Squarespace vs B12
Squarespace scores 8.4/10, B12 8.7/10. Where each one wins, what they cost and who should pick which, side by side.
The short answer
Squarespace scores 8.4/10 and B12 scores 8.7/10 on our rubric. The scores are close enough that fit matters more than the headline number.
Squarespace leads on design. B12 leads on ease of use, flexibility, value, and support.
Squarespace starts at $19/mo with no free plan; B12 starts at $20/mo and has a free plan. Squarespace is the cheaper way in.
| Squarespace | B12 | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 8.4 | 8.7 |
| From | $19 | $20 |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Sells online | Yes | Yes |
| Code export | No | No |
| Ease of use | 8.6 | 9.4 |
| Design | 9.5 | 8.6 |
| Flexibility | 7.4 | 8.4 |
| Value | 7.8 | 8.6 |
| Support | 8.2 | 8.8 |
What Squarespace does well
- Best-looking templates without design work
- Strong built-in blog and scheduling
- Sensible defaults produce a good site fast
What B12 does well
- A complete site, store or web app drafted from one prompt in about two minutes
- Edit by chatting with the AI Agent, clicking any element or uploading a screenshot of what you want
- Commerce, backends, logins and analytics included from the $24 Website plan
Who each one is for
Squarespace. Portfolios, restaurants, studios and service businesses where visual quality is the point and the structure is conventional. If the site is mostly pages, images and a booking or contact path, this is the shortest route to something that looks professional.
B12. Anyone who wants to go from a description to a finished, working site without assembling it: small businesses, founders, freelancers and teams who need a website, a store or a simple web app live this week, and would rather talk to an AI than learn a design tool.
Pricing side by side
Squarespace
| Basic | $19/mo | 2 contributors, 2% online store transaction fee, 7% on digital content |
|---|---|---|
| Core | $29/mo | unlimited contributors, 0% store fee, 5% on digital content, CSS and code injection |
| Plus | $49/mo | card rate from 2.7% + $0.30, 1% on digital content |
| Advanced | $99/mo | card rate from 2.5% + $0.30, 0% on digital content |
B12
| Free | $0 | b12sites.com subdomain, 5 AI credits a day (max 30 a month) |
|---|---|---|
| Website | $20/mo yearly · $24 monthly | custom domain, 100 AI credits, commerce, backends, analytics, up to 10 projects |
| Website + Client Engagement | $67/mo yearly · $78 monthly | 300 AI credits, up to 30 projects, intake, contracts, email marketing, custom email |
| Professional (done for you) | $199/mo | site designed, written and launched by B12's team, phone support |
| Advanced (done for you) | $399/mo | 5 seats, monthly site updates, directory listings, priority support |
What a year costs
Squarespace
Basic is $19 a month on an annual plan, and it can sell. But every online store sale on Basic carries a 2% Squarespace transaction fee on top of card processing, and Core, at $29, removes it. The $10 difference is covered once you sell about $500 a month. Above that, Basic is the more expensive plan, and a store taking $1,500 a month pays roughly $240 more a year on Basic than on Core.
Plan price, billed yearlySquarespace transaction fee
B12
The Free plan runs on a b12sites.com address with five AI credits a day. Website, at $24 a month ($20 on yearly billing), adds your own domain, 100 AI credits a month, commerce, backends, analytics and up to ten launched projects. Website + Client Engagement, at $78 ($67 yearly), triples the AI credits and adds the client tools. New users can try the paid plans for $1 for the first seven days, and the custom domain is free for the first year.
Plan price
Who should skip each one
Squarespace
Sites needing unusual layouts, heavy custom functionality or a large catalog. The template does most of the work, which is the benefit until it becomes the ceiling.
B12
A designer who wants pixel-level control over every layout, where Webflow or Framer fit better, or a merchant with a large, complex catalog, where Shopify's commerce depth wins. If you need to own and hand-edit an app's codebase, a code-first AI app builder such as Lovable or Replit is the better home.
The bottom line
Squarespace
For a design-led small business, Squarespace on the Core plan is excellent value: it looks good by default, sells without a platform fee, and gives you full code access if you ever need it. Skip Basic unless you are not selling anything.
B12
B12 is the AI builder we would point most people to first: one prompt gives you a complete site, store or simple web app, and you keep improving it by talking to the same AI. Start on the free plan to see the draft, and move to the $24 Website plan when you want your own domain, commerce and backends.
Questions people ask
Is Squarespace better than B12?
Squarespace scores 8.4/10 and B12 scores 8.7/10 on our rubric. The scores are close enough that fit matters more than the headline number. Squarespace leads on design. B12 leads on ease of use, flexibility, value, and support.
Which is cheaper, Squarespace or B12?
Squarespace starts at $19/mo with no free plan; B12 starts at $20/mo and has a free plan. Squarespace is the cheaper way in.
Which is easier to use, Squarespace or B12?
B12 scores 9.4/10 for ease of use against Squarespace at 8.6/10.
Do Squarespace and B12 have a free plan?
Squarespace has no free plan; B12 has a free plan.
Can you sell online with Squarespace and B12?
Both Squarespace and B12 can take payments and run a store.
Can you move your site off Squarespace or B12?
Neither Squarespace nor B12 exports a working site.
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