The best Squarespace alternative for 2026, with the newsletter included
Squarespace is beautiful, but the newsletter is a separate subscription and the entry plan takes a cut of every sale. Grigora bundles the website, the newsletter and a real online store into one plan from $12/mo, with 0% platform commission on any tier.
Last updated August 2026
Squarespace earns its reputation on design. The templates are excellent and the editor is calm to work in. The friction shows up in the bill: Email Campaigns is a separate subscription on top of the website plan, and the entry Basic plan takes 2% of every sale and 7% of digital product revenue. Grigora includes the newsletter and the store in the plan price, charges no platform commission at any tier, and adds a white-label option Squarespace has no equivalent for.
- A newsletter included in the plan rather than a second subscription
- 0% platform commission from the very first paid tier
- Structured directories and collections, not just pages and posts
- Moderated comments without a third-party embed
- To resell the platform under your own brand
- •Want the strongest out-of-the-box template design on the market
- •Rely on Squarespace-specific tools like Acuity Scheduling
- •Are happy paying separately for email and do not sell much
Squarespace alternatives at a glance
How Grigora and the other main Squarespace alternatives compare on the essentials.
| Platform | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Sales commission | Export your site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grigora | All-in-one (site + newsletter + store) | Yes | From $12/mo | 0% (processing only) | |
| Squarespace | Design-led sites | No (trial) | From $16/mo | 2% on Basic, 0% on Core+ | Partial |
| Wix | Templates & app market | Yes (Wix ads) | From $17/mo | 0% (processing only) | |
| Webflow | Designer-grade builds | Yes | From $15/mo | 0% (2% on Ecommerce Standard) | Partial |
| Shopify | Serious online stores | No (trial) | From $39/mo | 0% w/ Shopify Payments | Partial |
| WordPress.com | Blogs & content sites | Yes (ads) | From $4/mo | 0% (processing only) |
List pricing (billed annually) as of August 2026; payment-processor fees apply to all. Verify current pricing on each provider's site.
Why people switch from Squarespace to Grigora
The friction points Squarespace users hit most often, and how Grigora handles them.
The newsletter is a second subscription
Email Campaigns is never included in a website plan and scales with send volume. On Grigora the newsletter is part of the plan you already pay for.
The entry plan taxes your sales
Basic takes 2% of commerce revenue and 7% of digital product revenue. Grigora charges no platform commission on any tier.
Content that is not a blog post
Directories, listings and structured collections are awkward on Squarespace. Grigora models them as real data with their own fields.
What Squarespace does well
- The strongest template design in the category
- Every paid plan can sell, unlike some competitors
- Calm, well-built editor with a short learning curve
- 24/7 support
Where Squarespace falls short
- Email Campaigns is a separate subscription, never bundled
- Basic takes 2% of commerce and 7% of digital product revenue
- No free plan, only a 14-day trial
- No white-label resale option for agencies
Grigora vs Squarespace at a glance
The differences that actually move your monthly bill.
Website builder + paid email add-on
All-in-one platform
Grigora vs Squarespace: feature by feature
A category-by-category breakdown, pricing, AI, design, e-commerce, email, SEO, performance, and support.
Pricing & value
Grigora winsThe headline numbers look close. What separates them is what the number includes. Squarespace bills the website; the newsletter is a second subscription and the entry plan takes a slice of revenue.
| Feature | Grigora | Squarespace |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan | $12/mo | $16/mo (Basic) |
| Newsletter in that price | ||
| Top tier | $45/mo (Business) | $99/mo (Advanced) |
| Free plan | Yes | No (14-day trial) |
Takeaway: Grigora's entry plan includes the thing Squarespace charges separately for, and its top tier costs less than half of Advanced.
E-commerce & online store
Grigora winsBoth let every paid plan sell, which is a genuine Squarespace strength over Wix. The difference is the cut. Squarespace Basic charges 2% on commerce and 7% on digital products; Core and above remove it. Grigora charges no platform commission on any plan.
| Feature | Grigora | Squarespace |
|---|---|---|
| Sell on entry plan | ||
| Platform commission | 0% on all plans | 2% on Basic, 0% on Core+ |
| Digital product fee | 0% | 7% on Basic |
| Connected checkout | Stripe, Razorpay | Stripe, PayPal |
| External checkout links | PayPal, Paddle (no order sync) | Limited |
Takeaway: Selling on Squarespace's cheapest plan means giving up 2% of every order and 7% of digital revenue. On Grigora that is 0% from the start.
Newsletter & email
Grigora winsThis is the clearest gap. Squarespace Email Campaigns is never bundled with a website plan. It is a separate subscription that scales by send volume, starting around $8/mo for 500 emails. Grigora includes a newsletter on every paid plan and adds professional inboxes on your own domain.
| Feature | Grigora | Squarespace |
|---|---|---|
| Newsletter included in plan | 2,500–25,000 subscribers | Separate subscription |
| Entry cost to send email | $0 extra | From about $8/mo |
| Send from your own domain | ||
| Professional inbox | From $5/mailbox | Google Workspace add-on |
Takeaway: Squarespace plus its email add-on costs more than Grigora's plan, which already includes the newsletter.
