How much does a Squarespace website cost in 2026?
“How much does a Squarespace website cost in 2026?”
I was speaking with a functional medicine health coach recently, helping her choose the right Squarespace website templatefor her business, and she shared that she was struggling to understand the costs involved in creating a website for her business beyond the template itself.
It’s a common question amongst wellness entrepreneurs, so I figured this would be a wonderful question to answer in a blog post!
As a Squarespace website designer in Auckland, New Zealand, prices listed are in NZD, but of course, this article is still helpful wherever you’re based because it gives indications of all the costs you need to consider (one-off and recurring), and also — I show examples of different Squarespace website costs for varying budgets.
What costs are involved in bringing your website to life?
First—why a website matters for your wellness business
As you’ll see from this post, there are some costs involved in bringing your website to life. However, it’s important to remember that in the whole scheme of your business, it’s an important investment, just as your certification was. Because your website is the foundation of your marketing.
Most roads lead back there—every business card, social media profile, networking conversation and referral. It houses your offers. It’s often a point of booking or purchase. At the very least, it’s a place of information-gathering and decision-making. And almost every person will end up setting cursor on your site before they decide to work with you.
It can be optimised for search to bring in traffic, it can help you be more visible to A.I., it can be crafted to connect with and convert your ideal clients, helping them see you as the practitioner/provider for them, and gently (but actively) moving them through the next step.
In short? Your online home matters. Just like your IRL home, it’s an asset that’s worth investing in. And strategic site done well will help you grow your business, and serve you well over the long-run.
Read more: Do nutritionists need a website? Why and when they’re a smart investment »
Now that’s covered off, let’s go into the costs!
PART 1 | THE ESSENTIAL SQUARESPACE WEBSITE COSTS
Your website template or design
Yes, the most obvious one — the cost of your Squarespace website design. Let’s go least to most expensive option.
If you’re going the template route, you can either start with one of Squarespace’s free templates (though you’ll find these are very basic in their page build-outs). Or, you can buy a premium third-party template.
This is an optional one-off investment — but it’s a wise one because it can give you a much more strategic structure and distinctive design than Squarespace’s own templates. (Since we’re talking templates, I created my Squarespace templates for wellness pros to include all the core marketing/content sections wellness professionals need to effectively promote their services. They’re NZ$397 each, you can convert to your currency here.)
Some website designers offer semi-custom website design (including myself) which sit between a DIY template and a completely-custom site, so this can be a great in-between option at a lower cost than completely custom design. I do this as well, offering a Template Customisation Service (Semi-Custom Site) where I use one of my website templates as a base, and then tailor it to your business, brand and offers. Perfect if you’re on a tighter budget and turnaround. That starts at NZ$1,750.
Custom Squarespace website design costs vary widely, but you can expect to pay at least NZ$3,0000 for a standard 4-5 page services Squarespace website, and often well above that for more complex/larger sites.
Your Squarespace subscription
This pays for the website hosting and access to Squarespace’s platform. It’s the main ongoing cost of having a Squarespace website. Squarespace charges an annual or monthly subscription to have a website on their platform (once your free trial is complete.)
You can check out the different Squareespace pricing tiers here.
A straightforward service-based business may only need a basic plan, though in my experience most will benefit from the core plan so it adds more flexibility with design and integrations. Wellness businesses heavily selling products, memberships and digital products maaay benefit from a commerce plan for more advanced selling tools like cart reminder emails.
To save, you can choose to pay annually — it’ll save you 26%-36% depending on the tier you choose.
Basic is NZ$17.10/month if you pay annually, or $26/month if you pay monthly. Core is NZ31/month if you pay annually, or NZ$44/month if you pay monthly.
Personally, I use the Core Squarespace Plan and that allows me to:
Have a shop and sell my website templates for wellness pros.
To use more advanced coding elements to customise the look of my site, and
To add in plugins like this one on my Squarespace Website Design Services page. If you want to add plugins to your site (for aesthetics and functionality), you’ll need to use this tier too.
Your domain name
You also need a domain — a.k.a. your website address! I personally own yoliestephenson.com (purchased through Squarespace Domains) and yoliestephenson.co.nz(purchased through Bluehost, because it wasn’t available on Squarespace).
You’ll find on any provider that some domain names cost more than others, but you can expect to pay about NZ$30–$50.
Domains are normally renewed annually, and can be bought through Squarespace Domains or another domain provider like BlueHost, or GoDaddy.
