Framer vs Squarespace
Written by Connor Blake ·
Edited by Sebastiaan Smits ·
Fact-checked by Mateus Rocha ·
Published September 30, 2026 · Updated September 30, 2026
Both appeal to people who care how a site looks, but they assume different users. Framer hands you a design-tool canvas with animation and scroll interactions, and expects some design sense. Squarespace hands you a finished template plus blogging, commerce and email marketing. Startups and designers choose Framer; creatives and small businesses without design skills choose Squarespace.
Side by side
 Framer |  Squarespace | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Design-tool-grade website builder with built-in motion and AI generation | Design-forward templates for creatives and small businesses |
| Best for | Startups, designers and brands wanting motion-rich, custom-feeling sites | Design-conscious small businesses and creative professionals |
| Headquarters | Netherlands | United States |
| Pricing model | Per site / month | Per site / month |
| Pricing | A free plan includes a Framer subdomain, limited AI credits and 1GB bandwidth; paid Basic and Pro plans are billed monthly with a published table, adding custom domains and higher usage limits. | Published plans are billed per site with no permanent free tier, only a 14-day trial; all plans can sell, with a 2% store fee on Basic that Core and above remove. |
| Free option | Free plan | Free trial |
| Place in our website builder software ranking | #4 of 12 | #7 of 12 |
| Website | framer.com | squarespace.com |
Both are reviewed in full in Best Website Builder Software in 2026. Position in that ranking can be paid for; the wording of a review or of this comparison cannot. Placement disclosure.
Which one to choose
Choose Framer if
someone on the team is comfortable in design tools, you want motion and interactions that do not look like a template, and the site is mainly marketing pages.
Framer, #4 in the ranking · Visit Framer →
Choose Squarespace if
you have no design background, want a site that looks good from the template onward, and need blogging, a small store, email marketing or bookings in one subscription.
Squarespace, #7 in the ranking · Visit Squarespace →
Where they differ
How far the design can be pushed
Framer's canvas works like a design tool, with drag-and-drop animations, scroll interactions and a component and variable system, so effects that need custom code elsewhere are built visually. Squarespace's templates look good immediately, but going beyond the template system means injecting custom code. For a brand that wants a custom-feeling site, Framer gives more room.
Edge: Framer
The person doing the building
Squarespace suits an owner with no design training: pick a curated template, fill it in, and the result looks professional. Framer rewards design sensibility, and some advanced interaction features carry a learning curve for anyone new to design tools. Its AI generator produces a structured first draft, but choices still follow. For a non-designer working alone, Squarespace is kinder.
Edge: Squarespace
Business features in the box
Squarespace bundles blogging, integrated ecommerce, email marketing, member areas with gated content, scheduling and a mobile editing app. Framer covers CMS collections for blogs and dynamic content plus A/B testing, but its ecommerce is lighter than dedicated commerce platforms and its integration ecosystem is smaller. If the site has to run parts of the business, Squarespace carries more.
Edge: Squarespace
Free tier and ownership
Framer has a free plan with a Framer subdomain, limited AI credits and 1GB of bandwidth, tight for anything beyond a small personal project. Squarespace has only a trial and charges transaction fees that fall on higher tiers. It was taken private by Permira in 2024 and no longer reports quarterly results. For trying before paying, Framer is more generous.
Edge: Framer
Tally: Framer 2, Squarespace 2, even 0.
When neither fits
Neither is right when the site is fundamentally a store with a real catalog, or when an agency must manage many client sites. Shopify is built around inventory, shipping and payments, and Duda provides the white-label and bulk-editing tools that one-site builders do not.
See Shopify and Duda among the 12 products in Best Website Builder Software in 2026.
Questions and answers
Is Framer harder to learn than Squarespace?
For someone without design-tool experience, yes. Framer's canvas and advanced interactions take time, while Squarespace is built around choosing a template and editing it. A team with a designer will find Framer faster for custom work, because motion is built visually rather than in code.
Can I move my site away from Framer or Squarespace later?
Plan on rebuilding. Squarespace content is locked into a proprietary format with no real export path, and leaving Framer generally means recreating the site by hand as well. Keep copies of your text, images and product data outside whichever builder you choose.
Which is better for selling online, Framer or Squarespace?
Squarespace, for a small shop. Ecommerce is integrated, with transaction fees that drop on higher tiers, and email marketing sits alongside it. Framer's commerce capability is lighter than dedicated platforms. For a large catalog, a commerce-first platform beats both.