How Much Does A Squarespace Website Cost

Squarespace is a tool that lets you create your own website without needing to learn all the technical stuff. It’s perfect for anyone – whether you’re showing off your art, starting a business, or just want to share your ideas with the world. With Squarespace, you get a package deal: it hosts your site, helps you pick a website name (or domain), and provides beautiful designs to make your site look professional.

If you’re using Squarespace to start your website and need extra help to make it look just right, Creato is here to help. We’re a web design agency in Sydney who are experts at making Squarespace sites look great.

Key Factors Influencing Squarespace Website Costs

When you’re thinking about making a website with Squarespace, several things can affect how much it’s going to cost. Let’s dive into these a bit more to help you understand what you might be spending your money on.

Subscription Plans

Squarespace has different price plans based on what you need from your website:

• Personal Plan: This one is great if you’re just starting out and want a website for your blog or to showcase your portfolio. It’s pretty basic, which means you get all the essential tools to build and run your site, but you won’t be able to sell things directly through it.

• Business Plan: If you’re ready to start selling online or need more features to make your site do more, this plan is for you. It lets you sell products and gives you access to more tools that can help your website grab attention and do more things.

• Basic Commerce: Perfect for online stores that are getting bigger and want to sell more without paying extra fees on sales. This plan gives you more tools to help manage your store and keep selling more without the extra costs.

• Advanced Commerce: This is the top-tier plan for large online stores that need all the features they can get to manage big sales volumes, like special shipping options and advanced discounts. It’s all about giving you the tools to run a big online business smoothly.

Domain Registration

Every website needs a unique name on the internet, called a domain (like www.yourwebsite.com). Squarespace can help you choose a domain name. If you sign up for a plan, they often offer the domain free for the first year, but after that, you’ll need to pay a fee each year to keep your domain name.

Additional Features

Squarespace offers some extra features that can make your website even better:

• eCommerce Capabilities: These are special tools designed for online stores. They help you manage what you’re selling, how you’re selling it, and getting paid.

• Google Workspace: This gives you a professional email address that matches your website’s domain name, making your business look more professional.

• Advanced Website Analytics: These tools help you understand how people find your website and how they use it. This information can be very useful to make your site better and attract more visitors.

Design and Functionality

One of the best things about Squarespace is its beautiful design templates. You can pick a template that fits your style and then customise it to make it yours. It will enhancing your site’s branding and web design. However, if you want something very specific or need special features, you might end up paying extra for a custom web design or to add apps that aren’t included with Squarespace.

In simple terms, making a Squarespace website can cost different amounts depending on what you want your site to do, how you want it to look, and whether you’re selling products. The good news is Squarespace makes it pretty easy to start with something basic and grow from there, so you can always start small and add more features as you need them.

Breakdown of Squarespace Pricing Plans

Personal Plan

• Annual Billing: $16 per month (with 1-year contract)
• Monthly Billing: $23 per month

Business Plan

• Annual Billing: $23 per month (with 1-year contract)
• Monthly Billing: $33 per month

Basic Commerce Plan

• Annual Billing: $27 per month (with 1-year contract)
• Monthly Billing: $36 per month

Advanced Commerce Plan

• Annual Billing: $49 per month (with 1-year contract)
• Monthly Billing: $65 per month.

All plans offer unlimited bandwidth and storage, and prices are lower if you choose annual billing over monthly billing. The Business, Basic Commerce, and Advanced Commerce plans also offer additional features suitable for businesses and online stores, such as professional email from Google, advanced website metrics, and ecommerce functionalities. The Basic and Advanced Commerce plans do not charge transaction fees on sales, and the Advanced plan includes features like abandoned cart recovery and advanced shipping rate calculations.

Additional Costs to Consider

When building your website with Squarespace, there are a few more potential costs to think about:

• Domain Registration: After the first year, you’ll need to renew your domain name, which comes at an annual cost.
• Custom Email: Using a custom email that matches your domain (e.g., yourname@yourwebsite.com) typically requires a separate subscription, such as through Google Workspace.
• Advanced Functionality: Some advanced features or integrations might require subscriptions to other services or purchasing specific plugins that aren’t included in your Squarespace plan.

Squarespace Compared to Other Website Builders

In addition to design and ease of use:

• E-commerce Features: Considering the differences between Squarespace and Shopify. Squarespace provides built-in e-commerce capabilities that are simple to set up, making it a good choice for online stores. In contrast, setting up e-commerce on WordPress often requires additional plugins, and while Wix and Shopify also offers e-commerce, Squarespace’s templates are more design-oriented.
• Customer Support: Squarespace is known for its reliable customer support, which can be a big plus for users who may need help along the way. WordPress support largely depends on the theme or plugin developers, and community forums, while Wix also offers support, the quality and speed might vary.
• Learning Curve: Squarespace’s learning curve is generally considered to be less steep than WordPress, making it a quicker option for beginners to get a site up and running. Wix shares this advantage of being user-friendly, but Squarespace’s design-first approach often appeals to users looking for high-quality visual aesthetics.
• Flexibility and Control: WordPress offers the most flexibility and control, especially for those with coding knowledge or specific functional requirements. This makes it a powerful option for complex sites, but it also requires more time and technical know-how to manage effectively.

Tips for Keeping Your Squarespace Costs Down

• Choose Wisely: Start with the plan that fits your current needs. You can always upgrade if you need more features later.
• Use What’s Included: Squarespace has lots of great tools built in. Try these out before you buy anything extra.
• Think Ahead: Don’t forget about ongoing costs like keeping your website’s name (domain) and promoting your site.
• DIY: Use Squarespace’s own help guides to set up and make changes to your site. This can save you money.
• Invest in Your Site: Spending a bit on getting your site seen (through SEO and marketing) can really pay off by bringing more visitors.

Conclusion

Opting for Squarespace involves considering the right plan for you, the additional functionalities you might want, and the aesthetic you aim for your website. It’s similar to selecting a mobile phone plan – the goal is to avoid overspending on unnecessary features while ensuring you have all that you require. So Starting your journey to design a website with Squarespace.

FAQs

Can I start with a lower-tier plan and upgrade later?

Yes, you can begin with a less expensive plan and move up to a higher-tier plan as your needs grow. Squarespace makes it easy to upgrade your plan directly from your account dashboard.

Are there any hidden fees I should be aware of?

Squarespace is pretty straightforward about its pricing, but it’s good to remember extra costs like domain renewal after the first free year, any premium plugins or templates you choose, and transaction fees on some plans if you’re selling products.

How does Squarespace billing work?

Squarespace offers two billing options: monthly and yearly. If you choose yearly billing, you can save some money compared to paying month by month. Your subscription fee covers your website plan, and any additional costs (like domain renewal or premium features) will be billed separately.

Can I cancel my Squarespace subscription at any time?

Yes, you can cancel your Squarespace subscription whenever you want. If you decide to cancel, your site will remain active until the end of your current billing cycle.

Is Squarespace worth the cost for a small business?

For many small businesses, Squarespace is worth the cost because of its ease of use, high-quality designs, and all-in-one platform that includes hosting and a wide range of features. It can save time and technical hassle, allowing you to focus more on your business.

How do domain name costs work on Squarespace?

When you register a new domain through Squarespace, it’s free for the first year if you have an annual subscription plan. After the first year, you’ll need to renew your domain at the standard rate, which is typically around $20 to $70 per year, depending on the domain extension you choose.