What is the difference between Squarespace and Astro?

Squarespace is best for Creatives and small businesses wanting polished sites, while Astro is best for Developers wanting content-focused static sites. Squarespace starts at $16/mo and Astro starts at Free.

Is Squarespace or Astro cheaper?

Squarespace starts at $16/mo. Astro starts at Free and is free.

Squarespace vs Astro

Squarespace is all-in-one website builder with designer templates, e-commerce, and built-in analytics, while Astro is web framework for content-driven websites with island architecture and zero JS by default. The biggest difference up front: Astro is free, while Squarespace starts at $16/mo. Squarespace is built for creatives and small businesses wanting polished sites, whereas Astro targets developers wanting content-focused static sites.

At a glance

	Squarespace	Astro
Best for	Creatives and small businesses wanting polished sites	Developers wanting content-focused static sites
Starting price	$16/mo	Free
Free tier	—	✓
Open source	—	✓
Free tier available	—	✓
Open source	—	✓
Analytics	✓	—
Content Collections	—	✓
Domains	✓	—
E-commerce	✓	—
Island Architecture	—	✓
SSG/SSR	—	✓
Templates	✓	—
Zero JS	—	✓

Squarespace

Strengths

Huge template library covers social media, presentations, marketing materials, and more
Includes E-commerce as a core feature, purpose-built for website builder workflows
Pricing starts at $16/mo, which includes the full website builder feature set
Established product with 22+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Starts at $16/mo — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Performance and SEO control is limited compared to custom-coded sites
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Squarespace → Full review

Astro

Strengths

Open source and transparent
Includes Island Architecture as a core feature, purpose-built for website builder workflows
Fully open-source — you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in
The core product is free with no paywalled essentials

Weaknesses

May lack some advanced features
Self-hosting is free but requires server maintenance and DevOps knowledge
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Performance and SEO control is limited compared to custom-coded sites

Try Astro → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Astro is completely free, which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Squarespace starts at $16/mo. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: Squarespace offers Analytics, Domains and E-commerce that Astro lacks. Astro brings Content Collections, Island Architecture and SSG/SSR that Squarespace does not have.

Team fit: Squarespace is geared toward individual users and small setups, while Astro is aimed at small teams teams. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Open source: Astro is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. Squarespace is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

Where each tool shines: Squarespace's biggest strengths are: huge template library covers social media, presentations, marketing materials, and more. includes e-commerce as a core feature, purpose-built for website builder workflows. Astro's biggest strengths are: open source and transparent. includes island architecture as a core feature, purpose-built for website builder workflows.

Watch out for: With Squarespace, users commonly note that starts at $16/mo — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users. With Astro, the main complaint is that may lack some advanced features.

Choose Squarespace if...

You need a tool built for creatives and small businesses wanting polished sites
You specifically need Analytics and Domains
You care about includes e-commerce as a core feature, purpose-built for website builder workflows
Your team size fits the individuals profile Squarespace is designed for

Choose Astro if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: developers wanting content-focused static sites
Budget is a hard constraint — Astro is free, Squarespace is not
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need Content Collections and Island Architecture
You care about includes island architecture as a core feature, purpose-built for website builder workflows