Squarespace has built their reputation on providing a website builder that allows users to produce perfect looking sites without any coding experience whatsoever. Whether you've seen their Superbowl '15 spot or stumbled across them on the web, check out our detailed review of their platform right here. Read our Squarespace.com review below.
OverviewIn 12 years, Squarespace has gone from a dorm-room operation to powering millions of websites and over 500 employees. Last year the company was even named by Forbes as one of the best places to work in NYC!
The company remains committed to providing users with a beautiful interface for working from, with stellar designs that look like they’ve cost a small fortune. It is for this reason that they are often named as one of the best website builders around.
We’re not that quick to just go ahead and agree with folks, though, so we took a more in-depth look at the platform to see whether it is that great.
What is the best part of Squarespace?
The best part of Squarespace is the part where you get to the end of putting the final touches on your website, and you see a beautiful, professional page. A page that looks like it was coded up by a professional site developer, but you made yourself with no coding experience.
Squarespace’s elegant, responsive templates are the winning feature of the platform, hands down.
Who is Squarespace a good fit for?
Because Squarespace prides itself on stunning designs, it is particularly useful for event pages or creative types, such as photographers, artists, designers, musicians, and the like. It’s also a good choice for restaurants and small businesses without an online store.
The eCommerce packages provided are perfect for building small online stores if your country has Stripe as one of their preferred online payment gateways, as this is the only option with a Squarespace store.
The blogging platform on Squarespace is second behind WordPress, making it a great pick for bloggers too.
Who will Squarespace not work out for?
As with most simple website builders, if you’re a medium to a larger business, then Squarespace will not be for you. You will need to find another platform that is more highly customizable, and possibly hire a web developer to do it for you.
As mentioned, if you have an online store and don’t wish to use Stripe as your payment gateway, you should pick something else like Shopify too.
How scalable is a Squarespace site?
Each Squarespace package comes with unlimited bandwidth and unlimited storage so there’s no worry that you will run out of a room at any time. Files are capped at 300MB, with audio files capped at 160MB, and you need to stay within 1000 pages. Squarespace recommends using the blog function instead of pages if you require a large amount of information to be placed on your site.
What’s their reputation?
Squarespace has a solid reputation amongst the business community, but how do users feel about the platform?
Well, most users report positively on the platform. There is a bit of a learning curve when people start out, especially for those with very limited computer skills, which may lead to frustration. Help facilities are well regarded, for those at their wit’s end!
Do they have a money back guarantee?
Because you get to play around with the full versions of the platform free for 14 days, there is no money back guarantee. Squarespace assumes that you have had enough time playing around with your chosen plan to see if you’d like to continue using it or not.
After the 14-day trial period is up your content is locked, unless, of course, you choose to continue with the plan.
Have they won any awards for their platform?
Yes, they have! Squarespace is winners in the 2015 Innovation By Design Awards for Web Design. They’ve also been named by multiple sources as one of the top companies to work for in NYC in 2015. Other sites voted Squarespace’s Superbowl ’15 ad in their lists of favorites.
It was a big 2015 all round for Squarespace, due in no small part to the changes made from the previous Squarespace 6 platform to Squarespace 7. We’re expecting more big things from them in 2016, too.
Key FeaturesIt should come as no surprise that experts also give Squarespace high marks and consistently place it in the top three shopping cart platforms available. Among expert reviews, ratings bottom out at 9 out of 10 stars, giving it near perfect scores.
Experts who truly enjoy the program point to the ease of use and editor that allows users to create attractive and complex websites like a professional. Uploaded images are instantly scaled to size, the templates allow for full customization and developers have access to both CSS and HTML. There really are no limits on what you can customize or the ways that you can go about it. These features have helped propel the program into becoming a globally popular program.
Those who were reluctant to give Squarespace a perfect score pointed to poor customer service and too many glitches. In addition, while Squarespace provides a powerful editor that is capable of an impressive amount of customization, it isn’t necessarily friendly to beginners. There are other programs on the market that offer a more straightforward interface that provides additional guidance for beginners.Those with the right amount of prior experience will feel in full creative control of their website.
Squarespace is so positively reviews that any criticisms of the program sounds more like suggestions.Despite any room for improvement, consumers are still very pleased with the program. Ultimately, most complaints revolve around two issues:
Squarespace is both one of the most recognizable names in eCommerce and one of the highest rated programs. A survey of user feedback shows an overwhelmingly positive trend. It especially stands out from the rest when it comes to visual representation and design capabilities. Squarespace offers some of the most beautiful and modern themes you will find. In addition, the actual admin interface features a design that is user friendly and easy on the eyes.
