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What Is Squarespace

Updated September 2026 · Written and maintained by the Progression Agency strategy team

Squarespace is a hosted website platform: hosting, templates, editor, domain, ecommerce and email marketing sold as one subscription. Hosting is included and cannot be bought separately, because the site only exists inside the platform — an export gives you content, not a working website. That single fact explains both the main argument for it (no maintenance of any kind) and the main argument against it (no portability, and no workaround for a missing capability).

The short answerThe Squarespace versus WordPress question is usually framed as a features argument and is really a staffing argument. WordPress can do vastly more and requires someone to keep it doing it. If that person exists, WordPress is more capable. If they do not, a WordPress site degrades quietly for a year and then breaks — and Squarespace removes that entire category of work.

Squarespace revises its plans, features and interface periodically, and what is included at each tier changes. Verify current inclusions and pricing on squarespace.com rather than relying on any summary, including this one. Nothing here reports the results of a named client project. Updated September 2026.

What you are actually buying
The last row is the whole decision. Everything else follows from it.

What is Squarespace?

An all-in-one website platform: hosting, templates, editor, domain registration, ecommerce and email marketing sold as a single subscription. You do not install anything and you do not manage a server.

The category term is hosted website builder, and the defining characteristic is that the platform owns the whole stack. There is no separate hosting account, no plugin ecosystem to maintain, no updates to apply, and no version to upgrade. That is simultaneously the main argument for it and the main argument against it.

What squarespace.com actually sells, then, is not a website but a subscription to a system that runs one. Understanding that framing explains most of the platform’s decisions, including the ones people find frustrating.

Is Squarespace web hosting, and do I need hosting separately?

It includes hosting, and you cannot buy it separately or take the site elsewhere. There is no additional hosting bill because hosting is not a separable component.

This is one of the most common points of confusion, particularly for anyone who has previously run a WordPress site where hosting, domain, theme and plugins are four separate purchases from four different suppliers.

On Squarespace all of that is one line item. The practical consequences are worth stating plainly: you never have to think about server capacity, security patching or certificate renewal, and you also cannot move the site to another host, because the site only exists inside the platform. An export produces content, not a working website.

What the subscription actually includes
ComponentIncluded?Notes
Hosting and bandwidthYesNo separate bill; capacity is not something you manage
SSL certificateYesProvisioned and renewed automatically
CDN and performanceYesHandled by the platform
Templates and editorYesNo theme purchase required
Security patchingYesThere is nothing on your side to patch
DomainFirst year usually included on annual plansRenews at its own rate afterwards
Email inboxNo — sold separatelyGoogle Workspace resold, billed per user
EcommerceOn commerce plansPayment processing charged per transaction
Backups in the conventional senseNoNo restore-to-a-date; keep your own export
Ability to self-hostNoThe site cannot be moved to another host
Bar chart of the components a hosted platform absorbs into one subscription.
The last bar is where the trade-off sits. Built-in features remove maintenance and remove options at the same time.

What is a Squarespace website, in terms of what you can build?

Marketing sites, portfolios, online stores, blogs, booking pages and membership areas. It handles all of those competently and none of them exceptionally.

That is the honest summary. Squarespace is deliberately generalist, and the range of things it does well covers what most small and medium businesses actually need.

Marketing and brochure sites

The core use case, and where the platform is strongest. Fast to build, coherent by default, and low maintenance.

Portfolios

A dedicated page type with grid and hover behaviors built in. Genuinely one of the better options available for visual work.

Online stores

Capable for straightforward catalogues. Less suitable as complexity rises — unusual pricing rules, deep inventory integration or high SKU counts.

Blogs and content sites

Adequate. Fine for a company blog; limiting for a publication with complex taxonomy or a large archive.

Scheduling and bookings

A separate product within the ecosystem, sold on its own terms and reasonable for appointment-based businesses.

Memberships and courses

Supported, with their own transaction percentage on top of the plan. Worth costing carefully before committing.

