5 Cheaper Squarespace Alternatives in 2026 for Small Business Websites

Squarespace is known for beautiful templates and an all-in-one experience. You pay for that polish: in 2026 the Personal plan is about $16/month billed annually or $25 month-to-month, the Business plan about $23 annually ($36 monthly), and commerce plans run from about $28 to $52 annually ($40–72 monthly). The Business plan also charges a 3% transaction fee on sales, and add-ons such as email campaigns, scheduling (Acuity) and member areas cost extra. Squarespace is gradually renaming its plans (Basic, Core, Plus, Advanced), so check which plan you are on.

If you need a straightforward website for a small business, freelancer or portfolio, you can get a professional result for a fraction of the price.

What Squarespace actually costs in 2026

There is a 14-day free trial but no permanent free plan. A free custom domain is included for the first year on annual plans. The current tiers are listed on Squarespace's official pricing page.

The 5 cheaper alternatives at a glance

How we picked these alternatives

We compared price for a typical small-business site (custom domain, SSL, contact form, a few pages, possibly a blog), template quality, ease of editing and options to grow. Prices checked 27 October 2026.

1. WordPress.com

Price: Free; Personal $4/month annual ($9 monthly); Premium $8 ($18); Business $25 ($40); Commerce $45 ($70). See WordPress.com's official pricing page for current plans.

WordPress.com is the hosted version of WordPress, run by Automattic. WordPress powers more than 40% of all websites, and WordPress.com takes care of hosting, security, backups and updates for you — closer to Squarespace's all-in-one experience than self-hosted WordPress, but much cheaper at the entry level.

WordPress.com pricing in detail

What you get

• A custom domain site from $4 a month — about a quarter of Squarespace Personal.
• Best-in-class blogging, with categories, tags, scheduling, newsletters and comments built in.
• The full plugin ecosystem on Business — 60,000+ plugins for SEO, forms, bookings, memberships and more.
• Managed hosting with automatic updates, backups and security monitoring.
• Easy upgrade path to a full online store with WooCommerce on Commerce.
• Portability — you can export your site to any WordPress host.

Where it falls short

• Plugins and custom code need the Business plan. Personal and Premium are limited to built-in features.
• The block editor has a learning curve compared with Squarespace's visual sections.
• Design polish depends on your theme choice.

Who it's best for

Bloggers, publishers, consultants and small businesses whose website is mostly content. Skip it if you want a drag-and-drop designer with no learning curve.

2. Wix

Price: Light about $17/month annual; Core about $29; Business about $39; Business Elite about $159. Monthly billing costs up to ~40% more. See Wix's official pricing page for current plans.

Wix, founded in Israel in 2006, is the world's most-used website builder, with hundreds of millions of registered users. Where Squarespace gives you structured, elegant sections, Wix's editor lets you drag any element anywhere on the page — and it backs that freedom with a large set of built-in business apps for bookings, events, restaurants, stores and online courses.

Wix pricing in detail

A free domain is included for the first year on annual plans.

What you get

• True drag-and-drop freedom with 800+ designer templates.
• Wix AI site builder that drafts a full site from a short conversation.
• Wix Bookings, Events, Restaurants, Hotels and Online Programs — business apps that would need third-party tools on Squarespace.
• Wix Studio for agencies building responsive client sites.
• Hosting, SSL, security and backups included.
• App Market with hundreds of extra features.

Where it falls short

• You cannot switch templates after publishing — a redesign means rebuilding.
• Entry-plan savings are modest versus Squarespace Personal; the advantage shows when you need bookings, events or commerce.
• No export — sites cannot be moved to another platform.

Good to know

For appointment-based businesses, Wix Core includes booking features that Squarespace sells through its separate Acuity Scheduling subscription.

Who it's best for

Owners who want design freedom and built-in business apps without code. Skip it if your only goal is the lowest price.

3. Hostinger Website Builder

Price: $2.99–7.99/month on a 48-month term (renewing at $10.99–25.99); $11.99 month-to-month. No transaction fees. See Hostinger Website Builder's official pricing page for current plans.

Hostinger, a web host founded in Lithuania in 2004, serves millions of customers worldwide. Its Website Builder bundles an AI site builder with hosting, SSL, business email and a free domain, at the lowest headline prices of any mainstream builder.

Hostinger pricing in detail

Higher tiers add e-commerce features. Hostinger charges no transaction fees; your payment provider's fees still apply.

What you get

• AI website builder that creates pages, text and images from a short description.
• Drag-and-drop editor with templates for common business types.
• Hosting, SSL and business email included.
• Online store features on higher plans — products, payments, shipping and order management.
• AI tools for logos, product descriptions and SEO.
• Free domain for the first year on longer terms.

