The Squarespace website cost most people look up is the monthly plan. That is the smallest part of the bill. What a Squarespace site really costs depends on who builds it, how much of it is written and designed from scratch, and who looks after it once it is live.
We have designed and built Squarespace sites for years, so this guide is written from the inside. It covers the three ways to get a site made, what each one includes and who it suits, the costs that catch people out, and how to tell whether a quote is fair. Where we give our own prices, they are our published starting prices.
What a Squarespace site actually costs, and why prices vary
Every Squarespace site has two kinds of cost. The first is the platform: a subscription that covers hosting, security, templates and the tools to edit your site. The second is the work: planning the pages, writing the words, designing the layout, building it and keeping it current. The platform cost is small and predictable. The work is where prices vary by thousands.
Squarespace lists three main website plans on its pricing page: Basic, Core and Advanced. Prices are shown in your local currency and depend on where you are, and the page says paying annually saves up to 36% compared with paying monthly. There is a 14-day free trial, with no credit card needed to start. The plans differ mostly in business features: the Basic plan charges a 2% transaction fee on online store sales, while Core and Advanced charge none, and Core adds custom CSS and JavaScript, unlimited contributors and advanced analytics.
So the platform is the easy part. The real question is how much of the work you do yourself and how much you pay someone else to do.
Entry level: build it yourself on a template
What it includes. You choose a template, replace the demo content with your own words and photos, connect your domain and publish. Squarespace's editor is built for this, and many people get a respectable site live this way.
Who it suits. New businesses testing an idea, side projects, and owners with time, a good eye and words they are happy with.
What it costs. In our own year-one comparison we put it at around $300 in subscriptions, plus 60 to 100 hours of your time. The hours are the expensive part. If your time is worth $50 an hour, that is $3,000 to $5,000 of it, spent on layout instead of paying work.
The catch. Templates are designed to look good with the demo content. With your real words and photos, they often look ordinary, and every other business that chose the same template looks like you.
Mid range: a freelancer customises a template
What it includes. A freelancer sets up a template with your content, adjusts colours and fonts, and connects your domain and forms. Some write copy; most expect you to supply it.
Who it suits. Businesses that want a tidy, professional site quickly and already have their words and photos ready.
What it costs. In our comparison, $2,000 to $6,000 for the build, then hourly for every change after. In our experience, owners usually end up spending $1,500 or more in unplanned changes in the first year.
The catch. Quality varies widely, and the site sometimes sits in the freelancer's account rather than yours. Check ownership in writing.
Premium: a custom design built in Squarespace
What it includes. A studio plans your sitemap, designs a custom site for your buyers rather than adapting a template, builds a separate layout for phones, moves your existing content and redirects every old address so rankings hold. The better ones also write or rework the copy.
Who it suits. Established businesses whose website is their main source of enquiries, and anyone whose site needs to stand apart from competitors on the same platform.
What it costs. Our Launch projects, for businesses whose design direction and content are settled, start from $5,000 and take four to eight weeks. Our Rebuild projects, which add discovery, positioning, copywriting for every page and design from a blank canvas, start from $9,500 and take eight to sixteen weeks. Both are fixed price, paid 50% to book and 50% at launch or sign-off.
The catch. It costs more up front. The return comes from a site that brings in better enquiries for years rather than one that needs replacing in eighteen months.
What pushes the cost up or down
The same five things move the price of almost every Squarespace project.
Page count. A five-page site and a thirty-page site are different jobs. Agree the sitemap before you agree the price.
Copy. Writing every page from nothing takes longer than tidying existing text. It is also the part that most affects whether the site brings in work.
Photography. Real photos of your work, team and premises make a site far more convincing than stock images, but someone has to take them.
Features. Online stores, booking, member areas, several languages and connections to your CRM or email tools all add build and testing time.
Moving an existing site. Migrating from WordPress, Wix or another platform means moving every page and redirecting every old address. A site with a large blog archive takes longer than a small brochure site.
Hidden costs and red flags
These are the costs owners tell us they didn't see coming.
Domain renewal. Squarespace's pricing page offers a free custom domain, with conditions in the small print. Check what the domain costs after the offer ends.