Things it is not for

Complex web applications, anything needing a custom backend, and sites with unusual technical requirements. Those need a different tool entirely.

Good for — Marketing sites. The core use case and where it is strongest..
Good for — Portfolios. Dedicated page types with grid and hover behavior built in..
Good for — Small catalog stores. Straightforward, and simpler than the alternatives..
Adequate for — Company blogs. Fine; limiting for a large archive or complex taxonomy..
Adequate for — Memberships and courses. Supported, with their own transaction percentage..
Not for — Web applications. Anything needing a custom backend needs a different tool..
Comparison chart of three-year cost showing maintenance dominating self-hosted total cost of ownership.
Self-hosted looks cheaper on the first bar and is usually not, because the last bar is real work someone has to do or pay for.

Squarespace versus WordPress: the actual trade-off

You are trading control and extensibility for the elimination of maintenance. Which side is better depends entirely on whether you have someone to do the maintaining.

The comparison is usually framed as a features argument and it is really a staffing argument. WordPress can do vastly more, and requires someone to keep it doing it: updates, plugin conflicts, security, backups, hosting. If that person exists, WordPress is more capable. If they do not, WordPress degrades quietly for a year and then breaks.

Squarespace removes the whole category of work. It also removes the option of doing something the platform does not support, and there is no workaround for that.

Squarespace and WordPress, compared honestly
DimensionSquarespaceWordPress
Setup effortLowModerate to high
Ongoing maintenanceNoneContinuous; someone must own it
ExtensibilityLimited to platform featuresEffectively unlimited
Design freedomConstrained by the section systemComplete
Total cost, small sitePredictable single subscriptionOften lower on paper, higher in practice
Total cost, complex siteRises steeply or becomes impossibleScales better
PortabilityNone — the site cannot moveFull; move hosts at any time
Risk profilePlatform dependencyMaintenance neglect
Best forBusinesses without a developerBusinesses with one, or needing something unusual
Maintenance — Versus WordPress. The real argument, and it is about staffing..
Extensibility — Versus WordPress. Effectively unlimited there; bounded here..
Design freedom — Versus WordPress. Complete there; constrained by sections here..
Portability — Versus WordPress. Full there; none here..
Cost on paper — Versus WordPress. Looks lower there, often higher in practice..
Risk — Versus WordPress. Platform dependency here; neglect there..

What Squarespace is genuinely good at

Producing a coherent, responsive, professionally presented site quickly, without a designer and without anything breaking afterwards.

It is worth being specific about this rather than damning it with faint praise. For a business with no in-house technical capability, Squarespace reliably produces a better result than the realistic alternative, which is not a bespoke site but a neglected WordPress installation or no site at all.

  • Mobile responsiveness that works by default rather than requiring attention.
  • Visual coherence, because the section system constrains the ways a page can be arranged.
  • No maintenance burden of any kind, which is worth more than most buyers estimate.
  • Predictable cost with no surprise bills for traffic spikes or plugin renewals.
  • Genuinely good portfolio and image-led page types.
  • Straightforward ecommerce for a catalog of manageable size.
  • Support that exists and answers, which is not universal in this category.
  • A short path from nothing to a live, respectable site.

Where Squarespace frustrates people, and why

The editor is opinionated, custom code is constrained, and there is no conventional backup. All three are deliberate consequences of the platform owning the stack.

None of these are bugs, and knowing why they exist makes them easier to plan around.

Layout is constrained

Content sits in sections and blocks rather than being positioned freely. This is what keeps sites coherent on mobile and what frustrates anyone expecting precise control.

Custom code has limits

Code injection exists, but you are working around the system rather than extending it, and platform updates can break what you added.

No plugin ecosystem

Third-party extensions exist but are add-ons layered on top rather than integrated. They are the first thing to break.

No conventional backup

There is no restore-to-a-previous-date. Keeping your own export before any significant change is the only real protection.

