// squarespace alternative
Squarespace makes a tidy site, until you need it to do something the template won't allow. A custom build gives you the polish without the ceiling: faster, fully yours, and no monthly fee.
Squarespace is good at getting you started. The trouble usually shows up later, once the business is real and the website needs to pull its weight.
Squarespace looks clean until you need a layout, feature or integration it doesn't offer. Then you're fighting the tool instead of growing the business.
The monthly fee never ends, and it climbs the moment you want commerce, scheduling or member areas added on.
When a Squarespace site is slow, there's little you can do about it. On a custom site, speed is something I control and guarantee.
You're a tenant. The code, the hosting and the rules belong to Squarespace, not to you.
Same job, two very different long-term outcomes. Here's the honest comparison.
| Squarespace | Made by Federica | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | £14–40+/month, forever | From £900 once, fixed |
| Who owns it | Squarespace does | You do (domain, hosting, code) |
| Flexibility | Whatever the template allows | Anything you can describe |
| Speed | Decent, but capped | Fast by default, fully tunable |
| Add-ons | More features = higher tier | Built in, no upsell ladder |
| Design | Polished but recognisable | Custom, unmistakably yours |
| Support | Tickets + help centre | You email the person who built it |
I'd rather be honest than win the wrong client. Squarespace is the right call if:
If that's you, keep your money. If you've outgrown it, that's exactly what I'm for.
The good news: a Squarespace site is usually well-organised, so rebuilding it as a faster custom site is straightforward. Your content comes across, and we keep the structure search engines already understand.
I migrate the content, set up redirects so your rankings transfer, and move your domain and email cleanly. You stop paying the monthly fee and start owning the result.
Most rebuilds run 2–4 weeks, with a firm date and a fixed price agreed before we begin.
No monthly platform fee, no "request a quote". A custom brochure site starts at £900, a site you can edit yourself from £1,500. Not sure what you need? Tell me about your project and I'll give you an honest, fixed quote.
If your site is a real source of customers and you've hit the template's limits, yes. You stop paying a monthly fee for someone else's platform, you get exactly the layout and features you need, and you own the result outright. If your needs are simple and static, Squarespace may be fine. I'll tell you honestly which camp you're in.
Not when it's done properly. I migrate your content and put 301 redirects in place so the rankings you've built transfer to the new pages. Because the custom site is faster and cleanly structured, rankings typically hold or improve.
Yes, if you want to. A CMS Website (from £1,500) gives you a simple editor for pages, posts and content. Prefer hands-off? A Brochure site (from £900) means I handle changes for you.
Squarespace is £14–40+ a month indefinitely, more once you add commerce or scheduling. A custom brochure site is from £900 once, then low-cost hosting you control. Over a couple of years it usually works out cheaper, and you own it at the end.
Yes. I'm Surrey-based but build for small businesses across the UK remotely, so location is never a barrier to switching.
Tell me where it's holding you back. I'll give you an honest read on whether a custom site is worth it for your business, and a fixed price if it is.