Squarespace is an all-in-one hosted website builder that’s known for its polished, designer-quality templates. It’s popular with creatives, portfolios, and small businesses.
Background
Squarespace is proprietary, subscription-based, hosted software. Anthony Casalena founded it in 2003 out of his dorm room at the University of Maryland, and it’s since grown into a publicly traded company. Like Wix, everything — hosting, security, and software updates — is handled for you. There’s no permanent free tier, just paid plans after a trial.
Why People Choose Squarespace
- Award-winning, mobile-responsive templates with a strong sense of design.
- Built-in blogging, e-commerce, and appointment scheduling (through Acuity).
- Built-in email marketing campaigns and domain registration.
- Reliable managed hosting and automatic updates, with nothing to install.
- Especially strong for portfolios, photographers, restaurants, and creative professionals.
Squarespace is for people who want a good-looking, put-together site without hiring a designer. It’s not as flexible or extendable as WordPress, and there’s no big third-party plugin marketplace, but the templates and built-in tools are really polished.
Quick Facts
- Type: Proprietary, hosted (SaaS)
- Founded: 2003
- Founder: Anthony Casalena
- Best for: Portfolios, creatives, and design-focused sites
- Cost: Paid subscription (free trial only)
- Hosting: Included — nothing to install