Squarespace Review - The next generation of website creation?

By looking at Squarespaces’ website, you can see a brilliant example of great web design. But how does that relate to their new website builder? Let's find out.

Squarespace 6 is a completely new product. Among the most notable changes, in comparison to version 5, is the all new user interface and stunning new templates that are very "Apple-esque." See it in action here:

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Squarespace has tailored their product specifically to the needs of creative folk. That means it's a great choice for creating a blog or portfolio site. Just recently they have also added a powerful e-commerce option to you can use to sell physical or digital products.

During our testing phases, we found that complete beginners had to struggle a bit with the user interface in general. Advanced users on the other hand can expect to have some fun with this website builder.

Pricing starts at $8 per month in the Standard plan that has a limit of 20 pages (your blog can have as many post as you like). The Unlimited plan for $16 per month removes the page limit and adds a few other extras. And then there is the Business plan for online stores for $24.

All three plans include a domain name if you go for an annual subscription. More pricing details can be found here.

Squarespace in detail

Criterion	Rating	Comments
Ease of use		The user interface is not really intuitive. Once you've figured out how it works, it's pretty straightforward even though a few things seem more complicated than necessary.
Choice and flexibility of design (templates)		The number of designs is a bit limited but look very classy and modern. Styles are flexible and can be easily customized. Their responsive templates are mobile friendly.
Advertisement- free	Yes	All plans are ad-free.
Languages		Editor supports any language, but interface in English only. Does not provide a good way to create multilingual websites.
Features
- Top-level domain (e.g. .com or .net)	Yes	Yearly and bi-yearly subscriptions include a domain name (.com, .net, .org, .biz, and .info are available). Find the domain FAQ here. Existing domains can be pointed to Squarespace.
- Depth of navigation		One level below the main navigation. You can set it up using folders as they call it. Some templates feature a secondary navigation underneath the main navigation.
- Widgets (small tools to add extra functionality)		Fantastic gallery widget, as well as integrations for your social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter and even Instagram).
- Monetization	Yes	Using Google AdSense or other banner ads.
- E-commerce		Well-thought-out online store (works only in the US and Canada for now): with inventory and coupon management; tax and shipping settings are fully customizable. Import product data from Shopify or Big Cartel. Credit cards are the only payment method (sales fee: $0.30 per payment and 2.9%). Find our full review here.
- Search-engine optimization (SEO)		As good as it gets: editable page titles, meta description, and custom URLs. Even 301 redirects are possible.
- Blog		The only real alternative to a Wordpress blog; has all the usual blogging features (commenting, trackbacks) and more (geolocation tags, reblogging). If you already have a blog on Wordpress, Tumblr, Posterous or Blogger, you can even import it.
- Visitor statistics		Inbuilt visitor analytics tool shows you some key stats. For more details you can set up Google Analytics.
- Contact form	Yes	Fully customizable contact form builder with lots of field options.
- Password protection	Yes	You can either protect the entire site or individual pages.
- Add HTML Code	Yes	Enables other widgets and tools to be added.
- Storage space	from 2 GB	Standard plan: 2 GB storage, 500 GB bandwidth, Unlimited & Business plan: no limit.
- Forums	No	In contrast to version 5, the new version doesn't feature a forum.
Support	24/7 ticket system, live chat, knowledge base	The knowledge base is comprehensive. Their support is top of its class. Video tutorials are also available.
Fun factor		Figuring out how the system works can take a while in the beginning but it's well worth it.
Overall rating		Although not quite as easy to use as other website builders, it sets new standards for blogging, e-commerce and customization.

Conclusion:

If you want to present your photography, design portfolio, or sell online, Squarespace could be the perfect solution for you. Also if you want to set up a blog, and are not really keen on fiddling around with a Wordpress installation, it's a great alternative.

As this platform was built from scratch in 2012, it incorporates some of the latest technologies. For example: their responsive templates that will automatically look nice on smartphones or tablets, no matter what screen size they have. Thanks to their mobile apps (iPhone, iPad and Android) you can also edit your site on the go. It will be exciting to see what the New Yorkers have in store for us in the future.

> Try Squarespace for yourself - 14-day free trial (no credit card required)

Tip: save 10% using our coupon code "WEBSITETOOLTESTER" when purchasing a paid plan. To learn how you can redeem it, please check this tutorial.

Review updates

30 Mar 2013 - Video review of the online store added.
13 Feb 2013 - We added information about password protection.
20 Feb 2013 - Squarespace adds a shopping cart with their Business plan.
10 Oct 2012 - We've created a list of shopping cart options for Squarespace.
06 Aug 2012 - Initial tests - our review of the old version (Squarespace 5) can be found here.

Last updated: 30 Mar 2013 | Robert Brandl

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