Limited data access

You cannot query the underlying data or integrate at the database level.

You cannot leave with the site

An export gives you content, not a working website. Migration means rebuilding.

Opinionated layout — Constraints. Sections and blocks, not free positioning..
Custom code has limits — Constraints. You work around the system, not extend it..
No plugin ecosystem — Constraints. Third-party add-ons sit on top and break first..
No conventional backup — Constraints. No restore-to-a-date; keep your own export..
No data access — Constraints. You cannot query or integrate at the database level..
You cannot leave with it — Constraints. Migration means rebuilding, not moving..
Where Squarespace is the right answer
The lower-left region is where this platform is genuinely the best available answer. Moving right or up, it stops being one.

Who should and should not use it

Should: businesses without technical staff who need a good site quickly and want to stop thinking about it. Should not: anyone with unusual requirements or an in-house developer.

The clearest way to decide is to write down what your site must do that a standard configuration cannot. If that list is empty, Squarespace is very likely the right answer and the deliberation is wasted time. If it has items on it, check each one against the platform before committing, because working around a missing capability is where this platform becomes expensive.

Which platform suits which situation
SituationRecommendationWhy
No technical staff, standard marketing siteSquarespaceMaintenance is the hidden cost, and this removes it
Portfolio or image-led siteSquarespaceStrongest page types in the category
Small catalog storeSquarespace commerceAdequate, and simpler than the alternatives
Large or complex catalogA dedicated commerce platformSquarespace becomes limiting quickly
In-house developer availableWordPress or a frameworkThe maintenance argument disappears
Unusual integration requirementsNot SquarespaceThere is no workaround for a missing capability
Publication with a large archiveWordPressTaxonomy and archive handling are stronger
Site that must be portableNot SquarespaceYou cannot take it with you

What happens if you outgrow it

You rebuild elsewhere, and you plan the redirects. There is no migration path that carries the site over, so outgrowing the platform is a project rather than an upgrade.

This is worth knowing at the point of choosing rather than at the point of leaving. Businesses that outgrow Squarespace generally do so for one of three reasons: the store became too complex, an integration became necessary, or the site became large enough that editing it in the section system became slower than the alternative.

None of those is a failure of the platform, and none of them is an emergency. The practical advice is simply to keep your content exported periodically and to accept that the eventual move is a rebuild with a redirect map, budgeted as such.

Signs you have outgrown the platform, and what to do
SignWhat it usually meansNext step
The store needs rules the platform cannot expressCommerce complexity has passed the thresholdMove the store; the marketing site can stay
An integration is required and there is no route to itA genuine capability gapRebuild, or run the function elsewhere and link
Editing has become slow and repetitiveThe site has more pages than the model suitsConsider a system with templates and content types
Several people need different permissionsTeam workflow has outgrown the roles availableCheck the current roles first; then reassess
Custom code keeps breaking after updatesYou are working around the system, not with itThat is a signal to change platform, not to patch
You need the site to be portableA business requirement the platform cannot meetRebuild on something self-hosted

The right platform for what you actually need

We will tell you plainly whether Squarespace suits your requirements, including when it does not and when it does but you should build it differently. Tell us what the site has to do.

Talk to us

Requirements before platform

Write down what the site must do that a standard configuration cannot. That list decides the platform, and it is usually empty.

Honest cost comparison

Squarespace pricing against a WordPress build including theme, plugins and maintenance. See what Squarespace actually costs.

Launch done properly

Redirects, titles, Search Console and the settings that are expensive to fix later. See publishing a Squarespace site.

Your own backups

The platform has no restore function. See how to back up and export.

Customisation within the limits

What is possible and what is a workaround waiting to break. See the customization guide.

Video: web and marketing practice

A general library on web and marketing practice. The platform material on this page stands on its own; these are background viewing on the wider discipline.

