Squarespace Review Australia 2026

Ecommerce
3.0 / 5— SoftwareHQ AU Rating
Pricing verified 2026-03-18

Overview

Squarespace is design-first website builder with integrated e-commerce. Founded in 2003 and headquartered in New York City, USA, it serves Australian businesses.

Design-first website builder with integrated e-commerce

AU Compliance Scores

BAS Lodgement
0/5
STP Phase 2
0/5
Payday Super
0/5
Modern Awards
0/5
GST Handling
3/5
Bank Feeds
0/5
Modern Awards NoteNot applicable — e-commerce platform without workforce management features.

Pricing (AUD inc. GST)

All prices below are in Australian dollars (GST not included). Pricing verified as of 2026-03-18.

Basic
$24/mo
AUD exc GST
Entry-level plan with full e-commerce included. Unlimited products, gift cards, customer accounts, and abandoned checkout recovery. 2% Squarespace transaction fee on physical products plus 7% on digital products/memberships. Payment processing via Stripe at 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. Includes free custom domain on annual plans, SEO tools, and basic analytics.
  • Products: unlimited
  • Contributors: 2
  • Online Store: Yes
Most Popular
Core
$39/mo
AUD exc GST
Best value for most AU online sellers. Removes the 2% Squarespace transaction fee on physical products (5% on digital products remains). Adds unlimited contributors, purchase funnel analytics, third-party commerce integrations, Mailchimp and Google Shopping integration, automatic discounts, carrier-calculated shipping, product waitlists, and promotional pop-ups. Payment processing at 2.9% + $0.30.
  • Products: unlimited
  • Contributors: unlimited
  • Online Store: Yes
Plus
$69/mo
AUD exc GST
Designed for content creators and membership businesses. Reduces digital product fee to 1% and payment processing to 2.7% + $0.30. Includes 50 hours of video hosting/storage (10x more than Core), ideal for e-learning, courses, and gated content. All Core features included.
  • Products: unlimited
  • Contributors: unlimited
  • Online Store: Yes
  • Video Storage Hours: 50
Advanced
$149/mo
AUD exc GST
Top-tier plan for high-volume e-commerce. Zero transaction fees on all sales including digital products. Lowest payment processing rate at 2.5% + $0.30. Unlimited video storage, advanced analytics, advanced commerce features, and premium support priority. Best for established AU online stores needing maximum margin.
  • Products: unlimited
  • Contributors: unlimited
  • Online Store: Yes
  • Video Storage: unlimited

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Best-in-class design templates — 100+ professionally designed, mobile-responsive themes that genuinely look premium out of the box
  • E-commerce included on every plan from $24 AUD/month with unlimited products, gift cards, and abandoned checkout recovery
  • 14-day free trial with no credit card required — generous compared to Shopify's 3-day trial
  • Competitive entry pricing at $17 AUD/month (annual) undercuts Shopify Basic at $42/month for businesses needing a polished online store
  • Zero transaction fees on physical products from Core plan ($28/month annual) onwards — no separate payment gateway surcharge like Shopify's 0.6-2%
  • All-in-one platform includes hosting, SSL, CDN, email marketing, blogging, and SEO tools — no plugins or add-ons needed for basics
  • Built-in video hosting and membership site functionality on Plus/Advanced plans eliminates need for third-party course platforms
  • Plans priced in AUD — no exchange rate uncertainty unlike BigCommerce's USD-only pricing

Cons

  • Limited e-commerce feature depth compared to Shopify — no native Australia Post shipping integration, fewer inventory management tools
  • Very small app/extension ecosystem (~40 integrations vs Shopify's 8,000+) limits customisation and third-party functionality
  • Cannot set different GST tax rates per product — problematic for AU businesses selling mixed GST-taxable and GST-free items
  • No phone support and live chat limited to US business hours — AU merchants have restricted real-time assistance during AEST business hours
  • US-only data hosting with no Australian data sovereignty option — not suitable for businesses with AU data residency requirements
  • Higher payment processing fees than Shopify Payments (2.5-2.9% + $0.30 via Stripe vs 1.4-1.75% + 30¢ via Shopify Payments)
  • No native Xero or MYOB integration — requires Zapier or third-party connectors for Australian accounting software

Who Is Squarespace Best For?

