Squarespace Review - the Designer Tool
If this were a comparison between PCs and Macs, Squarespace would definitely be a Mac. So it should come as no surprise to hear that not only are their features on the higher end of the scale, but they have their own iPhone and iPad App as well.
Also, the New York-based company has focused on making sure that its users have access to outstanding technical support, and that its features are meticulously presented.
Squarespace recently introduced a new pricing structure, cutting their existing prices nearly in half. The Standard plan, mainly geared towards personal websites and blogs, is $8 (when you sign up for a whole year). The Unlimited plan provides business features like user registration, support for multiple editors, as well as unlimited storage and traffic. You can learn more about pricing options here.
See what it feels like to edit a Squarespace website in this video:
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Here you can find our Squarespace demo website.
Squarespace in detail
| Criterion | Rating | Comments |
| Ease of use |
 |
Menus take some getting used to: the sheer volume of options means you'll need time to properly go through them all. |
| Choice and flexibility of design (templates) |
 |
Templates are stylish and can be customized down to the last detail, although the range could be better. We really like the flexible sidebars. However, a smartphone-friendly version should be added. |
| Advertisement- free | Yes | As it should be, given all accounts are paid ones. |
| Languages |
 |
Editor supports any language, but interface in English only. More information on multilingual websites. |
| Features | ||
| - Top-level domain (e.g. .com or .net) | Possible | Annual and bi-annual 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 by means of a drop-down menu. This is not much and set-up is a little more complicated than we would like. |
| - Widgets (small tools to add extra functionality) |
 |
Video and photo widgets (YouTube and Flickr) as well as a great slideshow tool. Particularly good social widgets, allowing seamless integration of your Twitter stream on your website. |
| - Monetization | Yes | Using Google AdSense or other banner ads. |
| - e-Commerce | No | Currently not included. External solutions (e.g. PayPal, Ecwid) may be added. |
| - Search-engine optimization (SEO) |
 |
Has it all: editable page titles, meta description, URL fields and image-alt tags. They even allow 301 redirects. |
| - Blog |
|
A real asset, with everything from trackbacks, to pings, to comment management. If blogging is your thing, you'll definitely want to make friends with Squarespace. |
| - Visitor statistics |
|
Inbuilt visitor analytics tool is great, includes RSS subscribers. Google Analytics may also be added. |
| - Contact form | Yes | Simple contact form with all plans, fully customizable form builder with the Unlimited plan. |
| - Add HTML Code | Yes | Enables other widgets and tools to be added. |
| - Storage space | from 3 GB | Unlimited storage and bandwidth on paid plans. |
| - Forums | Yes | Comes with all the usual features, seamless integration on your website. We like. |
| Support | 24/7 ticket system, FAQ database, video tutorials | You can find answers to most things for yourself in the FAQs. If you need more help, tech support is very responsive — this provider's strong point. |
| Fun factor |
|
The fun factor doesn't hit 100% straight away. But once you've figured out how the system works, we know you'll love it. |
| Overall rating |
 |
Squarespace boasts a range of sophisticated features, but these could overwhelm a complete beginner. |
Conclusion:
“Robust” is how Squarespace describes itself, and robust it certainly is. Instead of an excess of widgets and half-baked functions, you get a solid set of features that work well and look good.
The Standard Plan has a limit of 20 pages, which is just enough for a small website or a blog. It may particularly suit companies or bloggers who have a lot of traffic to their websites and are finding a Wordpress installation not as cheap as expected. Squarespace currently falls down on its e-commerce offering, but the FAQ say they are working on a solution to this.
Do bear in mind that we evaluate our website tools from the perspective of a complete beginner, so for this reason Squarespace didn't do as well as it could in our review.
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Coupon code
Save 10% using our code: WEBTOOLTESTER. Just sign up for a free trial and use the coupon when you upgrade your website package.
You will pay the reduced rate for at least 180 days (monthly packages). Choose an annual or a bi-annual subscription and you will save 10% during the entire term.
Review updates
25 Mar 2012 - Squarespace now also offers domains. For email you can use Google Apps (the domain will be configured accordingly).
30 Mar 2012 - Video review added
27 Feb 2012 - New slideshow widget
17 Nov 2011 - The full Google Web Fonts library has been added
29 Sep 2011 - The "Standard" package is now called "Personal"
11 Aug 2011 - Coupon code added
02 Apr 2011 - Initial tests
Last updated: 25 Apr 2012 | Robert Brandl
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