Squarespace Core Plan: A Complete Guide (2026)
A note on pricing: all prices mentioned in this post are accurate as of when this post was written, but can change at any time. This includes Squarespace plans, third-party tools, plugins, templates, and any other services referenced. Always check directly with the provider for the most current pricing before committing.
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Table of Contents Show
What does the Squarespace Core plan include and is it worth it?
Quick Answer: The Squarespace Core plan costs $23/month billed annually and is functionally the most complete Squarespace plan for most people. It includes 0% transaction fees on physical products, unlimited contributors, custom code injection, promotional pop-ups, real-time shipping quotes, and full ecommerce analytics. The higher-tier Plus ($39/month) and Advanced ($99/month) plans mostly just lower your digital product fees and processing rates rather than adding major new features. For the majority of small businesses, creators, and online sellers, Core is the sweet spot.
KEY FACTS:
Core plan pricing: $23/month billed annually ($276/year) or $33/month billed monthly
0% Squarespace transaction fee on physical product sales (Basic charges 2%)
5% fee on digital content and memberships (Basic charges 7%)
Credit card processing: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
Unlimited contributors (Basic caps at 2)
5 hours of video storage (Basic gets 30 minutes)
Includes custom CSS/JavaScript, pop-ups, announcement bars, and premium integrations (Mailchimp, Zapier, etc.)
All Squarespace plans include unlimited bandwidth, unlimited storage, SSL, SEO tools, and 24/7 support
Prices and features can change; always check Squarespace's official pricing page for the most current info
Why Core Is the Plan Most People Actually Need
If you're researching Squarespace plans, you've probably noticed there are four tiers: Basic, Core, Plus, and Advanced. And if you're anything like most people I work with, you're trying to figure out which one gives you what you need without overpaying for stuff you don't.
Here's what I've found after working on a LOT of Squarespace sites: the Core plan is where most people should land. Not because it's the most expensive (it's not) or because it has every possible feature (it doesn't). But because it's the plan where Squarespace stops holding things back.
Basic is fine for a simple site with no real ecommerce or customization needs. Plus and Advanced mostly just lower your transaction fees and processing rates. Core is where you get the full toolkit. Custom code, integrations, pop-ups, unlimited team access, real carrier shipping, and 0% transaction fees on physical products.
For a deeper look at how all four plans stack up side by side, check out the full Squarespace plans breakdown.
Squarespace Core Plan Price
The Core plan costs $23/month when billed annually ($276/year) or $33/month if you pay month-to-month. That's a pretty big difference between annual and monthly, so if you know you're sticking with Squarespace, the annual plan saves you real money.
For context, that sits between the Basic plan at $16/month (annual) and the Plus plan at $39/month (annual).
(Quick note: pricing can vary by country and Squarespace updates their pricing from time to time, so always double-check their official pricing page for the latest numbers.)
You can also start with a free Squarespace trial to build your site before committing to any plan.
Squarespace Core Plan Features: Everything You Get
Let me break down what's included. Some of these features exist on every Squarespace plan, and some are specific to Core and above.
What every Squarespace plan includes (Basic through Advanced)
Before we get into the Core-specific stuff, here's what comes standard no matter which plan you choose:
Unlimited bandwidth and storage
SSL security certificate
SEO tools (meta titles, descriptions, clean URLs, sitemap)
Squarespace AI
Squarespace Extensions marketplace
Drag-and-drop page editor
24/7 customer support
Audience management and email collection
Ability to sell unlimited products (this changed with the 2024 plan restructure; even Basic can sell now)
What Core adds beyond Basic
This is the important part. Here's what you gain by upgrading from Basic ($16/month) to Core ($23/month):
Ecommerce upgrades:
0% Squarespace transaction fee on physical products (Basic charges 2% on top of credit card processing)
5% fee on digital products and memberships (Basic charges 7%)
Real-time carrier shipping quotes from USPS, FedEx, and UPS
Shipping label printing
Product waitlists
Google Shopping listings
Full ecommerce analytics (not just basic sales numbers)
Customer accounts and gift cards
Site customization:
Custom CSS and JavaScript (code injection)
Promotional pop-ups
Announcement bars
Mobile information bars
Integrations:
Mailchimp
Zapier
OpenTable
ChowNow
Full Squarespace API access
Team and content:
Unlimited contributors (Basic caps you at 2)
5 hours of video storage (Basic gives you 30 minutes)
1 year free Google Workspace professional email (1 user)
That's a significant jump for $7/month more.
Squarespace Core Plan vs Basic: When the Upgrade Matters
If you're going back and forth between Basic and Core, here's how I'd think about it.
Basic ($16/month annual) could work if:
You have a simple informational site (portfolio, about page, contact form)
You're not selling anything, or you're only selling a few things and the 2% transaction fee doesn't bother you
You don't need custom code or third-party integrations
It's just you working on the site (2 contributor max)
You don't need pop-ups or announcement bars for promotions
Core ($23/month annual) is probably the better call if:
You're selling physical products (that 2% transaction fee on Basic adds up fast; on $5,000 in annual sales, you're paying $100 in fees that Core eliminates)
You want to add custom code or CSS for design tweaks
You use Mailchimp, Zapier, or any third-party tool that needs API access
You have a team, a VA, or anyone else who needs site access
You want to run promotional pop-ups or announcement bars (for sales, email signups, etc.)
You sell digital products or memberships (the fee drops from 7% to 5%)
The way I see it: if your site is generating any revenue or you want real control over how it looks and functions, Core is where you want to be. The $7/month difference pays for itself pretty quickly.
Squarespace Core Plan vs Plus: When to Upgrade
This is where things get interesting. The jump from Core to Plus ($39/month annual) is $16/month more. And what do you get for that?
