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An honest comparison

PixelApps vs doing it yourself on Squarespace

Squarespace is a polished product — beautiful templates, an easy editor and everything in one subscription. For a portfolio or a passion project it's a genuinely good option. The trade-off appears when a busy business owner becomes their own designer, copywriter, SEO specialist and IT department — on top of the job they actually have.

Where Squarespace wins

Credit where it's due — here's what the DIY option does well.

  • Start tonight

    Pick a template, swap the photos and you can have something live within hours. For speed-to-something, DIY builders are hard to beat.

  • Attractive templates

    Squarespace templates are genuinely well designed. If your content fits the template neatly, the result can look sharp.

  • Predictable subscription

    One monthly fee covers hosting, the editor and basic features. Simple to budget for.

Where PixelApps wins

What you get with senior specialists on your side.

  • You don't do the work

    On Squarespace, every hour of design, writing and fiddling is your evening. On the plan, senior UX designers and developers do it for you — then keep doing it every month.

  • Custom, not template

    Template sites tend to look like template sites. We design around your business, your customers and your brand — not a layout built for everyone.

  • Local SEO done properly

    We set up your Google Business Profile and optimise for local search — the things that actually get a local business found. A DIY template leaves that to you.

  • Local, accountable support

    No help docs or overseas chat queues. You deal with the same Australian team that built your site.

The verdict

Squarespace is a good tool for people who want a project. The plan is for business owners who want a result: a custom site, built by senior specialists and managed every month, for $950 setup and $95 a month with no lock-in.

Common questions

On subscription fees alone, yes. The honest comparison includes your time — designing, writing, fixing and updating — plus the cost of a site that looks like everyone else's template. Most owners find their evenings are worth more than the difference.

Yes. We'll rebuild it as a custom site on the plan, bring your content and domain across, and handle the switch so there's no downtime for your customers.

No. There's no lock-in, and if you leave we'll help you take your site with you.