Squarespace is a popular all-in-one website builder known for its polished templates and ease of use. It is worth being clear up front about what it is: unlike WordPress, which you install on hosting you choose, Squarespace bundles the design tools, hosting, and support into one subscription. That makes it an alternative to self-hosted WordPress rather than a way to host WordPress — and which suits you depends on what you value.
This review covers what Squarespace does well, its current plans and pricing, and who it is right for.
The core trade-off is convenience versus flexibility. Squarespace handles everything for you in a closed, tidy system — you never touch hosting, updates, or plugins, but you are limited to what the platform offers. Self-hosted WordPress gives you near-limitless flexibility through themes and plugins, but you manage the hosting and maintenance yourself.
Neither is "better" — they suit different people. If you want to weigh the builder route generally, our guides to choosing a website builder and free website builders are good companions to this review.
Squarespace's reputation rests on design and simplicity, and the feature set backs that up.
Its templates are genuinely a cut above — modern, responsive, and well-suited to visual work like portfolios, photography, and design-led businesses. The drag-and-drop editor needs no coding knowledge, e-commerce is built in across the plans, and 24/7 support plus a deep knowledge base mean help is always at hand.
Squarespace restructured its plans in 2025. The four current tiers are Basic, Core, Plus, and Advanced (replacing the old Personal, Business, Basic Commerce, and Advanced Commerce plans). E-commerce is now included across all of them, differing mainly in features and transaction fees.
Two things for New Zealand buyers to note: prices are in US dollars, and they are billed annually for the best rate (monthly billing costs more). There is no free plan, but a 14-day free trial lets you build and test a site first. Because exact pricing and promotions change, confirm the current figures on Squarespace's own site.
Squarespace also handles domain registration — it absorbed Google Domains, so if you previously registered a domain there, that service now sits with Squarespace. Annual plans typically include a free custom domain for the first year, after which normal renewal fees apply. Professional email is offered through an integration rather than built in, so factor that in if you need branded email addresses.
On the plus side: the templates and overall design quality are excellent, it is genuinely easy for non-technical users, hosting and maintenance are handled for you, and e-commerce is built in.
On the downside: it is a closed system, so you have far less flexibility than WordPress and cannot freely add third-party plugins; pricing is in USD and billed annually; lower tiers carry transaction fees on sales; and if you ever outgrow it, moving your site to another platform is not straightforward.
Squarespace suits people who want a beautiful, low-maintenance site without touching anything technical — portfolios, small business sites, and simple online stores especially. If design and simplicity matter more than flexibility, it is one of the best options available.
If you expect to need custom functionality, want full control, or prefer to avoid a closed platform, self-hosted WordPress is likely the better path. Our guides comparing builders like Wix and the Square website builder help you weigh the alternatives, and the main WordPress hosting NZ hub covers the WordPress route.
This article is an independent overview, not a specific endorsement or purchasing advice. Squarespace's plans, features, and prices change often and are set in US dollars — confirm the current details on their own site before you buy.
Renamed in 2025 from Personal / Business / Basic Commerce / Advanced Commerce.
| Plan | Rough price (USD/mo, annual) | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | ~US$16–19 | Portfolios, blogs, simple sites |
| Core | ~US$23–29 | Small business & e-commerce (no transaction fee) |
| Plus | ~US$39–49 | Growing stores |
| Advanced | ~US$99 | Large e-commerce operations |
Indicative USD figures that change with promotions — billed annually for the best rate; no free plan (14-day trial). Check Squarespace’s site for current pricing and factor the exchange rate.
No. Squarespace is an all-in-one builder that bundles design tools, hosting, and support into one subscription in a closed system. WordPress is software you install on hosting you choose, offering far more flexibility through themes and plugins but requiring you to manage it. They are alternatives, not the same thing.
It has four plans — Basic, Core, Plus, and Advanced — priced in US dollars and billed annually for the best rate, with monthly billing costing more. Exact figures change with promotions, so check Squarespace's site. There is no free plan, but a 14-day free trial lets you test it first.
The entry-level plan charges a small transaction fee on sales, while the higher commerce-focused plans remove it. Separately, standard payment-processing fees apply to every sale regardless of plan. If you sell much, the higher tiers can work out cheaper overall despite their higher monthly price.
Yes. Squarespace handles domain registration, having taken over the former Google Domains service. Annual plans usually include a free custom domain for the first year, with standard renewal fees afterwards. If you registered a domain through Google Domains previously, it now sits within Squarespace.
It is capable and well-designed for smaller stores, with e-commerce built into every plan and strong templates. For larger or more complex stores, a dedicated e-commerce platform or WooCommerce on WordPress may offer more flexibility. For simple, attractive shops, Squarespace is a solid choice.
Only partially. Because it is a closed platform, exporting a Squarespace site to another system is limited and not straightforward — you cannot simply move it to WordPress intact. This lock-in is worth considering upfront if you think you might outgrow the platform down the track.