Squarespace Alternatives — squarespace free alternative
Popular website builder with beautiful templates
Squarespace Pricing
Personal: $16/month (billed annually); Business: $23/month; Basic Commerce: $28/month; Advanced Commerce: $52/month
Squarespace is a popular website builder known for beautiful, professionally-designed templates. Pricing starts at $16/month (billed annually) for Personal, and $23/month for Business. While templates are beautiful, it's expensive compared to free alternatives, and customization is limited.
4
Free Alternatives
1
Open Source
1
Self-Hostable
$192
Est. Yearly Cost
Why Consider Squarespace Alternatives?
Use free website builders like WordPress.com (free tier) or Google Sites (completely free)
Use cheaper alternatives like Wix (free tier) or Carrd (one-time $19 for up to 3 sites)
Use open-source self-hosted options like WordPress.org (free software) + cheap hosting
Use Webflow (free tier) for more design control
Common Squarespace Pain Points
These are the top reasons users look for alternatives
Expensive ($16/month billed annually for basic plan)
Impact: Users pay significant ongoing cost for website builder
Limited customization (locked into templates)
Impact: Users hit limits when trying to customize beyond template
No free tier (only 14-day free trial)
Impact: Users must pay to continue using after trial ends
Transaction fees on lower tiers (Personal, Business)
Impact: Users pay extra fees on sales
Top-Rated Alternatives
Our highest-recommended free alternatives to Squarespace
WordPress.com is a website builder based on WordPress. The free tier includes basic website building with WordPress.com subdomain. Paid plans start at $4/month (much cheaper than Squarespace).
Why it's a good alternative: Free tier includes basic website building — much cheaper than Squarespace
BEST FOR
Users who want a cheaper website builder with more flexibility than Squarespace
KEY FEATURES
PROS
- Much cheaper than Squarespace
- Free tier available
- Huge ecosystem (plugins, themes)
- Excellent for blogging
CONS
- Free tier has limited features
- Less beautiful templates than Squarespace (out of the box)
- Learning curve for customization
Google Sites is a completely free website builder by Google. It's simple and basic, but completely free (no subscription, no branding). Good for simple sites, intranets, and project sites.
Why it's a good alternative: Completely free website builder by Google — no subscription needed
BEST FOR
Users who want a completely free, simple website builder for basic sites
KEY FEATURES
PROS
- Completely free
- No branding or subscription
- Integration with Google Workspace
- Simple and easy to use
CONS
- Very basic templates and features
- Less flexible than Squarespace or Wix
- Limited design control
Carrd is a simple website builder for one-page sites. One-time payment of $19 gives you up to 3 sites (no recurring subscription). Much cheaper than Squarespace's $16/month.
Why it's a good alternative: One-time payment ($19) for up to 3 sites — much cheaper than Squarespace subscription
BEST FOR
Users who want a simple, one-page site with no recurring subscription
KEY FEATURES
PROS
- One-time payment (much cheaper than subscription)
- Simple and easy to use
- No recurring cost
- Good for one-page sites
CONS
- One-page sites only (not for multi-page sites)
- Less feature-rich than Squarespace
- Limited templates
WordPress.org is the free, open-source website software (unlike WordPress.com, which is a hosted service). You can download and install it on your own hosting (as low as $3/month), and have full control with no subscription fees.
Why it's a good alternative: Free, open-source website software — self-host for full control and no subscription
BEST FOR
Users who want full control over their website with no subscription fees (ok with self-hosting)
KEY FEATURES
PROS
- Completely free (software)
- Self-hosted (full control, no subscription)
- Huge ecosystem (plugins, themes)
- Most popular CMS (40%+ of the web)
CONS
- Requires self-hosting setup
- Learning curve for customization
- Responsible for your own hosting and maintenance
All Squarespace Alternatives (5)
Compare features, pricing, and migration difficulty
Wix is a popular website builder with a free tier that includes basic website building (with Wix branding and subdomain). Paid plans start at $16/month (similar to Squarespace).
Why it's a good alternative: Free tier includes website building with Wix branding — good for simple sites
BEST FOR
Users who want a free or low-cost website builder with drag-and-drop
KEY FEATURES
PROS
- Free tier available
- Drag-and-drop builder is easy
- 500+ templates
- App Market for adding features
CONS
- Free tier has Wix branding and subdomain
- Less beautiful templates than Squarespace (out of the box)
- Website loading speed can be slow
Squarespace vs Free Alternatives — Detailed Comparison
| Tool | Price | Open Source | Self-Hosted | Rating | Migrate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squarespace | Paid | — | — | ||
| WordPress.com (Free Tier) | Free | — | (4.7) | Medium to migrate | |
| Wix (Free Tier) | Free | — | (4.5) | Easy to migrate | |
| Google Sites (Completely Free) | Free | — | (4.2) | Easy to migrate | |
| Carrd (One-time Payment) | Paid | — | (4.6) | Easy to migrate | |
| WordPress.org (Free, Self-hosted) | Free | (4.9) | Hard to migrate |
How to Migrate from Squarespace — Step by Step
- 1
For WordPress.com: sign up for free tier, pick a theme, and start building
- 2
For Wix: sign up for free tier, use drag-and-drop builder, and publish (with Wix branding)
- 3
For Google Sites: sign in with Google account, create a new site, and build (completely free)
- 4
For Carrd: pay one-time $19, then build your one-page site (no recurring cost)
- 5
For WordPress.org: set up hosting ($3-10/month), install WordPress, pick a theme, and build
Pro Tips
- 💡Squarespace's templates are beautiful but limited — WordPress.org (self-hosted) gives you full control
- 💡Carrd's one-time $19 payment is much cheaper than Squarespace's $16/month subscription
- 💡If you only need a simple one-page site, Carrd is the best value
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a completely free alternative to Squarespace?
Yes. Google Sites is completely free (no subscription, no branding). WordPress.com has a free tier. Wix has a free tier (with branding).
Which Squarespace alternative is cheapest?
Google Sites (completely free). Carrd (one-time $19 for up to 3 sites). WordPress.org (self-hosted, free software + $3-10/month hosting).
Should I use WordPress.org instead of Squarespace?
If you want full control and no recurring subscription: yes. WordPress.org is free (software) + cheap hosting ($3-10/month). But you're responsible for maintenance. Squarespace is easier (managed), but you pay $16/month forever.