SGEN · Comparison Ledger
No. 01
SGEN vs Squarespace
The alternative to Squarespace: own the product, not a template.
Squarespace is a beautifully designed template system, and it is genuinely good at that. Its design polish is a real strength. SGEN is a platform: 23 native modules, native multi-touch attribution, and a product you own. The question this page answers is not which one looks nice out of the box. It is what you own, what you can build beneath the surface, and what you keep when you sell. What follows is the ledger, capability by capability.
From $39/mo (billed annually; $47 monthly). Foundation Pack free on every plan. Free Sandbox to start, no card.
23
native SGEN modules, every plan, one login
0%
SGEN-imposed transaction fee on any plan
$0
free Sandbox to start, no expiry, staging URL only
No. 02
Beyond the template
Operators leave the all-in-one builder for the same reason every time: they have hit the ceiling of a template system and want a product they own and can grow, with attribution, commerce, and a portfolio of sites all in one platform.
23
native modules, every plan
7
module categories, one login
1
dashboard for a whole portfolio of sites
No. 03
Side by side
Two products, two ceilings.
■ SGEN, native
□ Plan-dependent
× Not native
| Capability | Column A SGEN One platform you own | Column B Squarespace All-in-one template builder |
|---|---|---|
| The difference Native multi-touch attribution Which channel, ad, and keyword drove the paid conversion, not just who visited. | Built in. Multi-touch attribution plus phone-tap tracking, a native module on every plan | Built-in analytics cover traffic, page views, and sales reports; no native multi-touch attribution module (verify on live squarespace.com) |
| Commerce transaction fee | None on any plan. Commerce is native (Stripe, PayPal, and offline payments) | 2% on the Basic plan; 0% on Core, Plus, and Advanced (online store sales). Cited first-party |
| Plan structure | All-inclusive, by site count. Every plan is the whole platform | Four tiers (Basic, Core, Plus, Advanced) that differ by feature set, not just site count |
| Built-in module depth | 23 native modules across 7 categories | A capable template system plus commerce, scheduling, and email; organized as a builder, not a 23-module platform |
| What you own / portability | Code and content you control; a portable product you own | Export limited to XML text and images; products, members, forms, and design do not transfer cleanly (verify on live) |
| Hosting, SSL, CDN, security | Free on every plan, including the free Sandbox (Foundation Pack) | Included on all plans (hosting, SSL, CDN bundled) |
| Multi-site dashboard | Site Manager, native and free on every plan; run a portfolio from one login | One site per subscription; multiple sites via separate subscriptions (verify on live) |
| Free to start | Free Sandbox, unlimited sandbox sites, no expiry (staging URL only) | 14-day free trial, no credit card. Cited first-party |
A template system manages one beautiful site. A platform runs a business, with attribution, commerce, and a portfolio of sites all included. Squarespace is genuinely good at the surface; SGEN is built for what sits underneath it.
Squarespace plan names and the Basic-plan 2% commerce transaction fee are first-party (Squarespace Help Center, articles 27853679334157 and 29215717722637). Analytics scope, export contents, and multi-site management should be verified on live squarespace.com before relying on them.
No. 04
Beyond page views
Squarespace tells you who visited. SGEN tells you what paid for them.
If you run paid campaigns, the number that matters is not visits, it is which channel, ad, and keyword drove the conversion. Built-in website analytics typically answer the traffic question and stop there. SGEN ships attribution as a native module: multi-touch attribution and phone-tap tracking, built into the platform, no CallRail line item and no third-party tag to maintain.
See what worked, not just who came. For a paid campaign, the conversion is attributed to the channel, ad, and keyword that drove it, on the same platform you build in.
Built in, not bolted on. Multi-touch attribution lives in the platform, not in another monthly subscription you have to wire up and maintain.
The source travels with the lead. Every submission lands with its traffic source attached, so what you charge is tied back to what earned it.
No. 05
What $39/mo actually buys
When you sell, you keep the sale. No transaction tax on top.
From $39/mo (billed annually; $47 monthly). The Foundation Pack, hosting, SSL, CDN, WAF, and security patching, plus the multi-site dashboard, is free on every plan, even the free Sandbox. There is no SGEN-imposed transaction fee on any plan, so the platform never skims a percentage off what you sell.
