Quick answer
In Squarespace vs Square, Square Online costs less to run: no monthly fee on Square Free, and a $30 online card sale costs $1.29 in fees against $1.77 on Squarespace Basic at $25 a month. Squarespace is a website builder with designer templates, and its in-person sales run through the Squarespace mobile app, with payments through Square. Pick Square if markets and fairs are most of your sales, and Squarespace if the website itself matters most.
Nation, an AI store builder, publishes this page. It is pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai, so it is not in the list or the fee example. See where Nation fits.
How we compared
Both platforms were checked against the same four questions, for a maker who wants a website and sells in person too.
- Fixed monthly cost What you pay in a month with no sales, at the plan a small maker would start on.
- Fees on each online sale Percentage and fixed fees on one card order, read from each company's own pricing and help pages for a US seller.
- In-person payments How each one takes a card at a market stall or pop-up, and what that payment costs.
- The website itself Templates, domain and plan limits, which decide how the site looks and what it can do.
Squarespace vs Square Online at a glance
Each platform is shown at the plan a small maker would start on. The source and check date for every number are listed under each platform and at the end of the page.
What each platform keeps from a $30 online sale
Fees are easier to compare on one order than as percentages. Example: one $30 ceramic mug, sold on the website and paid by card. On Squarespace Basic that sale pays a 2% transaction fee and 2.9% + $0.30 for card processing. On Square Online's free plan it pays 3.3% + 30¢.
- Square Online $1.29 free plan Card 3.3% + 30¢ $1.29
- Squarespace baseline $1.77 plus $25 a month Transaction 2% $0.60, Card 2.9% + $0.30 $1.17
Assumes a $30 item sold online, free shipping, no tax, a standard US card, no discounts and no currency conversion. Squarespace uses Squarespace Payments on the Basic plan. Square uses the Square Free plan.
Squarespace and Square Online in detail
Both platforms get the same five lines: price, fees per sale, what it is strong at, who it is best for and its main limit.
A website builder that also sells. It suits makers who want a designed site with a portfolio, a story page and a shop in one place.
- Price
- Basic plan $25 a month, or $19 a month billed annually. There is no free plan; every site starts with a free trial.
- Fees per sale
- A 2% transaction fee on Basic plus card processing of 2.9% + $0.30. Core costs $39 a month and has a 0% transaction fee.
- Strong at
- Design: designer templates, with the shop inside the same site as the portfolio and story pages.
- Best for
- Makers whose website is the main shop window and who sell in person now and then.
- Limit
- In-person sales run through the Squarespace mobile app, with payments through Square; Square is the payment processor for Squarespace point of sale, in the iOS Squarespace app only. Basic also adds the 2% fee on every online sale.
Square's online store builder. It works with Square's point of sale, with in-store and online sales that stay synced automatically, so a stall and a website run from one account.
- Price
- There is no monthly fee on Square Free. Square Plus is $49 a month per location.
- Fees per sale
- Online card processing of 3.3% + 30¢ on Square Free, or 2.9% + 30¢ on Square Plus. In person it is 2.6% + 15¢ on Square Free.
- Strong at
- Selling online and at markets or fairs from one account, with unlimited items.
- Best for
- Makers who sell mostly at markets, fairs and pop-ups and want a free online store next to that.
- Limit
- A custom domain is only for Square Plus and Square Premium subscribers, so a free site uses a free subdomain ending in square.site and shows Square's name in the address.
Which one fits you
Most of your sales happen at markets, fairs or pop-ups.
Square Online
One account for the reader and the website, with in-store and online sales that stay synced automatically: 2.6% + 15¢ on Square Free in person and 3.3% + 30¢ online, with no monthly fee on Square Free.
You want to start with no fixed cost.
Square Online
no monthly fee on Square Free. Squarespace has no free plan; every site starts with a free trial, then Basic is $25 a month.
Your website is a portfolio as much as a shop.
Squarespace
designer templates, and the shop sits inside the same site as the portfolio.
You want Squarespace's site and still sell in person.
Squarespace with Square
Squarespace's in-person sales run through the Squarespace mobile app, with payments through Square, and those payments carry Square's processing rates, which vary based on how the payment is made.
You want your own domain at the lowest cost.
Compare the paid plans
Square connects a custom domain only for Square Plus and Square Premium subscribers.
Where Nation fits
Nation
Category: an AI store builder
Nation says one description of what you make builds the store, then agents handle orders, customers and delivery and run ads, content and social posts, with you approving the work. Because pricing is not announced yet, it is not compared on fees here.
Limits today
- Status: pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai.
- Pricing and fees: not announced yet.
- Shopper marketplace: no shopper marketplace has been announced.
- Track record: no independent reviews or public stores yet.
Nation publishes this page. Nation is not ranked here and will not be added to the comparison or the fee example until signup is public and pricing is published.
Describe what you makeDisclosure and method
Nation, an AI store builder, publishes this page. Nation is not ranked here and will not be added to the comparison until signup is public and pricing is published.
The page compares Squarespace and Square Online for a US maker who wants a website and in-person sales. Neither company paid to be included, and none of the links are affiliate links.
Every plan price and fee was read on Squarespace's and Square's own pricing and help pages on 2 Oct 2026. Each platform's section names its source, and the full list is below.
Questions about Squarespace vs Square
Is Square Online cheaper than Squarespace?
Square Online is cheaper than Squarespace for a small maker. Square Free has no monthly fee, and a $30 online card sale costs $1.29 in fees. Squarespace Basic costs $25 a month, or $19 a month billed annually, and the same sale costs $1.77 because Basic adds a 2% transaction fee to card processing.
Can Squarespace take payments in person?
Squarespace can take payments in person through the Squarespace mobile app, with payments through Square. Squarespace's help page says Square is the payment processor for Squarespace point of sale, in the iOS Squarespace app only. A Squarespace maker who sells at markets takes those card payments through Square, and the fees are Square's processing rates, which vary based on how the payment is made, so check Square's rates too.
Square Online vs Squarespace: which is better for selling at markets?
Square Online vs Squarespace for markets comes down to where most sales happen. Square Online works with Square's point of sale, with in-store and online sales that stay synced automatically, in-person card payments at 2.6% + 15¢ on Square Free and no monthly fee on Square Free. Squarespace suits makers whose website matters more, and its in-person sales also run through Square.
Does Square Online let me use my own domain?
Square Online connects a custom domain only for Square Plus and Square Premium subscribers. On Square Free the site uses a free subdomain ending in square.site instead, which works but shows Square's name in the address. Squarespace has no free plan, and its paid plans include one year of free domain registration on plans bought for an annual term.
Is Nation an alternative to Squarespace or Square?
Nation is not a Squarespace or Square alternative you can compare today. It is an AI store builder, pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai, and its pricing is not announced yet. Because pricing is not published, it is not in the fee example on this page. It will be added to comparisons once signup is public and pricing is published.