Squarespace Reviews: An Honest Look at What Works and What Doesn't

Squarespace has built its reputation on gorgeous templates and celebrity endorsements from the likes of Keanu Reeves and Zendaya. But does the product live up to the marketing?

After digging through thousands of user reviews, testing the platform ourselves, and analyzing what actual business owners say, here's our take on whether Squarespace is right for you.

Quick Verdict: Who Should Use Squarespace?

Squarespace is best for: Creative professionals, portfolios, small service businesses, bloggers, photographers, and anyone who prioritizes design over advanced customization.

Skip Squarespace if: You need a large-scale ecommerce operation, require extensive third-party integrations, or want granular control over every aspect of your site.

Try Squarespace Free for 14 Days →

Squarespace Pricing Breakdown

Squarespace recently rolled out a new four-plan pricing model (Basic, Core, Plus, and Advanced), replacing the old Personal, Business, and Commerce plans. Here's what you'll actually pay:

A few important notes on pricing:

• Transaction fees: The Basic plan charges a 2% fee on all online store sales. Core and above have 0% Squarespace transaction fees.
• Payment processing: With Squarespace Payments, you'll pay card processing fees of 2.5% + 30¢ to 2.9% + 30¢ depending on your plan.
• Digital products: Selling courses or memberships incurs additional transaction fees of 1-7% unless you're on the Advanced plan.
• Free domain: All annual plans include a free custom domain for the first year. After that, expect to pay $20-$70/year depending on the extension.

For a deeper dive into costs, check out our Squarespace pricing guide and Squarespace cost breakdown.

What Users Actually Like About Squarespace

Templates That Don't Look Like Templates

This is Squarespace's bread and butter. The platform offers 180+ professionally designed templates grouped into categories like photography, entertainment, and ecommerce. The templates are minimalistic, mobile-optimized, and genuinely look high-end.

With version 7.1, you can now customize templates extensively using the Fluid Engine editor—a drag-and-drop system that gives you more control over layouts. The catch? You need to style desktop and mobile versions separately, which adds complexity.

Easy for Beginners

Multiple reviewers and testing teams consistently rank Squarespace as one of the easiest website builders to use. The onboarding process asks about your goals before dumping you into template selection, and the interface is intuitive enough that most people can build a decent site in an afternoon.

The new Blueprint AI feature lets you generate custom templates by answering prompts about your brand personality and color preferences. It's not as aggressive as Wix's AI-first approach, but it produces results that match Squarespace's design standards.

Built-in Booking System (Acuity Scheduling)

Squarespace acquired Acuity Scheduling in 2019, and it shows. The booking and scheduling features are genuinely robust—you can create customized booking pages, set availability for different staff across locations, send automated reminders, create invoices, and sync with Google Calendar or Outlook.

For service businesses (salons, consultants, fitness studios, restaurants), this alone might justify choosing Squarespace over competitors.

Reliable and All-in-One

Unlike WordPress, you don't need to juggle separate hosting, plugins, and security updates. Squarespace handles hosting, SSL certificates, and maintenance. For people who don't want to think about the technical side of running a website, this simplicity has real value.

What Squarespace Gets Wrong

Limited Ecommerce Features

Here's where Squarespace shows its weaknesses. If you're serious about ecommerce, the platform has some notable gaps:

• Limited payment gateways: Squarespace supports Squarespace Payments (powered by Stripe), PayPal, and a few others. That's it. No flexibility to shop around for better transaction rates.
• No multi-currency: Can't natively handle multiple currencies for international sales.
• Basic POS: Point-of-sale functionality is minimal compared to Shopify.
• Product limits: While version 7.1 supports up to 10,000 products per page (up from 200 in 7.0), serious ecommerce operations may still find this limiting.

For comparison, see our Squarespace vs Shopify breakdown.

Customer Support Issues

This is where things get ugly. Squarespace's average user rating on Trustpilot hovers around 3.8 out of 5 from nearly 7,000 reviews—and the low scores are heavily driven by customer support complaints.

