Squarespace vs CloserAccess: build it yourself, or have it built
Published · Comparisons
Squarespace is the better pick if you want to design and run a polished site yourself. Its plans start at $19 a month billed yearly, and appointment booking runs through Acuity Scheduling, which is priced on its own. CloserAccess suits a business whose sales are bookings, events and memberships, run by an owner who would rather have a team build and look after the site; you can also build on it yourself for free and pay a fee only when a customer pays you.
CloserAccess, the second platform in this comparison, wrote it. Squarespace and Acuity prices come from their own pricing and product pages, checked November 8, 2026.
Prices and fees side by side
| Plan | Price a month | Fee on store sales | Fee on memberships and courses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squarespace Basic | $25 billed monthly, $19 billed yearly | 2% | 7% |
| Squarespace Core | $39 billed monthly, $29 billed yearly | 0% | 5% |
| Squarespace Plus | $65 billed monthly, $49 billed yearly | 0% | 1% |
| Squarespace Advanced | $139 billed monthly, $99 billed yearly | 0% | 0% |
| CloserAccess, build it yourself | $0 | Per-sale fee (rate not published) | Per-sale fee (rate not published) |
| CloserAccess, built for you | Fixed quote for a team build | Per-sale fee, rate set in your quote | Per-sale fee, rate set in your quote |
Card processing comes on top of every row. On Squarespace, appointment booking adds an Acuity Scheduling plan, from $20 a month billed monthly or $16 a month on annual billing.
What Squarespace costs, all in
Squarespace's pricing page lists four plans. Basic allows 2 contributors. Core, the one Squarespace marks as recommended and calls a foundation for service businesses, allows unlimited contributors. There is a 14-day free trial with no card, and no free plan.
Then come the per-sale costs. Squarespace Payments charges 2.9% + 30c per standard card on Basic and Core, 2.7% + 30c on Plus and 2.5% + 30c on Advanced. Amex and premium cards are 3.2% + 30c, and international cards add 1.5%. Invoices carry no transaction fee. Automated sales tax isn't on Basic; on Core it costs 0.15%, up to a maximum of $0.99.
Two products are sold separately:
- Booking. Acuity Scheduling has its own plans: Starter at $20 billed monthly or $16 on annual billing, for one calendar; Standard at $34 or $27, for six calendars, adding text reminders, a waitlist, memberships and packages; and Premium at $69 or $55, for 36 calendars. Acuity offers a 7-day trial.
- Email Campaigns. Squarespace's email marketing is a separate paid product, listed from $8 a month billed annually, or $12 billed monthly, for 500 sends a month.
So a service business on Squarespace Core that takes appointments should budget for two subscriptions, plus card processing, plus email if it wants campaigns.
What CloserAccess costs
CloserAccess has two ways in, and neither has a published dollar price.
- The free build. You set it up yourself at yourname.closeraccess.com, with nothing to pay each month, no setup cost and no card needed. When a customer pays you, a platform fee comes off that sale and shows as a separate line. CloserAccess doesn't publish the rate, so ask for it first.
- A team build. You pick Starter Website, Premium Website or Digital Master and get a fixed price before any work begins. Your quote also sets the platform fee rate.
Booking, events, memberships, courses and email campaigns are part of the same site, not separate subscriptions. Customers pay through a Square account you connect, at Square's own processing rate with no CloserAccess markup, and the money lands in that account. The fees page lists which sales carry the platform fee.
The honest catch is that you can't price CloserAccess from a chart. For the done-for-you route you need a conversation and a quote, and on the free build you have to ask for the fee rate. Squarespace lets you see every number before you talk to anyone.
Booking: one system or two
Squarespace's services page calls its appointment booking built in, powered by Acuity Scheduling. Acuity has its own pricing page and plans, though, and Squarespace's plan table has no scheduling row, so budget for it as a separate add-on subscription. If you want text reminders or a waitlist, you need Acuity's Standard plan or higher.
On CloserAccess, booking lives in the same site and dashboard as everything else. A client either picks an open time or sends a request you answer with a quote. You can ask for a deposit up front, even when the final price comes later. Confirmation receipts and reminder emails are sent automatically, and if a session happens on video, the call can produce AI-written notes.
Events, memberships and courses
Squarespace's events page says you can collect RSVPs and charge for tickets. Courses, member areas, paid blogs and video are built in on every plan, with the fee from the table: 7% on Basic down to 0% on Advanced.
CloserAccess sells tickets for single events and recurring series, with a page for each night, and staff scan QR codes at the door on a phone. It has memberships with tiers, courses with enrollments, and an Eventbrite integration. Paid tickets and memberships carry the platform fee, shown as its own line.
Design and editing: who does the work
This is where the two differ most. Squarespace gives you designer templates, the Fluid Engine drag-and-drop editor and an AI website builder. You move the blocks. If you'd rather not, Squarespace runs a marketplace of independent Experts. On that page it says it doesn't employ or endorse them, and that the cost varies with the scope of your project.