  • Sole Trader
  • Small Business
  • Creative Professional
  • Content Creator

Squarespace may not be the best fit for:

  • High Volume Retailer
  • Data Sovereignty Required
  • Complex Catalogue

Squarespace Alternatives

If Squarespace doesn’t quite fit your needs, consider these alternatives for Australian businesses:

  • Shopify — The world's leading e-commerce platform for AU online sellers. From $7/mo inc. GST.
  • WooCommerce — Free open-source e-commerce plugin for WordPress. Free plan available.
  • BigCommerce — Australian-founded SaaS e-commerce platform built for growth. From $39/mo inc. GST.
  • Neto (Maropost Commerce Cloud) — Australia's all-in-one B2B and multi-channel ecommerce platform. From $199/mo inc. GST.

Related Compliance Guides

Guide
BAS Lodgement Guide for Australian Businesses
Business Activity Statements must be lodged quarterly or monthly with the ATO, reporting GST, PAYG i...
Guide
Data Sovereignty in Australia — Where Is Your Business Data Stored?
Australian businesses are increasingly concerned about where their financial and employee data is ho...
Guide
GST Registration Guide for Australian Businesses
Australian businesses must register for GST once their annual turnover reaches or is expected to rea...
Guide
Tax Invoice Requirements in Australia — What You Must Include
Australian businesses registered for GST must issue tax invoices for taxable sales of $82.50 or more...

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Squarespace cost per month in Australia?
Squarespace plans in Australia are priced in AUD. Monthly prices are: Basic $24, Core $39, Plus $69, and Advanced $149. Annual billing reduces these to $17, $28, $49, and $109 per month respectively — a saving of up to 29%. All plans include e-commerce features. A 14-day free trial is available with no credit card required. Annual plans include a free custom domain for the first year.
Does Squarespace handle GST for Australian stores?
Yes, Squarespace supports automatic GST calculation and tax-inclusive pricing display for Australian stores. You can set up automated tax rates that apply 10% GST based on your location and customer shipping address. However, a key limitation is that Squarespace cannot set different tax rules per product — meaning if you sell both GST-taxable and GST-free items, you'll need workarounds. Squarespace does not lodge BAS or integrate directly with the ATO — you'll need separate accounting software like Xero or MYOB.
What are Squarespace's transaction fees in Australia?
Squarespace charges a platform transaction fee on the Basic plan only: 2% on physical products and 7% on digital products/memberships. The Core plan removes the physical product fee (5% digital remains). Plus charges 1% on digital only. Advanced has zero transaction fees on all sales. Separately, payment processing fees via Stripe apply: 2.9% + $0.30 (Basic/Core), 2.7% + $0.30 (Plus), or 2.5% + $0.30 (Advanced) per transaction.
Where is Squarespace data hosted?
Squarespace stores data in Tier III data centres across the United States on its own private cloud infrastructure. Content is served globally via geographically distributed CDNs for fast loading in Australia. There is no option to host data on Australian servers. Payment card data bypasses Squarespace entirely and is processed directly by PCI-DSS compliant providers (Stripe, PayPal, Square). Squarespace does not disclose exact data centre locations for security reasons.
Can I use Afterpay with Squarespace in Australia?
Yes. Squarespace supports Afterpay as a payment option, allowing Australian customers to split purchases into four interest-free instalments. Afterpay is available through Squarespace's payment integration settings. This is separate from the standard Stripe/PayPal payment processing and Afterpay's own merchant fees apply.
How does Squarespace compare to Shopify for Australian e-commerce?
Squarespace is more affordable ($24/month vs Shopify's $56/month entry price), includes e-commerce on all plans, and has superior design templates. Shopify is better for serious e-commerce: it has 8,000+ apps (vs ~40), native Australia Post integration, 24/7 support, more advanced inventory and multichannel features, and lower card processing rates via Shopify Payments (from 1.4% vs Squarespace's 2.5%). Choose Squarespace for design-focused, smaller stores; Shopify for scaling e-commerce businesses.