Common grievances include:

• No phone support—only email and live chat during business hours
• Slow response times for complex issues
• Domain migration problems (especially for users who came from Google Domains, which Squarespace acquired in 2023)
• Difficulty getting help with custom code or advanced customization

The support team does sometimes record screencasts to walk you through solutions, which is a nice touch. But if you need immediate help with a critical issue, you may be frustrated.

Limited Third-Party Integrations

Squarespace's philosophy is to rely on native tools rather than extensive third-party integrations. This ensures stability but limits flexibility. While you can connect with Mailchimp, Zapier, and some other services on higher-tier plans, the ecosystem is nowhere near as open as WordPress or even Wix.

Custom code injection is only available on Core plans and above, which is annoying if you want to add analytics pixels, chat widgets, or tracking scripts on a Basic plan.

Site Speed Could Be Better

Some testing shows Squarespace sites load slower than competitors like Wix. For most small business sites, this won't be noticeable. But if you're building a large site or prioritizing SEO, it's worth considering.

Squarespace vs. The Competition

How does Squarespace stack up against alternatives?

Squarespace vs. Wix

Wix offers more creative freedom, a free plan (though limited), and faster site speeds. Squarespace has more polished, design-forward templates. For pure website building, it's largely a matter of preference. See our full comparison →

Squarespace vs. WordPress

WordPress offers unlimited customization and a massive plugin ecosystem, but requires more technical knowledge and ongoing maintenance. Squarespace is the better choice if you want simplicity without sacrificing design quality. Full breakdown here →

Squarespace vs. Shopify

For serious ecommerce, Shopify wins. Squarespace is better for content-first businesses that also sell some products on the side. Detailed comparison →

Squarespace vs. Webflow

Webflow offers more design control for web professionals but has a steeper learning curve. Squarespace is easier for non-designers. See the comparison →

Real User Feedback: The Good, Bad, and Ugly

Here's what actual Squarespace users say across review platforms:

Positive feedback themes:

• "Templates are beautiful and professional"
• "Easy enough for someone with no tech background"
• "The all-in-one approach saves time"
• "Scheduling tools are excellent for my service business"

Negative feedback themes:

• "Support takes forever to respond"
• "Domain migration from Google Domains was a nightmare"
• "Can't customize as much as I expected"
• "Ecommerce features are too basic for my needs"

Who Squarespace is Perfect For

• Photographers and artists: The portfolio templates are unmatched
• Service businesses: Acuity Scheduling makes booking a breeze
• Bloggers and content creators: Strong blogging tools with multi-author support, scheduling, and even podcast hosting
• Small businesses with simple needs: A brochure site that looks professional without hiring a designer
• Course creators: Squarespace Courses launched for people selling educational content

Who Should Look Elsewhere

• Large ecommerce operations: Check out Shopify instead
• Developers who want full control: WordPress or Webflow
• Businesses that need extensive integrations: Wix or WordPress
• Anyone needing phone support: Squarespace doesn't offer it

How to Get Started with Squarespace

If Squarespace sounds like a fit, here's the path forward:

1. Start with the 14-day free trial – No credit card required. Build your site and see how it feels.
2. Pick a template that matches your industry – Don't try to force a restaurant template into a portfolio site.
3. Start on the Basic or Core plan – Most small businesses don't need Plus or Advanced.
4. Use Squarespace's Blueprint AI – If you're stuck on design, let the AI generate a starting point.

Start Your Free Squarespace Trial →

Looking for a discount? Check out our Squarespace coupon codes and Squarespace discount page. We also have a guide to maximizing your Squarespace free trial.

Bottom Line: Is Squarespace Worth It?

Squarespace is a solid website builder that delivers on its core promise: beautiful, professional-looking websites without needing to code. The templates are genuinely impressive, the learning curve is gentle, and the all-in-one approach removes a lot of headaches.

But it's not perfect. Ecommerce capabilities lag behind dedicated platforms, customer support can be frustrating, and power users may feel constrained by limited customization options.

Our rating: 4 out of 5

For portfolios, service businesses, and content-focused sites, Squarespace remains one of the best options available. For serious ecommerce or highly custom sites, look elsewhere.

Considering other options? Browse our guides to website builders for small business and Squarespace alternatives.