the same between version 7.0 and 7.1, which is what I’m going to cover below.
Social Media
Security
If you sign up for an annual plan with SquareSpace you’ll get a free domain for the first year. All third-party domains include a free SSL certificate when it’s connected to your SquareSpace website.
An SSL encrypts information that is input into your website; credit card details, personal information, etc. Whilst an SSL is essential for an online store, it’s incredibly important to make sure your website is protected with an SSL, regardless of whether you’re selling products online.
Websites with an SSL certificate are ranked higher on search engines like Google, boosting your SEO efforts. Not only that, it indicates to your website visitors that your site is secure and will protect their details.
Aside from an SSL, SquareSpace also protects your website against malware and DDoS attacks with it’s superb security efforts in place to look after you and your website.
SEO
When an internet user searches for something using a search engine like Google, they are more likely to click a link through to a website on the first page of results. Can you remember the last time you looked through pages two or even three on Google?
If you want your website to be found, whether it’s through local search results or wider, you’re going to need to put some effort into SEO. You may be wondering how that works if you have no experience in this area – but, have no fear!
SquareSpace has some really good SEO tools where you can manage your meta titles, descriptions, add keywords, alt text to images, etc.
There’s also plenty of guides in SquareSpace’s support section that can help you with an introduction to SEO and guide you through the process.
Pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (monthly equivalent) | Savings (annually) |
| Personal | £13 | £10 | £36 |
| Business | £21 | £15 | £72 |
| Basic Commerce | £24 | £20 | £48 |
| Advanced Commerce | £37 | £30 | £84 |
SquareSpace has four main pricing plans designed for a range of users. It’s much cheaper to commit to an annual plan than it is to pay monthly, but I understand some people may not be able to budget for this, or simply would prefer to pay on a monthly basis.
| Core Features | Personal | Business |
| Free custom domain | ✔ | ✔ |
| SSL | ✔ | ✔ |
| Bandwidth and Storage | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| SEO features | ✔ | ✔ |
| Templates | ✔ | ✔ |
| Contributors | 2 | Unlimited |
| Mobile-optimised | ✔ | ✔ |
| 24/7 support | ✔ | ✔ |
| Basic Website Metrics | ✔ | ✔ |
| Squarespace Extensions | ✔ | ✔ |
| Email from Google | ✔ | |
| Premium Integrations and Blocks | ✔ | |
| CSS and JavaScript customisation | ✔ |
The Personal plan is ideal for beginners, small websites, and blogs. However, if you want to start running a business or even consider upgrading your website to sell online in the future, the Business plan is a solid bet.
Business Plans
| Features | Basic | Advanced |
| Free Custom Domain | ✔ | ✔ |
| SSL Security | ✔ | ✔ |
| Bandwidth and Storage | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| SEO Features for Site Visibility | ✔ | ✔ |
| Templates to Fit Every Need from Blogs to Portfolios | ✔ | ✔ |
| Contributors | ✔ | ✔ |
| Mobile-Optimized Websites | ✔ | ✔ |
| 24/7 Customer Support | ✔ | ✔ |
| Basic Website Metrics | ✔ | ✔ |
| Squarespace Extensions | ✔ | ✔ |
| Professional Email from Google | ✔ | ✔ |
| Premium Integrations and Blocks | ✔ | ✔ |
| Complete Customization with CSS and JavaScript | ✔ | ✔ |
| Advanced Website Analytics | ✔ | ✔ |
| $100 Google Adwords Credits | ✔ | ✔ |
| Promotional Pop-ups and Banners | ✔ | ✔ |
| Fully Integrated E-Commerce | ✔ | ✔ |
| Transaction Fees | 0% | 0% |
| Sell Limitless Products | ✔ | ✔ |
| Accept Donations | ✔ | ✔ |
| Point of Sale | ✔ | ✔ |
| Customer Accounts | ✔ | ✔ |
| Checkout on Your Domain | ✔ | ✔ |
| Powerful E-Commerce Analytics | ✔ | ✔ |
| Powerful Merchandising Tools | ✔ | ✔ |
| Products on Instagram | ✔ | ✔ |
| Abandoned Cart Recovery | ✔ | |
| Gift Cards | ✔ | |
| Sell Subscriptions | ✔ | |
| Advanced Shipping | ✔ | |
| Advanced Discounts | ✔ | |
| Commerce APIs | ✔ | |
| Limited Availability Labels | ✔ |
SquareSpace’s eCommerce plans are really thorough, and they offer some of the best value for money features I’ve seen in an online store builder.
Whilst there are more specific eCommerce builders like Shopify, I really think in terms of affordability SquareSpace knocks the socks off some of the competition.
| Website Builder | Basic | Personal | Standard | eCommerce | Advanced |
| SquareSpace | – | £10 | £15 | £20 | £30 |
| Wix | £3 | £6 | £8.50 | £13 | £22 |
| Weebly | £0 | £4 | £9 | £18 | £28 |
In comparison to other website builders, SquareSpace is undoubtedly more expensive, however, you are getting professionally designed templates which are absolutely outstanding, and the features included within each of the plans suit their purpose to the ground.
Customer Support
SquareSpace’s support is really thorough and I personally rate it very highly. You can contact SquareSpace via:
- Live chat
- Community forum
You can also message them via social media 24/7, view their online video tutorials, and browse through their in-depth knowledgebase.
The only real downside to SquareSpace’s customer support is that they don’t offer telephone support. Whilst this isn’t really an issue for me, personally, it would be nice to see this option for other people in the future.
SquareSpace’s knowledgebase is packed full of helpful guides and video tutorials. There’s even the option to sign up to webinars! It’s one of the best customer support centers I’ve ever come across and I highly recommend exploring it if you need help.
Squarespace Review Summary
SquareSpace is most definitely one of the best website builders on the market. After experiencing their platform first hand and analysing their pros and cons, pricing, features for our Squarespace review, I really feel like SquareSpace needs more recognition.
You can create a really stunning website with SquareSpace whether you’re a beginner or you have some coding experience. Whilst their editor may take a little more getting used to in comparison to Wix or Weebly, it’s much easier to get along with than WordPress, and it’s worth the effort.
SquareSpace’s templates are simply out of this world. They are all mobile responsive and they are beautifully designed, allowing you to create a unique website that will turn people’s heads.
Beginners may struggle a little bit with SquareSpace to start with, but I’d encourage them to look through the tutorials and guides available in the customer support center. There’s plenty of step by step videos and you’ll be surprised at what you can achieve.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this Squarespace review. You can continue reading if you want to check out our Squarespace review FAQs – Your questions, answered.
SquareSpace Review FAQs
Does SquareSpace Have a Free Trial?
Although SquareSpace doesn’t offer a free plan like Wix or Weebly, it does offer a 14-day free trial. This means you don’t have to commit to buy whilst you try out SquareSpace’s features, but you have the option to purchase once the trial is over.
Does SquareSpace Support Multiple Languages?
Yes! SquareSpace currently supports English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Portuguese. You also have the option to create multilingual sites where you can create a page for each language.
Can I Create an Online Store?
SquareSpace isn’t a dedicated eCommerce builder like Shopify, but it certainly offers some great eCommerce features. You can use the built-in shopping cart, sell unlimited products, manage your products on the go, and lots more.