Where it falls short

• The cheapest prices need a four-year prepayment, and renewals are two to three times higher.
• Fewer premium templates and less design polish than Squarespace.
• Limited advanced features for complex sites.

Good to know

Even at renewal prices, Hostinger's entry plan stays below Squarespace Business — but compare the four-year total, not the headline monthly figure.

Who it's best for

Small businesses that want a professional site for the least money. Skip it if you dislike long prepayments.

4. Carrd

Price: Free; Pro Lite $9/year (3 sites); Pro Standard $19/year (10 sites); Pro Plus $49/year (25 sites). See Carrd's official pricing page for current plans.

Carrd is a one-person company that makes beautiful one-page websites. Its yearly price is lower than a single month of Squarespace, and it has become a favourite for portfolios, personal sites, product launches and link-in-bio pages.

Carrd pricing in detail

Carrd only offers annual billing. Domains are purchased separately.

What you get

• Polished, mobile-perfect templates for portfolios, profiles, landing pages and coming-soon pages.
• Custom domains on every Pro plan.
• Forms connected to email, Mailchimp, Google Sheets and other services.
• Stripe and PayPal buttons for simple payments.
• Embeds for video, maps, calendars and widgets.
• Very fast hosting included.

Where it falls short

• One page per site — no multi-page navigation.
• No blog or real online store.
• Domains are not included.

Good to know

A freelancer's portfolio on Carrd Pro Standard costs $19 a year plus a domain — versus about $192 a year for Squarespace Personal.

Who it's best for

Freelancers, creators and start-ups that need a single beautiful page. Skip it if you need several pages, a blog or a shop.

5. Strikingly

Price: Free (5% transaction fee on sales); Limited about $8–12/month; Pro $16/month annual ($20 monthly); VIP $49 ($59). See Strikingly's official pricing page for current plans.

Strikingly, founded in 2012, specialises in quick, mobile-friendly websites built from stacked sections. It is aimed at individuals, start-ups and small businesses that want something live today, with simple selling and membership features built in.

Strikingly pricing in detail

What you get

• Section-based editor that is quick to learn.
• Mobile-optimised templates.
• Simple online store for physical and digital products.
• Membership areas and newsletters on higher plans.
• 24/7 live chat support.
• Built-in analytics and basic SEO tools.

Where it falls short

• Fewer design options and integrations than Squarespace.
• Transaction fees on lower tiers.
• Less suited to large, content-heavy sites.

Good to know

Strikingly Pro on annual billing costs about the same as Squarespace Personal but includes simple e-commerce.

Who it's best for

Start-ups and individuals who want a simple, supported site with light selling. Skip it if you need advanced design control.

What you pay over two years

How to switch without losing your work

1. Export blog posts using Squarespace's WordPress export (works with WordPress.com and many others).
2. Download images and product data; pages usually need rebuilding.
3. Map every old URL and set up 301 redirects to protect search rankings.
4. Transfer your domain after the new site is live.
5. Recreate forms and connect them to your email or CRM.

Which one should you choose?

• You publish articles regularly or want room to grow with plugins: WordPress.com.
• You want pixel-level design freedom without code: Wix.
• You need a professional small-business site at the lowest cost and can prepay: Hostinger Website Builder.
• You need a portfolio, landing page or link-in-bio: Carrd.
• You want a simple site with chat support: Strikingly.

Hidden costs and gotchas

• Renewal prices. Hostinger and many builders show long-term promotional prices. Always check the renewal rate.
• Domains. Free domains usually last one year; renewals cost $15–25 a year. Carrd requires you to buy a domain separately.
• Business email. Squarespace and most builders sell email (often Google Workspace) separately. Hostinger includes basic email on many plans.
• Transaction fees. Squarespace Business and Strikingly's free plan take a percentage of sales; dedicated commerce plans remove it.
• Template lock-in. On Wix you cannot switch templates after publishing; plan your design before you build.

Our verdict

For a blog or content site, WordPress.com is the best value. Wix offers the most design freedom, Hostinger the lowest price for a small-business site (if you prepay), Carrd the best one-page sites for almost nothing, and Strikingly a simple, supported option. Stay on Squarespace only if you love its templates and value the all-in-one polish.

More cheaper alternatives: see our breakdowns of the cheaper options to Webflow, Shopify and Figma.

Related reading: Is Squarespace Good for SEO?, Is Wix Good for SEO? and Is WordPress Still Worth Using in 2026?.

Planning a switch, or not sure which tool fits the way your team works? Book a free call and we will look at your stack with you.

Prices are US list prices in USD unless marked, checked on 27 October 2026. "Annual" means the per-month price when billed yearly. Vendors change pricing often, so confirm on the vendor's site before buying. Product names and logos are trademarks of their respective owners and are used here for identification only.

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