Quick Verdict: Who Wins?

If you need a full website plus courses, Squarespace makes sense - but you'll sacrifice course-specific features and pay ongoing transaction fees. If you're serious about selling digital products, Teachery offers better course tools, unlimited customization, 0% transaction fees, and a lifetime deal that makes it dramatically cheaper long-term.

The short answer: Squarespace is a website builder that happens to do courses. Teachery is a course platform that happens to be beautiful.

Key Facts

• Transaction fees cost difference: Squarespace charges 3% per transaction while Teachery charges 0% on all plans

• Lifetime value comparison: Teachery's $550 lifetime deal equals just 11 months of Squarespace's $50/month course plan

• Course-specific features: Teachery offers unlimited custom domains and landing pages while Squarespace limits course customization options

• Founded expertise: Teachery has been focused exclusively on digital product sales since 2013, giving it 13+ years of specialized experience

Want to see the difference yourself? Try Teachery free for 14 days - no credit card required.

Pricing: The Numbers Don't Lie

Let's start with what you'll actually pay, because this is where things get interesting.

Squarespace Courses Pricing

• Personal: $18/month ($12/month annually) + 3% transaction fees

• Business: $26/month ($18/month annually) + 0% transaction fees

• Commerce Basic: $27/month ($18/month annually) + 0% transaction fees

• Commerce Advanced: $49/month ($40/month annually) + 0% transaction fees

Here's the catch: courses are only available on Business plan and above. So you're looking at minimum $216/year just to get started, and that's after paying the higher monthly rate for your first year.

Teachery Pricing

• Monthly: $49/month

• Annual: $470/year (saves $118)

• Lifetime: $550 one-time payment

Every Teachery plan includes 0% transaction fees, unlimited products, unlimited students, unlimited landing pages, and custom domains.

The Real Cost Over Time

Let's say you're planning to run courses for three years:

Squarespace Business (3 years): $648
Teachery Annual (3 years): $1,410
Teachery Lifetime: $550

The lifetime deal is where Teachery becomes a no-brainer. You break even in just over one year compared to Squarespace, and after that, everything is pure profit.

Course Creation & Content Management

This is where the "website builder vs. course platform" difference becomes crystal clear.

Squarespace's Course Features

Squarespace treats courses like any other content type. You can create lessons, organize them into chapters, and set them to drip over time. The interface is clean and familiar if you've used Squarespace before.

But here's what's missing: no built-in quiz functionality, limited progress tracking, basic completion certificates, and no robust student management. You're essentially creating a series of blog posts behind a paywall.

The course player is functional but basic. Students get a simple sidebar navigation and that's about it. No course-specific features like bookmarking, note-taking, or discussion areas.

Teachery's Course Approach

Teachery was built specifically for digital product creators. You get proper course structure with unlimited lessons and modules, advanced drip scheduling (by date, time intervals, or manual release), and a course player designed for learning.

The content editor handles video, audio, text, images, downloads, and embeds from any platform. You can mix YouTube videos with Vimeo uploads and podcast episodes in the same course without any technical headaches.

Progress tracking is automatic and detailed. Students see exactly where they are, what's next, and what they've completed. You get insights into completion rates and engagement patterns.

Winner: Teachery, and it's not close. Squarespace's course features feel like an afterthought because they are.

Design & Customization

Both platforms care about design, but they approach it completely differently.

Squarespace's Design Philosophy

Squarespace is famous for beautiful templates, and that reputation is well-earned. You get dozens of professionally designed templates that look modern and polished out of the box.

Customization happens through their visual editor. You can change colors, fonts (from their library), spacing, and layout within the constraints of your chosen template. The results look professional, but there's a "Squarespace look" that's hard to escape.

For courses specifically, you're working within their standard page layouts. The course player inherits your site's design, which creates consistency but limits course-specific customization.

Teachery's Customization Power

Here's where Teachery shines: every single element is customizable. Colors, fonts (upload your own), spacing, layout, button styles, page structure - everything.

You're not picking from templates. You're building exactly what you want. Upload custom fonts, create unique color schemes, design your own page layouts. No two Teachery sites look alike because the platform doesn't force you into predetermined designs.

The course player is fully customizable too. Change the navigation style, progress indicators, lesson layouts, and video player appearance. Your course can match your brand perfectly, not Teachery's brand.

Winner: Teachery for customization depth, Squarespace for out-of-the-box beauty. If you want to stand out and have specific design requirements, Teachery wins. If you want something beautiful with minimal effort, Squarespace takes it.

Payment Processing & Transaction Fees

This section might save you thousands of dollars, so pay attention.

Squarespace Payment Handling

Squarespace integrates with Stripe and PayPal. On the Business plan and above, they don't charge additional transaction fees beyond what Stripe charges (2.9% + 30¢ per transaction).

But remember, you need the Business plan minimum to even offer courses, so you're paying $216/year just for the privilege of selling courses before you make your first sale.