The 2% figure shown is Squarespace's Basic-plan commerce transaction fee; Core, Plus, and Advanced charge 0% (Squarespace Help Center, online store sales, verified first-party). It is separate from the payment processor's card rate (commonly 2.5 to 2.9% plus $0.30), which every platform's checkout incurs, SGEN included; SGEN waives only its own platform fee, which is the figure on the right. On SGEN the plan price is the price: every plan is the entire platform, all 23 modules, and the tiers differ only by how many live sites you run.
No. 06
Already in the box
23 native modules, on one platform, one price.
SGEN is priced by how many live sites you run, never by feature tier. Ecommerce is a native module included in every plan with no SGEN-imposed transaction fee, and it sits alongside 23 other native modules: the builder, forms, popups, events, on-page SEO, redirects, image optimization, attribution, and more.
Squarespace's Basic plan charges a 2% commerce transaction fee; Core, Plus, and Advanced charge 0% (Squarespace Help Center, online store sales). SGEN takes a different shape: there is no SGEN-imposed transaction fee on any plan, so when you sell you keep the sale, from the entry plan up. The plans differ only by how many live sites you publish.
Every plan is the whole platform: all 23 modules and the full multi-site dashboard, with the Foundation Pack underneath it free. There are no Suites to add and no a la carte tiers to climb to unlock capability. The price you see is the platform you get.
No. 07
Switching, honestly
Moving from Squarespace to SGEN is a rebuild. Not an import.
We will not tell you it is a one-click transfer. There is no button that moves a Squarespace site into SGEN, because moving platforms means rebuilding the site on the new one, and that is true of every platform switch. The upside is what you land on: a product you own, on a clean native architecture. SGEN templates start you fast, not blank.
Path 01
White-glove rebuild
We rebuild your site on SGEN for you: design, content, and SEO structure. Contact sales for scope and pricing.
Contact SalesPath 02
DIY rebuild
You rebuild on SGEN with the visual builder and the template library. If you have built a Squarespace site, the visual-editing model will feel familiar. Start on the free Sandbox and move at your own pace.
Try the Free SandboxFor the full rebuild guide and what each path looks like, see /migrate. The Redirects module maps every old URL to its new home, so you keep your link equity through the rebuild.
No. 08
Questions
Common questions about switching from Squarespace
Can I move my Squarespace site over to SGEN?
Moving from Squarespace is a rebuild, not an import. Your content does not transfer automatically; SGEN does not run a Squarespace importer. You rebuild on SGEN using the visual builder and the template library (which make it fast, every template is a finished starting point), or we rebuild it for you (white-glove). See /migrate for the full guide and both paths.
Is SGEN harder to use than Squarespace?
The SGEN builder is visual and drag-and-drop, the same editing model you already know. The difference is the ceiling, not the floor: SGEN ships 23 native modules without an add-on tier, so capability you would otherwise grow into is already present. If you have built a Squarespace site, you can build a SGEN site.
Does SGEN charge a transaction fee when I sell?
No. There is no SGEN-imposed transaction fee on any plan, and ecommerce is a native module included in every plan (Stripe, PayPal, and offline payments). By contrast, Squarespace's Basic plan charges a 2% commerce transaction fee; Core, Plus, and Advanced charge none. The payment processor's card rate (commonly 2.5 to 2.9% plus $0.30) is separate and applies to any platform's checkout, including SGEN.
How does SGEN pricing compare to Squarespace?
SGEN starts at $39/mo (billed annually; $47 monthly), and the Foundation Pack, hosting, SSL, CDN, WAF, and security patching, is free on every plan, including the free Sandbox. Every plan is the whole platform: you pay by how many live sites you run, not by feature tier. Squarespace dollar prices are not shown here; verify them on live squarespace.com. The verified cost contrast on this page is the Basic-plan 2% commerce fee.
Is there a free trial?
SGEN includes a free Sandbox with no expiry: open an account and build on unlimited sandbox sites (staging URL only) at no cost. Squarespace offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card. The contrast is a trial that expires versus a free staging tier that does not, not "Squarespace has no free option."
Start free, go live included
Own the product.
Squarespace builds a genuinely beautiful site, and that is real. SGEN gives you a product you own underneath it: 23 native modules, native multi-touch attribution, and no transaction fee on what you sell. Start with the free Sandbox. Go live with the whole platform and the Foundation Pack already included.
Free Sandbox · No credit card required