What Does Building A Squarespace Website Actually Cost In 2025?
You probably didn’t wake up this morning thinking, “I’d love to drop a few grand on building a website today!”
(But if you did, our contact form is right here.)
Nah, it’s more like:
You’re feeling good about your business and know exactly who you like working with. You’re finally charging what you want, or at least building up the courage to. People are finding you, booking you, recommending you. Things are rolling.
But your website still feels…wobbly.
A little outdated, pieced together, and still clinging to the dusty pink from your 2017 Pinterest vision board. Or maybe you’re still sending potential clients to your Instagram and hoping they don’t click away before DMing you.
So you start poking around to find out what building a Squarespace website truly costs.
Squarespace says it’s $20 a month.
A few clicks later, you realize—that’s just the software.
What you’re really trying to figure out is:
How much does it cost to have a website that makes you look legit, draws in the right people, and lets you get back to running your business, instead of constantly fussing with your site?
We’ve built Squarespace sites for brand new businesses still getting their first leads and for seasoned pros finally done with their DIY patchwork. Across the board, the same questions pop up:
What’s this actually going to cost me?
What’s worth splurging on?
Can I get away with doing parts myself?
So let’s get into what it actually costs to build a Squarespace website in 2025, surprise fees included, and what’s worth the cash.
It’s More Than Just a Plan: Real Squarespace Website Costs Per Year
Squarespace is known for its clean templates and flat monthly fees. Their pricing page makes it all look pretty straightforward—pick a plan, grab a domain, and you’re good to go.
And yes, technically, your base costs are simple:
Plan: anywhere from $20–$50 a month, depending on whether you need basic pages, scheduling, e-commerce, or more advanced features.
Domain: roughly $20–$40 per year, after the first free year that most plans throw in.
Google Workspace: around $10–$30 a month for a branded email.
But that’s just your foundational cost to keep the lights on and your site live.
It’s missing everything else that actually makes it work. The part that turns a blank template into something that feels like your business and convinces people to hire you
Because the real difference in what you’ll spend, and what you’ll get back, comes down to how you build your site.
(Not sure if Squarespace is the right platform for you? See how it stacks up with Showit here!)
Pre-Work Costs: What You’ll Pay For Before Building A Squarespace Website
Before you ever pick a Squarespace plan or hire a designer, there are two big costs to consider that most people overlook: branding and photos.
Because your website is only as good as what you put on it. A stunning layout still flops harder than a toddler on a sugar crash if it’s stuffed with pixelated logos and vacation selfies.
So, what do branding and photos run?
A full custom brand can range anywhere from $2,000 to $8,000+, depending on how deep you go with strategy and deliverables. Don’t worry though, there are more affordable options like our semi-custom branding kit!
It’s what Trivarna did when she launched her online writing community—grabbed our Knots & Petals brand kit, had us customize it, and then launched a full rebrand, without the full rebrand price tag.
Photos are next. Sure, you can DIY them, but between staging, shooting, editing, and reshooting when half of them turn out weird, that “free” approach usually costs you more time than you’d think.
Professional brand shoots typically range from $400 on the low end to $2,000+ for multiple outfits, locations, and looks.
Worth it? Pretty much always
TL; DR: By the time you’re ready to start building your actual website, most people have already invested $500 to $3,000+ on visuals alone.
Hidden Squarespace Website Costs: Your Time, Energy & Lost Sales
Here’s what most people don’t factor in when they decide to DIY their Squarespace site: it’s not just the dollars you save up front—it’s the hours (and weekends) you’re about to sink into figuring it all out.
Because sure, you can pick a template, choose some colours, and download a $30 font off Creative Market. But then comes the actual work:
Thinking about user experience and flow
Writing all your copy from scratch
Tweaking every section so it lines up on mobile
Trying to get your booking or shop set up without breaking something else
If you’re lucky? You’ll be done in 30 hours. More likely? It’s closer to 50 or 100…especially if you’re deep diving into SEO or learning Squarespace from scratch.
And if your time is worth even $50 an hour, that’s a $5k project right there.
Not to mention the missed opportunities while your half-finished site is slowing you down. We’re talking fewer inquiries, slower bookings, or people bouncing because your messaging isn’t clear yet.
We’ve had clients spend six months piecing their site together on nights and weekends only to throw up their hands, come to us, and have a professional website done in 5 days.
Squarespace Website Costs: DIY vs Template vs Freelancer vs Studio
Alright, let’s break this down. There’s more than one way to build a Squarespace site, and each comes with its own trade-offs in cost, time, and how fast it pays you back.
DIYing your Squarespace website
Most folks start here—bootstrapping their own site on nights and weekends.
It costs the least in dollars, but the most in your time. Expect to sink 50+ hours into learning Squarespace, writing copy, tweaking mobile layouts, and crossing your fingers your email, Instagram, and booking system connect.
Buying templates and workbooks
Next up: investing in a website template and grabbing a copy workbook so you know things are technically going in the right direction.
Looks sharper, sounds a bit clearer, but you’re still spending your weekends pulling your site together and hoping it looks different enough than the other 247 people who bought the same template.
Hiring a collection of freelancers
Here’s where you hire one, two, maybe even three separate freelancers to each do their own thing.
But because they’re working separately, your visuals and words don’t always feel like they’re riding in tandem 😉. The end result? A site that looks great, reads great, but might not tie together in a way that clicks with your clients.
Bringing in a one-stop website studio
The final option? Pay one team (hi, that’s us) to handle your website copy and design from start to finish.
Sure, it looks pricier on paper. But by the time you tally up your time, the DIY do-overs, and the clients who bounce because your site’s a little all over the place? It’s often the smarter, faster, and honestly, cheaper move.
Plus, you end up with a site that gets your dream clients to hit the brakes and book.
So…What Does Building A Squarespace Website With Us Cost All In?
You’ve seen what goes into this by now. The money, the weekends lost to DIY rabbit holes, the hours you could’ve spent actually working with clients or…you know…living your life.
So here’s what it really looks like if you hire us to handle your website—copy, design, strategy, all working together from the start.
All in, expect to pay somewhere between $3,500–$8,000, including:
A brand photo shoot you’ll book yourself (usually $300–$2,000)
Branding and stock photos (snag our semi-custom brand kits for $997)
Your domain and Squarespace plan ($20-60 a month)
An all-in-one, professional website
Website in a Week: $4,850 for a 5-page site
Starter Kit: $2,400 for a one-page site
But here’s the thing: Most of our clients make that back after one or two projects.
Because when your website actually does its job—showing off who you are, who you help, and why you’re the best pick? It stops being just another invoice and starts being the thing that pays for itself on repeat.
Tired of wobbling on training wheels?
