Does Squarespace Take a Cut of Sales?

Squarespace Transaction Fees by Plan

Here's exactly what Squarespace takes from your sales on each plan:

• Personal ($16/month annual): No e-commerce - you can't sell products on this plan.
• Business ($23/month annual): 3% Squarespace transaction fee on every sale, plus payment processing.
• Basic Commerce ($28/month annual): 0% Squarespace transaction fee. Only payment processing applies.
• Advanced Commerce ($52/month annual): 0% Squarespace transaction fee. Only payment processing applies.

The key takeaway: only the Business plan charges a Squarespace-specific cut. Commerce plans don't.

Transaction Fees vs Payment Processing Fees

This is where most people get confused. There are two separate fees on every sale:

1. Squarespace transaction fee (Business plan only): 3% of the sale amount. This goes to Squarespace. It's eliminated by upgrading to any Commerce plan.
2. Payment processing fee (all plans): 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. This goes to Stripe or PayPal - not to Squarespace. You'd pay this on any platform.

On the Business plan, a $100 sale costs you: $3.00 (Squarespace) + $3.20 (payment processor) = $6.20 in total fees. You keep $93.80.

On Basic Commerce, the same $100 sale costs: $0 (Squarespace) + $3.20 (processor) = $3.20. You keep $96.80.

When Does Upgrading from Business to Commerce Pay for Itself?

Basic Commerce costs $5/month more than the Business plan on annual billing ($28 vs $23). The Business plan's 3% fee means:

• At $167/month in sales, the 3% fee = $5.01 - that's the breakeven point
• At $500/month in sales, the 3% fee = $15 - upgrading saves you $10/month
• At $1,000/month in sales, the 3% fee = $30 - upgrading saves you $25/month

If you're selling more than about $170/month, you're losing money by staying on the Business plan. The upgrade pays for itself almost immediately.

What About Digital Product Fees?

Selling digital downloads, courses, or memberships? Squarespace charges an additional percentage on digital product sales that most sellers don't realize until they check their payouts:

• Basic plan: 9% on digital products
• Core plan: 7%
• Plus plan: 3%
• Advanced plan: 0%

For a $200 online course on the Basic plan, that's $18 to Squarespace plus ~$6.10 in payment processing - $24.10 total in fees. If you're selling high-volume digital products, the Advanced plan's 0% rate can save hundreds per month.

Buy Now Pay Later Fees

If you enable Klarna or Afterpay on your Squarespace store, those services charge their own cut - and it's steep:

• Afterpay: 6% + $0.30 per transaction
• Klarna: 5.45-5.99% + $0.30 per transaction

These fees replace the standard Stripe/PayPal processing fee for those transactions - they don't stack on top. But 6% is still double what regular processing costs. Only enable BNPL if you've confirmed it increases your conversion rate enough to justify the higher fee.

How Squarespace Compares to Other Platforms

Squarespace's fee structure is fairly standard. Here's how it stacks up:

• Shopify: 0.5-2% transaction fee unless using Shopify Payments (then 0%). Processing: 2.4-2.9% + $0.30.
• Wix: 0% transaction fee on all plans. Processing: 2.9% + $0.30 through Wix Payments.
• WordPress/WooCommerce: 0% platform fee. Processing depends on your chosen gateway (usually 2.9% + $0.30).
• Squarespace Commerce: 0% transaction fee. Processing: 2.9% + $0.30.

On a Commerce plan, Squarespace's fees are identical to Wix and WooCommerce. The Business plan's 3% fee is the outlier - and it's easily avoided by upgrading.

How to Keep More of Your Sales Revenue

Upgrade to Commerce if You're Selling Regularly

The $5/month difference between Business and Basic Commerce eliminates the 3% fee. If you make even a few sales per month, the upgrade more than pays for itself.

Pick the Right Payment Processor

Stripe and PayPal both charge 2.9% + $0.30 for domestic transactions, but rates can differ for international cards. Compare both and enable the one that works best for your customer base.

Price Your Products to Account for Fees

Factor processing fees into your pricing. On a $50 product, you'll keep about $47.25 after Stripe's cut. Build that into your margins rather than being surprised by the gap between revenue and payouts.

Review Your Payout Statements Monthly

Check your Squarespace payout statements and analytics regularly. Look for unexpected fees - especially if you've enabled BNPL options or sell digital products. Knowing your actual fee percentage helps you make better plan decisions.

Bottom Line

Squarespace does take a cut of your sales - but only on the Business plan (3%). Commerce plans charge zero Squarespace fees. Every plan charges standard payment processing fees (2.9% + $0.30), which you'd pay on any platform. The best way to keep more of your revenue is to choose the right Squarespace plan for your sales volume and avoid the Business plan's transaction fee trap.