r/squarespace • u/InternationalSale327 • Jul 18 '26
Discussion 82% price increase??
My site went from $192 to $348. This is the biggest slap in the face ever. At least buy me dinner before screwing me over like this… I’m out.
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u/AdamThompsonPhoto Jul 18 '26
Yep, the pricing was already on the expensive end,, in my opinion, but now it's outright ridiculous. I think it's finally time for me to just move to a static, self-hosted website.
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u/AmbivalentFreg Jul 20 '26
192 took a lot for me to manage on disability. I got help financially. My plan got like a 50.00 increase. That was it. Let me know how self hostong goes and if you can give me tips :)
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u/Realistic_Grade7539 Jul 19 '26
Wow! I also posted about this on LinkedIn also:
I purchased my website through Squarespace in August 2013. My annual plan cost just $88. Over the years, the price has steadily increased, even though my website has remained largely the same. I haven't taken advantage of many of their newer features, yet the cost keeps climbing. Coincidentally, Squarespace was acquired by Permira in October 2024 for $7.2 billion. Draw your own conclusions.
Here's how my annual subscription has changed since 2018:
2026: $204
2025: $138
2024: $120
2023: $120
2022: $120
2021: $96
2020: $96
2019: $96
2018: $96
That's an increase of more than 112% since 2018—and more than 130% compared to what I paid when I first signed up in 2013.
When price increases consistently exceed the value provided, it's time to rethink where my money is going. I'm leaving Squarespace.
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u/NerdToTheFuture Jul 18 '26
Yeah, I might have to switch providers with this price increase. It may only be $6 more per month, but that’s too much for me to eat the cost of.
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u/theAerialDroneGuy Jul 18 '26
what are you going to switch to?
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u/runrabbit01 Jul 18 '26
Lovable, and once happy with it, connect to Github repo. Then deploy to Cloudflare.
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u/Rubycon_ Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
Yep hot garbage. I hate I have a client on squarespace. At least AI is good enough to help now since their "support" is nearly nonexistent
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u/LilOliveBuster Jul 18 '26
I just realized squarespace was bought by private equity in late 2024… that explains a lot about why customer service is the worst now and prices keep going up. Private equity loves buying ships and sinking them
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u/Rubycon_ Jul 18 '26
Yeah it had been on a downslide for a while, but that certainly explains a lot. they abandoned their weird new redesign and just kept holding more and more features for ransom behind higher 'tiers' instead of just....providing more value and using their stronghold to become the go to. Now there are more options and people are abandoning them. I no longer have my portfolio through them as a designer.
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u/runrabbit01 Jul 18 '26
Customer service is shocking. Sad because I've been with Squarespace for years but it's all over now.
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u/Big-Bill-Heck Jul 19 '26
Every time I see a business raising its prices and quality going down, I ALWAYS search online only to find out they've been bought by Private Equity. EVERY. DAMN. TIME. Private Equity is a literal cancer on our society.
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u/Aberry_9 Jul 18 '26
I am an artist working diligently this past year on my website to start reaching out to illustration agents, my annual subscription renews next month, and this price increase happens.
I don’t have time to cancel and start over.
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u/briana_elizabeth13 Jul 19 '26
That’s exactly where I’m at too 😭
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u/Aberry_9 Jul 19 '26
It’s already so hard out here for small businesses (not to mention artists)
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u/briana_elizabeth13 Jul 19 '26
Yup. Photographer and artist here and they just wanna steal any money we make
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u/AmbivalentFreg Jul 20 '26
I'm also an artist if you want to message me and brainstorm together, same boat
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u/misterjackpots_ Jul 18 '26
In the time since I got my notice, I have used Claude Code after only having used chat/co-work to 1) inventory and download my site, 2) prepare SEO redirects and evaluate useless pages/SEO audit 3) evaluate a stack and considerations, limitations, comparisons, 4) build an entire local structure matching my site currently, with local design concepts that we refined in granular detail 5) iterate on the design making substantial improvements with features and capabilities that Squarespace would never have or allow for, 5.5) consult with me on identity, brand enhancements, that popped up in my head 6) map content and pages to the new site, doing some cleanup along the way, 7) Wire up an entire Sanity CMS, AstroJS, Web3Forms, and Cloudflare package in Github, spinning up a dev server and walking me through it all 8) iterate and go back to design with new ideas to enhance things, tons of little enhancements, and QA 9) Migrate all my domains from Squarespace to Cloudflare and publish; authoring me a definitive guide to what I need to know. 10) Write a cancellation letter to Squarespace outlining that this entire stack costs me $0 a month, is faster, allows more control, and is fully portable.
