Why Web Professional Designers Choose Squarespace
Everyone with a website benefits from a good hosting platform, but the stakes are never higher than for those who build websites professionally. The platform you choose dictates how you build, what you hand over, and how clients experience their site long after the project wraps. When everything goes well, grateful clients send referrals for years. When it doesn’t, you’re the one they call.
Squarespace is built with this reality in mind. Professionals can push it well beyond the basics. Finish Layer, Squarespace’s suite of advanced no-code design controls, gives you the precision to build ecommerce experiences and custom layouts that go well beyond any starting template. The result is work that's distinctly yours, running on a site builder that clients can actually manage once it’s theirs.
Below, you’ll discover reasons professionals choose Squarespace for client work, plus a direct comparison with alternative platforms like Wix, Shopify, WordPress, Webflow, and GoDaddy.
Select a section to begin.
The power of Squarespace for professional web designers
Squarespace’s reputation as a beginner-friendly platform is a selling point to clients. After all, they need the flexibility of a user-friendly interface and intuitive design features to make changes, post updates, and more without relying on third parties. That ease of use, however, doesn't come at the cost of robust functionality and customization capabilities.
Squarespace’s ecommerce, SEO, AEO, and analytics features are built natively into the platform. Because these features are native to Squarespace, you don’t have to worry about any third-party plugins causing issues with the site when there are product updates in the future.
What Squarespace offers your web design practice
Squarespace is designed to streamline workflows for professionals and beginners alike. Because Squarespace is built as an all-in-one solution, you won’t need to integrate multiple tools and plug-ins.
1. No coding required
Squarespace’s built-in responsive design and suite of expressibility tools expand what you can achieve without coding knowledge. In Fluid Engine, you can quickly create engaging site content and layouts that dynamically adjust to fit screen sizes.
With responsive design, you don’t need custom code to deliver polished, dynamic visuals. Should you want to go further beyond Squarespace’s native solutions, the platform supports custom code and CSS injections, as well as third-party integrations through Squarespace Extensions.
“Squarespace stands out as the most intuitive platform for end users to manage their websites. I firmly believe that business owners shouldn’t have to learn how to code, and everyone should be empowered to manage their own website.””
2. Built-in ecommerce features
Squarespace offers a full suite of ecommerce features to help your clients sell products and services and manage orders online. This includes appointment booking, invoicing, subscriptions that other platforms typically require third-party integrations to replicate.
Every Squarespace website plan is ecommerce-enabled. If your client chooses a Core, Plus, or Advanced plan, they’ll enjoy zero online store transaction fees, professional shipping and tax services, sales funnel analytics, and API integrations for advanced sales functionality. Plus and Advanced plans offer progressively lower credit card rates and Digital Content and Memberships transaction fees.
3. Integrated tools
On most platforms, you must cobble together different third-party plug-ins to expand a website’s functionality. These can wreak havoc on a website, creating security concerns, compatibility issues, bugs, and even platform failures after updates.
Squarespace offers the following built-in features:
Email Campaigns: Generate and send visually compelling emails that match the site styles. Target visitors who sign up through newsletter or form blocks with one-off blasts and automated campaigns. Then, use built-in analytics to see a campaign’s performance and edit it as needed.
Acuity Scheduling: The online appointment management tool automates booking appointment-based services directly through the website. With an Acuity scheduler, visitors can browse and select a time that works best for both parties, then enter intake information so your client has everything they need for their appointment. Your clients can also require credit card information at booking to reduce no-shows.
Member Sites: Offer paying subscribers exclusive content through Member Sites. These can empower clients to monetize their expertise, whether it’s how-to videos, music, podcasts, or food recipes, through members-only experiences tailored to the client’s target audience.
Squarespace Payments: Integrate Squarespace Payments, an all-in-one payment processor built directly into Squarespace, to help your client scale their business from a single dashboard. With it, they can securely sell products, services, and digital downloads while effortlessly managing transactions and accelerating payouts.
For clients that need specific third-party tools, Squarespace Extensions connect to apps covering inventory management, shipping, customer service, print-on-demand, and more.
