Squarespace or a custom website: which fits a high-end business?
Squarespace is cheaper: its Core and Plus plans come to about $1,044 to $1,764 over three years, plus your time. A custom-coded site costs more up front, from $3,000 with us, and buys speed on a phone, a design nobody else has and files you own. Choose Squarespace if you'll edit weekly; choose custom if the site must prove quality.
By Hashim H., founder of Elimenti. Published November 4, 2026.
The short answer
Choose Squarespace if you want to edit the site yourself every week, you're just starting out, or you need a store and a site on one bill. Choose a custom-coded site if your customers judge you on taste and quality, your site doesn't change daily, and you want it to look like your business rather than a template.
A note on bias: we build custom-coded sites, so we have a stake in this answer. We've tried to give Squarespace its due, and if it's the better fit for you, we'll say so on the first call.
What Squarespace does well
- Speed to launch. Pick a template, add your words and photos, and you can be live in a weekend.
- A predictable bill. Plans run $19 to $99 a month billed yearly, with hosting included.
- No upkeep. Squarespace handles hosting, security and software updates.
- You edit it. Changing a price or adding a photo takes minutes and costs nothing extra.
- Selling online. Commerce is built in, which matters if online sales are a real part of the business.
Where a custom-coded site pulls ahead
- It looks like you. A template was designed before anyone knew your business existed. Customers who notice details notice when your site shares a layout with thousands of others.
- It's built around how your customers decide. A med spa needs a page per treatment, a builder needs projects sorted by type, a designer needs project stories. Custom structure fits the business instead of the other way around.
- It's fast. A custom-coded site loads only what the page needs. Platform sites load the platform's scripts on every page, whether you use them or not.
- You own the files. A custom-coded site is plain HTML, CSS and JavaScript you can take to any host or developer. Squarespace's export is a WordPress-format file that leaves out your styles and custom CSS, store pages, most page types other than standard pages, galleries and one blog, and content in page-specific headers and footers.
- No platform fees. Static custom sites can run on low-cost or free hosting. You pay for the build and for changes, not a monthly subscription.
What each costs over three years
| Option | Up front | Ongoing | Three years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squarespace Core, you build it | Your time | $29 a month, billed yearly | $1,044 plus your time |
| Squarespace Plus, you build it | Your time | $49 a month, billed yearly | $1,764 plus your time |
| Elimenti, changes by the hour | From $3,000 (most $3,500 to $4,500) | Domain and hosting, plus $85 an hour for changes | From $3,000, plus hosting and the changes you order |
| Elimenti, monthly Site Care | From $3,000 (most $3,500 to $4,500) | Domain and hosting, plus $175 a month | From $9,300, plus hosting |
Squarespace figures use its published annual-billing prices and don't include a designer, if you hire one, or transaction fees on sales. The honest read: a custom site costs more. What you pay for is a site built for your business, and someone who makes every change for you.
The middle option: a designer on Squarespace
Many designers customize Squarespace templates for clients. You get a better-looking site than you'd build alone, and you can still edit it yourself. You also keep the platform's limits: its page structures, its scripts on every page and its export rules. For a business that wants to edit often, it's a sensible compromise.
Five questions that decide it
- How often will the site change? Weekly, by you: Squarespace. A few times a month, by someone else: custom works.
- Do customers judge you on taste? Boutiques, designers, builders, med spas and firms with premium prices usually do.
- Do you sell products online? If online sales are central, use a commerce platform, and link a custom site to it if you want both.
- Who will write the words? A template doesn't write copy. Many custom studios include it, and ours does.
- What's your budget this year? If $3,000 is out of reach, start on Squarespace and move later. Your domain comes with you.
If custom is the fit
Elimenti designs and custom-codes websites for high-end independent businesses, with copy, basic SEO and three revision rounds included. About custom websites → For a fuller breakdown of prices, read what a high-end website costs in Chicago.
Sources
- Squarespace, Pricing: Basic $19, Core $29, Plus $49 and Advanced $99 a month billed yearly. Checked November 4, 2026.
- Squarespace Help, Exporting your site: what the WordPress-format export includes and leaves out. Checked November 4, 2026.