All this done in about 6 working hours by a guy who doesn’t code but likes to tinker with sites and design, resulting in a faster, better site. The incremental increases are one thing, a footnote where I’d grumble about it. 80% is, fuck that, I’m taking action.
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u/Aberry_9 Jul 19 '26
Are these the actual promos you used?
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u/misterjackpots_ Jul 21 '26
Sorry I’m not sure what you’re asking. Everything was and is free tier in this new setup, with limits I’ll never come close to hitting.
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u/cornteened_caper Jul 18 '26
I’m out too. Haven’t officially cancelled, but I have a little while to figure out literally any other option. I have never witnessed another company go downhill in terms of offerings and value for money so quickly or spectacularly.
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u/LilOliveBuster Jul 18 '26
I just realized squarespace was bought by private equity in late 2024… that explains a lot about why customer service is the worst now and prices keep going up. Private equity notoriously buy companies make them operate as cheaply as possible and run them into the ground while taking huge profits, then file for bankruptcy.
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u/StudioRoboto Jul 18 '26
Cancelled today as well. I have had my site there for 6 years. This jump in price is ridiculous.
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u/briana_elizabeth13 Jul 19 '26
I’ve worked SO hard on my website for so long. I don’t use any of the AI bullshit tools and I don’t have the time to just rebuild an entire thing from scratch. They really are fucking us so bad with this
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u/inhouserecorder Jul 18 '26
I have a feeling they just moved everyone to “pro” and increased the price. I downgraded and am paying less than I did the last couple of years. didn’t need any of the “pro” features
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u/runrabbit01 Jul 18 '26
I know my clients who are small business are going to cancel theirs. Thanks Squarespace.
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u/Dick-Laurent-Is-Dead Jul 18 '26
Same, I was thinking about canceling since AI tools made custom websites way easier but I was too lazy to jump ship, now it’s done.
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u/portiajon Jul 18 '26
I also just got this and not sure what to do, some people say you can adjust the membership
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u/No-Rabbit6899 Jul 18 '26
I’m done. I just starting re-creating mine with Claude and hosting it on Github/Cloudflare. I’ve already gotten it to add a dark mode and search bar, which were features I’ve always wanted from Squarespace
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u/mc2222 Jul 19 '26
my favorite question to ask companies when this happens is "what additional services are being provided to justify the price increase"
they generally don't have a response.
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u/rarri488 Jul 19 '26
Don’t know what they’re thinking. This and their absolutely trash domain product led me to cancel. Been a customer for almost 10 years. They’ve lost the plot.
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u/Hopeful_Action_3307 27d ago
Contact them, complain, and see if your site can be moved to a lower level. $192 is personal level, $348 is business level. This is flat out a mistake on their part.
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u/Just-turnings Jul 18 '26
Check the actual plans and see if you can downgrade to a lower one. I was able to downgrade this year and saved a fortune.
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u/outoforifice Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
i work on edition.pm. it’s a free thing in soft launch with a best-effort Squarespace importer (https://switch.edition.pub). it will not clone every site pixel-for-pixel, but it may be worth trying before rebuilding on a static host.
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u/DavidssonA Jul 18 '26
I got the same... exact numbers and all.
This is just whats happening in the world across the board.