Design & templates
Squarespace winsCredit where it is due. Squarespace's template design is the best in this category and the reason many people choose it. Grigora leans on AI generation and a block editor rather than a curated template gallery.
| Feature | Grigora | Squarespace |
|---|---|---|
| Curated template quality | Good | Best in class |
| AI first draft from a prompt | Limited | |
| Switch design after launch | Block-based restyle | Template swap supported |
| Fine-grained visual control | Block editor | Strong |
Takeaway: If the site is a portfolio and design is the product, Squarespace deserves the win here.
Blog, CMS & directories
Grigora winsSquarespace was built as a CMS and blogs well. Grigora goes further on structure: collections and directories with their own fields, plus moderated comments and content export.
| Feature | Grigora | Squarespace |
|---|---|---|
| Blogging | ||
| Structured directories & listings | Limited | |
| Built-in comments & moderation | Included, with admin replies | Built-in comments |
| AI blog writer | Limited | |
| Export your posts | Partial |
Takeaway: Both blog well. Only Grigora models directories and listings as real data.
AI features
Grigora winsSquarespace includes a modest monthly AI credit allowance that scales with the plan. Grigora treats AI as the primary way you start a site and includes far larger allowances.
| Feature | Grigora | Squarespace |
|---|---|---|
| AI first-draft site from a prompt | Limited | |
| AI credits included | 15,000–250,000 | 10–120/mo |
| AI blog and copy writing | Partial |
Takeaway: Different philosophies: Squarespace adds AI to a design tool, Grigora starts from the prompt.
Analytics & reporting
Grigora winsBoth include analytics in the dashboard. Grigora keeps traffic, content and store data in one workspace so the numbers sit beside the pages they describe.
| Feature | Grigora | Squarespace |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in site analytics | ||
| Privacy-friendly, cookie-light tracking | Varies | |
| Reporting tied to content and orders | Same workspace | Across products |
| Advanced reports | Included | Higher plans |
Takeaway: Comparable data, but Grigora does not put the deeper reports behind a plan upgrade.
White label & agencies
Grigora winsSquarespace runs a Circle programme for professionals, with referral discounts and shared billing. It is not a white-label resale product: client sites remain Squarespace sites. Grigora sells White Label as a plan, so you resell the platform under your own brand and your own pricing.
| Feature | Grigora | Squarespace |
|---|---|---|
| Resell under your own brand | White Label plan | |
| Your own pricing and plans | ||
| Client billing under your brand | Shared billing only | |
| Professional programme | White Label plan | Circle (referral/perks) |
Takeaway: For agencies that want the platform to carry their name rather than Squarespace's, there is no Squarespace equivalent.
SEO & site speed
Grigora winsBoth produce clean, indexable sites with the usual on-page controls. Grigora adds a large free SEO toolkit and IndexNow submission on top of server-rendered output.
| Feature | Grigora | Squarespace |
|---|---|---|
| Meta, schema and sitemap controls | ||
| Free SEO tools suite | 199 tools | |
| IndexNow submission | ||
| Server-rendered pages and CDN |
Takeaway: Fundamentals are even. The free toolkit and IndexNow are Grigora extras.
Ownership, export & support
Grigora winsSquarespace lets you export some content, though the export is partial and design does not come with it. Grigora supports content import and export so your writing is not trapped.
| Feature | Grigora | Squarespace |
|---|---|---|
| Export your content | Partial | |
| Migrate a blog in | Migration tool | Import supported |
| Support | Email, priority on higher plans | 24/7 email and chat |
Takeaway: Neither locks your writing away entirely, but Grigora's import and export path is the more complete one.
Grigora vs Squarespace pricing
Squarespace bills the website and sells the newsletter separately. Grigora puts the site, the newsletter and the store in one price.
Website, newsletter & store in one plan
Annual rates shown, matching how Squarespace advertises. Month-to-month is higher. The newsletter and a built-in store are included on every plan, with 0% platform commission.
Website plan, newsletter sold separately
Annual rates; month-to-month is higher. Email Campaigns is a separate subscription starting around $8/mo for 500 emails. No free plan, 14-day trial only.
Grigora Starter ($12/mo) includes a newsletter and a 0% commission store. Squarespace Basic ($16/mo) includes neither, and adding Email Campaigns widens the gap further.
