Comparison
ThemeSmith vs Squarespace: build it, hire an Expert, or have it built.
Squarespace is a website builder: you choose a template and make the site yourself, or hire an independent Squarespace Expert through its Marketplace. ThemeSmith builds the site from a chat about your business, then hosts it and makes changes when you message us. All three get a small business online. Below: what each involves, who each suits, and what to add up in the first year.
£74 for four pages (£29 for the first, £15 for each one after), then the Business plan after a free first month. No contract.
What is the difference between Squarespace and ThemeSmith?
Squarespace: you build it, or hire an Expert
You pick a template and build the site in Squarespace’s editor. Every site starts with a 14-day free trial; there’s no free plan, and paying annually saves up to 36%.
If you’d rather not build it, Squarespace’s Marketplace, run by 99designs by Vista, puts you in touch with independent Squarespace Experts. They send quotes, you agree the price with the one you choose, and 99designs holds your payment until you release it. The arrangement, including any help after launch, is between you and the Expert.
ThemeSmith: we build it and look after it
Tell us about your business in a chat on our site or on WhatsApp. We write the words, make the photographs and draw two logo designs, and you approve the home page before the rest is built.
After launch, a change is a message: send it in your dashboard or on WhatsApp, and we make it and put it live. Hosting and changes are one monthly plan, with no contract.
How do Squarespace and ThemeSmith compare, side by side?
| Side by side | Squarespace | ThemeSmith |
|---|---|---|
| Making the site | ||
| Who makes it | You, in Squarespace’s editor, or an Expert you hire and agree terms with. | We do, from a chat about your business. |
| Design | Squarespace’s templates, adapted by you or your Expert. | Two or three design directions made from your words. You pick one. |
| Words and photos | Yours to write and find, unless your Expert’s quote includes them. | Written and made for you. Add your own later if you like. |
| Logo | Bring your own, or agree one with your Expert. | Two logo designs with every build. |
| Before it goes live | A 14-day free trial to build in; you publish when you’re ready. | Up to five changes and one complete rethink before you approve the home page. |
| Running it | ||
| Changes after launch | You log in and edit, or ask your Expert on the terms you agreed. | Message us in the dashboard or on WhatsApp. We make the change and put it live. About thirty small edits a month are covered on Business. |
| Domain | One year free on an annual plan, then Squarespace’s standard rate. | Your own domain connected. A new name shows its yearly price before you buy it. |
| Leaving | You can cancel your plan at any time. | No contract. Cancel from your account. |
Squarespace’s plans and prices change, so check squarespace.com/pricing before you decide; we don’t quote them here. The ThemeSmith details are on our price list →
Who is each one right for?
Squarespace is the better choice if
You want to make it yourself, or choose your own designer.
- You enjoy design and want to set every detail.
- You’re happy to learn an editor and keep the site up to date yourself.
- You want to choose a designer from portfolios, and agree the scope and the aftercare with them.
ThemeSmith is the better choice if
You want it built and looked after.
- You’d rather describe your business than build a website.
- You have no photos, words or logo yet.
- You want changes done by sending a message, not by learning an editor.
- You want one price list and no contract.
What does the first year cost?
A four-page site: home, services, about and contact. The ThemeSmith column is our price list; for Squarespace, we list what to add up and where its figures are kept current.
ThemeSmith, four pages
- Build, paid once: £29 first page + 3 × £15£74
- Hosting, month one£0
- Hosting, months two to twelve: 11 × £29£319
- First year in all£393
£29 a month, and it stays £29 for as long as you're with us. New customers from 1 April 2027 pay £39.
Included: two logo designs, photos and copy made for you, a privacy page, your own domain connected, and about thirty small edits a month, done for you from a message.
Squarespace
Paid to Squarespace for the plan, plus an Expert’s quote if you hire one, plus your time.
- Plan, twelve monthspriced on squarespace.com
- Domainfree for the first year on an annual plan
- An Expert, if you hire onetheir quote
- Your timehours, not pounds
If you hire an Expert, ask what their quote covers after launch: updates, fixes and changes are part of the arrangement you agree with them, not part of the plan.
Questions people ask before choosing
- Is Squarespace or ThemeSmith better for a small business?
- It depends on who you want to do the work. Squarespace suits owners who want to build the site themselves or choose their own designer. ThemeSmith suits owners who want it built from a conversation and changed for them by message.
- Can someone build my Squarespace site for me?
- Yes. Squarespace’s Marketplace, run by 99designs by Vista, connects you with independent Squarespace Experts who send quotes. The arrangement, including any help after launch, is between you and the Expert.
- Does Squarespace have a free plan?
- No. Every Squarespace site starts with a 14-day free trial.
- Can I move my Squarespace site to ThemeSmith?
- Yes. Site Rescue rebuilds an existing website, keeping the content worth keeping, and we connect your domain.
What we read about Squarespace, and when
- Squarespace, Pricing (UK) ↗, read 28 October 2026.
- Squarespace Help Center, Hiring a Squarespace Expert (updated 15 July 2025) ↗, read 28 October 2026.
ThemeSmith builds and looks after websites for UK small businesses. Squarespace is a trade mark of its owner; this page compares the ways of getting a website and is not endorsed by Squarespace.
Tell us about your business. We build the website.
A chat, a choice of design and a yes to your home page. Then a change is a message.