Prices side by side
Framer listed Free, Basic at $10 per month and Pro at $30 per month with the yearly billing toggle selected, and Enterprise at custom pricing. Free uses a Framer domain; a custom domain requires a paid plan, and yearly plans include a complimentary domain. [1]
Squarespace listed four website plans. Paying annually: Basic $19, Core $29, Plus $49 and Advanced $99 per month. Paying monthly: $25, $39, $65 and $139. All plans bought for an annual term include one year of free domain registration on eligible domains, which then renews at the standard rate. Squarespace also offers a 14-day free trial. [2]
| Plan | Listed price | Year one at annual rate | Notable limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Framer Free | $0 | $0 | Framer domain only, 1 GB bandwidth |
| Framer Basic | $10/month, yearly billing | $120 | 30 pages, 2 CMS collections, 1,000 items, 50 GB bandwidth |
| Framer Pro | $30/month, yearly billing | $360 | 150 pages, 10 collections, 2,500 items, 100 GB bandwidth |
| Squarespace Basic | $19/month annual, $25 monthly | $228 | 2% online store fee, 2 contributors, 30 min video |
| Squarespace Core | $29/month annual, $39 monthly | $348 | 0% store fee, unlimited contributors, 5 hours video |
| Squarespace Plus | $49/month annual, $65 monthly | $588 | Lower card rate (2.7% + $0.30), 50 hours video |
| Squarespace Advanced | $99/month annual, $139 monthly | $1,188 | Lowest card rate (2.5% + $0.30), 0% content fee |
What Squarespace bundles that Framer does not list
Squarespace lists selling on every plan, with a store transaction fee of 2% on Basic and 0% on Core, Plus and Advanced. Digital content and memberships carry their own fee: 7% on Basic, 5% on Core, 1% on Plus and 0% on Advanced. Card processing through Squarespace Payments was listed from 2.9% plus $0.30 on Basic and Core down to 2.5% plus $0.30 on Advanced. [2]
From Core upward, Squarespace lists the ChowNow ordering integration, code injection and promotional pop-ups. An OpenTable reservations block is listed on every plan, including Basic. It lists unlimited bandwidth and storage on all plans. [2]
Scheduling is a separate Squarespace product with its own plans: Starter with 1 bookable calendar, Standard with up to 6 and a top tier with up to 36. The scheduling page we fetched did not show dollar prices in its text, so price it at checkout rather than assuming it comes with a website plan. [3]
Framer’s pricing page has no store, cart or transaction-fee row. Its paid features are pages, CMS collections, bandwidth, analytics history, localization and A/B testing add-ons. If you need checkout on Framer, budget for an outside commerce tool. [1]
Templates versus a design canvas
Squarespace frames its builder around designer templates and the Fluid Engine drag-and-drop editor on version 7.1 sites, both included on every plan. That suits owners who want to pick a layout and fill it. [2]
Framer describes its Free plan as ideal for non-commercial use, and prices its paid plans around published sites with fixed limits. Pages and CMS collections are counted per plan, so a large site can push you from Basic to Pro. [1]
We have not built the same site in both, so we do not rank learning curves. A fair test: give yourself one afternoon on each free option (Framer Free or the Squarespace trial) to rebuild your current homepage, then compare what you could not do.
CMS and content limits
Framer Basic lists 2 CMS collections and 1,000 items; Pro lists 10 collections and 2,500 items, expandable with add-ons up to 40 collections and 40,000 items. Bandwidth is metered: 50 GB on Basic and 100 GB on Pro, with one month of overage allowed before Framer asks you to upgrade. [1]
Squarespace does not meter bandwidth or storage on its pricing page, but it does limit video hosting by plan, from 30 minutes on Basic to unlimited on Advanced, and contributors to 2 on Basic. [2]
Who fits which builder
These fits follow the documented plan features, not our own testing.
| Reader | Likely fit | Why | Year-one list price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio designer, no sales | Framer Basic | Design canvas, CMS for case studies, lowest custom-domain plan | $120 |
| Cafe taking reservations or orders | Squarespace Core | ChowNow ordering listed from Core (OpenTable on every plan); 0% store fee | $348 |
| Consultant selling a course or membership | Squarespace Core or Plus | Memberships built in; content fee falls from 5% to 1% on Plus | $348 to $588 |
| Consultant with a lead-generation site only | Framer Basic | No selling needed; fewer paid features to carry | $120 |
| Small team of editors | Squarespace Core | Unlimited contributors versus Framer editor seats at $20 or $10 per month | $348 |
Decision checklist
Answer these before you start a trial.
- Will the site sell anything, including memberships or bookings? If yes, price Squarespace fees against an outside tool on Framer.
- How many people will edit? Squarespace Basic allows 2 contributors; Framer charges per extra editor.
- Do you need more than 2 content collections? That moves Framer from Basic to Pro.
- Will you host a lot of video? Squarespace caps video minutes by plan.
- Are you paying annually? Both free-domain offers depend on yearly billing.
Questions before you decide
Is Squarespace Scheduling included in website plans?
Not on the pages we reviewed. Squarespace Scheduling is presented as its own product with Starter, Standard and a higher tier sized by bookable calendars. Check its checkout price separately.
Does Framer charge transaction fees?
Framer’s pricing page lists no store or transaction-fee features. If you sell through an outside checkout, that provider’s fees apply instead.
Which is cheaper for a simple custom-domain site?
Framer Basic at $10 per month on yearly billing ($120 a year) against Squarespace Basic at $19 per month paid annually ($228 a year), based on the 30 October 2026 pricing pages.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- Framer pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Squarespace pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Squarespace Scheduling Accessed 30 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.