I find Squarespace domains are great, and recommend them to clients often, because they make it super easy to connect your domain with your website and manage renewals, and they include free WHOIS privacy protection, and free SSL certificates. (Excellent and important security and privacy features).
If you already own a domain, or need to buy it elsewhere, it can be connected with or transferred to Squarespace — something I handle for my clients so they don’t need to sweat the techy bits!
Website photos
The photos on your Squarespace site have a massive impact on the end result. And as you create your site, you’ll probably find that choosing photos is a bit like choosing lighting for a home — important, but surprisingly nuanced and difficult! (Oh, how I messed up my kitchen with too-bright white lights!)
You can source your photos through:
Free stock photography platforms like Unsplash, Pexels and Kaboom Pics. However, it can be difficult to find a collection of images that complement your branding and look/feel cohesive.
Paid stock photography — usually more polished and distinctive than free photography, and tend to come in collections that are super cohesive. Haute Stockis about NZ$300 for 3 months, and has some great wellness-themed collections. If you want to spend less, Unsplash+ is much cheaper at $NZ11 a month. If you’re using them for your own site, you can pay for 1-3 months, download all the photos you want to use, and then cancel your membership and continue using the photos, it’s not something you need to keep paying indefinitely. And it’s well-worth the investment.
Brand photography — having a photoshoot with a professional photographer to capture you as a practitioner/provider/person, your clinic/studio/workspace, and the vibe of your business and brand. This is such a fantastic investment and will elevate your site tenfold. It’s a great way to build trust, stand out, crank up credibility, and yes, it’s more costly BUT you can also use the photos across social media and other marketing materials too. Get just headshots to spend less, or do the full brand photoshoot. This could be about NZ$1,000 to NZ$3,000.
I personally got my brand photography through Zanda Photography, and I’m due for another shoot I think! Then I supplemented with Haute Stock images to fill gaps.
Website copy
Your website needs words that explain who you help, what you offer, why someone should choose you, and what they should to next. It matters just as much as your design, because your words are what ultimately persuade people to purchase.
You can create your copy yourself manually or with the help of Claude or Chat GPT — in which case, this is free (beyond your A.I. costs) — but it does require a bit of time, and you will still need to edit and refine the output you get from the LLM.
Templates with copy prompts can make the process easier (I’ve shared my free guide below).
If you want to outsource — you might hire a copyeditor to polish up your drafted copy for you, and make it publish-ready, or invest in website copywriting to ensure you’ve got a distinctive brand voice, conversion focused messaging, and SEO integrated, for the strongest copy possible.
Costs vary widely so you’ll want to look around. If you’re curious, you can check out my own packages here (they start at NZ$990).
Legal policies and website compliance
Every website should have a Privacy Policy and Website Terms and Conditions to be legally legit.
Sam Vander Weilen’s Legal Templates has a Total Website Solution Bundle, which includes both of these for about NZ$1,500, plus some legal extras. Or you can go through iubenda for about NZ$10 a month.
I am not a lawyer (obviously!) and requirements vary depending on where the business operates, what information your business and site collects and what you sell. But this is something to be mindful of.
Basic branding
At minimum, you will need to have picked out:
A colour palette (in Squarespace you need 5 brand colours)
A small selection of fonts (heading copy and body copy and button copy)
Then you can create a simple word logo in Squarespace using one of your selected fonts.
Squarespace’s included fonts and a simple colour palette can be enough to create a distinct visual direction when paired with your site photos, layout, and copy. You can create this yourself for free, or you could invest in a basic branding package (for example, mine costs NZ$500, and for that I curate a colour palette, word logo and typography).
If you do your branding yourself, you’ll be surprised at the challenge of curating a palette that works within Squarespace, looks cohesive, and complements your brand photography and stock imagery. But it can be an area you can save on if needed — especially if you buy a template with a colour palette you already like.
Read more: This article shares some of my favourite free fonts in Squarespace for nutritionists
PART 2 | OPTIONAL EXTRA EXPENSES TO IMPROVE YOUR SITE PERFORMANCE, VISUALS AND FUNCTIONALITY
Search engine optimisation
Squarespace is great because it provides the technical foundations for SEO, and tools to optimise it — but your website still needs to be set up for your chosen keywords. Actions to make your website search ready include:
Keyword research — to figure out which keywords to target on which page. (Then you’ll need to create web copy with the keywords integrated in all the right places, plus in your page titles and meta descriptions in the back-end of Squarespace.