Professional email. Email at your own domain is a separate service. The pricing page lists professional email from Google Workspace among the features of the Core and Advanced plans; check the terms for your plan.
Transaction fees. If you sell online, the plan affects what you pay on each sale. The 2% store fee on the Basic plan can cost more than upgrading once sales grow.
Changes after launch. The build is a one-off. Updates to prices, services, team and photos carry on for as long as the site does. If you pay hourly, these add up.
Extensions and apps. Some features need third-party tools with their own subscriptions.
Red flags in a quote: no written scope, no mention of who writes the copy, no plan for redirects if you are moving from another platform, the site built in the designer's own account, and hourly billing with no cap.
How to judge a quote
Lay quotes side by side and check the same things in each.
Scope. How many pages, and which ones? Is the sitemap agreed before the price?
Copy. Who writes it? Will you see it before the design is done?
Design. Custom design or an adapted template? Either can be fine, but you should know which you are paying for.
Mobile. Is there a layout designed for phones, or just whatever the template does?
Migration. If you have an existing site, is there a written redirect plan for every old URL?
Revisions. How many rounds, and at which stages?
Ownership. Will the site be in your own Squarespace account from day one?
After launch. What support is included, for how long, and what do changes cost afterwards?
It also helps to ask for a sample of the provider's written scope from a past project. A good one reads like a checklist you could hold them to: every page named, every deliverable listed, every stage dated. If a provider can't show you one, expect the scope to shift once the work starts.
A higher quote that answers all eight clearly is often better value than a lower one that answers half. And the cheapest option on paper can become the most expensive if the site needs replacing within two years.
The cost of keeping it current
A Squarespace site is not finished on launch day. Someone has to update prices, add new services, swap photos, fix the form that stopped sending and keep the pages working for search. Squarespace handles hosting and security updates for you, which removes a large part of the technical upkeep that self-hosted sites need. The content is still your job.
There are three ways to handle it. You can do it yourself, which costs time. You can pay a freelancer by the hour, which costs more as changes pile up. Or you can use a monthly plan: our Maintain service for Squarespace sites starts from $1,500 a month, with a standing weekly slot for your site, a reply within 48 hours and changes sent however suits you. Our guide to website maintenance cost compares the options in more detail.
Search visibility is a separate cost again. A new site doesn't rank on its own, and Google's SEO starter guide says changes can take anything from hours to several months to show. If search is part of your plan, budget for it from the start.
The short version
A Squarespace website costs a small, predictable amount for the platform and anything from your own evenings to $10,000 or more for the work, depending on who builds it and how much is written and designed from scratch. Doing it yourself is cheapest in money and most expensive in time. A freelancer is a middle path if your words are ready. A custom build from a studio costs more up front and is built to bring in enquiries for years. Whatever you choose, budget for the upkeep, and get the scope, the copy and the ownership in writing. Our wider guide to professional website cost covers other platforms too.
FAQ
How much does a Squarespace plan cost?
Squarespace shows plan prices in your local currency on its pricing page, and paying annually saves up to 36%. There are three main website plans, Basic, Core and Advanced, and a 14-day free trial.
How much does it cost to hire a Squarespace designer?
It depends on the scope. In our own comparison, freelancers typically charge $2,000 to $6,000 for a build. Our fixed-price Squarespace projects start from $5,000, and a full Rebuild with strategy and copywriting from $9,500.
Is Squarespace cheaper than WordPress?
Often, once you count the upkeep. Squarespace includes hosting, security and updates in the plan, while a self-hosted WordPress site needs those handled separately. The design and content work costs a similar amount on either.
What are the hidden costs of a Squarespace site?
Domain renewal after any free period, professional email, transaction fees on the Basic plan, third-party extensions and, most of all, the time or money spent keeping the content current.
Can I build a Squarespace website myself?
Yes. The editor is designed for it. Expect to spend 60 to 100 hours getting a site right if you are new to it, and to find that templates look less polished with your own words and photos than with the demo content.
How much does it cost to maintain a Squarespace site?
Squarespace handles the technical upkeep. Content changes are the ongoing cost. You can do them yourself, pay hourly, or use a monthly plan such as our Maintain service, which starts from $1,500 a month.
