Webflow vs Squarespace, from a designer’s point of view
One gives you control of the design and the option to leave with your code. The other gives you a content and commerce business in a single subscription.
Every figure read off both vendors’ own pages on
The short answer.
Pick Squarespace if the site is a content or commerce business that someone else will edit. Pick Webflow if the design is the point, if you might need the code, or if the site starts in Figma.
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Pick Webflow if
The design is the point. Webflow puts you in control of layout, type and breakpoints, where a Squarespace template keeps its own opinions.
You want to leave with the code. Code export comes with a paid Workspace at Core tier or above, and Squarespace exports a single .xml aimed at WordPress.
You are coming from Figma. The free Webflow Labs app syncs components, variables and styles from Figma, and Squarespace has no Figma import.
The CMS has to grow. Premium carries 40 collections and 20,000 items, where Squarespace gives you a fixed structure.
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Pick Squarespace if
The site is content or commerce. A blog, memberships, courses, invoices and a store share one subscription, with a 0% store transaction fee from Core up.
A client will be editing it. The template handles responsive behavior, spacing and type, so three added paragraphs will not break the layout.
You want a CMS on the cheapest plan. Basic includes the blog, portfolio pages and gallery pages, and Webflow's CMS starts at $25 on Premium.
You want it done this week. A curated template plus managed hosting, SSL and 24/7 support gets a decent-looking site live fast.
Side by side.
Neither column is ours. Where a vendor gives no figure, the cell says so instead of carrying an estimate.
| Feature | Webflow | Squarespace |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan publishes a public site | Yes, to a webflow.io subdomain with a badge. 2 static pages, no custom domain | No. There is no free plan. Every site starts on a 14-day trial, no card required |
| Cheapest plan that publishes to your own domain | $15/mo billed yearly, $25 monthly, per site | $19/mo billed annually in the US. The EU sheet is EUR 12/mo billed annually |
| Domain included | A custom domain can be connected from Basic up | One custom domain free for the first year on annual billing. The renewal price is not stated |
| CMS on the cheapest paid plan | No. Basic explicitly excludes CMS and e-commerce | Yes. A native blog, portfolio pages and gallery pages on every plan |
| Cheapest plan with a CMS | $25/mo Premium billed yearly | $19/mo Basic: the cheapest plan already has one |
| CMS ceiling | 40 collections and 20,000 items on Premium | Unlimited blog posts. Up to 1,000 pages, with 400 recommended |
| Selling | Not on Basic: e-commerce features are excluded | On every plan. 2% store transaction fee on Basic, 0% from Core up |
| Custom code and third-party scripts | Not broken out per tier on the pricing page | Not on Basic: code injection, JavaScript, iframes and integrations all need Core or above |
| Responsive layouts | A class-based style system with breakpoints | Two layouts only, desktop and mobile. No tablet layout, no custom breakpoints |
| Code export | Yes, on a paid Workspace at Core tier or above | No HTML or CSS export. A single .xml aimed at WordPress, which cannot be imported into another Squarespace site |
| Figma import | Yes. A free two-part Webflow Labs app syncs components, variables and styles | No Figma import. The design is rebuilt by hand in Squarespace's editor |
| Contributors | Seats come from a separate Workspace plan rather than the Site plan | 2 contributors on Basic, unlimited on Core, Plus and Advanced |
| Last plan change | 13 May 2026: CMS and Business merged into Premium, Team plan added | Basic, Core, Plus and Advanced replaced Personal, Business and Commerce from 25 February 2025. Sign-ups for the old plans closed February 2026. No price rise announced |
Webflow and Squarespace details checked on 2026-09-03 against webflow.com, www.squarespace.com, support.squarespace.com. Prices change; tell us if a cell is out of date.
What each one charges.
Squarespace serves its pricing page by region, and its currency switcher converts rather than showing a local price list. Only its entry price is confirmed in dollars, from Squarespace’s US-facing FAQ.
Webflow site plans
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Starter
Free
Publishes to a webflow.io subdomain with the Made in Webflow badge. 2 static pages, 50 CMS items, 1,000 monthly visits. No custom domain.
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Basic Entry plan
$15 per site, billed yearly · $25 monthly
Custom domain and 300 static pages, but explicitly no CMS and no e-commerce features.
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Premium
$25 per site, billed yearly · $39 monthly
The old CMS and Business plans merged. 40 CMS collections and 20,000 items.