Payment pages are decent but follow Squarespace's standard checkout flow. You can customize them somewhat, but you're working within their system.

Teachery's Payment Approach

Teachery charges 0% transaction fees on every plan, even the monthly option. You only pay Stripe's standard processing fees (2.9% + 30¢).

You get unlimited custom payment pages for different products, full control over the checkout experience, and automatic integration with your course delivery. Students buy and instantly get access - no manual enrollment needed.

The payment page builder is powerful. Create multiple pricing options, payment plans, one-time vs. recurring billing, and custom checkout flows for different products.

Winner: Teachery. 0% platform fees mean you keep more of every sale, forever.

Student Management

Managing your students shouldn't be a headache. Let's see how each platform handles it.

Squarespace Student Features

Squarespace's student management is basic. You can see who's enrolled, manually add or remove students, and send basic email notifications.

Students log into your site using Squarespace's member area system. It works, but it's not optimized for course-taking. They see their purchases and can access content, but there's no dedicated student dashboard or progress overview.

Communication with students happens through Squarespace's basic email system or external tools. No built-in messaging or announcement features for course-specific updates.

Teachery's Student Dashboard

Every Teachery course comes with a proper student dashboard. Students see all their courses, progress in each one, recent activity, and what's coming next.

The student management panel gives you detailed insights: who's active, completion rates, last login dates, and individual progress tracking. You can manually enroll students, issue refunds, and manage access with a few clicks.

Built-in announcement system lets you communicate with all students or specific course cohorts. Students get notifications about new content, course updates, and important messages.

Winner: Teachery. Purpose-built student management vs. repurposed member area isn't a fair fight.

Marketing Tools: Email, Funnels, Landing Pages

This is where things get interesting, and where your existing business setup matters most.

Squarespace's Marketing Stack

Squarespace includes email marketing (Squarespace Email Campaigns) with most plans. You get basic email automation, newsletter sending, and integration with your site's contact forms.

Landing pages are created using their standard page builder - the same tool you use for your website pages. You can create dedicated course sales pages, but they're not optimized specifically for conversions.

SEO tools are solid: custom URLs, meta descriptions, alt tags, and site maps. The blogging platform integrates well for content marketing.

Social media integration includes automatic posting and social icons, but no advanced funnel building or conversion optimization tools.

Teachery's Marketing Approach

Teachery doesn't include email marketing - but that's actually smart. You probably already use ConvertKit, Mailchimp, or another email platform you love. Teachery integrates with all the major email providers instead of forcing you to switch.

The landing page builder is conversion-focused. Create multiple sales pages for the same course, A/B test different approaches, and optimize for sales rather than just looking pretty.

Payment page optimization includes features like urgency timers, social proof, multiple pricing options on one page, and custom thank-you pages that guide students to the next step.

No built-in blogging, but you can integrate with any blogging platform or use Teachery's pages for simple content marketing.

Winner: Depends on your needs. Squarespace wins if you want everything in one place. Teachery wins if you want best-in-class tools that integrate with your existing marketing stack.

Integrations & Third-Party Tools

Neither platform exists in isolation. Let's see how they play with your other business tools.

Squarespace Integrations

Squarespace integrates with major tools like Google Analytics, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, and various social media platforms. The integration list is decent but not extensive.

Zapier support opens up more possibilities, but you're often working around Squarespace's limitations rather than leveraging purpose-built connections.

Third-party app marketplace is limited. Most advanced functionality requires custom code or external tools.

Teachery's Integration Philosophy

Teachery integrates deeply with tools course creators actually use: ConvertKit, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Zapier, Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, and more.

The Zapier integration is particularly powerful because Teachery sends detailed event data: student enrollments, course completions, payment information, and progress updates. You can build sophisticated automation workflows.

Webhook support means custom integrations with any platform that accepts HTTP requests. If you're technical or work with developers, the possibilities are endless.

Winner: Teachery. Purpose-built integrations beat general website platform connections every time.

Customer Support

When you're stuck, how quickly can you get help?

Squarespace Support

Squarespace offers 24/7 email and live chat support. Response times are usually good, and the support team knows the platform well.

The knowledge base is extensive, with step-by-step guides for most common tasks. Video tutorials cover the basics, and community forums provide peer-to-peer help.

For course-specific issues, you might find that support agents are less familiar with the newer course features since it's not Squarespace's primary focus.

Teachery Support

Teachery provides email support with fast response times (usually within 24 hours, often much faster). The team knows digital product creation inside and out because that's all they do.

The knowledge base covers common course creation scenarios with practical examples. Less content than Squarespace's massive documentation, but more focused on actual course creator needs.

Here's what's unique: Teachery's founders (Jason and Caroline Zook) are active course creators themselves. The support comes from people who actually use the platform to run their own digital product business.

Winner: Slight edge to Squarespace for availability, but Teachery wins for relevance and expertise.

