Squarespace Pricing Changes and the Permira Acquisition: What This Means for Businesses Using Squarespace
Squarespace has gone through two major changes that matter to anyone running a business on the platform:
Squarespace was acquired by private equity firm Permira and taken private
Squarespace introduced a new pricing and plan structure that will gradually replace the old plans
If you use Squarespace for lead generation, services, ecommerce, or digital products, these changes can directly affect your costs, margins, and long-term platform strategy.
1) The Squarespace acquisition: what actually changed?
In 2024, Squarespace completed its transition from a publicly traded company to a privately owned company under Permira. The founder, Anthony Casalena, remained CEO and continues to lead the company.
From a customer perspective, this is important because moving from public to private ownership often changes company incentives:
Less pressure to report short-term quarterly growth
More freedom to invest long-term in product development
Stronger focus on pricing, packaging, and profitability
This doesn’t mean Squarespace will suddenly change direction, but it does mean that pricing models and plan structures tend to become more deliberate and optimized over time.
2) Squarespace’s new pricing plans explained
Squarespace is rolling out a new set of website plans that will eventually replace the older ones:
Basic
Core
Plus
Advanced
The most important thing to understand is that the difference between plans is not only the monthly price, but also the fees applied to your sales.
Key differences that affect businesses
Basic plan
Includes commerce transaction fees
Includes digital product fees
Suitable mainly for low-volume sellers or simple sites
Core plan
Removes commerce transaction fees
Still includes digital product fees
Unlocks more advanced features such as custom code and integrations
Plus plan
No commerce transaction fees
Much lower digital product fees
Lower payment processing rates
Advanced plan
No commerce transaction fees
No digital product fees
Lowest payment processing rates
This means that as your revenue grows, the plan that looks more expensive at first glance can actually become cheaper overall due to reduced fees.
3) What this means in real life for Squarespace businesses
A) Expect more plan migration prompts
Because the new plans are rolling out gradually, many businesses will eventually see prompts inside their Squarespace dashboard encouraging them to switch or upgrade plans.
This is normal during a pricing transition and usually comes with clearer comparisons that highlight what you “unlock” at higher tiers.
B) Digital product sellers should be especially careful
If you sell:
Online courses
Templates
Memberships
Digital downloads
Then digital product fees can significantly affect your margins.
On lower plans, these fees can quietly grow as revenue increases, which often nudges successful creators toward higher plans earlier than expected.
C) The cheapest plan is often not the cheapest option
Many business owners look only at the monthly subscription price. In reality, your true cost is:
Monthly plan price
transaction fees
digital product fees
payment processing fees
Once sales volume increases, fees usually matter more than the base plan price.
D) More ecosystem lock-in is likely
Under private ownership, companies often focus on expanding their ecosystem. Squarespace already offers email marketing, scheduling, payments, and other tools that integrate tightly with the platform.
This can be very convenient, but it also means businesses should be conscious of how dependent they become on a single provider.
4) Smart steps businesses should take now
1) Do a simple pricing audit
List:
Your current Squarespace plan
What you sell (services, physical products, digital products)
Your average monthly revenue through Squarespace
Your current fees
Then compare how those numbers would change on a higher plan. Many businesses are surprised by the results.
2) Reduce platform risk
Even if Squarespace works great for you, good business practice includes:
Owning your domain independently
Keeping backups of content and assets
Exporting customer and email lists regularly
Documenting critical integrations
This gives you flexibility if pricing or strategy changes in the future.
3) Watch rollout changes closely
Not all accounts see the new plans at the same time. When they appear in your dashboard, review the details carefully before switching, especially if you rely on ecommerce or digital sales.
4) Calculate your break-even point
If upgrading removes a fee or lowers a percentage, calculate:
How much you save monthly from lower fees
Minus the higher base plan cost
Once revenue crosses a certain point, higher plans often pay for themselves.
5) Final thoughts
Squarespace remains one of the strongest all-in-one platforms for businesses, especially for design-focused brands and service companies.
However:
The Permira acquisition signals a more deliberate focus on profitability
The new pricing structure makes fees a critical part of decision-making
Growing businesses should evaluate plans based on total cost, not just monthly price
For most businesses, this is not a reason to panic—but it is a reason to be intentional.