$23 a month. That's how Squarespace prices itself into your brain. A coffee a week, right?
Except it never stops. Three years later, you've paid $828. For a template site. With a Squarespace footer. That you can't modify without paying more.
The Hidden Costs
And you own nothing. The site lives on their server. Your data lives in their database. If they change their pricing, you change your pricing. If they sunset a feature you relied on, you rebuild.
I had a client who spent four years on Squarespace. When they decided to upgrade to something custom, we had to export their content, rebuild the entire site, and migrate hosting. That transition took two weeks and cost more than building from scratch would have.
That's not uncommon. Platform migration is expensive.
The Ownership Question
A hand-coded site costs more upfront. Maybe $2,000–$3,000. But after three years, you're still paying nothing. The code is yours. The server is yours. You can move it, modify it, sell it.
Let's do the math:
Squarespace path: $23/month = $276/year = $828 over 3 years. Plus the locked-in platform. Plus the cost to migrate when you outgrow it.
Custom path: $2,500 upfront, then $0. After 3 years: $2,500 total. You own the code, the domain, everything.
After year two, the custom site is cheaper. After year five, it's dramatically cheaper. And you're not held hostage to their pricing changes.
When Squarespace Works
I'm not saying Squarespace is bad. If you want a beautiful portfolio site and you're comfortable with monthly fees forever, it's fine. It's an easy button.
But if you're building a business asset, something you'll maintain for years, something that matters to your revenue—own it.
That's not a feature. That's ownership.