Compare
Cardelvs
Squarespace
Squarespace builds sites with commerce, scheduling, and email as add-ons. Cardel joins site, audience, shop, bookings, and inbox on your domain.
How Cardel and Squarespace compare
Squarespace makes sites that look finished. Award-winning templates, a fluid editor, commerce, scheduling through Acuity, email campaigns, and member areas mean a designer or small business can build almost anything in one account. It is polished, dependable, and deservedly popular with people who care how things look.
Cardel provides a home for your craft. Share and sell your work, grow your audience, and bring your community together on a site of your own. Cardel is not a general-purpose site builder: no template marketplace, no drag-anywhere layout, no member areas.
Where they are different
Squarespace sells pieces separately: commerce tiers, scheduling seats, email campaign plans. Cardel includes Shop, scheduling, audience, and email in the same workspace.
Squarespace email is outbound. Cardel sends and receives on your own domain and lands replies, reader chat, and contact form in one Messaging Center.
Squarespace has comments on the blog. Cardel adds reader accounts with likes and a private chat with you.
Choose Squarespace when design flexibility and a huge template library matter most and you are happy adding modules as you grow.
Choose Cardel when you want your site, audience, shop or bookings, and inbox in one place on your domain from day one.
You are the Forgemaster. Cardel is your forge. What you build is yours.
Common questions
Is Cardel a Squarespace alternative?
Cardel is a home for your craft: a site of your own with a blog, newsletter, shop, community, and one inbox. It can replace Squarespace when you want your work, audience, and sales in one place. The feature list below shows where the two overlap and where they part.
Can I use Cardel and Squarespace together?
Yes. Cardel pages can link out to other products, so you can keep Squarespace for what it does best and bring the rest of your work to Cardel.
How much does Cardel cost compared to Squarespace?
You don't pay for Cardel until you publish. Choose Starter, Pro, or Studio when your site goes live. Squarespace sets its own prices, so check their pricing page below for current plans.
How do I switch from Squarespace to Cardel?
Choose Start for Free, set up your home, and bring your work over at your own pace. You do not have to move everything on day one.
Compare features
What's on Cardel and Squarespace
A check means that capability is available. Squarespace is marked only when the offer is comparable, not the same product.
Site and brand
- Workspace siteCardel: IncludedSquarespace: Included
- Custom domainUse your own domain with HTTPS. Cardel includes the DNS records for the site and for sending and receiving email.Use your own domain with HTTPS. Cardel includes the DNS records for the site and for sending and receiving email.Cardel: IncludedSquarespace: Included
- Editor ModeCardel: IncludedSquarespace: Included
- Theme and fontsCardel: IncludedSquarespace: Included
- Brand kitCardel: IncludedSquarespace: Included
- AI Theme SuggestCardel: IncludedSquarespace: Included
Public content
- BlogCardel: IncludedSquarespace: Included
- Reader engagementCardel: IncludedSquarespace: Included
- Video catalogCardel: IncludedSquarespace: Included
- Showcase pagesCardel: IncludedSquarespace: Included
- Shop pagesCardel: IncludedSquarespace: Included
Reach and quality
- SEOCardel: IncludedSquarespace: Included
Audience and email
- AudienceGroups, tags, and import so you can organize contacts and bring in an existing list.Groups, tags, and import so you can organize contacts and bring in an existing list.Cardel: IncludedSquarespace: Included
- Email templates and From addressesCardel: IncludedSquarespace: Included
- Email on your domainSend and receive from your custom domain, not a shared Cardel address.Send and receive from your custom domain, not a shared Cardel address.Cardel: IncludedSquarespace: Not included
- Marketing emailsCardel: IncludedSquarespace: Included
- Campaign workflowsCardel: IncludedSquarespace: Included
Messaging
- Built-in chatCardel: IncludedSquarespace: Not included
- Messaging CenterCardel: IncludedSquarespace: Not included
Commerce
- Shop paymentsSell on your Shop pages with Stripe. Cardel takes a 0.5% application fee on those card sales. Stripe's own processing fees still apply, and you keep the rest.Sell on your Shop pages with Stripe. Cardel takes a 0.5% application fee on those card sales. Stripe's own processing fees still apply, and you keep the rest.Cardel: IncludedSquarespace: Included
- Orders and fulfillmentCardel: IncludedSquarespace: Included
- Scheduling and bookingsLink to external scheduling available on Starter.Cardel: IncludedSquarespace: Included
Team
- Admin usersCardel: IncludedSquarespace: Included
- Per-admin permissionsCardel: IncludedSquarespace: Included
- AI AssistantCardel: IncludedSquarespace: Included
Other
- Paid membership contentCardel: Not includedSquarespace: Included
- Booking remindersCardel: Not includedSquarespace: Included
- Tax toolsCardel: Not includedSquarespace: Included
* Note: This table does not capture every feature of Cardel or Squarespace, and is not intended as a comprehensive list. We keep this page current, but Cardel or Squarespace may add or remove features that are not shown here.
Cardel vs Squarespace pricing
Compare plans, prices, and what it costs to get started.
Cardel
You don't pay until you publish
Build at no cost, then choose Starter, Pro, or Studio when your site goes live.
Squarespace
Current plans and prices
See what Squarespace charges on their pricing page.
Forge your community
Choose Cardel
Looking for a Squarespace alternative? Bring your work to a site of your own.
Compare Cardel
See how Cardel stacks up, or explore Squarespace comparisons.