Image optimisation — shrinking down images to under 250-500KB to ensure your site loads quickly, and adding alt-text describing the image, with keywords.
Google Search Console setup — so GSC can track your site ranking, and index your site to show your pages in Search.
Again—costs will vary depending on the provider and inclusions and the size and scale of your site. Personally, I offer SEO keyword strategy from NZ$695+, and website copywriting/editing from NZ$990. Image optimisation and Google Search Console set up are included in my website design service.
Business email
This is easy to overlook because a domain does not always include an email inbox. To get a professional email address like hello@yourbusiness.com requires a separate email hosting service, I used Google Workspace for mine, and again - I purchased this through Squarespace so all my billing for that lives in one place, my Squarespace account. So good for keeping business billing organised and transparent.
Google Workspace costs NZ$126 annually for the basic Business Starter Plan
I would upgrade to the Business Standard Plan if I wanted video meetings with recording and noise cancellation—so I can record client calls held through Google Meet.
This typically renews annually. You can use a free gmail address yourbusiness@gmail.com but a domain-based one definitely looks more established and professional. I personally love all the functionality Google offers - photos, sheets, presentations, docs, drive. I use them ALL in my business, ALL the time.
Note: This is not the same as your email marketing platform like Kit, Flodesk or Mailchimp - more on that in a minute!
Bespoke Brand Design
Bespoke brand desk is an optional investment. It can include:
A logo (primary and secondary and even a third sometimes)
Colour palette
Typography
Monogram
Supporting Graphics
Favicon
All designed up using your colour palette variations
The result is a far more distinctive and cohesive identity that can make your website feel truly unique, oh-so professional, and totally tailored to your business.
However, you can still launch professionally with a simple, thoughtful brand foundation or typography and colour palette and build on it over time.
Costs vary widely depending on the designer, I would expect to pay at least NZ$2,000. You can also purchase semi-custom branding packages, where logos, typography and monograms and pre-designed and you choose one that feels like a good vibe for your business. Again, this price varies widely but I would expect to pay at least NZ$800 for this.
Premium fonts
Squarespace has a great selection of fonts built in, and they are often AMAZING for many wellness businesses. There’s a mix of creative and bold and soft and editorial fonts, so you can create an aesthetic that suits many-a-brand. Sometimes, though, businesses choose premium fonts to create a more distinctive look.
I have a genuine obsession with fonts! I find myself taking photos of fonts I see on websites and in-store branding and Auckland constantly! Some of my current favourites are:
Tobias by Displaay Type Foundry
Featuredeck by Commercial Type
Very Vogue by Nicky Laatz
Editor’s Note by Jen Wagner
I have so many bookmarked for my own and client projects! My heading font in a premium font called Awesome Serif, and my eyebrow/button copy and body copy are fonts available for free in Squarespace. I would expect to pay from NZ$50-$150 for custom fonts, if you went that route.
Fonts usually only need to be purchased once. To use on your website you’ll need a web license. If you want to use the font on social media you’ll also need a desktop license. But then that purchase is usually one-and-done. (A few font foundries require annual payments but I would avoid that, you don’t need the extra spend $$$).
Email marketing software
If you want to send out marketing emails, or simply start building your email list, you’ll need an email marketing platform. Your website can then include forms and opt-ins that connect to this software.
Great options include Flodesk, Squarespace Email Campaigns, Kit, Mailchimp, and MailerLite.
Some platforms offer a free tier, you will need to pay more if you have more subscribers and/or set up automations like a welcome sequence, onboarding sequence, and so on. Cost varies depending on your platform and tier, you can choose according to your budget and functionality.
Personally I use Flodesk because it allows me to set up automations with my online shop, and I love that it includes the option to embed forms in blog posts like this one, and as a pop-up.
Client Booking/scheduling software
This integration in key for businesses that want clients to book appointments or classes directly from their site. The cost varies depending on your platform and tier, you can choose according to your budget and functionality.
Possible examples include:
Acuity Scheduling , Calendly for simple appointment booking
Dubsado, Practice Better for more complex CRMs with scheduling
Punchpass, MindBodyOnline, Momence for fitness studios or teachers
Some services offer free plans, more advanced features may require a monthly (or annual) subscription.
Squarespace has partnered with Acuity, so that’s a very easy link-up, but Squarespace can link to or embed MANY external booking systems, you’re not stuck using Acuity if you don’t want to. The right tool depends on the functionality you need (e.g. whether your business offers appointments, classes, packages, online or group programmes) and your budget.