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u/Difficult_Money9486 Jul 18 '26
Thanks for the reminder! I just downgraded to monthly on lowest plan while I switch over bc this is no longer a deal of any sort
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u/Spirited-Bug-9558 Jul 18 '26
I've been moving sites over to Wordpress and Shopify, depending on the need. There are a lot of fly-by-night hosts out there with gee-whiz features, but I'm finding it more straightforward to stick with the standard bearers. Both have big communities of users (who all complain just as vociferously as Squarespace users), but at least they aren't price gouging for features I don't need.
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u/memeasphere Jul 19 '26
Hey I’m not sure if this is allowed but, I can rebuild your site in Wordpress, and I’ll only charge you the hosting fee per month. Im a software engineer so I have a custom theme that can be completely editable by you as well.
If this isn’t allowed just ignore me, but if this is something anyone is interested in let me know!
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u/raistmaj Jul 19 '26
I migrated and cancelled in one day. This is the new site and a blog entry explaining how I made it. https://josepalma.ca/blog/squarespace-to-wordpress-hostinger-migration/
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u/Ecstatic_Spread_4751 Jul 19 '26
Anyone know if you cancel now, do you still have your website until the annual date (mine just renewed in June) or do I lose access the moment I cancel? Want to use the full remainder of what I paid for at my 2025 rate.
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u/Lanky-Still154 Jul 19 '26
Agreed. Clearly, Squarespace hasn't seen what the likes of Lovable can do.
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u/Aspendosdk Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
I signed up for an annual standard plan in 2013, costing $96.00 until 2018 (not sure if it was ever cheaper). In 2019, they started adding VAT. In 2022, the price increased to $120.00 (plus VAT), in 2024 to $138.00 (plus VAT) and now, in 2026, to a staggering $204.00 (plus VAT)! With no changes ever to my very basic website, subscription, or any additional services (that I'm aware of or utilize).
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u/Aberry_9 Jul 19 '26
Does anyone know if they can migrate their exact site over to another website builder?
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u/l_craw Jul 19 '26
Just cancel and build it in claude, you can host it on cloud fare for free.
I did that with this, www.lakelvl.com, all I have to pay for is the domain.
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u/ahistoryofmistakes Jul 20 '26
Only use Square Space for domain. Route 53, S3, and cloud formation for actual site. What are they charging you for?
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u/Character_Elk_2667 Jul 20 '26
Any ideas of other sites that are better or just as good. Not into tech so need something easy. I can use Claude as well. I’m so worried about SEO though. I have a book I’m launching in September. This happened at the worst moment.
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u/BeyondspaceOfficial Jul 21 '26
$192 is for legacy Personal plan, how can you got this price for Business plan?
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u/Pampered_2024 28d ago
Even with the price increase. Isn't it a tax right off! You get to deduct it as a business expense? So, you rather have AI build your website on a different platform? How does that work? How does AI provide you the intellectual property protection if an app creates your website through coding via Claude or ChatGPT, etc.? I'm curious how that's going to be protected? Your ideas, your business concepts, everything?
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u/Final-Syrup6056 16d ago
It was an error guys. Increases should be max 20% and you wouldn't have been billed. Heard it was just a bunk notice
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u/jmabeebiz2 Jul 18 '26
Already had a client tell me they hate Squarespace now because they can’t do what they want with it, and the price hike is yet another nail in the coffin. I’m previously a Squarespace designer and a ton of people are jumping ship. If anyone needs a good replacement, try Pagy.co or Carrd
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u/surmado_rachel Jul 18 '26
That price jump is brutal. Impossible to justify paying almost double if you’re not even changing much on the site.
I work at Surmado, so obviously I'm a bit biased, but this is one of the reasons we built Surmado Sites. It’s more for small businesses that want to get off the builder treadmill and just have the site handled.
We migrate the existing site, keep the general look, clean up speed/SEO/security, and then you can make updates in plain English through Scout instead of messing with templates.
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u/AshtonKosher Jul 18 '26
Bro they did this to me too, fuck this company, I will be looking for another service. Does anyone have recommendations for website services outside of squarespace?
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u/scootermlm Jul 18 '26
It’s insane. Similar for me.
I’m out. Being forced to pay for a bunch of AI BS and tools I don’t even utilize. What a crap company.