Squarespace suits small businesses that want a polished site with selling, bookings and marketing tools in one place, starting with a 14-day free trial. Webflow suits designers and teams who want deep control and a CMS, with a free Starter plan for building on a webflow.io address. If you need your own domain from day one, neither free option covers it.
Squarespace and Webflow both make good-looking websites, but they ask different things of you. Squarespace bundles hosting, templates and business tools so you can launch quickly. Webflow behaves more like a visual development tool, which suits people who want to control every element.
Squarespace and Webflow head to head
| Squarespace | Webflow | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No, but every site starts with a 14-day free trial | Yes, the Starter site plan |
| Card needed to start | Not needed for the trial | Not mentioned on the plans page |
| Domain on the free option | Not stated for trial sites | webflow.io domain on Starter |
| Custom domain | Free for a year on annual plans | From the Basic site plan |
| Page limits | Not stated | 2 static pages on Starter, 300 on Basic |
| Forms | Not stated | 50 submissions on Starter, unlimited on Basic |
| Content management | Blogs, courses and memberships | Limited CMS on Starter; full CMS on higher plans |
| AI | Built-in AI tools | Webflow AI and an MCP server |
| Team | Up to 2 contributors on Basic | Free Starter Workspace |
What Squarespace bundles in
Squarespace's plans page lists Basic, Core and Advanced. Even the entry plan has built-in AI tools and room for 2 contributors, and the platform covers selling products, services, courses and memberships. Its navigation also points to email campaigns, SMS campaigns, SEO tools, invoicing and scheduling, so a service business can run a lot from one dashboard.
- Templates designed around business and personal goals.
- A free custom domain for a year on annual plans.
- Core unlocks the full set of business features.
What Webflow gives designers
Webflow's Starter plan is free and includes Webflow AI, an MCP server and Webflow Cloud app hosting, but it's capped at 2 static pages, 1 GB bandwidth and 50 form submissions on a webflow.io address. Basic lifts that to a custom domain, 300 static pages, 10 GB bandwidth, unlimited form submissions and password protection. Higher plans add the full Webflow CMS for content-heavy sites.
- Fine control over layout and interactions.
- Hosting for apps through Webflow Cloud.
- A CMS for blogs, directories and resource libraries.
Selling, bookings and apps
If the site has to take orders, Squarespace is set up for it: products, services, courses and memberships sit on the same platform as the pages, and its tools for invoicing and scheduling sit alongside. Webflow takes a builder's angle instead, with password protection from Basic and Webflow Cloud for hosting apps next to the site. A service business that sells sessions will find Squarespace quicker to set up; a team building a custom experience will find Webflow more flexible.
Free trial versus free plan
The Squarespace FAQ is direct: it doesn't offer a free plan, but every site starts with a 14-day free trial and no card is needed. Webflow's plans page takes the opposite route with a Starter plan you can keep, but at 2 static pages and a webflow.io address it's a sandbox for learning and prototyping, not a home for a business site. That's why the free options don't settle this one; what you'll build next does.
If you're on Squarespace already, my Squarespace marketing lessons for small business show what the platform does well.
Which business fits which platform
Squarespace fits coaches, consultants, salons, photographers and small shops that want to launch fast and add selling or bookings without plugins. Webflow fits agencies, designers and marketing teams that want a custom build, a content library and room for developers. It's no accident that Webflow talks about AEO on its site; my breakdown of Webflow's marketing strategy explains who it's chasing.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
My advice on Squarespace or Webflow
If you can't name a design detail Squarespace's templates won't let you do, start there and launch in a weekend. If you already sketch layouts in Figma and want a site that matches pixel for pixel, Webflow's Starter plan is a good place to learn the tool before you commit.
Do you make a website builder or website platform? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place in comparisons like this one.
Frequently asked questions
Does Squarespace have a free plan?
No. Squarespace says it doesn't offer a free plan, but every site starts with a 14-day free trial with no credit card.
Is Webflow free?
Webflow's Starter site plan is free, with a webflow.io domain, 2 static pages, 1 GB bandwidth and 50 form submissions.
Can I use my own domain on Webflow's free plan?
No. The custom domain starts on the Basic site plan; Starter uses a webflow.io address.
Does Squarespace include a domain?
Yes, on annual plans. Squarespace includes a free custom domain for the first year.
