Why Squarespace Is So Expensive in 2026

The "Success Tax" Explained

If you have looked at your business bank statement recently, you have likely felt the "low-level hum" of subscription fatigue. What started as a simple £12 monthly fee has likely spiralled into a significant annual expense.

In 2026, the era of the affordable "all-in-one" website is effectively over. Squarespace has transitioned from a creative's tool into a luxury ecosystem where the sticker price is just the cover charge to get into the club.

The Anatomy of a "Simple" £1,000 Bill

Most small business owners in the UK sign up for the Core Plan at £17/month (billed annually). They expect to pay around £200 a year. However, once you actually try to run a business, the costs unbundle rapidly:

                
                        The "Scheduling" Tax: If you need clients to book appointments, Squarespace’s native tool (Acuity) adds an extra £12–£40/month.
                    
                        The Email Marketing Fee: Want to send a newsletter to your customers? That is another £7–£22/month.
                    
                        The Professional Email: Google Workspace through Squarespace adds roughly £6/month per user.
                    
                        The Success Tax: If you sell a digital course or a PDF, Squarespace takes a 5% transaction fee on your hard-earned revenue (unless you upgrade to a £79/month plan).

The Reality: A business owner who thought they were paying £17/month is often actually paying closer to £80–£100/month. That is £1,200 a year for a website you built yourself.

Why Are Prices Rising?

1. The "Permira Effect"

In 2025, Squarespace was acquired by a private equity firm, Permira, for over $7 billion. When private equity takes over, the playbook is predictable: they must maximise the "Average Revenue Per User." In 2026, Squarespace is no longer competing for your hobby; it is optimising for your profit.

2. The "AI Tax"

Squarespace has justified recent price hikes by bundling in "Blueprint AI" tools. While these tools can generate text or layouts, many business owners find they don't actually use them. Effectively, you are being forced to pay for their research and development of features that add zero value to your daily operations.

3. The Transaction Fee Ladder

Squarespace has introduced an aggressive tiering system that penalises growing businesses.

Basic Plan: 2% transaction fee on sales.
Core Plan: 5% fee on digital products (courses/memberships).
Advanced Plan: 0% fees—but it costs £79/month.

Break the "Golden Handcuffs"

Squarespace is a "walled garden." They make it beautiful, but they also make it incredibly difficult to leave. You cannot simply export your design to another platform; leaving often feels like burning your house down and starting again.

This is where movemy.site comes in.

We help you break the cycle of "subscription bleed." By moving your site to a high-performance static model, you eliminate the "Success Tax" and the "AI Tax."

One flat fee: No transaction fees from us.
No unbundled extras: Use the best third-party tools (like Calendly or MailerLite) without being forced into an expensive ecosystem.
Locked-in pricing: We don't have private equity shareholders demanding a 15% increase in your bill every January.