Squarespace alternatives: what to check, where to go, and when to stay
Most people looking at Squarespace alternatives want one of three things: a lower bill for a simple site, a site that isn't adapted from a template, or files they can take elsewhere. Squarespace's export is partial, so check what moves before you choose. If you sell products, take appointments and send newsletters from one dashboard, staying is often the sensible answer.
Why people look beyond Squarespace
Squarespace's pricing page lists four plans, each with two prices, as of 24 October 2026: Basic at $25 or $19 a month, Core at $39 or $29, Plus at $65 or $49 and Advanced at $139 or $99, with the lower figure for paying annually. Basic carries a 2% fee on online store sales and 7% on digital content and memberships; Core removes the store fee. Basic also leaves out the discount tools, automatic tax and shipping, and the Mailchimp integration that the higher plans include. If you run a five-page site that sells nothing, it's worth checking whether you're paying for commerce you don't use.
The second reason is how a site starts. Squarespace's design page now offers an AI builder that drafts a site from a description, alongside designer templates and a drag-and-drop editor, so this gap is narrower than it was. The third reason is portability: a Squarespace site is hosted by Squarespace, and its export, below, carries only part of it.
What to export and check before you move
Squarespace's help article on exporting your site is the place to start. The export is a WordPress-format XML file, and it is selective:
- It includes layout pages, one blog page with its posts and comments, text and image blocks, and gallery pages on version 7.0 sites.
- It leaves out most other page types (store, portfolio, index, calendar and others), any second blog, product, audio and video blocks, drafts, style settings and custom CSS.
- Images may not survive an import into self-hosted WordPress and can end up linked to Squarespace's servers; download the ones you need from the asset library before you cancel.
- Products come out separately as a CSV from the store panel, not in the XML file.
Beyond the export, list the things that are easy to forget: where your domain is registered and who controls its DNS, every form and where its replies go, your newsletter subscriber list, and any appointment types. Squarespace's help centre notes that Squarespace Scheduling is now Acuity Scheduling, so check which of your appointment types and calendars live there before you change anything on the site. Finally, write down your current URLs so you can set up redirects; our guide to 301 redirects covers why that matters for search.
Four options, and what each is good for
- WordPress.com
- The natural destination for the XML file, since that is the format Squarespace exports. Squarespace's own export article notes that importing into WordPress.com copies images across, which self-hosted imports may not. WordPress.com says plugins can be installed on every paid plan. It suits blogs and sites that will grow through plugins, at the cost of more upkeep.
- Wix
- Similar all-in-one scope: stores, bookings, marketing and an AI agent. It isn't more portable, though: Wix says a site has to be hosted on Wix's servers. Pick it for its business tools, not to avoid lock-in.
- Webflow
- A visual builder with a full CMS and finer layout control. Its pricing page lists code export on paid Workspace plans, with the note that CMS items can't be exported. It suits people prepared to learn a designer-grade tool.
- Anticode
- An AI builder that plans and builds a site from a sentence or two, then exports it as plain HTML or a Next.js project. It suits service businesses, launches and portfolios more than stores. Details below.
Where Anticode fits
In Anticode you describe the business instead of choosing a template. The Architect asks up to three questions where the answer changes the build, shows a short plan, and the design engine builds it in one of seven design systems, from Editorial to Swiss. The published pages are HTML and CSS with no scripts, and they have to pass design and security checks before they go live. You can export the whole site as one HTML file or as a Next.js project, so the files are yours whether or not you stay; the Next.js export page explains what's in it.
For a Squarespace site the practical pieces are: contact, booking and newsletter forms that reach you; a booking calendar that refuses double bookings; CMS collections for menus, news or work; pricing and buy buttons that point at a checkout link from Stripe Payment Links, PayPal, Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy, Shopify or Whop; and your own domain on a paid plan. Prices are on the pricing page.
Where Anticode doesn't fit
- No real store. There's no cart, inventory, shipping or tax handling; selling works through payment links from your own provider.
- Simpler bookings. No deposits, calendar sync or staff rotas, which Acuity handles.
- No email campaigns. Newsletter sign-ups can go to Mailchimp or Kit, but Anticode doesn't send campaigns.
- No importer. There's no way to load a Squarespace export; you describe the site and paste in the words you want to keep. There's no redirect manager either, so old URLs can't be redirected from Anticode.
- English only. The builder and the sites it makes are in English.
When staying on Squarespace is the sensible choice
Squarespace's commerce page lists subscriptions, inventory management, flat-rate, weight-based and real-time shipping rates, automatic sales tax and point-of-sale on iOS. If your shop uses those, moving means rebuilding them elsewhere, usually on a commerce platform rather than a site builder. The same goes for a business that runs appointments and newsletters inside Squarespace and is happy with them. If the only problem is the price of a plan you've outgrown downwards, compare a lower plan first; a move has its own cost in time, redirects and lost features. For a side-by-side view, see Anticode vs Squarespace, and for the steps of a move, migrating from Squarespace.
Questions people ask
Can I export my whole Squarespace site?
No. Squarespace exports a WordPress-format XML file with layout pages, one blog, text, image and gallery content. Store pages, products, styles and custom CSS stay behind; products come out as a separate CSV.
Are there cheaper Squarespace alternatives for a simple site?
Often, yes, if you don't need commerce. Compare what you actually use: a brochure site with a contact form doesn't need a plan built around a store. Check each provider's own pricing page, since figures change.
Will my search rankings survive a move?
They have the best chance if every old URL redirects to its new equivalent with a 301, page titles and content stay close to what they were, and the domain stays the same.
Can Anticode import my Squarespace content?
No. There's no importer. You describe the site to the Architect and paste in the text you want to keep, then bring photos of your work or products across as entries in a CMS collection whose image field holds each hosted address (photos you upload are used only by app builds).
Sources
- Squarespace pricing, checked
- Squarespace website design and AI builder, checked
- Squarespace ecommerce website features, checked
- Squarespace Help: Export your site content, checked
- Squarespace Help: What is Acuity Scheduling?, checked
- WordPress.com Support: Plugins, checked
- Wix Help: Exporting or embedding your Wix site elsewhere, checked
- Webflow plans and pricing, checked