Squarespace has all the tools you need to build a sleek, professional website

Whether starting a new blog or setting up a website for your business, there are so many options for building, hosting and optimizing your website. Squarespace offers a ton of tools and features, many of which are available in all of their plans, so how do you choose the right plan to launch your site?

Overview of plans

Squarespace offers four different types of plans, each with both monthly and annual options. You can save between 13-30% by selecting an annual plan and all annual plans include a free custom domain for the first year.

• Personal - starting at just $12 a month, the personal plan offers all of the great templates and site building tools, SEO features, unlimited bandwidth and storage and SSL Security.
• Business - starting at $18 a month, the business plan adds a few premium features, including a Professional Gmail and Google Workspace account, CSS and Javascript customization, marketing tools and basic commerce options with a low 3% transaction fee.
• Commerce (Basic) - starting at $26 a month, the basic commerce plan eliminates the transaction fee, as well as offering in person point of sale, customer accounts, e-Commerce analytics and merchandising tools.
• Commerce (Advanced) - top of the line, the advanced commerce plan starts at $40 a month and includes everything Squarespace has to offer, such as abandoned cart recovery, subscriptions, advanced shipping and discounts, and commerce APIs.

Every plan also comes with Squarespace’s award winning 24/7 customer support and you can change or cancel your plan at any time.

The Personal Plan

Whether you’re starting a blog or building a portfolio, Squarespace’s personal plan is a great option for a competitive price. This plan doesn’t come with any of the commerce options; however, it does give you access to Squarespace’s fully customizable and beautiful templates, as well as a ton of other great features. This plan is ideal for creatives, such as artists or bloggers, who want a professional online presence as they build their brand, as well as artisans who work primarily on commissions, to showcase their work for potential clients.

This plan includes:

• One year free custom domain* - Set your brand apart by registering a custom domain or you can transfer your existing domain. Host it for an entire year, free of charge. Additional domains can be added on for as little as $20 a month.
• SSL security - Squarespace automatically creates and configures free SSL certificates for every site, including those with custom domains. Not only can you and your audience trust that your site is secure, but this also improves your site’s rankings in Google.
• Unlimited bandwidth and storage - You can scale with confidence as Squarespace has no caps on your storage or bandwidth.
• SEO tools - You don’t need to be well versed in the ins and outs of search engine optimization to improve your traffic. Squarespace will walk you through simple steps that will assure your potential audience can easily find your site.
• Customizable templates - Perhaps the biggest selling point for Squarespace is the collection of easy-to-use, professional, and frankly beautiful templates. Your website will truly stand out, even if you don’t happen to have experience in web design.
• Contributors - You don’t have to build or maintain your site alone. With the personal plan, you can have two contributors on your site. This option is great for business partners or friends collaborating on a project.
• Mobile optimization - Just over half of all website traffic last year came from mobile devices. With Squarespace’s Mobile-Optimized websites, you can be sure your site will display just as beautifully on a cell phone as it does on a desktop.
• Award winning customer support - All of Squarespace’s plans come with the company’s award winning 24/7 customer support.
• Basic website metrics - Know exactly how much traffic your website is generating, where that traffic is coming from, how individual parts of your site are performing and more with Squarespace’s website metrics.
• Squarespace extensions - Incorporate a variety of third-party extensions to expand and manage your business, such as Printful, a print-on-demand extension that allows you to order custom prints or Shippo, an extension that will save you time and money shipping out your products. 

(*Free domain included with an annual plan only.)

The Business Plan

While there is a ton included with the personal plan, Squarespace has so much more to offer. If you’re looking to set up an online storefront for your small business, the business plan starts at just $18 a month. This plan is great for those just starting to dip their toes into online sales.

Along with all the features in the personal plan, Squarespace’s business plan comes with the following:

• Unlimited contributors - You can grant your whole team access to manage and edit your site.
• Professional Google account - With your Squarespace business plan, you will be able to create a Professional Gmail and Google Workspace account and get your first year free of charge.
• Premium integrations and blocks - Another great feature of the business plan, these integrations and apps will build your customer database and connect your customers with your services, such as reservations through OpenTable or ChowNow.
• CSS and Javascript customization - While you don’t have to write any code to build a stunning website with Squarespace, the business plan gives you the option to really customize your design with CSS and Javascript.
• Advanced website analytics - Get even more data about how customers engage with your site and services, as well as how they join your mailing list and RSVP for events.
• Google ad credits - Get up to $100 in Google ad credits when you spend $25. Offer details vary by country.
• Pop-ups and banners - Employ pop-ups and banners to promote events, gather email addresses, and make announcements.
• Integrated eCommerce - Your business plan will include all the tools necessary to sell online, including integrated inventory management, as well as payment, tax, and shipping tools.
• Low transaction fee - Pay a low 3% transaction fee on sales through your site.
• Unlimited sales - There are no limits to how much inventory you can list or sell through the Squarespace business plan.
• Donations - Set up and receive donations on your site using PayPal or Stripe.
• Gift cards - Sell and accept digital gift cards for your online store.

The Basic Commerce Plan

Squarespace has even more features to offer for those serious about their online business. If you plan to move a lot of inventory, the basic commerce plan starts at just $26 a month. This plan is a great fit for existing small business owners who are trying to get more out of their online sales. It comes with everything included in the business and personal plans, as well as the following:

• No transaction fees - Increase your profit margin even more with zero transaction fees on sales through your online shop.
• Point of sale - Using the Commerce app, you can accept payment in person, all while syncing your online inventory and records. This is a great option for vendors who participate in conventions and events.
• Customer accounts - Allow your regular customers to set up accounts to speed up their shopping process and build ongoing relationships, both increasing your sales and customer retention.
• Checkout - Customers will be able to checkout directly from a secure checkout page on your domain.
• E-Commerce analytics - You’ll know exactly which products and services are working for your business and be able to monitor the conversion from visit to purchase, so you know exactly which direction will best grow your business.
• Merchandising tools - Increase your sales by offering related products and product waitlists.
• Instagram and Facebook integration - Connect your social media presence with your online shop using Facebook’s Product Catalog and Instagram posts, earning you even more sales.
• Limited inventory labels - Encourage sales with a sense of urgency by letting your customers know which items have low stock.

The Advanced Commerce Plan

While it can be difficult to imagine what else you might need from your website, Squarespace has even more to offer with its advanced commerce plan. This plan features great tools to make the sale process smoother and recover potential sales, perfect for those who are looking for a way to grow their online business even more. In addition to everything including in the previous plans, the advanced commerce plan offers the following:

• Abandoned cart recovery - Send out automated emails when a customer leaves before completing their purchase and save some of those potential lost sales.
• Subscriptions - you can sell monthly or even weekly subscriptions, with automated billing to really build up your return customer base.
• Advanced shipping - Estimate shipping rates automatically based on US zip code or Canadian FSA.
• Advanced discounts - Offer discounts that apply automatically when orders meet certain conditions, as well as limited time offers to not only give you control over your promotions, but increase customer loyalty.
• Commerce APIs - If the existing Extensions aren’t quite right for your business, you can build your very own integrations to handle your office, order fulfillment, inventory management, and more.

Free Trial

In case you’re still not sure which plan is the best for you, start your risk free 14-day trial today and get 10% off your first purchase with the code: “TOMSGUIDE”. You can build your site using all of these incredible tools and try it out before you decide on a plan. You can also change your plan at any time, in case you decide you want even more from your Squarespace site.