Read more: Punchpass review » (A great scheduling tool and studio CRM for fitness studios)
software & integrations for extra zuusch, marketing oomph or functionality
Many websites need very little additional software, but optional tools may include:
Quiz software
Live chat tool
Client portals e.g. Dubsado or Practice Better
Analytics tools e.g. heatmaps to see how people are using your slte
Plugins for extra functionality — I love using Will Myers plugins for client websites.
Translation or multilingual tools
Again costs vary widely depending on the functionality you need from your site.
However, if you’re just starting out, a plugin can be a great way to elevate your site for about NZ$100 as a one-off payment.
Part 3 | ONE-OFF COSTS VS. RECURRING EXPENSES
One-off website expenses include your initial website copywriting/editing, SEO strategy and website design investment, plus your brand photos, your branding investment (and premium fonts if you use those), and any plugins you buy and install into the site.
Recurring website costs include the software you use to deliver your services or market your business and that you integrate with your site — such as email marketing platforms, scheduling tools and CRM — as well as your domain, your business email (if you get Google Workspace) and your Squarespace subscription.
Part 4 | Four example website budgets
Important note: These don’t just cover website design and Squarespace costs — the also include copy, SEO, Photography and Branding. So it gives you an idea of full investment amount. As you can see, this will impact the cost of building your Squarespace website. (But can also improve the impact of your site and the ROI over the long-term.)
The simple DIY website:
For a newer practitioner how:
Buys a premium template (NZ$397)
Single domain (NZ$50)
Annual Squarespace subscription Base Tier (NZ$200)
Writes their own copy
Uses only fonts available within Squarespace
Uses free stock images
WEBSITE COST WOULD BE NZ$650
*Plus the ongoing Squarespace fees, email marketing/CRM costs, and any expense involved with T&Cs/Privacy Policy.
The Website TEmplate glow-up:
For a newer practitioner how:
Buys a premium template (NZ$397)
Annual Squarespace subscription Base Tier (NZ$200)
Single domain (NZ$50)
Uses premium stock images (NZ$22-$300)
Books a full day intensive once they’ve completed the design themselves for me to polish it up for them tidying up the copy and layout ($$990)
WEBSITE COST WOULD BE ROUGHLY NZ$1,950
*Plus the ongoing Squarespace fees, email marketing/CRM costs, and any expense involved with T&Cs/Privacy Policy.
The Semi-Custom site with strategy, copy & brand photos:
Single domain (NZ$50)
Annual Squarespace subscription Pro Tier (NZ$372)
Invests in SEO strategy for their core web pages (NZ$695)
Gets their copy edited and SEO keywords integrated (NZ$990)
Adds on a mini-branding package (NZ$500)
Gets brand headshots (NZ$1,000)
Supplements with paid stock (NZ$22-NZ$300)
Semi Custom Website Design - using a base, strategic website design as a starting point and tailoring it to your business, branding and offers ($1,750)
WEBSITE COST WOULD BE ROUGHLY NZD$5,650
*Plus the ongoing Squarespace fees, email marketing/CRM costs, and any expense involved with T&Cs/Privacy Policy.
Fully-loaded, fully-Custom Website
Single domain ($50)
Annual Squarespace subscription Pro Tier (NZ$372)
Gets core web pages copywritten & SEO strategy completed (NZ$3500)
Full branding package (NZ$2,000)
Full brand photoshoot (NZ$2,700)
Custom website design ($3,500)
WEBSITE COST WOULD BE ROUGHLY NZD$12,000
*Plus the ongoing Squarespace fees, email marketing/CRM costs, and any expense involved with T&Cs/Privacy Policy.
Want a strategic squarespace site that helps you reach your big, hairy, WELL-MEANING business goals?
DIY with my Squarespace templates for wellness pros. This option saves you HOURS fiddling in Squarespace, and ensures your website is primed to convert. You simply customise a strategic template using your own copy and images.
Semi-custom website: I’ll take one of my templates and completely tailor it to your business, brand and offers. Includes mobile optimisation, technical setup (the integrations you use to run your busuness), testing, site launch, and training session so you feel confident working your site.
Fully custom website: A uniquely-yours website design created specifically for your business, style preferences, goals, offers, and brand. Includes mobile optimisation, technical setup, integrations, testing, site launch, training.
Book a Studio Intensive to polish up your existing website over 8 hours (spread across 2 days so I stay fresh as a daisy, with Slack chat throughout so you can weigh in on updates.)
