A Squarespace alternative from a chat.
Squarespace gives you a full website to design. Minispace gives you one page, made from your own words and photos in minutes, then helps it win customers.
Updated
Squarespace is a website builder with templates, an AI builder, a blog and an online store. A site on it can have many pages, and you design them in a drag-and-drop editor. Minispace works another way. You chat with Mini, your AI designer, and she makes a one-page website from your own words and photos in minutes. Building it is free, so you see it before you pay, and Launch puts it on your own domain for $19 a year. Squarespace starts at $19 a month paid annually, after a 14-day free trial.
Minispace or Squarespace: which to pick
Pick Squarespace if you need many pages, a blog, or a store with products to ship. It sells on every plan, and it handles courses, memberships and invoices too. Pick Minispace if one page can say what your business does, and you would rather not design it yourself. You tell Mini what you do, add a few photos, and she builds the page while you watch.
Why owners pick Minispace
Three reasons. The start: there is no template to choose and no editor to learn. You chat, and to change something you click it and tell Mini. The price: your own domain is $19 a year, and you see the page before you pay. What comes after: the website is where it starts. On Launch, every sign-up and message lands in People, and you see your numbers in plain words.
When to pick which
Pick Minispace if
- You want a page made for you from a chat, not a template to fill in.
- One page can say what your business does.
- You want your own domain for $19 a year.
- You want your sign-ups and messages in the same place as your website.
Pick Squarespace if
- You want to choose a template and arrange every section yourself.
- You need many pages, or a blog.
- You run an online store with products to ship.
- You sell courses or memberships.
Side by side
| Feature | Minispace | Squarespace |
|---|---|---|
| How you start | A chat with Mini. She builds the page from your words and photos. | A template or its AI builder, then a drag-and-drop editor. |
| How you change it | Click a part and tell Mini. Undo it if you don't like it. | In the editor, with an AI assistant to help. |
| Free planSquarespace has a 14-day free trial, then a paid plan. | Yes | No |
| Your own domainSquarespace's annual plans include a domain name for the first year. With Minispace you buy the name from a registrar and connect it. | On Launch, $19 / year | On every plan, from $19 a month paid annually |
| Pages | One page | Many pages |
| Blog | No | Yes |
| Online store | Not yet. A button opens the link you already use. | On every plan, with a 2% fee on Basic |
| Bookings | Not yet. A button opens the link you already use. | Acuity Scheduling, a separate subscription |
| Courses and memberships | No | Yes |
| Design | Mini designs the page. You ask for changes. | Templates, and full control in the editor. |
What each costs
| Plan | Minispace | Squarespace |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0, on a minispace subdomain | No free plan. A 14-day free trial. |
| Your own domain | Launch, $19 / year | Basic, $19 a month paid annually, or $25 paid monthly |
| Bookings and selling | Not yet. A button opens the link you already use. | Selling on every plan. No store fee from Core, $29 a month paid annually. Scheduling is billed apart. |
| Higher plans | None. Launch is the one paid plan. | Plus, $49 a month, and Advanced, $99 a month, paid annually |
Questions, answered.
Is Minispace a free Squarespace alternative?
Building your page with Mini is free, so you see it before you pay. Launch is $19 a year and puts it on your own domain. Squarespace has no free plan. It has a 14-day free trial, then plans from $19 a month paid annually.
How much does Squarespace cost?
On Squarespace's US pricing page, Basic is $19 a month paid annually, or $25 paid monthly. Core is $29, Plus is $49 and Advanced is $99 a month, paid annually. Squarespace says its prices vary by location. On Minispace, Launch is $19 a year.
Does Squarespace have an AI website builder?
Yes. Squarespace's AI builder, Blueprint AI, asks about your business and makes a starting site with several pages. You then edit it in the drag-and-drop editor. On Minispace the chat is the whole way of working. Mini builds the page, and you change it by clicking a part and telling her what you want.
What can Squarespace do that Minispace can't?
Many pages, a blog, an online store on every plan, courses, memberships and invoices. Minispace builds one page, with no bookings or payments on the page itself yet. Today a button on your page opens the link you already use. It is what we're building next.
Is Minispace a good fit for a small business?
Yes, if your business needs one page: what you do, your photos, your prices and a way to reach you. A coach, a cleaner, a baker or a consultant can have that page in minutes. If you need a store with many products, Squarespace fits better.
Can I use my own domain with Minispace?
Yes, on Launch, at $19 a year. You buy the domain name from a registrar and keep it there. We walk you through connecting it, step by step.
I already have a Squarespace site. Should I switch?
If you use its store, blog, courses or memberships, stay. If your site is a few pages about what you do and how to reach you, one page on Minispace can do that job for less. There is no import. You tell Mini about your business and she builds a new page.