BookSparker
Comparison

BookSparker vs Squarespace for author websites

Squarespace is known for beautiful templates, with a blog and an online store on every plan. BookSparker is the better fit if you want an author website without a monthly bill: it is built from your books and free on every plan, where Squarespace has only a 14-day trial.

Create your free author websiteSee pricing

Last reviewed

BookSparker vs Squarespace at a glance

A side-by-side look at the features that matter most for scaling your sales and growing your readership.

Free plan

Squarespace has a 14-day free trial; the site goes offline when it ends unless you pay for a plan.

BookSparker

Yes, with no ads

Squarespace

No

Your own domain

BookSparker

Growing Author: $15/mo, or $150/yr

Squarespace

Basic: $19/mo billed yearly, or $25/mo

Book and series pages built from your catalog

Squarespace has no author templates or book catalog, so each book page is built by hand.

BookSparker

Yes

Squarespace

No

Newsletter signups to your email provider

Kit connects through Zapier, and embedding a provider’s signup form with JavaScript needs the Core plan.

BookSparker

Built in, on every plan

Squarespace

Email Campaigns add-on; Mailchimp from Core

A website for each pen name

BookSparker

1 free, 4 or 8 on paid plans

Squarespace

Each site needs its own paid plan

Blog

BookSparker

No

Squarespace

Yes

Sell e-books directly

Basic charges a 2% fee on sales and Core and up charge none, plus card processing fees.

BookSparker

No

Squarespace

Every plan, 2% fee on Basic

Free domain for the first year

BookSparker connects a domain you buy from any registrar.

BookSparker

No

Squarespace

Yearly plans

Templates and design

BookSparker

3 author themes, plus changes in your own words or CSS

Squarespace

Over 200 designer templates, with Blueprint AI

SEO settings

BookSparker

Built in, with your books marked up for search

Squarespace

Built in, with structured data for posts, products and events

Visitor stats

BookSparker

Views and clicks on every plan

Squarespace

Basic metrics on every plan, more from Core

Free book for newsletter signups

BookSparker

Yes

Squarespace

No

Book swaps, group promos and landing pages

BookSparker

Yes

Squarespace

No

Squarespace pricing vs BookSparker

Squarespace has no free plan, only a 14-day trial. Basic is $19/month billed yearly or $25 month to month, Core $29/month billed yearly, Plus $49 and Advanced $99. Yearly plans include a free domain for the first year, every plan can sell e-books (Basic adds a 2% fee), and Email Campaigns is a paid add-on. Each site needs its own plan.

BookSparker

Free Forever, then scale as you grow

  • Free ForeverFree

    1 Author Website · Free booksparker.com Address · 20 Books · 1 Mailing List Integration · 3 Swaps/mo

  • Growing Author$15/mo or $150/yr

    4 Author Websites · 4 Custom Domains · No BookSparker Footer Note · Unlimited Books · 100 Swaps/mo

  • Pro Author$25/mo or $240/yr

    8 Author Websites · 8 Custom Domains · No BookSparker Footer Note · 8 Mailing List Integrations · Unlimited Swaps

Squarespace

Polished website templates with a built-in store and blog

  • Basic$19/mo yearly or $25/mo

    A blog, an online store with a 2% sales fee, your own domain (free for the first year on yearly billing) and basic analytics.

  • Core$29/mo yearly or $39/mo

    No sales fee, code blocks and code injection, the Mailchimp integration and advanced analytics.

  • Plus$49/mo yearly or $65/mo

    Lower card fees and more selling tools.

  • Advanced$99/mo yearly or $139/mo

    The lowest card fees and advanced commerce tools.

Squarespace pricing as reviewed October 2026. Pricing can change, so confirm the latest on Squarespace.

The honest pros and cons

Where BookSparker pulls ahead, and where Squarespace is genuinely the stronger pick.

Why authors choose BookSparker

  • Free on every plan, where Squarespace has a 14-day trial and then a monthly bill
  • Built from your books: covers, series pages in reading order and buy buttons, with nothing to lay out by hand
  • A newsletter signup that sends readers straight to your email provider on every plan, with a free book to offer
  • One paid plan covers up to 4 author websites on your own domains; Squarespace needs a plan per site
  • Ready in minutes in a live preview, with no template to adapt
  • Book swaps, group promos and landing pages in the same account

Where Squarespace wins

  • Polished designer templates and a flexible drag-and-drop editor
  • A blog and an online store on every plan, including e-book downloads
  • A free domain for the first year on yearly plans
  • Built-in SEO, with an automatic sitemap and structured data
  • Blueprint AI to set up a first design quickly

Squarespace trade-offs

  • No free plan: after the 14-day trial the site goes offline unless you pay
  • No author templates or book catalog, so book pages and series lists are built by hand
  • Embedded signup forms with JavaScript, code injection and the Mailchimp integration need the Core plan
  • Each extra site, such as another pen name, needs its own plan

Which should you choose?

Choose BookSparker if

Authors who want a professional website for their books without a monthly bill, with a newsletter signup that feeds their list and a site for every pen name.

Choose Squarespace if

Authors who want a highly polished design, a blog or a store to sell books direct, and who are happy to pay for a site they build themselves.

Switching from Squarespace?

You do not need to rebuild your pages. Add your books to BookSparker and your site is built from them, then keep your Squarespace site live while you polish the new one. When you are ready, point your domain’s www address at BookSparker on a paid plan, and cancel your Squarespace plan if you no longer need it.

Create your free author website

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about choosing between BookSparker and Squarespace.

Squarespace makes beautiful sites, with a blog and a store on every plan. For an author website the trade-offs are cost and work: there is no free plan, plans start at $19/month billed yearly, and every book page is built by hand. BookSparker builds an author website from your books, free on every plan.

No. Squarespace offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card, and your site stays private while it runs. To keep the site online after the trial, you need a paid plan. BookSparker’s author website is free on every plan, with no trial to run out.

Basic costs $19/month billed yearly or $25 month to month, and Core, which adds the Mailchimp integration and code embeds, is $29/month billed yearly. Email Campaigns costs extra, and each site needs its own plan.

Yes. Every plan can sell e-books as downloads, with a 2% fee on Basic and none on Core and up, plus card processing fees. BookSparker does not take payments on your site; every book gets a buy button that links to wherever you sell it, including your own shop.

Not as a category. Squarespace has more than 200 designer templates, and you can adapt a personal or portfolio template and add each book by hand. BookSparker starts from your books instead, with 3 themes made for authors.

BookSparker’s author website has a newsletter signup built in. It sends readers straight to your email provider and can offer a free book for joining, and the same account adds group promos and book swaps to grow your list faster. Squarespace can collect signups too, so compare what it takes to set up and what it costs on the plan you would need.

Yes. Every book on your site gets a buy button that links to wherever you sell it, and readers who join your list hear about your next release. When you want a bigger audience, the same account adds book swaps, group promos and paid promos.

Ready to grow your readership?

Start using BookSparker to connect with more readers. Start for free today, no credit card required.

Get started for freeLearn more
Free forever plan
No credit card required
Cancel anytime

Keep comparing

BookSparker vs WixBookSparker vs WordPress.comBookSparker vs BookBub Author WebsitesBookSparker vs BookFunnelBookSparker vs StoryOriginBookSparker vs BookClickerBookSparker vs Prolific WorksBookSparker vs BooklinkerBookSparker vs Books2ReadBest Squarespace alternativesBuild a free author website with BookSparker