“One of the biggest client needs was the ability to make website updates themselves. When you’re running a business, you don’t have unlimited time, and having to learn a complex backend or message a designer every time you want a change becomes frustrating quickly and slows the business down. That’s where Squarespace stood out immediately from every other platform.”
4. Collaboration-friendly
Squarespace offers tools designers can use to work with their client, during the site build and following site handoff, without impacting each other’s workflows. By editing contributor permissions, you can specify how individuals can change and contribute to the website. This helps keep your designs intact while clients add content, review pages, or update copy.
When it’s officially time to hand off the site, you can transfer ownership within the platform, which takers care of the domain, billing, and site access. Because Squarespace is also designed for non-technical clients, they can update their own site without breaking layouts or reaching out to you for every change.
5. Search-optimized sites
Your clients’ sites can stand out in search engines and AI chatbots with Squarespace’s built-in SEO and AEO capabilities. Squarespace handles many of the essentials, including:
AI-generated and optimized product descriptions and metadata
AI visibility, a tool to monitor how a client’s site appears across AI search results, including ChatGPT and Perplexity
Images automatically convert to the WebP file format for faster load times
Automatically structured JSON-LD schema markup for products, blog posts, and event pages
Free SSL certificates for all domains, improving site trust and search security
“I’ve tried other CMSs since, but Squarespace has always remained my favorite. It’s still the most enjoyable and reliable platform for me and my clients. The blog feature is incredibly useful. It’s really easy to manage and update regularly, which is so important for SEO and AEO nowadays.”
6. Expert support to solve your challenges
There may be times when site builds get complicated and you need help. You and your clients can reach Customer Support for answers to any of your questions regarding building on Squarespace or your account. They’re available via email 24/7 as well as live chat during select hours from Monday through Friday.
As a Circle partner, you’ll receive prioritized customer support, and as a Circle Platinum Partner, you can access a queue dedicated to you and fellow Platinum Partners. You can also connect with Circle in a partners-only forum, which also includes status-specific areas, to get expert answers to your questions from fellow partners and Squarespace team members.
Squarespace vs. other site builders
You have a lot of site design options available to you. Here’s a look at how Squarespace compares.
Squarespace vs. Wix
Wix offers a drag-and-drop editor, and includes hosting, design templates, SEO tools, and ecommerce features.
Here’s how Wix compares to Squarespace:
| Wix | Squarespace | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan with ads, or from $17/mo (annual) | From $16/mo (annual) |
| Website templates | Large library of customizable templates | Curated, design-led templates for any use case |
| Ecommerce features | Higher-tier plans required to sell physical or digital products online and in-person | Native tools for products, appointments, invoicing, POS, and subscriptions |
| AI website builder | AI websites generated using a chatbot system | Interactive AI design system that preserves your creative control |
| Integrations | App market for adding site functionality and customization | Third-party extensions for inventory, shipping, and finance management, print on demand, customer service, translation, and more |
| Ease of handoff | Total drag-and-drop freedom risks broken layouts; settings scattered across tools | Responsive grid protects layouts; intuitive interface for non-technical clients |
“Squarespace makes it easy to adjust layouts, colors, fonts, and logos in a way that’s true to our brand. Invoicing also makes it super easy to calculate sales tax, which is just one less thing I have to worry about.”
Learn more about how Squarespace compares to Wix and other Wix alternatives.
Squarespace vs. Shopify
Shopify is a platform dedicated to ecommerce that lets individuals and businesses create, customize, and manage online stores.
Here’s how Shopify compares to Squarespace:
| Shopify | Squarespace | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $29/mo (annual) | From $16/mo (annual) |
| Website templates | Free and premium templates with ecommerce focus | Curated, design-led templates for any use case |
| Ecommerce features | Products, POS, native payments, multi-channel selling; event sales and appointments via third-party only | Native tools for products, appointments, invoicing, POS, and subscriptions |
| AI website builder | AI websites generated using a chatbot system | Interactive AI design system that preserves your creative control |
| Email marketing | Templates, AI assistance, and automated messages | Built-in campaigns with templates, AI writing, and website-triggered automation |
| Ease of handoff | Clients navigate separate sections for products, orders, payments, and settings | Single-process handoff optimized for non-technical clients |
Learn more about how Squarespace compares to Shopify and Shopify alternatives.
