Before you cancel Squarespace, export your content. Once your site expires and gets deleted, it's gone. The export only captures certain page types, so you need to know what's included and what you'll need to save manually.
First: export your content
Squarespace exports your site as a WordPress-compatible XML file. This captures layout pages, one blog page (including all posts and up to 1,000 comments per post), text blocks, image blocks, and gallery pages.
What it does not export: store pages, product data, album pages, cover pages, index pages, portfolio pages, audio/video blocks, draft posts, custom CSS, or style settings. If you rely on any of those, save them manually before cancelling.
To export:
- Make sure your site availability is set to Public
- Go to Settings > Import & Export Content
- Click Export, then select the WordPress icon
- If you have multiple blog pages, select your primary blog from the dropdown
- Click Export and wait for processing
- Click Download to save the .xml file
Do this before cancelling. After cancellation you can still access the export panel for a limited time, but don't risk it.
Transfer your domain (if registered through Squarespace)
If you bought your domain through Squarespace and want to keep it, transfer it to another registrar before cancelling. Cancelling your website subscription does not cancel or transfer your domain automatically.
- Go to the Domains dashboard and select your domain
- Toggle off the Domain Lock
- Click Request transfer code and authenticate
- Check your email for the authorisation code from Squarespace (arrives within 24 hours)
- Provide the code to your new domain registrar
The transfer can take up to 15 days. Recently registered domains may have a 60-day lock before they're eligible for transfer. If you used the free domain that came with an annual plan, the free offer doesn't carry over. Your new registrar will charge standard registration fees.
How to cancel
- Open Settings > Billing on the site you want to cancel
- Under Subscriptions, click your website plan
- Click Cancel subscription
- Choose either Retain access (keeps your site live until the billing period ends) or Get refund immediately (if within the refund window)
- Select a cancellation reason from the dropdown
- Confirm
Only the account owner can cancel. Contributors and editors don't have access to billing settings.
Your site goes offline. You can still access the Billing, Domains, Import/Export, and Permissions panels. Squarespace does not automatically delete your site data on cancellation, but the site is marked as expired. You can reactivate and restore your content within the retention window (typically 30 days). After that, your data may be permanently deleted. Other Squarespace subscriptions (domains, email campaigns, Acuity Scheduling) stay active and need to be cancelled separately.
Current pricing (AUD)
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per month) |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $24/mo | $17/mo ($204/yr) |
| Core | $39/mo | $28/mo ($336/yr) |
| Plus | $69/mo | $49/mo ($588/yr) |
| Advanced | $149/mo | $109/mo ($1,308/yr) |
Squarespace renamed its plans in 2025. Basic, Core, Plus, and Advanced replace the old Personal, Business, Commerce Basic, and Commerce Advanced tiers. All plans include a 14-day free trial. Annual plans come with a free custom domain for the first year.
Refund policy
Annual plans cancelled within 14 days of the first payment get a full refund. If you claimed the free domain with your annual plan, Squarespace deducts a non-refundable domain registration fee (around $20 USD) from your refund.
Monthly plans are not refundable. Renewal payments are not refundable. There are no prorated refunds after the 14-day window. If you're on an annual plan and past the 14-day mark, you keep access until the billing period ends but get nothing back.
Squarespace sends a renewal reminder email 15 days before your annual subscription renews. Set a calendar reminder to cancel before that renewal date if you don't want to be charged again.
Alternatives
If you just need a simple website and don't want to pay monthly:
- Google Sites (free). Basic but functional for simple pages. No custom domain on free tier.
- Carrd (free tier, or $19 USD/yr for Pro). Single-page sites. Great for portfolios, landing pages, or link-in-bio pages.
- WordPress.com (free tier). More flexible than Google Sites. Custom themes, blog support. The free tier shows WordPress ads and uses a
.wordpress.comsubdomain. - Wix (free tier). Drag-and-drop builder with more design options than Google Sites. Free tier includes Wix branding and ads.
If you need e-commerce, these free tiers won't cut it. Look at Shopify's starter plan or WooCommerce (self-hosted WordPress) as alternatives.
Website sorted. Now check what other subscriptions are quietly billing you.
Most people find 3-5 subscriptions they forgot about when they actually look. Upload a bank statement to Subtracker and see every recurring charge in 2 minutes. No bank login. No manual entry. $12.99 once.
See what you're paying forChris Raad
Chris is the founder of Subtracker. He built this tool after experiencing the pain of discovering thousands of dollars in unused SaaS sprawl just before tax time.