Who Squarespace Courses Is Best For

Let's be honest about where Squarespace makes sense, because there are definitely scenarios where it's the right choice.

You Need a Full Website + Courses

If you're building a complete business website with portfolio, blog, about pages, contact forms, AND courses, Squarespace's all-in-one approach is appealing. You manage everything in one platform with consistent design.

This works especially well for service-based businesses adding courses as a secondary revenue stream. Coaches, consultants, and agencies who want to package their expertise into courses alongside their main services.

You Want Beautiful Templates With Minimal Effort

Squarespace templates are genuinely gorgeous. If you want something that looks professional immediately and you're not picky about standing out from other Squarespace sites, it's hard to beat.

The learning curve is gentler than most platforms. If you've used any website builder before, you'll figure out Squarespace quickly.

Your Courses Are Simple

If you're selling straightforward video courses without complex features, Squarespace can handle it. Think: recorded workshops, simple training series, or educational content that doesn't require sophisticated progress tracking.

For creators who want to test the course market without committing to course-specific software, Squarespace offers a low-risk entry point.

You're Already Invested in Squarespace

If your website is already on Squarespace and performing well, adding courses might be simpler than switching platforms entirely. The integration is seamless, and you avoid the hassle of migration.

Who Teachery Is Best For

Now let's talk about where Teachery really shines and why thousands of creators have chosen it over bigger platforms.

Serious Course Creators

If courses are your primary business (or will be), you need a platform built for that purpose. Teachery gives you sophisticated course features, detailed analytics, and tools designed around student success.

Creators selling multiple course types - video courses, template packages, membership sites, client portals - benefit from Teachery's flexibility. You're not forcing different product types into a blog-post template.

Design-Conscious Brands

If your brand matters and you want complete control over how everything looks, Teachery's customization is unmatched. Upload custom fonts, create unique layouts, and build something that's unmistakably yours.

This is crucial for creators in visual fields: designers, photographers, artists, and anyone whose brand aesthetic is part of their value proposition.

Long-Term Thinkers

The lifetime deal changes the math entirely. If you're planning to run courses for more than a year, you'll save thousands compared to any monthly platform.

Creators who understand that course platforms are infrastructure investments, not monthly expenses, love the predictable one-time cost.

Integration-Heavy Businesses

If you're already using ConvertKit for email, Zapier for automation, and various other tools, Teachery fits into your existing stack instead of forcing you to switch everything.

This matters for established businesses that have workflows and systems they don't want to disrupt.

International Creators

With 0% platform fees, international creators keep more of every sale. When you're dealing with currency conversion and international payment processing, every percentage point matters.

Specific Course Types

Teachery works especially well for certain types of creators. Check out our guides for selling cooking courses, yoga courses, and other specialized markets.

The Bottom Line: Which Should You Choose?

Here's my honest recommendation after comparing both platforms extensively:

Choose Squarespace if: You need a complete website with courses as a secondary feature, you want beautiful templates with minimal customization, and you're testing the waters with simple course offerings.

Choose Teachery if: Courses are your primary business focus, you want complete design control, you're thinking long-term (that lifetime deal!), or you need sophisticated course features and student management.

The pricing alone makes Teachery compelling for anyone planning to be in the course business for more than a year. But beyond cost savings, you're getting a platform built specifically for what you're trying to do.

Real talk: Squarespace is a website builder that added courses. Teachery is a course platform that happens to be beautiful. If you're serious about launching digital products and building a sustainable education business, purpose-built tools matter.

Ready to see the difference? Start your free 14-day Teachery trial - no credit card required. And if you're ready to commit long-term, that $550 lifetime deal might be the best business investment you make this year.

Still not sure about pricing your courses? Our guide on how to price your online course will help you make more money regardless of which platform you choose.

Related Reading

• Teachery vs Kartra: Honest Comparison for Course Creators

• Teachery vs Podia: Honest Comparison for Course Creators

• Teachery vs Thinkific: Honest Comparison for Course Creators

Frequently Asked Questions

Which platform is better for selling online courses in 2026?

For dedicated course selling, Teachery offers superior value with 0% transaction fees and unlimited customization for $550 lifetime. Squarespace works better if you need a full website with basic course functionality, but costs $50/month plus 3% transaction fees.

How much do Squarespace transaction fees cost compared to Teachery?

Squarespace charges 3% on every course sale, meaning a $1,000 course costs you $30 per transaction. Teachery charges 0% transaction fees on all plans, saving significant money as your sales grow.

What's the real cost difference between Teachery and Squarespace for courses?

Teachery's $550 lifetime deal equals just 11 months of Squarespace's $50/month course plan. After the first year, Teachery users save $600 annually, not including the additional 3% transaction fee savings.

Can I customize course pages as much on Squarespace as Teachery?

Teachery offers unlimited design customization and unlimited landing pages, while Squarespace limits course page customization within their template system. Teachery was built specifically for digital product creators who need complete design control.