Getting found in search

AI, AEO and what is changing

Paid media and lead generation

Websites and design

Choosing and working with an agency

Social, content and brand

By industry and by situation

Frequently asked questions

What is Squarespace?
An all-in-one hosted website platform. Hosting, templates, the editor, domain registration, ecommerce and email marketing are sold as a single subscription, and there is nothing to install or maintain on your side.
Is Squarespace web hosting?
It includes hosting, but hosting is not a separable component. There is no additional hosting bill and no way to buy the hosting alone, because the site only exists inside the platform.
Do I need separate hosting for a Squarespace website?
No. This is the most common point of confusion for anyone coming from WordPress, where hosting, domain, theme and plugins are four separate purchases. On Squarespace they are one line item.
Can I move my Squarespace site to another host?
No. An export gives you your content in a portable format, not a working website. Moving off Squarespace means rebuilding the site on the new platform.
What is included in a Squarespace subscription?
Hosting, bandwidth, SSL, CDN, templates, the editor, security patching, and ecommerce on the commerce plans. A domain is usually included for the first year on annual plans. Email is sold separately, billed per user.
Does Squarespace include email?
Not in the site subscription. Email is Google Workspace resold through Squarespace and billed separately per user — which is why an unexpected charge on a card statement is often that.
Does Squarespace back up my site?
Not in the conventional sense. There is no restore-to-a-previous-date function, so keeping your own export before any significant change is the only real protection.
What can you build with Squarespace?
Marketing sites, portfolios, small to medium online stores, blogs, booking pages and membership areas. It handles all of them competently and none of them exceptionally, which suits most small and medium businesses well.
What can Squarespace not do?
Complex web applications, anything needing a custom backend, deep inventory or ERP integration, and sites with unusual technical requirements. There is no workaround for a capability the platform does not have.
Is Squarespace good for ecommerce?
For a straightforward catalog of manageable size, yes. It becomes limiting as complexity rises — unusual pricing rules, deep inventory integration or very high product counts all point toward a dedicated commerce platform.
Squarespace or WordPress: which is better?
It depends on whether you have someone to maintain a site. WordPress can do vastly more and requires continuous upkeep. Without someone owning that, a WordPress site degrades and then breaks. Squarespace removes the maintenance entirely and removes options along with it.
Is Squarespace cheaper than WordPress?
On paper, usually not. In practice, frequently yes, because the WordPress comparison typically omits the theme, the plugins, the maintenance and the person doing it. Compare total cost over three years rather than the monthly hosting figure.
Why is the Squarespace editor so restrictive?
Because layout is constrained to a section and block system, which is what keeps sites coherent on mobile without anyone tending to it. It is a deliberate trade and it is the right one for most people who choose the platform.
Can I add custom code to Squarespace?
To an extent. Code injection exists, but you are working around the system rather than extending it, and platform updates can break what you added. Treat custom code as a fragile addition rather than a foundation.
Does Squarespace have plugins?
Not an integrated ecosystem in the WordPress sense. Third-party extensions exist and sit on top of the platform rather than within it, which makes them the first thing to break when the platform changes.
Is Squarespace good for SEO?
The technical foundations are sound — fast hosting, SSL, an automatic sitemap, clean markup. What it does not do is write your titles and descriptions or set up your redirects, and those are where most sites on any platform actually lose visibility.
Who should use Squarespace?
Businesses without technical staff that need a good site quickly and want to stop thinking about it. For that situation the realistic alternative is not a bespoke site but a neglected WordPress installation, and Squarespace beats that comfortably.
Who should not use Squarespace?
Anyone with an in-house developer, anyone with unusual integration requirements, anyone running a large or complex store, and anyone who needs the site to be portable.
How do I decide?
Write down what your site must do that a standard configuration cannot. If that list is empty, Squarespace is very likely the right answer. If it has items on it, check each against the platform before committing — working around a missing capability is where this platform becomes expensive.
Is Squarespace worth the money?
For a small site with no developer, generally yes, because one bill covers hosting, security, templates and support. The value case weakens as requirements become unusual, and disappears entirely if you need something the platform cannot do.

