Squarespace Cost: What You'll Actually Pay (Full Breakdown)
Squarespace pricing ranges from $16 to $99 per month when billed annually, or $25 to $139 if you pay month-to-month. But the sticker price is just the start—transaction fees, add-ons, and domain renewals can push your actual costs higher depending on what you're building.
I've broken down exactly what each plan costs, what you get (and don't get), and which plan makes sense for different use cases. No fluff, just the numbers you need to make a decision.
Squarespace Pricing Plans at a Glance
Squarespace now offers four website plans: Basic, Core, Plus, and Advanced. These replaced the old Personal, Business, and Commerce plans in early markets, and are rolling out globally.
| Plan | Monthly (billed annually) | Monthly (billed monthly) | Transaction Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $16/month | $25/month | 2% on store sales, 7% on digital products |
| Core | $23/month | $33/month | 0% on store sales, 5% on digital products |
| Plus | $39/month | $56/month | 0% on store sales, 1% on digital products |
| Advanced | $99/month | $139/month | 0% on all sales |
Annual billing saves you 28-36% compared to monthly—so if you're committed, go annual. All annual plans also include a free custom domain for the first year.
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What Each Squarespace Plan Actually Includes
Basic Plan ($16/month annually)
The Basic plan works for portfolios, simple blogs, and informational sites where you're not selling much (or anything). You get:
- Unlimited bandwidth and storage
- Access to all 190+ templates
- Basic SEO tools
- SSL security
- You can sell products, but you'll pay a 2% transaction fee on top of payment processor fees
What's missing: No custom CSS or JavaScript injection, no premium integrations (Zapier, Mailchimp, OpenTable), no pop-ups or announcement bars, and video hosting is capped at 30 minutes.
This plan is fine if you're a photographer showing off work or a freelancer with a simple one-pager. But the moment you want any customization or serious selling, you'll hit the walls.
Core Plan ($23/month annually)
Core is Squarespace's recommended plan, and honestly, it's the sweet spot for most small businesses. For just $7 more per month than Basic, you get:
- 0% transaction fees on physical product/service sales (you still pay standard credit card processing)
- Custom CSS and JavaScript injection
- Premium integrations (Zapier, Mailchimp, Facebook Pixel, OpenTable, ChowNow)
- Pop-ups and announcement bars
- 5 hours of video hosting
- Advanced analytics
- First year of Google Workspace email included
- Unlimited contributors
The jump from Basic to Core is where the real value is. If you're running an actual business—not just a hobby site—start here.
Plus Plan ($39/month annually)
Plus is built for ecommerce stores that are generating consistent revenue. On top of everything in Core:
- Lower credit card processing rates (2.7% vs 2.9%)
- Only 1% fee on digital products (vs 5% on Core)
- Customer accounts for repeat buyers
- Full ecommerce analytics
- Product reviews functionality
The math: If you're doing over $2,000/month in sales, the lower transaction fees and processing rates on Plus can offset the higher plan cost. Below that threshold? Stick with Core.
Advanced Plan ($99/month annually)
Advanced is for serious ecommerce operations. You get everything plus:
- Abandoned cart recovery
- Subscription/recurring payment support
- Real-time carrier-calculated shipping
- API access for custom integrations
- Lowest credit card rates (2.5%)
- 0% fees on all product types including digital
This plan makes sense if you're doing significant volume and need the abandoned cart feature (which can recover 5-15% of lost sales) or subscription billing. For most small businesses, it's overkill.
Hidden Costs and Add-Ons
The plan price isn't your total Squarespace cost. Here's what else might add to your bill:
Domain Name
Annual plans include a free domain for the first year. After that, you'll pay $10-$70/year depending on the extension (.com domains are typically around $20/year through Squarespace).
Pro tip: You can use a domain you already own from another registrar—you don't have to buy through Squarespace.
Google Workspace Email
You get a free year of Google Workspace email on Core and above. After that, it's $6/month per user. This adds up if you have a team.
Email Campaigns
Squarespace's built-in email marketing starts at $7/month for basic sends and goes up to $68/month for advanced automation and higher send limits (up to 250,000 emails/month).
Credit Card Processing Fees
These aren't Squarespace fees—they're payment processor fees (usually Stripe). Expect:
- Basic/Core: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
- Plus: 2.7% + $0.30 per transaction
- Advanced: 2.5% + $0.30 per transaction
Extensions and Integrations
Many Squarespace extensions are free, but some premium integrations can add up to $75/month to your bill depending on what you need.
Squarespace vs Competitors: Is It Worth the Cost?
Squarespace isn't the cheapest website builder, but it's competitively priced for what you get. Here's how it stacks up:
- Wix: Plans start at $17/month, but the entry-level doesn't include ecommerce. Squarespace Basic ($16/month) does.
- Shopify: Starts at $29/month for Basic Shopify—more expensive than Squarespace Core, but built specifically for ecommerce.
- WordPress.com: Business plan is $25/month. More flexible, but steeper learning curve.
For a deeper comparison, check out our Squarespace vs Wix and Squarespace vs WordPress guides.
Which Squarespace Plan Should You Choose?
Here's my quick decision framework:
- Portfolio, resume, or simple blog with no sales: Basic ($16/month)
- Small business, freelancer, or light ecommerce: Core ($23/month) — this is the best value for most people
- Active online store doing $2k+/month in sales: Plus ($39/month)
- Serious ecommerce with subscriptions, high volume, or abandoned cart needs: Advanced ($99/month)
Don't overthink it. You can upgrade or downgrade anytime, so start with what fits your current needs.
How to Save Money on Squarespace
A few ways to reduce your Squarespace cost:
- Pay annually: Saves 28-36% compared to monthly billing
- Use a coupon: Squarespace frequently offers 10-20% off the first payment. Check our Squarespace coupon page for current codes.
- Start with the 14-day free trial: Build your full site before paying anything
- Skip add-ons you don't need: Email campaigns and extra integrations can wait until you're generating revenue
Start your free Squarespace trial →
The Bottom Line on Squarespace Cost
For most small businesses and creators, Squarespace will cost you $23-$39/month (billed annually). That gets you a professional website with solid ecommerce capabilities, no hosting headaches, and templates that actually look good.
Is it the cheapest option? No. But the time you save not wrestling with WordPress plugins or coding your own site is worth the premium for most people.
If you're still comparing options, see our full Squarespace pricing breakdown or read our Squarespace reviews to see what real users think.