Squarespace vs. WordPress
WordPress is a free, open-source content management system (CMS) used to create and manage websites.
Here’s how WordPress compares to Squarespace:
| WordPress | Squarespace | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Limited free plan, or from $4/mo (annual) | From $16/mo (annual) |
| Website templates | Customizable website themes | Curated, design-led templates for any use case |
| Ecommerce features | Products, POS, payments, multi-channel; event sales and appointments via third-party only | Built-in tools to sell products and services, including unlimited products, event sales, appointment booking, in-person POS, subscriptions, end-to-end client project management and invoicing, multi-channel selling, and native payments |
| AI website builder | AI websites generated using a chatbot system | Interactive AI design system that preserves your creative control |
| Email marketing | Available with plugins | Built-in campaigns with templates, AI writing, and website-triggered automation |
| Ease of handoff | Requires manual plugin updates, file and database migration, and hosting setup. Clients manage content via the Gutenberg block editor. | One-click ownership transfer; extensions update automatically; layouts are harder to break |
“After years of wrangling WordPress installs, [Squarespace] felt like a breath of fresh air. Less faff, no maintenance headaches, and cleaner design options.”
Learn more about how Squarespace compares to WordPress.
Squarespace vs. Webflow
Webflow is an AI-native, no-code platform used to design, build, and host custom websites visually.
Here’s how Webflow compares to Squarespace:
| Webflow | Squarespace | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Limited free plan, or from $15/mo (annual) | From $16/mo (annual) |
| Website templates | Free and paid templates | Curated, design-led templates for any use case |
| Ecommerce features | Sell ecommerce products on higher-priced plans, service selling available via plugins or third-party integrations | Full ecommerce suite built in, including service selling; no third-party tools required |
| AI website builder | Generates a home page and style guide; page limits on free plans | Interactive AI design system that preserves your creative control |
| Email marketing | Form submissions connect to external tools for management | Built-in campaigns with templates, AI writing, and website-triggered automation |
| Ease of handoff | Clients manage content via a separate editor interface; forms connect to external tools | Intuitive interface; built-in form management; low risk of clients breaking layouts |
Learn more about how Squarespace compares to Webflow.
Squarespace vs. GoDaddy
GoDaddy is an internet domain registrar and web hosting company that also offers a website builder tool.
Here’s how GoDaddy compares to Squarespace:
| GoDaddy | Squarespace | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Limited free plan, or from $9.99/mo (annual) | From $16/mo (annual) |
| Website templates | Customizable templates | Curated, design-led templates for any use case |
| Ecommerce features | Multi-channel selling and unlimited products on Commerce plan only | Full ecommerce suite across all plans, including appointments and invoicing |
| AI website builder | AI-generated site via guided questions | Interactive AI design system that preserves your creative control |
| Email marketing | Third-party integration only | Built-in campaigns with templates, AI writing, and website-triggered automation |
| Ease of handoff | Domain and site must transfer separately; payment method requires manual update in billing settings | One-click ownership transfer; extensions update automatically; layouts are harder to break |
“I love the invoicing, proposal, and project management features within Squarespace. The seamless flow from client inquiry forms straight into proposals and contracts, and finally to invoicing, has eliminated the hassle of juggling multiple platforms, and make it feel like a true all-in-one solution.”
Learn more about how Squarespace compares to GoDaddy.
Which web design platform is right for your clients?
Circle Platinum Partner Becca Harpain puts it plainly: pick one site builder, go deep on it, and your value to clients grows. Here’s a quick framework for matching the platform to your client’s needs.
| Your client's primary need | Platform to consider |
|---|---|
| A polished marketing site they can maintain themselves | Squarespace |
| Service-based business with appointments, invoicing, and a site | Squarespace |
| Product store with a wide catalog and high sales volume | Squarespace or Shopify |
| Content-heavy site requiring extensive custom plugins | WordPress |
| Highly custom build for a technically capable client | Webflow |
| Primarily needs domain registration and basic hosting | Squarespace or GoDaddy |
Read more about why Circle partners continue using Squarespace for their client projects:
This article was originally published on August 14, 2023. It has since been updated.
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