Squarespace Just Raised Prices 26% (And What It Means If You're Renting Your Site)

Squarespace Raised Prices This Week (Up to 26%)

On July 15, 2026, Squarespace started emailing customers about price increases. <cite index="51-6,51-9">The Basic plan jumped from $16 to $19 a month (19% increase), and the Core plan, the one most small businesses use, went from $23 to $29 a month, a 26% hike.</cite>

Threads, Reddit, and the Squarespace forums are full of photographers, designers, and small business owners asking the same question: where do we go now?

<cite index="51-22,51-23">"The price has long been hard to justify and I have new reason to find something more affordable," one photographer posted.</cite> That sentiment is everywhere right now.

If you are on Squarespace and just got that email, you are not imagining it. The price went up, and depending on when your annual plan renews, you might be seeing the jump for the first time in 2026 even though the pricing structure changed in 2025.

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

The Real Problem Is Not the $6 a Month

Let me be clear. $6 extra a month is annoying, but it is not what breaks a small business budget.

The problem is that you do not control the price. You do not control the platform. You do not own anything.

<cite index="25-1,25-2">Squarespace overhauled its plan structure in 2025, ending legacy pricing. If your 2026 renewal looks higher than expected, it is because your account finally caught up with that change, or because add-ons like domain and email are stacking on top of your base plan.</cite>

You are renting. The landlord can raise the rent whenever they want, and if you want to leave, you have to rebuild your entire site somewhere else by hand. <cite index="27-28,27-29">Neither Squarespace nor Wix can import the other's site design, so switching typically means rebuilding pages by hand and re-pointing your domain. Blog posts can move in bulk, but layouts and store setups cannot.</cite>

That is the cost nobody talks about when they sign up for $16 a month.

What You Actually Own on Squarespace (Spoiler: Not Much)

Here is what you own if you are on Squarespace:

• Your domain, if you bought it through them and remember to renew it (and pay the renewal fee, which is $20 to $70 a year after the first free year)
• Your content, if you export it manually
• Nothing else

You do not own the design. You do not own the code. You do not own the layout. If Squarespace shuts down tomorrow, raises prices again next year, or decides your business violates a policy you have never heard of, your site is gone. You get to start over.

When we build a custom site, you get the files. You own the code. You can host it anywhere. You can hire anyone to work on it. If you are unhappy with us, you take your site and leave. That is ownership.

The Hidden Costs Keep Stacking

<cite index="23-1,23-2,23-3">The Basic and Advanced plans are not changing for monthly payers, but the Core plan is going from $36 to $39 monthly (8% increase), and the Plus tier is jumping 16%, from $56 to $65 per month.</cite>

And that is just the subscription. If you sell anything, Squarespace charges a 2% transaction fee on the Basic plan. <cite index="26-6,26-7">Only on the Basic plan, which charges 2% per sale. Core, Plus, and Advanced have 0% Squarespace transaction fees (your payment processor's fees still apply).</cite>

So if you are running a small online shop doing $5,000 a month in sales, <cite index="22-24,22-25">that 2% fee costs you an additional $100 to $150 a month. To eliminate those fees, you need the Core plan at $23 a month or higher.</cite> Except now Core is $29, so you are paying more just to avoid paying more.

Add email ($6 to $12 a month through Google Workspace after the trial). Add domain renewal. Add apps if you need booking, forms, or anything the base plan does not include. A "$19 a month" site can hit $60 to $80 a month pretty fast, and you still do not own it.

What a Custom Site Actually Costs (And What You Get)

Most of the small business sites we build at Maus & Co. run $999 to $3,000. You pay a deposit, we build it, you own everything.

You pick your hosting (we can recommend options for $10 to $30 a month that you control), you get the design files, and if you ever want to move or hire someone else, you can. No rebuilding. No export headaches. No waiting for Squarespace support to unlock something.

Over three years, a Squarespace Core plan at the new $29 a month costs $1,044 (and you still do not own it). A custom build for $1,500 plus $20 a month in hosting costs $1,500 + $720 = $2,220, and it is yours.

The gap is smaller than most people think, especially now.

Who Should Stay on Squarespace (Yes, Really)

Look, Squarespace is not evil. It is a well-built product. If you need a one-page portfolio, you are not selling anything, and you just want something simple you can update yourself without calling anyone, the Basic plan at $19 a month is fine.

But if you are running a business, taking payments, booking clients, or relying on your site to bring in customers, renting is expensive in ways that do not show up on the invoice.

<cite index="25-7,25-9,25-10">Squarespace is still a solid platform if you value ease of use and professional design. The trade-off with cheaper alternatives is that you will spend more time managing your site or pay someone else to do it. Squarespace's higher price includes support, automatic updates, and a polished user experience.</cite>

That is fair. But ownership is still ownership.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Squarespace raise prices in 2026?

<cite index="51-1,51-17">Squarespace increased prices by up to 26% starting July 2026, angering photographers and small business owners.</cite> The company has been adding AI tools to the platform, but most users say they did not ask for those features and do not want to pay more for them. The real reason is likely that Squarespace, like most SaaS platforms, raises prices periodically because they can.

Can I move my Squarespace site to WordPress or a custom build?

<cite index="27-28,27-29">You cannot directly import a Squarespace site design to another platform. Switching typically means rebuilding pages by hand and re-pointing your domain. Blog posts can usually be moved in bulk, but layouts, apps, and store setups cannot.</cite> That is one of the biggest lock-in costs of template platforms.

What is the cheapest way to own my website in 2026?

The cheapest way to own your site is to have it built once as a custom site (budget $999 to $3,000 depending on complexity), then host it yourself on a provider you control for $10 to $30 a month. You pay more up front, but you own the code, the design, and the relationship with your hosting company. Free quote at mausandco.com/start if you want to see what a real build would cost for your business.

Is Squarespace still worth it after the price increase?

If you need a simple site, do not sell anything, and value the convenience of an all-in-one platform, Squarespace is still a reasonable option. But if you are running a business, the price increase is a good time to ask whether renting makes sense long-term. Most of our clients who switched from Squarespace or Wix say they wish they had gone custom from the start.