A cheaper Squarespace alternative for small businesses
If you want a good-looking website for a small business and don't want to pay before it's live, Ginta is a cheaper Squarespace alternative: the free plan publishes your site, booking is built in on every paid plan from €5 a month, and you change the site by asking. If design is your business (a photographer's portfolio, a brand with a careful look) or you sell a lot online, Squarespace's templates, editor and commerce tools are more mature, and it's the better choice.
We make Ginta. Every fact about Squarespace below comes from Squarespace's own pricing page, help centre and the Acuity Scheduling pricing page, checked on 19 October 2026 (links at the end). Squarespace showed us euro prices; prices differ by country.
Why people look for a Squarespace alternative
Squarespace is known for polished, design-led templates, and many people start there. The reasons they look elsewhere:
- There's no free plan. "Squarespace doesn't offer a free plan." Every site gets a 14-day trial with no card, but you need a paid plan to publish.
- Booking costs extra. Appointment booking runs on Acuity Scheduling, a separate subscription you embed in the site. Acuity's cheapest plan is $16 a month billed yearly, or $20 monthly (one calendar, US dollars before tax).
- The AI is a starting point. Squarespace's Blueprint AI asks a few setup questions and generates a site, which you then customise in the editor. AI credits are limited: 10 once on Basic, 20 a month on Core, 120 on Advanced.
Ginta vs Squarespace at a glance
| Ginta | Squarespace | |
|---|---|---|
| Publishes on the free plan | Yes, at name.ginta.page, with a small "Made with Ginta" badge |
No free plan; 14-day trial, a paid plan to publish |
| Own domain from | €5 a month (Hosting) or €12 (Light, with Ginta's AI) | Basic: €11 a month billed yearly (€132), or €15 monthly (EU prices) |
| Free domain | No, you register it yourself | One year free with an annual plan |
| AI builds the site | Yes: describe the business, answer a few questions, live in about a minute | Yes: Blueprint AI asks setup questions and generates a site to customise |
| Change it by asking | Yes, or click any text or photo on the page | Mostly in the editor; AI credits from 10 (once) to 120 a month |
| Booking | Built in on every paid plan | Separate Acuity subscription, from $16 a month billed yearly |
| Menu, shop, forms | Menu, contact form and quote requests on every plan; shop on paid plans | Menu block and form blocks on every plan; online store on every plan (2% fee on Basic) |
| Works from Claude or ChatGPT | Yes: Ginta's MCP server publishes and changes the site, using no Ginta credits | A Squarespace GPT starts a site in ChatGPT; you finish and publish in Squarespace. Its MCP server only covers domains |
| Who it's for | Owners who want a good site with the usual parts, without learning an editor | Creatives, brands and shops that want design control and strong commerce |
Ginta's prices include tax and are the same number in euros (eurozone) or US dollars (everywhere else).
What it costs to take bookings in year one
For a business that wants its own domain and online appointment booking, before discounts:
- Ginta Light: €12 a month, or €120 a year paid yearly. Booking is included, with confirmation emails and a calendar file for both sides, and visitors can change or cancel. Ginta's AI is included too (120 credits a month).
- Ginta Hosting: €5 a month if your own Claude or ChatGPT builds the site. Booking included.
- Squarespace Basic + Acuity Starter: €132 a year for Basic (EU, annual) plus Acuity at $16 a month billed yearly.
Squarespace's domain offer is worth counting: an annual plan includes a custom domain free for the first year. Ginta doesn't sell domains.
Where Ginta is different
There's no template to pick: Ginta's AI designs each website for the business you describe, writes the texts in your language from your facts, and lists anything it had to guess. After that you write what you want changed, or click a text on the page and type.
The parts small businesses use are ready-made and managed in Ginta's own screens, with no AI: a menu with prices, sizes, dietary tags and "sold out for now"; a gallery; a blog; quote requests; announcements like "Closed on Monday" that disappear by themselves; and on paid plans booking, a shop and events and classes.
Ginta's own AI uses credits: 20 when you confirm your email, then 3 a day (up to 15 a month). With our best AI a one-page website is about 20 credits (more pages use more). If you build from your own Claude or ChatGPT instead, Ginta uses no credits at all.
When Squarespace is the better choice
- You care about every pixel. Squarespace's templates and editor give you a level of design control Ginta doesn't offer: Ginta has no drag-and-drop editor.
- You sell products, courses or memberships seriously. Squarespace has commerce on every plan, plus invoices, memberships, courses, shipping and tax services, and email campaigns. Ginta's shop takes orders, but online payment through your own Stripe isn't open yet.
- You need many calendars. Acuity goes up to 36 calendars on its top plan.
- You want a large company and community behind you: a help centre, forum, webinars and a "Hire an Expert" marketplace. Ginta is young and run by one person; support is by email at support@ginta.app.
Moving from Squarespace to Ginta
Paste the texts from your Squarespace pages on ginta.app and Ginta builds a new website in about a minute. Add your photos and the parts you need, then connect your domain in Settings. If your domain is managed at Squarespace Domains, Ginta recognises it and shows Squarespace's own steps, including removing the "Squarespace Defaults" records that point the domain at Squarespace. Keep your Squarespace site until the new one is live. A photographer, hair salon or café? Those pages show a real example.
Sources (checked 19 October 2026)
Squarespace pricing (EU prices) · Squarespace AI website builder · Squarespace scheduling · Acuity Scheduling pricing · Menu blocks · Squarespace GPT · Squarespace developers (MCP) · Ginta: pricing, limits
Questions
Is there a free Squarespace alternative?
Yes. Ginta's Free plan publishes up to 20 websites at their Ginta address, with a small "Made with Ginta" badge and no time limit while you have your account. Your own domain needs a paid plan, from €5 a month. Building needs a free account.
Is Ginta as good-looking as Squarespace?
Ginta's AI designs each site from scratch for the business, with its own colours, fonts and fitting free photos, and checks the layout at phone and desktop sizes. Squarespace gives you designer-made templates and full control. If you want to shape the design by hand, Squarespace wins.
Can I keep my domain?
Yes, on paid plans (from €5 a month). You keep the domain where it's registered (Squarespace Domains included) and change its DNS records; Ginta shows the exact steps for your provider and checks when they work. Ginta doesn't sell or transfer domains.
Can Claude or ChatGPT build my site on Ginta?
Yes: add Ginta's MCP server and your assistant publishes the site and changes it later. See website builder MCP and build a website with ChatGPT.