Free vs. Paid Squarespace Templates: Which Is Best for You?
One of the questions I get pretty often as a Squarespace web designer is:
What’s the difference between free & paid Squarespace templates?
And that’s a great question!
Squarespace templates 101
If you’re not familiar, a Squarespace template is the “form” (the styling and layout) of a particular Squarespace website.
Every Squarespace website has a template.
When signing up for a new Squarespace website, the first step of the process is to choose your site’s template. This template defines the style settings (and, in some cases, the technical capability) of your website.
There are two types of templates possible for your Squarespace website:
Free, built-in templates provided by Squarespace
Paid templates built and sold by independent web designers
Neither option is “better” than the other so to speak, as there are some different reasons you’d choose each one.
So, let’s chat through the difference between free and paid Squarespace templates!
This post contains affiliate links through which I may earn a commission if you choose to purchase, at no additional cost to you. As always, these are products or services I personally use & love!
Free vs. paid Squarespace templates
Free Squarespace templates
Every Squarespace website comes with your choice of template (yay!).
Squarespace has dozens of templates to choose from on each version of their platform (7.0 or 7.1—here’s what to know about the difference between the two).
Here are some Squarespace template examples:
What to know about Squarespace’s free, built-in templates:
They’re free with your Squarespace website! You can choose any template you like and there’s no difference in cost between them…. because there’s no added cost at all. 🙂
On Squarespace 7.0, different templates have different underlying functionality and customization options, so it matters a bit more which template you choose.
On Squarespace 7.1, all templates have the same underlying functionality and customization options, so it doesn’t matter as much which you choose (you can achieve the same results with any template).
In general, you want to choose a template that is as close to what you’d ultimately like to create as possible, as that will afford you the fewest style updates and thus the quickest, most efficient site design.
My favorite, most-used Squarespace 7.0 templates are those in the Brine family, which are the most versatile and have the most customization options. Among the Brine family, the templates all have the same underlying structure and functionality (so can all get you to the same place).
You can change templates on your Squarespace website, and all of your content will switch over to the new template format and styling. Switching templates can sometimes get a little messy… but it’s possible.
Templates are not transferrable across versions of the platform. In other words, Squarespace 7.0 templates are specific to 7.0 sites. And Squarespace 7.1 templates are specific to 7.1 sites.
The free Squarespace templates are certainly sufficient for many websites!
However, there are also some cases in which you may prefer a paid Squarespace template for your site:
Paid Squarespace templates
Paid Squarespace templates are third-party templates (designed by web designers) that can be “installed” on your Squarespace website.
But don’t be fooled by the word “install” (which is why it’s in quotations)—these templates are generally code-free and super simple for the average non-web-designer to use.
How third-party Squarespace templates work
A professional web designer creates a full website template and outlines step-by-step instructions to get that design all set up on your own Squarespace website.
So, using a third-party template is like a hybrid between completely DIY-ing your website yourself and hiring a web designer to design a custom site for you.
You’ll still need to follow the instructions to add the template styling to your site, but you won’t have to spend hours (or weeks, or months 😅) fiddling with your site to create a design you like. Your web designer of choice has done all the creative heavy lifting for you!
And, the template packages tend to include extra Squarespace tips and helpful nuggets to set up and launch your site—so you get the added perk of insider web design knowledge.
When it makes sense to use a paid Squarespace template
Now, since Squarespace itself offers plenty of lovely free templates, why would someone purchase a third-party template?
To be honest, you don’t need a paid Squarespace template—there are many free options!
But, of course, paid templates exist because some people prefer them. So:
Here are some common reasons a third-party template may be your best bet:
You’re not completely happy with the free Squarespace template options—perhaps none of the templates strike your fancy, don’t quite match your aesthetic, or you’re looking for specific design features you don’t see in Squarespace’s built-in options.
You’d like something a bit more unique than the standard Squarespace templates. (As the free option, Squarespace’s built-in templates are, of course, the most common across the internet.)
You’d love a custom look and feel, but don’t have months to go through the custom web design process—you need your new site pronto! (Most paid templates can be “installed” in just a few hours.)
You love a particular web designer’s style, but they’re booked out, too pricey for your budget, or don’t offer custom design… but they’ve got templates!
You’re totally lost trying to set up your own Squarespace website and need some support. You’d like a professional web designer’s creative expertise + technical guidance… but at a DIY price. 😁
My thoughts on free vs. paid Squarespace templates
As a Squarespace web designer myself, my opinion is that your DIY website may be just fine with one of Squarespace’s built-in (free) templates… but it will be even better with a third-party paid template.
This is because the paid templates tend to be a bit nicer and more “custom” feeling. And, you generally get some more set-up tips + tricks from the web designer, so I find that people using paid templates tend to feel more confident using their sites (which is a plus!).
How to purchase & install a third-party Squarespace template
To use a paid third-party Squarespace template on your website, you’ll just:
Browse available templates (more on my recommend sources of Squarespace templates below!) to find one you like for your site.
Purchase the template from the designer.
Follow their step-by-step instructions to “install” the template settings on your website.
Update the template accordingly with your own content, imagery, etc.
My favorite sources for third-party Squarespace templates
As my own Squarespace web design business has grown, I’ve unfortunately had to turn down many of the custom web design inquiries that come my way.
So, I often refer people to these particular Squarespace template shops, which are great sources of quality templates that can give your site a custom feel… on a DIY budget. 👍
One of my very favorite Squarespace template shops (and one that tends to match the design aesthetic a lot of my clients are looking for) is Big Cat Creative.
Erica, the designer, is a wealth of information on Squarespace and designs gorgeous sites that really make the best use of Squarespace’s features.
SQSP Themes is a great source of Squarespace goodies, like plugins (I’ve mentioned several before as some of my favorite Squarespace hacks!)—and they also have a variety of Squarespace templates from reputable designers.
How much does a Squarespace template cost?
A quality Squarespace template generally costs somewhere in the $100 - $200 range. That’s of course, considerably less than custom web design, which is in the thousands.
So, purchasing a Squarespace template from a web designer’s template shop is a more affordable option, and a happy medium between $$$ custom web design or totally DIY-ing your website yourself!
Whether you choose to use a free, built-in template, or add a fancy third-party template from a Squarespace designer, here’s my checklist for building + launching your new Squarespace website:
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