Squarespace Review (2024) - Features, Pros and Cons

Squarespace, renowned for its sleek design and robust features, stands as a leading website builder with a reputation for empowering users to create stunning and functional websites effortlessly. In our research, we’ll explore various aspects of Squarespace to reveal whether its popularity is a result of genuine excellence or a product of strategic marketing.

Our Verdict

Squarespace isn't just a website builder; it's a digital masterpiece of “Beauty with Brains”. With an overall score of 4 out of 5, it's a powerhouse that effortlessly blends top-notch ecommerce features with sleek website tools. From website features to design and help and support, Squarespace aced it all.

While Squarespace excels in delivering value, it is important to note that it falls on the higher end of pricing compared to some competitors offering free plans. It is ideal for those craving a stunning and feature-packed website without needing a coding wizard hat.

You'll need a minimum of $16 per month to start on your Squarespace journey. Quality comes with a price tag, and although there's no free plan,– you can explore them with a free 14-day trial.

Pros of Squarespace

• Best designs for website templates
• Huge list of tools to support marketing efforts
• Free SSL with all plans and 1year free domain with yearly plans
• Click to edit templates are beginner-friendly
• Good features for both ecommerce and portfolio

Cons of Squarespace

• Plans are relatively costlier
• Only 40 third-party integrations are available
• No free plans
• Limitations on video storage
• Stepping out of pre-made templates are not really beginner-friendly
• Digital products add-on are costly and goes till +$89/month
• Too many marketing email from random people once you start the subscription

What Is Squarespace?

Squarespace is more than a website builder; it's a canvas for your ideas. Tailored for creatives, it allows individuals to craft websites that showcase their work effortlessly, regardless of technical expertise. With over 100 visually captivating templates, Squarespace stands out as a premier website builder. Recent enhancements to its editor have increased user experience, making it not just aesthetically pleasing but also feature-rich and wallet-friendly.

The latest version 7.1, takes user-friendly design to new heights, enabling seamless sitewide modifications. Squarespace's commitment to excellence is evident in its consistent 4 out of 5 scores, making it a reliable choice for those seeking a platform that meets style, functionality, and ease of use, all in one. Join us as we cover different aspects from design to customer satisfaction, and discover why Squarespace remains a standout choice among its competitors.

Who Is Squarespace best suited For?

Squarespace emerges as a web design haven, catering to a spectrum of users, each with unique aspirations. Its templates, crafted by in-house designers, are ideal for photographers, artists, and design enthusiasts who want their online presence to mirror the quality of their content. With over 100 visually stunning templates, it's customized for those who prioritize aesthetics. However, if your website leans heavily on text or lacks high-quality images, Squarespace's emphasis on visual design may pose a challenge.

For creatives who are looking to build their portfolio website, Squarespace offers easily the best templates that we have reviewed in no-code website builders. You have a huge list of Squarespace portfolio websites for inspirations. With Squarespace, you can create your resume, showcase work examples, about me page, sell your products/services and more.

Bloggers find a home in Squarespace's built-in tools that support image-heavy content, catering to the 32% of marketers who prioritize visual images. The platform allows for multiple contributors, social media integration, and mobile management via the Blog App.

For store owners or someone looking to build an ecommerce website, Squarespace is just as good an option like Shopify. There are a lot of ecommerce templates, flexible shipping options, simple checkout options, tax tools, order managements, and option to sell subscription, digital content as well as physical products.

Small business owners benefit from Squarespace's comprehensive tools, including email campaigns, built-in analytics, eCommerce functions, and SEO tools. The platform is designed to help businesses establish a unique brand with ease, making it an ideal choice for those featured on Squarespace's "Our Customers" page.

In short, Squarespace caters to a diverse audience.With more than 3.5 million users choosing Squarespace after the free trial, its popularity attests to the quality and versatility it brings to a wide range of online endeavors.

Key Features Of Squarespace

So, you've decided it's time to explore the world of website building, and you've got your eyes set on Squarespace. Smart choice! It's like choosing the coolest kid in the web-building playground. Let's break down what makes Squarespace your go-to buddy for creating a stellar online presence.

Design customization

With a design score of 4.5 out of 5, Squarespace doesn't just give you a website; it hands you a paintbrush and says, "Go crazy!". Whether you want to tweak templates or go wild with the Fluid Engine editor in version 7.1, Squarespace has you covered.

In their onboarding section you can select the categories and description about your website. You can also select the end goals of what you are trying to achieve with the website (collect donations, sell courses, build communities etc).

Once that is done, Squarespace will offer some templates based on our onboarding selections or start with a custom template of your own.

Squarespace is one of the early adopter of offering sample color preset during template selection. This is very handy for users who are confused over color palettes for their websites.

Social media integration

Squarespace link up with over 20 platforms, strut your stuff on Instagram, Twitter, and more, or even host your podcast on your site – because why not? It's like having your own online entourage. You can even flaunt social feeds on your site, keeping your visitors in the loop with your online adventures.

SEO features

Squarespace offers a seamless experience in managing SEO page settings. Users can effortlessly customize page titles and descriptions for optimal search and social performance without disrupting the overall page content.

Squarespace offers a unique feature allowing users to control the visibility of specific pages, a valuable tool for refining what content gets indexed by search engines.

They stand out with its automated SEO features. From generating sitemaps in .xml format to ensuring correct markup for site content, clean static URLs, and built-in mobile optimization, they specialize in streamlining SEO efforts for users without requiring manual interventions.