Practically every user who took the time to write a review said that they would recommend Squarespace to others due in large part to these standout features:
Squarespace is one of the most popular options and for good reason.
Design & CustomizationCheck out how Squarespace compares with the other website builders by browsing over the features included in the platform below.
| Feature | Overview |
| Setup | Getting a Squarespace site only involves adding a few details like your name and email address – very simple. |
| Web Design | Choosing templates and getting started with the editor is relatively easy. Choose backgrounds and palettes, etc. from the Style Editor option under the Design menu item. |
| Custom domain name | Every plan comes with its domain, and you can even customize each page’s URL. |
| Depth of Navigation | Only one level of depth. |
| Widgets and Apps | Useful blocks for things like OpenTable and BandsInTown. For everything else that isn’t included, you can add your code in. |
| Monetization | Add in Google AdSense, or other monetization strategies such as AdWords, Overture or banner ads. |
| Visitor Statistics | Great suite of inbuilt real-time visitor statistics and other metrics available through Squarespace, available by viewing the Metrics menu item. Add Google Analytics to go even further. |
| Photo, Video, and Audio | All formats are well supported. |
| Blogging | Fairly comprehensive blogging suite including the opportunity to schedule posts. |
| Google Maps | Yes, Google Maps block available. |
| HTML Editor | Yes, HTML code editor block available. |
| Social Media Integration | Squarespace integrates with a very broad range of social media options via the Connected Accounts option in the Settings item on the menu. Publish, sync, and import easily. |
| Forms and surveys | Forms block available. |
| Storage Space | Unlimited storage space for all created accounts. |
| Newsletter Tool | Yes, needs to be connected to a MailChimp account. |
| Forum | Not integrated – add a Muut forum through HTML code. |
| E-Commerce / Online Store | Integrated. Up to one product with a Personal plan, 20 products with a Business plan and unlimited products with Commerce plans. |
| Gateway Integration | Stripe payment gateway only supported. Ecwid plugin needed for any other payment gateway types, but it won’t integrate with the Squarespace proprietary eCommerce solution. |
| SEO Friendly | Tagging and XHTML available. Set your URL addresses. |
| Site Limited Access (Password Protection) | Site-wide or page specific passwords available. |
| Google® Analytics | You can attach your Google Analytics account to the site. |
| Website Security | SSL enabled and PCI compliant. All data is stored on Squarespace’s secure servers. |
| Multiple Languages | All languages can be entered into the editor; however, the interface is just English. |
| Mobile Optimization | Each template is totally responsive, so it has been optimized for mobile already. |
| CDN Technology | All Squarespace images hosted with CDN. |
Features & Tools Check out how Squarespace compares with the other website builders by browsing over the features included in the platform below.
| Feature | Overview |
| Setup | Getting a Squarespace site only involves adding a few details like your name and email address – very simple. |
| Web Design | Choosing templates and getting started with the editor is relatively easy. Choose backgrounds and palettes, etc. from the Style Editor option under the Design menu item. |
| Custom domain name | Every plan comes with its domain, and you can even customize each page’s URL. |
| Depth of Navigation | Only one level of depth. |
| Widgets and Apps | Useful blocks for things like OpenTable and BandsInTown. For everything else that isn’t included, you can add your code in. |
| Monetization | Add in Google AdSense, or other monetization strategies such as AdWords, Overture or banner ads. |
| Visitor Statistics | Great suite of inbuilt real-time visitor statistics and other metrics available through Squarespace, available by viewing the Metrics menu item. Add Google Analytics to go even further. |
| Photo, Video, and Audio | All formats are well supported. |
| Blogging | Fairly comprehensive blogging suite including the opportunity to schedule posts. |
| Google Maps | Yes, Google Maps block available. |
| HTML Editor | Yes, HTML code editor block available. |
| Social Media Integration | Squarespace integrates with a very broad range of social media options via the Connected Accounts option in the Settings item on the menu. Publish, sync, and import easily. |
| Forms and surveys | Forms block available. |
| Storage Space | Unlimited storage space for all created accounts. |
| Newsletter Tool | Yes, needs to be connected to a MailChimp account. |
| Forum | Not integrated – add a Muut forum through HTML code. |
| E-Commerce / Online Store | Integrated. Up to one product with a Personal plan, 20 products with a Business plan and unlimited products with Commerce plans. |
| Gateway Integration | Stripe payment gateway only supported. Ecwid plugin needed for any other payment gateway types, but it won’t integrate with the Squarespace proprietary eCommerce solution. |
| SEO Friendly | Tagging and XHTML available. Set your URL addresses. |
| Site Limited Access (Password Protection) | Site-wide or page specific passwords available. |
| Google® Analytics | You can attach your Google Analytics account to the site. |
| Website Security | SSL enabled and PCI compliant. All data is stored on Squarespace’s secure servers. |
| Multiple Languages | All languages can be entered into the editor; however, the interface is just English. |
| Mobile Optimization | Each template is totally responsive, so it has been optimized for mobile already. |
| CDN Technology | All Squarespace images hosted with CDN. |
Plans & Pricing When you get to the Squarespace website, you’ll notice on signing up that there isn’t an option for a free plan. That’s right; all Squarespace plans are paid plans only. Don’t fret, though, you get a full 14 days free evaluation of the paid plans so you can see whether you’re ready to commit.