Plus adds:
Lower digital content fee: 1% (vs. Core's 5%)
Lower credit card processing: 2.7% + $0.30 (vs. Core's 2.9% + $0.30)
50 hours of video storage (vs. Core's 5 hours)
Advanced discounting features (automatic discounts, discount rules)
Notice something? Plus doesn't really add major new features. It mostly lowers your fees and gives you more storage.
So the question is basically a math problem. If you're selling a lot of digital products or memberships, that 5% → 1% fee reduction could save you real money. On $10,000 in annual digital sales, you'd save $400 in fees by being on Plus instead of Core; way more than the $192 difference in plan cost. But if your digital sales are low or you're primarily selling physical products (which are already at 0% on Core), Plus might not be worth the jump.
The abandoned cart recovery on Plus is genuinely useful if you run an active online store. But for service providers, bloggers, and creators who sell the occasional digital product? Core covers it.
The 5% Digital Product Fee: What It Actually Means
This is the thing I see trip people up the most with the Core plan. Squarespace charges a 5% fee on digital product and membership sales on Core. That's on top of the standard credit card processing fee (2.9% + $0.30).
So if you sell a $50 digital download, you'd pay:
$2.50 to Squarespace (5% digital product fee)
~$1.75 in credit card processing (2.9% + $0.30)
Total fees: ~$4.25 on a $50 sale
Is that a lot? Depends on your volume. If you sell a handful of digital products a month, it's probably not worth losing sleep over. If you're running a full digital product business doing $2,000+/month in digital sales, that 5% starts to feel like a real line item; and upgrading to Plus (1% fee) would make more financial sense.
For most people I work with who sell a mix of services, physical products, and maybe an ebook or template here and there, the Core plan's fee structure is totally fine.
What About the Old Business Plan?
If you've been on Squarespace for a while, you might remember the old plan names: Personal, Business, Commerce Basic, and Commerce Advanced. Those don't exist anymore. In 2024, Squarespace restructured everything into Basic, Core, Plus, and Advanced.
The Core plan is essentially the replacement for the old Business plan. If you were on Business before, Core is your closest equivalent.
One thing worth knowing: if you were on the old Commerce Basic plan, Core might actually be a step down in some ecommerce features. The old Commerce Basic included things like abandoned cart recovery that now live on Plus. So if you're migrating from Commerce Basic, you might want to look at Plus instead of Core to keep feature parity.
(I've seen some confusion about this in Squarespace forums, so if you're in that situation, it's worth comparing your current features against the current plan lineup before switching.)
Is the Squarespace Core Plan Worth It?
For most small business owners, creators, and online sellers: yes. And I say that not as a blanket recommendation but because of what the plan structure actually looks like.
Basic holds back too many useful tools (custom code, integrations, pop-ups, unlimited contributors). Plus and Advanced mostly just lower your fees without adding significant new capabilities. Core is the tier where Squarespace gives you the full set of tools to build, customize, and sell.
If you're just starting out and want to keep costs low while you figure things out, starting on Basic is totally reasonable. You can always upgrade later and Squarespace makes it easy to switch plans. But if you know you're building something that needs to grow; a real store, a membership, a site with custom design touches, or a team managing content; Core is likely where you'll end up anyway.
The $23/month is well spent for what you get.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is included in the Squarespace Core plan?
The Squarespace Core plan includes everything in Basic plus 0% transaction fees on physical products, custom CSS/JavaScript injection, unlimited contributors, promotional pop-ups and announcement bars, real-time carrier shipping quotes, Google Shopping integration, 5 hours of video storage, full ecommerce analytics, and premium integrations like Mailchimp and Zapier. It also includes one year of free Google Workspace email.
How much does the Squarespace Core plan cost?
The Squarespace Core plan costs $23/month when billed annually ($276/year) or $33/month when billed month-to-month. Pricing can vary by country and may change over time, so check Squarespace's pricing page for the most current numbers.
What is the difference between Squarespace Basic and Core?
The biggest differences are that Core removes the 2% transaction fee on physical products (Basic charges 2%), reduces the digital product fee from 7% to 5%, adds custom code injection (CSS and JavaScript), includes unlimited contributors instead of just 2, unlocks integrations like Mailchimp and Zapier, and gives you pop-ups and announcement bars. For $7/month more, you get a significantly more capable site.
Does the Squarespace Core plan charge transaction fees?
The Core plan charges 0% Squarespace transaction fees on physical product sales and a 5% fee on digital products and memberships. All plans also have standard credit card processing fees of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction on Core. The processing fees go to the payment processor, not Squarespace.
Can I sell products on the Squarespace Core plan?
Yes. You can sell unlimited physical products, digital downloads, gift cards, and memberships on the Core plan. You also get features like product waitlists, customer accounts, real-time shipping quotes from USPS/FedEx/UPS, and shipping label printing. Physical product sales have 0% Squarespace transaction fees on Core.
What is the difference between Squarespace Core and Plus?
Plus ($39/month annual) mostly lowers your fees rather than adding major new features. Digital product fees drop from 5% to 1%, credit card processing drops from 2.9% to 2.7%, and you get 50 hours of video storage instead of 5. Plus also adds more discounting. If you sell a high volume of digital products, Plus could save you money in fees; otherwise, Core covers most people's needs.
Is the Squarespace Core plan worth it?
For most small business owners, creators, and anyone selling products or services online, Core is the plan that makes the most sense. It's the tier where you get the full set of customization and ecommerce tools without paying for fee reductions you may not need yet. If your site is very simple with no ecommerce, Basic could work. But if you need custom code, integrations, pop-ups, or team access, Core is worth the $7/month upgrade.
