Squarespace's pricing page says $16 to $99 a month. That's true and also incomplete. Domain renewal, business email after year one, scheduling, email marketing — none of that shows up on the plan comparison chart, and all of it shows up on your card eventually. A realistic first-year budget for a small business Squarespace site with a custom domain, business email, and scheduling typically lands around $600–$1,200, not the $192–$1,188 the base subscription alone implies.
None of this makes Squarespace a bad deal. It just means the plan price is the starting line, not the finish line.
The Four Plans, As They Actually Stand
| Plan | Price (annual billing) | Transaction fee (physical) | Custom code | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $16/mo | 2% | No | Portfolios, blogs, simple brochure sites |
| Core | $23/mo | 0% | Yes | Most small businesses and service providers |
| Plus | $39/mo | 0% (1% digital fee) | Yes | Growing stores selling courses or digital products |
| Advanced | $99/mo | 0% across the board | Yes | High-volume ecommerce needing lowest rates |
The jump from Basic to Core matters more than any other tier change. Basic doesn't support custom CSS or JavaScript at all — a limitation a lot of people don't discover until trying to make a small design tweak. For most service businesses, Core is the realistic entry point (read Squarespace limitations and when to switch).
What's Actually Included vs. What Costs Extra
Where the real cost creep happens is in the list of things that look free at signup and aren't ongoing:
- Your domain: Free for year one. After that, renewal runs $20–$70/year.
- Business email: Google Workspace is free for year one on Core+. Renews at ~$84/year per email user.
- Email marketing: Squarespace Email Campaigns is a separate subscription starting around $8/month up to $800+/year for high-volume plans.
- Scheduling: Acuity Scheduling is billed separately, running $16 to $49/month (read AI appointment scheduling).
- Payment processing: Standard card processing (2.5–2.9% + 30¢) applies regardless of plan tier.
Realistic Total Cost, By Scenario
| Scenario | Approximate annual cost |
|---|---|
| Simple portfolio / blog (Basic plan, DIY) | $192–$300 |
| Small service business (Core plan, domain, email) | $700–$1,200 |
| Growing store (Plus plan, email marketing, scheduling) | $1,500–$2,500 |
| Full-featured setup (Advanced plan, all add-ons maxed) | Up to ~$3,900 |
How to Actually Budget for a Squarespace Site
- Start with the plan tier that matches your actual needs — if you need custom code, Core is required.
- Add $20–$70/year for domain renewal starting in year two.
- Add ~$84/year per email address for Google Workspace after year one.
- Decide upfront whether you need Acuity Scheduling — budget $16–$49/month separately.
- Only add Email Campaigns if you'll actually use it.
- Factor in payment processing (2.5–2.9% + 30¢) regardless of plan.
Brandywebs builds custom Squarespace and WordPress sites starting at $999 with upfront pricing breakdowns (read custom website cost breakdown).
Get a free quote from Brandywebs →
FAQs
How much does Squarespace actually cost per year for a small business? The base plan runs $192–$1,188/year. Once you add domain renewal past year one, business email, and basic scheduling, a realistic total lands around $700–$1,200/year.
Is Squarespace's domain really free? Only for the first year on annual plans. After that, renewal runs roughly $20–$70/year depending on the extension.
Does Squarespace include email marketing tools? No. Squarespace Email Campaigns is a separate subscription starting around $8/month.
Is Squarespace Scheduling (Acuity) included in the website plan price? No. Acuity Scheduling is a completely separate subscription starting around $16/month.
Which Squarespace plan is best for a small service business? Core, in most cases. It's the first tier that includes custom code access and 0% transaction fees on physical products.
Do I still pay payment processing fees even on 0%-transaction-fee plans? Yes. The 0% refers only to Squarespace's fee. Standard card processing fees apply regardless of plan.
Why did my Squarespace bill go up so much after the first year? Usually due to domain renewal kicking in, free Google Workspace converting to paid, and trial add-on pricing ending.
Is it cheaper to build on Squarespace myself or hire someone? DIY is cheaper upfront but costs time and risks skipping conversion structure. Hiring a designer gets the plan tier, add-ons, and layout right the first time.