Quick Takeaways
- Squarespace plans cost $19–$99 a month billed annually ($25–$139 if you pay month to month).
- Most small service businesses need the Core plan: $29 a month, or $348 a year.
- A realistic first-year cost for a DIY Squarespace site is about $350–$600, plus 20–60 hours of your time.
- Hiring a Squarespace designer usually costs $1,500–$5,000 on top of the plan, and $5,000–$10,000+ for a fully custom design.
- The costs people miss: domain renewal after year one, business email, transaction fees, add-ons, and the hours you spend keeping it up to date.
A Squarespace website costs $19 to $99 a month on an annual plan, or $25 to $139 a month if you pay monthly. For a typical small business on the Core plan, expect about $350–$600 in the first year if you build it yourself, or $1,900–$5,600 if you hire a Squarespace designer. The plan price is only part of the bill: domains, email, payment fees, add-ons and your own time all add to it.
Below are the current plan prices, the extra costs most pricing pages skip, and what a Squarespace site really costs over three years compared with the alternatives. Prices are from Squarespace’s US pricing page as of October 2026.
Squarespace Pricing Plans (2026)
Squarespace has four plans. Every plan includes hosting, an SSL certificate, templates, mobile-friendly design and 24/7 support. Paying annually saves up to 36% and includes a free domain for the first year.
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Cost per year (annual) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $19/mo | $25/mo | $228 | Simple sites with no online sales |
| Core | $29/mo | $39/mo | $348 | Most small businesses |
| Plus | $49/mo | $65/mo | $588 | Growing online stores |
| Advanced | $99/mo | $139/mo | $1,188 | High-volume stores and memberships |
Which Squarespace plan does a small business need?
For a service business (a plumber, accountant, salon, law firm or consultant), Core is usually the right plan. Basic works for a simple brochure site, but Core adds features most businesses end up wanting:
- Unlimited contributors, so staff or a designer can have their own login (Basic allows two)
- Code injection, which many tracking, chat and booking tools need
- Advanced analytics, promotional pop-ups and an announcement bar
- No 2% transaction fee on online store sales
Plus and Advanced are mainly for online stores. They lower card processing rates and fees on digital products, which only pays off once you sell a meaningful amount online.
The Hidden Costs of a Squarespace Website
The monthly plan is the number everyone quotes, but it’s rarely the whole bill. These are the extra costs to budget for:
1. Domain name after the first year
Annual plans include a free domain for one year. After that it renews at Squarespace’s standard rate, typically around $20–$30 a year for a .com, and more for some extensions. Monthly plans don’t include the free year.
2. Business email
Squarespace doesn’t host email itself. Professional email ([email protected]) comes through Google Workspace, which is billed separately per user per month after any promotional period. A three-person team pays for three mailboxes.
3. Payment processing and transaction fees
If you take payments, card processing starts at 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction on Basic and Core (2.7% on Plus, 2.5% on Advanced). The Basic plan also adds a 2% fee on online store sales, and selling digital content or memberships carries an extra 7% fee on Basic and 5% on Core.
4. Add-ons and extensions
Appointment booking, email marketing, member areas and many third-party extensions are paid separately. A service business that needs online booking and a newsletter can easily add $20–$50 a month.
5. Content: copy, photos and logo
Squarespace gives you the template, not the content. Professional copywriting often costs $100–$500 per page, and stock or custom photography and a logo add more. These are the costs owners forget most often.
6. Your time
Building a solid 5–10 page business site yourself typically takes 20–60 hours, then a few hours a month to keep content, hours, prices and photos current. At $50 an hour, 40 hours of setup is $2,000 of your time.
What a Squarespace Website Really Costs: 3 Scenarios
Here’s what a typical 5–10 page small business website costs on the Core plan, depending on who builds it:
| Scenario | Year 1 | 3-year total | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY on Squarespace Core | $350–$600 + 20–60 hours | $1,100–$1,800 + ongoing hours | A template site you build and update yourself |
| Squarespace designer + Core | $1,900–$5,600 | $2,600–$7,000 | A professionally customized template; updates are on you or billed hourly |
| Custom Squarespace design + Core | $5,400–$10,600+ | $6,100–$12,000+ | A fully custom design on Squarespace |
Totals include the Core plan billed annually, domain renewal from year two, and one business email account. Booking or marketing add-ons, copywriting, photography and advertising are extra.