If you’re still unsure after 14 days, we recommend sticking with the plan for an extra month to see. It won’t cost too much, and you’ll have more of an idea if it’s for you. Your website can be exported to WordPress if you decide that the Squarespace platform isn’t extensible enough.
Each plan comes with a free custom domain, unlimited storage and bandwidth, a mobile optimized website, Squarespace’s internal metrics, and 24-hour customer support.
Cover Page Plan. $5/month yearly, $7 month to month.
The Cover Page Plan is an excellent choice for those that only want a very simple homepage, giving people a little bit more of an idea about you or your business. There are 28 3D effects Cover Page template designs to choose from here. You’re only allowed one contributor for the site.
Personal Plan. $8/month yearly, $12 a month to month.
With the Personal Plan, you can choose from 32 templates, as well as add one of the 28 Cover Pages if you wish too. Your site can contain 20 pages, blogs, and galleries, with up to two contributors. ECommerce is inbuilt, and you can sell one product and accept donations. There’s a 3% fee on each transaction.
Business Plan. $18/month yearly, $26 a month to month.
With the Business Plan, you get everything in the Personal Plan as well as having access to create unlimited pages and have unlimited site contributors. You also have thrown into the mix a professional email account with Google and a $100 Google AdWords credit to take advantage of. Regarding eCommerce, you’re now bumped up to a 25-product limit and have a 2% sales tax on each transaction. You also now have access to the Developer Platform.
eCommerce plans
Both of Squarespace’s eCommerce plans give you unlimited products, zero transaction fees, an extra eight commerce-based templates, as well as everything in the Business plan. There are advanced commerce metrics available for you to track your business. You have access to advanced inventory, orders, tax, and discounts options, as well as label printing with Shipstation, and integrated accounting with Xero. Shipstation and Xero accounts are both paid plans with their respective providers but are very, very helpful for eCommerce.
Basic eCommerce Plan. $26/month yearly, $30 a month to month.
Has all of the above included?
Advanced eCommerce Plan. $70/month yearly, US$80 month to month.
Has all of the above features included as well as real-time carrier shipping and abandoned checkout recovery.
Customer Support Although there’s no phone help line, and reports about the queue for live chat aren’t great, there is a fair amount of customer support available for users – and it’s available 24 hours.
Ease of Use Spoiler alert: you won’t need any coding skills to build a fully functional Squarespace website! You will need them, however, if you want something truly customized – in which case you should probably be looking for a different platform.
The website builder is relatively easy to use provided you stick fairly closely to the layout of templates provided. If this is all you need to do, then we recommend signing up with Squarespace straight away.
Sure, it might not be quite as easy to use as some of the other builders out there, but the truly professional look that a Squarespace website brings is darn near unparalleled. You should be able to put together an excellent website within a day or two.
There’s some beginner tutorials out there to set you on your way, and if you get stuck, there’s nothing that a good old Google search won’t uncover. You also have the added benefit of a one-hour turnaround on emails requesting help.
That being said, if you’re a complete newbie (i.e. you don’t get computers very well), it might just be too hard to put a Squarespace website together yourself. Either hire one of the Squarespace developers recommended, or move along.
Conclusion Squarespace is a great platform to create stunning websites, as long as you stick fairly closely to the templates provided. People that require a lot of customization will likely find the platform to be too frustrating to achieve what they want.
The Cover Page Plan and Personal Plan are well priced for those that require simple websites, although the Business Plan and Commerce Plans can be quite steep, comparatively.
The Commerce plans, however, are packed with features, and may be a good setup for those in countries where Stripe is a regularly used payment gateway. Not having PayPal available as an option is both puzzling and irritating.
We’d recommend Squarespace for event pages, portfolios, artists, designers, and small businesses who’d like a very professional looking website with all the widgets they would likely need. The editor, design elements, and widgets are all well thought out, and will be everything that you need – as long as you don’t require a lot of customizations.
Check out their 14-day free trial to see if Squarespace is right for you.
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