CloserAccess's main offer is a site its team designs and builds. The Premium Website adds custom design by a dedicated design team, scrolling and parallax effects, and custom sections for your offers. Digital Master adds 3D scroll effects, custom artwork and custom marketing videos. Starter sites can launch in a few days; the bigger packages usually take one to three weeks. After that the team handles updates, fixes and new pages when you call or text.
The trade-off is hands-on control. CloserAccess has no drag-and-drop page builder. Its editor is form fields with a live preview for each page, which covers text, prices, posts and products, and larger layout changes go through the team. If you like dragging blocks around at midnight, Squarespace will suit you better.
Your domain, your link page and your customers
Both put you on your own site. Squarespace includes a free domain for the first year on annual plans only, after which it renews at the standard rate, and Core and up include a free year of Google Workspace email. Its Bio Sites link-in-bio pages are free and don't need a Squarespace subscription.
CloserAccess's done-for-you packages include your own domain, and its pricing FAQ says your domain and content stay yours. The free build runs on yourname.closeraccess.com with no CloserAccess watermark. The link-in-bio page is part of the site itself, so the link in your Instagram bio leads to the same bookings, tickets and shop. Your customer records, contact inquiries and email lists sit in the same dashboard.
Getting found
Both include a blog. Squarespace sells email campaigns separately, as above. CloserAccess includes email campaigns, newsletters, automations and SMS outreach, sends review-request emails after a visit or purchase, and its packages come with marketing advice, social media guidance and free promotion on CloserAccess's discovery pages.
A blog only helps if someone writes it. Klub Kingz, below, has more than 200 posts answering practical questions about going out in New York.
When Squarespace is the better choice
- You want to design it yourself. Drag-and-drop editing and designer templates are Squarespace's core, and its pricing page leads with design.
- You want automated sales tax. Squarespace offers it on Core and up for a small fee: 0.15% on Core, 0.10% on Plus, 0.05% on Advanced. CloserAccess applies one flat estimated rate, which is not a tax-compliance engine.
- You sell in person too. Squarespace includes a POS payment processor on all plans in the US and UK. CloserAccess has no point-of-sale hardware.
- You want to see every price before talking to anyone. Squarespace publishes its plan prices and fees. CloserAccess's done-for-you work is quoted.
- You want a free link page with no site attached. Squarespace's Bio Sites are free and don't need a Squarespace plan. CloserAccess's link page lives inside a full site.
Three CloserAccess businesses that run on bookings, nights and members
- Klub Kingz is a New York party crew with two weekly nights, each with its own page and dates posted well into 2027, plus a VIP table booking page and a Royal Birthday Bash request. See the Klub Kingz events calendar and our story on Klub Kingz. For more on selling nights from your own site, read Eventbrite alternatives for nightclubs.
- The Star Quality Project sells tarot and astrology readings and sessions priced from $22 to $111, delivered as recorded video, by message or live on video, plus a three-session series for $222, courses from free to $22, and membership plans. See the Star Quality services menu and our story on The Star Quality Project.
- Gentle Dental LI books house-call dental visits by arrival window (morning, afternoon or evening), takes emergency requests, and handles office appointment and consultation requests. Every service is quoted. See Gentle Dental LI's services and our story on Gentle Dental LI.
Weighing more than two builders? Our Shopify alternatives for small businesses adds Wix, Square Online and GoDaddy, and the Wix vs CloserAccess comparison goes deeper on Wix.
Frequently asked questions
Is Acuity Scheduling included in a Squarespace plan?
Squarespace calls its booking built in, through Acuity Scheduling, but Acuity has its own pricing page and Squarespace's plan table has no scheduling row. Budget for it separately: Starter is $20 a month billed monthly, or $16 a month on annual billing.
Does Squarespace charge transaction fees?
On store sales, 2% on Basic and 0% on Core and up. On courses, memberships and paid content it's 7% on Basic, 5% on Core, 1% on Plus and 0% on Advanced. Card processing is charged on top.
Which is better for a service business, Squarespace or CloserAccess?
Squarespace, if you want to design the site yourself and don't mind running booking through Acuity. CloserAccess, if your sales are bookings with deposits, events or memberships and you would rather a team built and ran the site.
Can I keep my own domain if I move to CloserAccess?
The done-for-you packages include your own domain, and CloserAccess's pricing FAQ says your domain stays yours. Note that Squarespace's free domain is a first-year offer on annual plans, so check what you pay for the domain itself today.
Is CloserAccess cheaper than Squarespace?
It depends on your volume. The free CloserAccess build has no monthly fee, while Squarespace Basic costs $19 a month billed yearly, or $25 billed monthly, before your first sale. CloserAccess doesn't publish its per-sale fee rate, so ask for it before you compare. For a done-for-you build, compare the quote with Squarespace plus Acuity plus whatever a hired expert charges.
Prices checked November 8, 2026, on each company's own pricing and product pages. Plans and fees change, so check the linked pages before you decide.