Updated 16 April 2026
Squarespace Basic Plan: Features, Limits, and Who It Is For
$16
/month (annual)
$25
/month (monthly)
Annual billing saves $108 per year
Everything Included in Basic
Unlimited bandwidth and storage
No traffic caps or storage limits. Your site can handle traffic spikes without throttling or overage charges.
Free custom domain (first year)
Choose a .com, .net, .org, or other TLD when you sign up for an annual plan. After the first year, renewal costs $20 to $70 per year depending on the extension.
SSL certificate
Free SSL included on all plans. Your site loads over HTTPS automatically, which is essential for SEO and visitor trust.
All website templates
Access to all 150+ professionally designed templates. Switch templates at any time without losing your content.
Basic SEO tools
Page titles, meta descriptions, URL slugs, alt text, and automatic sitemap generation. Enough for basic search engine optimisation.
2 contributors
Your account plus one additional user. Contributors can edit content, manage settings, or have view-only access depending on their role.
30 minutes of video storage
Upload and host video directly on Squarespace. For anything longer, embed from YouTube or Vimeo instead.
Mobile-responsive design
All templates are fully responsive. Preview how your site looks on desktop, tablet, and mobile in the editor.
E-commerce (basic)
You can sell products on Basic, but you pay the highest processing fee at 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. No abandoned cart recovery or POS.
What Basic Does Not Include
Custom CSS/JavaScript injection
You cannot add custom code to your site on Basic. Upgrade to Core if you need Google Analytics code, custom tracking, or design tweaks beyond the Style Editor.
Premium integrations
Mailchimp, Zapier, OpenTable, and other premium integrations require Core or above.
Advanced analytics
Basic includes simple traffic stats. For detailed analytics with referrer data, search keywords, and geographic breakdowns, you need Core.
Unlimited contributors
Limited to 2 contributors. If you have a team of writers, editors, or multiple admins, you need Core.
Abandoned cart recovery
This e-commerce feature (which recovers 5 to 15% of lost sales) requires Core or above.
POS integration
Point-of-sale hardware integration for in-person selling requires Core or above.
Who Should Choose Basic
Basic is perfect for:
- ✓ Personal portfolios showcasing photography, design, art, or writing
- ✓ Simple blogs with one or two authors
- ✓ Single-page landing sites or event pages
- ✓ Hobby projects and personal websites
- ✓ Students building their first professional site
Consider upgrading to Core if you need:
- ⚠ More than 2 contributors
- ⚠ Custom code injection (Google Analytics, tracking pixels, custom CSS)
- ⚠ Premium integrations like Mailchimp or Zapier
- ⚠ Lower processing fees for selling (2.7% vs 2.9%)
- ⚠ Abandoned cart recovery for your online store
How to Get Basic Cheaper
- Student discount (50% off first year): Verified through Student Beans, the student discount drops Basic to just $8 per month for the first year of annual billing. That is $96 for your first full year including a free domain. See all discounts.
- Annual billing: Paying annually instead of monthly saves $108 per year ($16/month vs $25/month) and includes a free custom domain worth $20 to $70.
- Promotional codes: Squarespace regularly offers 10 to 20% off for new users. Check the Squarespace site or wait for a promo email after your free trial ends.