Is Framer better than Squarespace?

For startups with design talent, yes: Framer offers far more design freedom, better animation and custom CMS collections. Squarespace is easier for non-designers and includes commerce, email and scheduling.

Is Framer harder to use than Squarespace?

Framer is easy for anyone comfortable in Figma, but has more of a learning curve for non-designers. Squarespace is simpler because you work within templates.

Which is better for SEO, Framer or Squarespace?

Both handle SEO basics well. Framer's pre-rendered pages tend to be faster, and its custom CMS collections make it easier to build SEO landing pages at scale, within plan limits.

Can I move from Squarespace to Framer?

Yes. Rebuild pages in Framer, import blog posts into a Framer CMS collection via CSV, and add 301 redirects for any URLs that change.

Platform comparison · Updated October 15, 2026

Framer vs Squarespace for startup websites

The short answer

Framer is the better choice for a startup that wants a distinctive, modern site with motion and a designer at the controls. Squarespace is better if nobody on the team designs and you want a tidy template site with built-in commerce, email and scheduling.

Framer and Squarespace both promise a beautiful website without code, so founders often weigh them side by side. They differ on one big question: is anyone on your team a designer?

Squarespace assumes no. You pick a professionally designed template and swap in your content. Framer assumes yes: it's a design tool that publishes, and in skilled hands it produces sites that look like a top-tier agency built them.

At a glance

Framer vs Squarespace, side by side

How the two platforms compare on what matters for a SaaS marketing site. "Edge" marks which one we'd pick on that dimension alone.

Best forEven

Framer: Design-led startups and SaaS launches
Squarespace: Non-designers and small businesses

Design freedomFramer

Framer: Freeform canvas, anything you can draw
Squarespace: Template sections and Fluid Engine

AnimationFramer

Framer: Best-in-class, built in
Squarespace: Basic section animations

TemplatesEven

Framer: Large marketplace, mostly startup-styled
Squarespace: Polished, broad-industry templates

CMSFramer

Framer: Custom collections and fields (plan caps)
Squarespace: Fixed collection types (blog, events, products)

SEOFramer

Framer: Pre-rendered, fast; basics built in
Squarespace: Basics built in, guided setup

Commerce & business toolsSquarespace

Framer: Minimal; integrate Stripe or others
Squarespace: Commerce, email, scheduling built in

Ease of useSquarespace

Framer: Easy for Figma users
Squarespace: Easiest for everyone else

Framer vs Squarespace feature comparison
Category	Framer	Squarespace	Edge
Best for	Design-led startups and SaaS launches	Non-designers and small businesses	Even
Design freedom	Freeform canvas, anything you can draw	Template sections and Fluid Engine	Framer
Animation	Best-in-class, built in	Basic section animations	Framer
Templates	Large marketplace, mostly startup-styled	Polished, broad-industry templates	Even
CMS	Custom collections and fields (plan caps)	Fixed collection types (blog, events, products)	Framer
SEO	Pre-rendered, fast; basics built in	Basics built in, guided setup	Framer
Commerce & business tools	Minimal; integrate Stripe or others	Commerce, email, scheduling built in	Squarespace
Ease of use	Easy for Figma users	Easiest for everyone else	Squarespace

Pricing

What each platform really costs

Framer's Basic and Pro plans are cheaper than Squarespace's comparable tiers, and both include hosting and SSL. Squarespace's higher tiers are mostly about lower commerce transaction fees, which rarely matter to a software company.

Framer pricing

Per-site plan with page, CMS and bandwidth caps, plus paid editor seats and add-ons.

Free: $0; Framer subdomain only. Fine for prototypes, not for a company site.
Basic: ~$10/mo; Custom domain, 30 pages, 2 CMS collections, 1,000 CMS items, 50 GB bandwidth.
Pro: ~$30/mo; 150 pages, 10 collections, 2,500 CMS items (expandable), staging, branching, redirects.
Enterprise: Custom; SSO, SCIM, uptime guarantee, unlimited editors.

Extra editors, localization (~$20 per locale) and the Convert A/B testing add-on are billed separately.

Check Framer's current pricing

Squarespace pricing

All-in-one plans that bundle hosting, templates and commerce.

Basic: ~$19/mo billed yearly; 2 contributors, CSS editor only, no code injection.
Core: ~$29/mo billed yearly; Unlimited contributors, code injection and advanced code blocks.
Plus: ~$49/mo billed yearly; Lower commerce fees, more marketing tools.
Advanced: ~$99/mo billed yearly; Lowest transaction fees, advanced commerce.

Monthly billing runs roughly 20–35% higher than the yearly rates above.

Check Squarespace's current pricing

Vendor list prices, rounded, checked October 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on their pricing pages before you budget.

In detail

Where the differences actually show up

Design and brand expression

Edge: Framer

Framer gives designers a blank canvas with Figma-like tools, components and variants, and a motion system that makes scroll effects and transitions easy. A startup with a strong designer can build something that stands out in a crowded category, which is the whole job of a SaaS homepage.

Squarespace templates look good, but they look like Squarespace. Fluid Engine gives more freedom within a section, yet structure and motion are limited. For a brand that needs to look category-defining, that ceiling shows.

CMS and SEO

Edge: Framer

Framer lets you define custom CMS collections with your own fields (case studies, integrations, changelog entries) and design templates for them, within plan caps. Squarespace only offers fixed collection types, so anything beyond a blog, events or products becomes manual pages.

Both cover SEO basics, generate sitemaps and support redirects. Framer pages are pre-rendered and served from a fast CDN; Squarespace pages are reliable but heavier. Neither offers deep technical SEO control, so if organic search will be a major channel, look at Webflow.

Built-in business tools

Edge: Squarespace

Squarespace bundles commerce, email campaigns, member areas, scheduling and invoicing. For a services business or a product with a store, that's real value.

Framer focuses on the website itself. Forms, analytics, localization and A/B testing (via the Convert add-on) are available, but payments, email and CRM come from your own stack, which a SaaS company already has.

Decision guide

When to pick each one

Choose Framer if…

You have a designer, or a founder who lives in Figma
Standing out visually is part of your go-to-market
You need custom content types like case studies or integrations
You'll iterate on the site every few weeks

Choose Squarespace if…

Nobody on the team designs and you need a good-looking site now
You sell products, bookings or memberships directly on the site
You want email marketing and scheduling in the same tool
The site will rarely change after launch

Our verdict for SaaS

Framer for software startups; Squarespace for small businesses.

For a SaaS or venture-backed startup, Framer is the better default: more distinctive, faster, cheaper, and closer to how modern product teams already work. Squarespace earns its place when you need commerce and scheduling in one box and no one to design.

Website Rebuild

Rebuilding your site? Start on the right platform.

Our fixed-price Website Rebuild ships on Webflow, Framer or Next.js: positioning and sitemap workshops, three creative directions, and content migration with redirects handled. We'll recommend Framer, Squarespace or something else based on how your team works, not on what we prefer to build.

Book a call

Related services

Framer development SaaS web design

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