Read off Webflow's pricing page on 2026-09-03. Prices change; tell us if one is out of date.
Squarespace plans
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Trial
Free
There is no free plan. Every site starts on a 14-day trial, no credit card required.
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Basic Entry plan
$19 per month billed annually
Custom domain free for the first year on annual billing, up to 1,000 pages, blog and portfolio pages, 2 contributors, 30 minutes of video. No code injection, no JavaScript, 2% store transaction fee.
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Core, Plus, Advanced
EUR 18-69 per month billed annually, EU price sheet
Adds code injection, unlimited contributors, a 0% store fee and more video storage. Squarespace serves its pricing page by region and states no USD figure for these tiers on a US-facing page, so the EU sheet is what we can verify.
Read off Squarespace's pricing page on 2026-09-03. Prices change; tell us if one is out of date.
What actually decides it.
$15 against $19 a month is not a decision. What each product does with your time is.
Squarespace sells time, Webflow sells control
On Squarespace you fill in a template that handles responsive behavior, spacing and type. On Webflow you build the layout, so it can look like anything and takes longer.
The cheap CMS is Squarespace’s
Squarespace includes a blog, portfolio pages and gallery pages at $19, and Webflow’s Basic at $15 has no CMS. Webflow pulls far ahead on Premium at $25, with 40 collections and 20,000 items in a structure you define.
Only Webflow lets you leave
Webflow offers code export on a paid Workspace at Core tier or above. Squarespace exports one .xml file aimed at WordPress that leaves out custom code, style settings, portfolio and store pages, and it cannot be imported into another Squarespace site.
Squarespace Basic is locked down
Basic has no code injection, no JavaScript or iframes in code blocks and no third-party integrations; all of it needs Core or above. Fluid Engine gives two layouts, desktop and mobile, with no tablet layout and no custom breakpoints.
Only Webflow starts from Figma
Webflow’s free two-part Labs app syncs components, variables and styles, though layers need auto layout and it does not work in Safari. On Squarespace an approved Figma design is reference material you rebuild by hand.
Frequently asked.
Is Webflow better than Squarespace?
For design control, code export and anything coming out of Figma, yes. For a blog, a store or a client who will maintain it, Squarespace is the better tool.
Is Squarespace cheaper than Webflow?
Not at the headline: $19 a month billed annually against $15. It is cheaper in the comparison that matters, because Squarespace includes a CMS at $19 and Webflow’s starts at $25.
Does Squarespace have a free plan?
No. Every site starts on a 14-day trial with no card required, and Webflow’s free Starter publishes to a webflow.io subdomain with a badge and a two-page limit.
Can I export my site from Squarespace?
Only as a single .xml file aimed at WordPress, which leaves out custom code, style settings, portfolio pages and store pages. There is no HTML or CSS export.
Which is better for a portfolio?
Squarespace if the portfolio is case studies you keep adding to and you want it looking decent immediately. Webflow if the portfolio is the design work and it needs to look like nothing else.
Do I get a free domain?
With Squarespace, yes: one custom domain free for the first year on annual billing, renewing at the TLD price, which Squarespace does not state. Webflow lets you connect a domain from Basic up but does not include one.
Where Siter.io fits.
We make Siter.io, so this is the one section about us.
Siter.io is a much smaller builder for designed pages with no blog or shop to run: you design on its own canvas, one layout per breakpoint, or import a Figma frame. It publishes free at name.getsiter.com or on your own domain from $7/mo billed yearly, priced per plan: Plus at $12 a month publishes 3 sites.
It has gaps: no CMS, no e-commerce (listed as upcoming, with no date), no full-site code export, and each breakpoint’s layout is positioned by hand. The Free plan publishes one website of up to 3 pages with our badge, and a custom domain needs a paid plan.
If the site needs a content model or a store, pick one of the two above. Our Webflow comparison and Squarespace comparison set out each trade.
More honest comparisons
- Webflow vs Wix Two very different ideas of a website builder.
- Framer vs Squarespace The UX portfolio question, answered.
- Framer vs Wix Design tool or small-business platform.
- Webflow vs WordPress When you need a blog, and when you do not.
- Framer vs Lovable Designing a site against prompting one.
- Cargo vs Squarespace Two takes on the art and design portfolio.
Also useful: getting a Figma design into Webflow and Framer vs Webflow.
A third option,
if neither fits.
If the site is designed pages you already have in Figma and there is no blog or shop to run, Siter.io publishes them.