Sources and further reading

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  2. Google: creating helpful, reliable, people-first content
  3. Google: intro to structured data
  4. Google: LocalBusiness structured data
  5. Google: FAQPage structured data
  6. Google: Article structured data
  7. Google: Product structured data
  8. Google: title links in search results
  9. Google: control your snippets
  10. Google: robots.txt introduction
  11. Google: sitemaps overview
  12. Google: consolidate duplicate URLs
  13. Google: redirects and Search
  14. Google: JavaScript SEO basics
  15. Google: multi-regional and multilingual sites
  16. Google Search Central Blog
  17. Google: get started with Search Console
  18. Google: how local search results are determined
  19. Google Business Profile: prohibited and restricted content
  20. Google Business Profile: address and service area guidelines
  21. Google Business Profile: review policy
  22. Google Business Profile: add or edit categories
  23. Google Ads: location targeting settings
  24. Google Ads: about negative keywords
  25. Google Ads: about Quality Score
  26. Google Ads: importing offline conversions
  27. Google Ads: about Smart Bidding
  28. Google Ads: about Performance Max
  29. Google Local Services Ads: eligibility and screening
  30. Google Ads: keyword match types
  31. Google Analytics 4: about conversions
  32. Google Analytics 4: attribution models
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  34. US Census Bureau: American Community Survey
  35. US Census: Statistics of US Businesses
  36. Bureau of Labor Statistics: New Jersey data
  37. BLS: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
  38. NJ Department of Labor: labor market information
  39. New Jersey Business Action Center
  40. US Small Business Administration: New Jersey district
  41. USA.gov: business resources
  42. web.dev: Core Web Vitals explained
  43. web.dev: Largest Contentful Paint
  44. web.dev: Cumulative Layout Shift
  45. web.dev: Interaction to Next Paint
  46. Google PageSpeed Insights
  47. Google Rich Results Test
  48. Google Search Console
  49. W3C Markup Validation Service
  50. Schema.org: LocalBusiness type
  51. Schema.org: Service type
  52. Schema.org: FAQPage type
  53. Schema.org: HowTo type
  54. W3C: WCAG 2.2 quick reference
  55. FTC: CAN-SPAM Act compliance guide
  56. FCC: telemarketing and robocall rules (TCPA)
  57. FTC endorsement guides — reviews and testimonials
  58. FTC: rule on consumer reviews and testimonials
  59. HHS: HIPAA guidance on online tracking technologies
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  62. New Jersey Home Improvement Contractor registration
  63. New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs
  64. TikTok for Business
  65. TikTok Creative Center
  66. TikTok Ads Help Center
  67. TikTok Community Guidelines
  68. TikTok Terms of Service
  69. TikTok Privacy Policy
  70. TikTok Safety Center
  71. TikTok Transparency Center
  72. TikTok Creator Portal
  73. TikTok Newsroom
  74. TikTok for Developers
  75. TikTok advertising solutions
  76. TikTok Creator Marketplace
  77. TikTok Business Center
  78. TikTok for Business blog
  79. TikTok Creative Center: top ads
  80. TikTok Branded Content policy
  81. TikTok Shop for sellers
  82. Instagram for Business
  83. Instagram for Creators
  84. Instagram Help Center
  85. About Instagram
  86. Meta Business Suite
  87. Meta Business Help Center
  88. Meta Transparency Center
  89. About Meta
  90. Meta: Instagram platform docs
  91. YouTube Creators
  92. YouTube Official Blog