The dedicated SEO panel provided by Squarespace centralizes control over critical details like site title, description, and page title formats. The built-in search preview tool adds a layer of convenience, allowing users to visualize how their site will appear in search results.

They excel in providing SEO-friendly solutions for e-commerce. The platform automatically generates static URLs for product categories, optimizing the entire online shopping experience for better search visibility.

Squarespace proves to be a time-saver with its SEO-friendly translations, enabling users to expand their reach into new markets without extensive translation efforts.

Here's the checklist and SEO features available in Squarespace.

• Add  site title
• Add site description
• Add SEO descriptions
• Ability to hide pages from search engines
• Automatic sitemaps and markup
• Check your page and title formats
• Site translations optimized for search
• Add a browser icon
• Create a custom 404 page
• Connect a custom domain
• Connect to social media
• Ensure SSL is enabled 
• Check URL slugs
• Choose your blog post URL format
• Add your location
• Publish your location online

Find more about SEO features here

Email Marketing

They offer one of the best audience management features. With the ability to collect unlimited subscribers, you can effortlessly turn site visitors into a dedicated subscriber base. The Profiles panel allows you to easily view and manage diverse groups, including ecommerce customers, newsletter subscribers, donors, and members. There is a huge selection of templates available for email marketing temlpates.

Email templates are easily customizable just like how you can edit your website with easily editable fields.

Their key strengths lie in the responsive email design templates. Regardless of whether your audience is viewing emails on a mobile device or desktop, the templates ensure a visually appealing and consistent experience. This feature is crucial for reaching and engaging your audience across different platforms.

Their integrated analytics provide real-time insights into your email campaigns. You can monitor the performance of your campaigns while they are still live, allowing for quick adjustments and optimizations. The analytics dashboard offers a comprehensive view, covering essential metrics such as open rates, clicks, and conversions.

You can make use of their automation tools to streamline contact list management and set up personalized email campaigns. Whether it's adding a name field for personalization or sending automated emails to new subscribers, these tools are particularly beneficial for ecommerce websites and subscription-based services.

Squarespace Extensions

Squarespace’s extension store features a curated selection of 40 third-party apps. From shipping to finance, the platform provides the users with a convenient one-stop shop for enhancing their website with various tools. Extension prices vary, accommodating different user preferences.

Event Planning with Squarespace

You can effortlessly streamline your scheduling with Squarespace's powerful suite of tools. Clients can book, pay, and reschedule appointments 24/7, while the platform's intuitive interface ensures simplicity meets functionality.

They promote availability seamlessly on Google, expand your client base, and stay organized with notifications and calendar sync. This helps in saving time through automation, managing payments, invoices, and enticing clients with flexible options like discounts and subscriptions.

Squarespace offers a versatile business solution, providing customizable communication, video conferencing, and tailored intake forms for a comprehensive client management experience.

Backup and Restore

You can restore deleted pages, edit fearlessly on the go, and never lose your work. This feature adds a layer of security, preventing the loss of valuable work and providing a user-friendly experience.

Squarespace Pricing plans

If you're on the lookout for an economical website builder, Squarespace might not be the most budget-friendly option. Despite being recognized for its quality, Squarespace tends to lean towards the pricier side when compared to competitors that offer free plans.

While it has seen a 15% increase in its value for money score since 2022, it's essential to note that some alternatives provide similar services at lower or no cost.

It's important to consider your budget and explore other options that might better align with your financial preferences, especially if free plans are a significant factor for you.

Squarespace offers four plans tailored to diverse needs, ranging from $16 to $49 per month (billed annually). The brilliance lies not just in the features but in the flexibility.

Pay annually

Pay monthly

Personal Plan - $16/month - Ideal for setting up a new website, offering unlimited storage and bandwidth, setting it apart from typical starter plans on other platforms.

Business Plan - $23/month - Perfect for growing businesses, providing comprehensive features for success.

Basic Commerce Plan - $27/month - Tailored for small online stores, it includes all Business plan features, removes transaction fees, and adds valuable ecommerce features like POS and customer accounts.

Advanced Commerce Plan - $49/month - Geared towards growing stores, it encompasses all Basic Commerce features, plus extras like abandoned cart recovery, subscriptions, and advanced shipping.

Add-On Across All Plans

Unlimited storage and bandwidth.

Free custom domain and SSL security.

As you upgrade, you can unlock additional features such as ecommerce functions and promotional pop-ups.

User reviews of Squarespace

Squarespace has good reviews in Capterra and G2 with a 4.5/5 average score. Trust Pilot has one of the worst reviews with just a score of 1.4/5 with most of the users complaining about their awful customer service.

Here are some of the reviews written about Squarespace in these platforms

Is Squarespace website secure?

Squarespace comes with free SSL certificates, malware-fighting powers, and DDoS protection – a digital fortress for your website. This proactive approach helps to maintain a robust defense against emerging threats, ensuring a secure online environment for users.

Do I get a free domain with Squarespace?

Squarespace lets you buy a free domain for the first year, easy connections, and security with SSL certificates – it's like having a cozy home for your online adventures. However, they do not offer free domain with their monthly plans.

How good is Squarespace help and support?

Squarespace has a strong help desk with live chat, 24/7 social media support, email support, a knowledge base, a community forum, and video tutorials. It's like having a personal IT team at your beck and call.

What Are The Best Alternatives To Squarespace?

Top alternatives to Squarespace include Wix for its unmatched design flexibility, WordPress.org for advanced customization and scalability, Pixpa for building portfolio websites, and Shopify for powerful ecommerce functionality.

Each platform caters to different needs, from creative portfolios to robust online stores, providing varied features and pricing structures.

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