How Much Does a Squarespace Designer Cost?
Squarespace designers usually charge a fixed project fee rather than an hourly rate (see what web design packages include at each price):
- Template customization ($1,500–$5,000): a designer adapts an existing template to your brand, writes or polishes the pages, and launches the site.
- Custom design ($5,000–$10,000+): a unique layout and design built on Squarespace, often by a specialist studio.
- Marketplace gigs (under $500): possible on Fiverr or Upwork, but scope and quality vary widely.
Ask what happens after launch. Most Squarespace designers hand the site over, and edits after that are billed hourly (often $50–$150 an hour). See how much it costs to hire a website designer for how these prices compare across platforms.
Is Squarespace Worth It for a Small Business?
Squarespace is a good fit if you want a polished-looking site, you’re comfortable doing it yourself, and your needs are simple. It’s a weaker fit if you need advanced SEO control or specialized integrations, or you simply don’t have hours each month to maintain it.
| Squarespace is a good fit if… | Look at other options if… |
|---|---|
| You have time to build and update the site yourself | You’d rather not spend your evenings on your website |
| You want strong design templates out of the box | You need custom features, integrations or advanced SEO control |
| Your site is mainly a brochure, portfolio or small store | Your site is a main source of leads and needs ongoing improvement |
| A predictable plan price matters most | You want someone else accountable for results and upkeep |
If you’re still choosing a platform, see WordPress vs Wix vs Squarespace for a side-by-side comparison.
Squarespace vs Hiring a Designer vs a Managed Website
There’s a third option many small businesses overlook: a managed website service, where one company designs, hosts, maintains and updates your site for a flat monthly fee. It usually costs $50–$300 a month with little or nothing upfront.
| Option | Upfront cost | Ongoing cost | Who keeps it updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY Squarespace | $0 | $19–$49/mo plus extras | You |
| Squarespace designer | $1,500–$10,000+ | Plan plus hourly edits | You, or the designer at an hourly rate |
| Managed website service | Low or $0 | $50–$300/mo | The provider |
Learn how this model works in website as a service (WaaS), and see what website maintenance costs if you’re weighing the ongoing side.
How to Keep Squarespace Costs Down
- Pay annually. It saves up to 36% and includes the first year of your domain.
- Start on the plan you need now. You can upgrade later; you don’t need Plus or Advanced unless you sell online in volume.
- Use the free 14-day trial to build most of the site before you pay.
- Audit add-ons once a year and cancel extensions you no longer use.
- Plan your pages before you start. Knowing which pages your site needs saves hours of rework.
Squarespace Cost FAQs
How much does it cost to have a website with Squarespace?
Between $228 and $1,188 a year on an annual plan. Most small businesses choose Core at $348 a year, then add a domain renewal from year two, business email and any add-ons.
Is there a free Squarespace plan?
No. Squarespace offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, but you need a paid plan to publish your site.
Is it cheaper to build your own website or use Squarespace?
Building on Squarespace yourself is one of the cheapest ways to get a professional-looking site, about $350–$600 in year one. It costs more in time: typically 20–60 hours to launch and a few hours a month after that.
Why did Squarespace charge me $20?
Small, unexpected charges are usually a domain renewal, a Google Workspace email seat, or an extension or add-on subscription. Check the billing section of your Squarespace account settings to see exactly what each charge was for.
Is Squarespace worth the price for a small business?
It is if you want an attractive site you can manage yourself and your needs are simple. If your website needs to generate leads and you don’t have time to maintain it, a designer or a managed service may cost more per month but less overall.
Can I cancel Squarespace anytime?
Yes. You can cancel or change plans at any time, and changes take effect at the end of your current billing period.
Browse the small business website guide or all topics at Cindaro Resources.
Cindaro builds and manages websites for small businesses for a flat monthly fee. Design, hosting, security, updates and content changes are all included, so you never have to log in to a website builder. See how it works or view our pricing.
