Pick Square if you already sell in person and want your website tied to Square Point of Sale and its inventory; pick Squarespace if the site's design and content come first. Square's website builder starts free, while Squarespace's Basic plan is $19 a month or $12 a month paid annually.
The verdict: shop counter or design-led site
These two get mixed up because the names are so close, but they come at websites from opposite ends. Square is a point of sale company that also builds online stores. Squarespace is a website builder that also lets you sell. That one difference decides it for most people.
If you've got a shop, a cafe or a salon already running on Square at the till, Square's website builder is the obvious fit: your online store plugs straight into Square Point of Sale and shares one inventory. If you're a consultant, creative or brand where the look of the site sells the work, Squarespace is the stronger pick. Everything below comes from Square's online store page and Squarespace's pricing page, as of Nov 2026.
Square: where it wins
Square says its online store integrates with Square Point of Sale to give you a full picture of your business. Inventory is managed across all store locations and sales channels, so you don't oversell, and customer data such as sales history and loyalty points sits in one central directory that covers every channel. For a business selling both in person and online, that's the real draw.
It's also cheap to start. Square describes it as a free online store, and its FAQ says that on the Square Free plan there are no monthly fees or startup costs. You can choose a single ordering page or a multi-page site, then sync your Square Point of Sale items and start selling.
- Customizable e-commerce themes with no coding necessary.
- Shipping, local delivery with third-party couriers or your own staff, and free in-store pickup of online orders.
- Built-in SEO tools and integrations with Google and Meta.
- Customer accounts that track orders and show tailored product recommendations.
- Scheduled product drops and flash sales, promoted with pop-ups and banners.
- Email and text marketing, loyalty rewards and eGift cards, through Square's other products.
- No locked-in contracts: upgrade or cancel anytime.
If your business runs on appointments rather than products, it's worth comparing Square with dedicated booking and scheduling tools before you decide.
Square: where it falls short
Here's the catch people miss: Square has renamed Square Online to 'websites'. Its FAQ says only the name changed and the features are the same, but if you're searching Square's site for Square Online and finding a page called websites, that's why.
The bigger gap is clarity on plans. Square's page lists paid tiers above Free, one adding expanded site customization, advanced item settings, QR code ordering and subscriptions, and a top tier with real-time shipping rates, advanced reporting and 24/7 support. But the plan names and monthly prices don't appear in the page text, so you'll need Square's live pricing page for those. And the design side is template-led: good for a store, less flexible if you want a site that looks unlike anyone else's.
Squarespace: where it wins
Squarespace leads with design. It offers templates and built-in AI tools on every plan, and Core adds complete customization with CSS and JavaScript, so a developer can build on top of a template rather than around it.
Prices are clear. Squarespace is free for 14 days, and paying annually saves up to 36%. Basic is $19 a month paid monthly or $12 a month paid annually. Core, the plan Squarespace recommends, is $27 a month paid monthly or $17 a month paid annually.
- Annual plans include one year of free domain registration on eligible domains.
- No limit on the number of products and services you can sell, on every plan.
- Invoices sent for free on all plans.
- Selling courses, memberships and other digital content.
- Core adds unlimited contributors, advanced website analytics, sales funnel analytics and API integrations.
- On select plans, one Google Workspace account is free for the first year when you register or connect a domain.
Because Squarespace is built around content, it also suits anyone growing an email audience from their site. My guide to turning a newsletter into a lead source pairs well with a Squarespace blog.
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Squarespace: where it falls short
Basic caps you at up to 2 contributors, so a team will need Core. The free domain only lasts the first year and renews at the standard rate after that, and the free Google Workspace account renews at the standard rate after its first year too. On Basic, online store sales carry a 2% transaction fee, which drops to 0% on Core. Squarespace does list a point of sale option for face-to-face payments, but only in the U.S. and U.K., and it isn't the centre of the product the way the till is for Square.
And there's no free plan: once the 14 days are up, you're paying. Square's Free plan, by contrast, lets you sell online without a monthly fee.
How to choose in one minute
Already on Square at the till? Use Square's website builder and keep one inventory. Building a portfolio, a service business or a content-led brand? Squarespace, and start on Core if more than two people will edit the site or you want custom code. Neither is the wrong tool; they're built for different businesses.
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Quick answers
Is Square Online the same as Squarespace?
No. Square Online is Square's online store builder, now renamed websites, and ties into Square Point of Sale; Squarespace is a separate website builder company.
How much is Squarespace Basic?
Basic is $19 a month paid monthly or $12 a month paid annually.
Is Square's website builder free?
Square says its Free plan has no monthly fees or startup costs, so you can build and run a store without a subscription.
Does Squarespace have a free trial?
Yes, Squarespace is free for 14 days.