The real cost: Grigora vs Squarespace
Sticker price is not the whole story. On Squarespace the newsletter and a professional inbox are separate line items, and the entry plan takes a percentage of revenue.
| What you pay for | Squarespace | Grigora |
|---|---|---|
| Base website plan | $16–$99/mo | $12–$45/mo (all-in) |
| Newsletter | Separate, from about $8/mo | Included (2,500–25,000 subs) |
| Commission on sales | 2% on Basic, 7% digital | 0% on every plan |
| Professional email inbox | Google Workspace add-on | From $5/mailbox (optional) |
| SEO tooling | Third-party subscriptions | 199 free tools |
Is Grigora the right Squarespace alternative for you?
Where Grigora is the strongest Squarespace alternative, by use case.
Best Squarespace alternative for creators with a list
The newsletter is in the plan, not a second invoice that grows with your subscriber count.
… for small stores
Sell from the entry plan with 0% platform commission instead of handing over 2% of orders and 7% of digital revenue.
… for directories and listings
Model listings as structured collections with their own fields rather than forcing them into blog posts.
… for agencies
Resell the whole platform under your own brand and pricing, which Squarespace's Circle programme does not offer.
Which one is right for you?
Choose Grigora if…
- You want the newsletter included rather than billed separately
- You sell and would rather keep the 2% and 7% cuts
- You need directories or listings, not just pages and posts
- You want moderated comments without an embed
- You are an agency that wants to resell under your own brand
Choose Squarespace if…
- •Template design quality is the single most important factor
- •You use Acuity Scheduling or other Squarespace-native tools
- •You do not email a list and rarely sell
How to switch from Squarespace to Grigora
Squarespace supports a partial content export, so your writing can come with you. The design is rebuilt, and the AI does most of that work.
- 1
Start your Grigora site
Describe your business in a sentence and the AI generates a first-draft site with pages, layout and copy.
- 2
Export and import your content
Export your Squarespace posts and pages, then bring them into Grigora's CMS so your writing and URLs survive the move.
- 3
Rebuild the design
Squarespace design does not export. Recreate your key pages with Grigora blocks; most sites are a handful of pages.
- 4
Move the newsletter
Import your subscriber list into Grigora Mail and cancel the separate Email Campaigns subscription.
- 5
Point your domain
Connect your existing custom domain, then set redirects for any URLs that changed.
Why people look for a Squarespace alternative in 2026
Squarespace has one of the best design reputations of any website builder, and for a portfolio or a brochure site it is genuinely hard to beat. The reasons people start shopping around are rarely about looks.
The newsletter is never included
Email Campaigns is a separate subscription from the website plan, priced by send volume from roughly $8 a month for 500 emails up to well over $100 a month at scale. For anyone whose business runs on a mailing list, that is a second bill that grows exactly as the list grows.
The entry plan takes a cut of every sale
Squarespace deserves credit for letting every paid plan sell, but Basic applies a 2% transaction fee on commerce and 7% on digital products, on top of whatever Stripe or PayPal charge. Removing it means moving up a tier.
Structured content is awkward
Anything that is not a page or a blog post, a directory of members, a listings index, a catalogue of case studies, has to be bent into the shapes Squarespace offers.
How Grigora compares
Grigora is built as one platform rather than a website tool with add-ons. The newsletter, the store, the CMS and the analytics share a workspace and a bill.
One price, fewer line items
Starter at $12 a month billed annually includes the website, a newsletter with 2,500 subscribers, AI credits and a store with no platform commission. The equivalent Squarespace setup is a website plan plus an Email Campaigns subscription, and on Basic a percentage of every order.
Where Squarespace still wins
Template design. If your site is essentially a beautifully typeset portfolio and you have no list and no products, Squarespace remains an excellent choice and this comparison will not change that.
Frequently asked questions
It depends what you need. If you want the website, the newsletter and an online store in one subscription with no platform commission, Grigora is the strongest all-in-one Squarespace alternative. If your priority is purely template design, Squarespace remains excellent.
Grigora starts at $12/mo billed annually versus Squarespace Basic at $16/mo, and Grigora includes a newsletter that Squarespace sells as a separate subscription starting around $8/mo. Grigora also charges 0% platform commission where Squarespace Basic takes 2% of commerce and 7% of digital product revenue.
No. Squarespace Email Campaigns is a separate subscription from the website plan and is priced by send volume. Grigora includes a newsletter on every paid plan.
Yes, but Basic applies a 2% transaction fee on commerce and 7% on digital products, in addition to payment processor fees. Core and above remove the platform fee. Grigora charges 0% platform commission on every plan.
Yes. Squarespace supports a partial content export, and Grigora's CMS supports import, so posts and pages can come across. The visual design has to be rebuilt, which the AI builder makes fast.
Squarespace runs the Circle programme for professionals, which offers referral discounts and shared billing, but client sites remain Squarespace sites. Grigora sells White Label as a plan so agencies can resell the platform under their own brand and pricing.
Compare Grigora with other platforms
Make the switch from Squarespace to Grigora
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