  93. YouTube Shorts help
  94. How YouTube Works
  95. YouTube Studio
  96. LinkedIn Marketing Solutions
  97. LinkedIn Help
  98. Pinterest Business
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  100. Snapchat for Business
  101. X for Business
  102. Reddit communities
  103. Reddit for Business Help
  104. ASCAP
  105. BMI
  106. SESAC
  107. Global Music Rights
  108. PRS for Music (UK)
  109. PPL (UK)
  110. SOCAN (Canada)
  111. APRA AMCOS (Australia)
  112. GEMA (Germany)
  113. SACEM (France)
  114. SIAE (Italy)
  115. JASRAC (Japan)
  116. IFPI
  117. RIAA
  118. National Music Publishers Association
  119. Harry Fox Agency
  120. SoundExchange
  121. Music Reports
  122. Epidemic Sound
  123. Artlist
  124. Soundstripe
  125. PremiumBeat
  126. AudioJungle
  127. Free Music Archive
  128. Creative Commons
  129. Incompetech
  130. FTC: advertising and marketing
  131. FTC: disclosures 101
  132. FTC: endorsement guides
  133. FTC: consumer reviews rule
  134. FTC: advertising FAQs
  135. US Copyright Office
  136. US Copyright Office: DMCA
  137. US Copyright Office: music FAQ
  138. US Copyright Office: fair use FAQ
  139. USPTO: trademarks
  140. UK Advertising Standards Authority
  141. ACCC (Australia)
  142. Competition Bureau Canada
  143. GDPR overview
  144. California Consumer Privacy Act
  145. COPPA
  146. FTC: children’s privacy
  147. W3C Web Accessibility Initiative
  148. W3C: WCAG
  149. W3C: captions
  150. W3C: making audio and video accessible
  151. ADA.gov
  152. WebAIM
  153. Epilepsy Foundation
  154. Pew Research: internet and technology
  155. DataReportal
  156. US Census Bureau
  157. US Bureau of Labor Statistics
  158. Interactive Advertising Bureau
  159. Think with Google
  160. Google Trends
  161. Nielsen insights
  162. Schema.org: VideoObject
  163. Schema.org: SocialMediaPosting
  164. Schema.org: MusicRecording
  165. Schema.org: HowTo
  166. Schema.org: FAQPage
  167. Schema.org: Organization
  168. Google: video best practices
  169. Google: video structured data
  170. CapCut
  171. Adobe Premiere Rush
  172. DaVinci Resolve
  173. Canva
  174. Descript
  175. VEED
  176. Kapwing
  177. Otter.ai
  178. Later
  179. Buffer
  180. Hootsuite
  181. Sprout Social
  182. Google Analytics
  183. Google Search Console
  184. Google Analytics developer docs
  185. GA4: events and conversions
  186. Matomo
  187. Plausible Analytics
  188. Similarweb
  189. UK Information Commissioner’s Office
  190. Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
  191. Australian OAIC
  192. European Data Protection Board
  193. EU data protection
  194. EU Digital Services Act
  195. Ofcom
  196. FCC
  197. AIGA
  198. Nielsen Norman Group
  199. Smashing Magazine
  200. web.dev
  201. MDN: web media
  202. MDN: the video element
  203. ISO 21001 (reference)
  204. Buma/Stemra (Netherlands)
  205. STIM (Sweden)
  206. Teosto (Finland)
  207. Koda (Denmark)
  208. TONO (Norway)
  209. IMRO (Ireland)
  210. SGAE (Spain)
  211. ZAiKS (Poland)
  212. KOMCA (South Korea)
  213. MCSC (China)
  214. CISAC
  215. World Intellectual Property Organization
  216. TikTok: creating videos
  217. TikTok: exploring videos
  218. TikTok: privacy settings
  219. TikTok: growing your audience
  220. TikTok Creator Academy
  221. TikTok Effect House
  222. TikTok for small business
  223. Instagram: Reels help
  224. YouTube: Shorts best practice
  225. How YouTube recommends
  226. Pinterest Predicts
  227. Snapchat for Business
  228. Hootsuite blog
  229. Social Media Examiner
  230. Marketing Week
  231. Adweek

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