Squarespace vs Subsplash for church websites
By Logan Busic, Founder, Church Digital, who ran the 2,000-church website study. .
The short answer
In our study of 2,000 church websites, Subsplash church sites were more often current: 95.5% showed an update within the last year, against 91.4% on Squarespace. Subsplash sites also more often had working online giving (93.5% against 77.3%). On price, compare the ranges below; Subsplash does not publish one. Neither result proves the platform caused it, so choose on who will keep the site updated every week.
- Updated within the last year: Subsplash ahead by 4.1 points (Squarespace 91.4%, Subsplash 95.5%)
- Working online giving: Subsplash ahead by 16.2 points (Squarespace 77.3%, Subsplash 93.5%)
- Service times findable: Subsplash ahead by 5.7 points (Squarespace 92.4%, Subsplash 98.1%)
- Three-year cost: Squarespace $684 to $3,564, Subsplash about $8,964 to $12,600 or more
Most Squarespace vs Subsplash comparisons score features. This one looks at what churches actually end up with. In our 2026 study of 2,000 church websites, we identified 198 sites built on Squarespace and 155 built on Subsplash, and checked each one for the three things a first-time visitor needs.
Neither platform is ours. We build church websites for a living, so we have a stake in this market, and the numbers below are published in full so you can check them.
What we found on real church websites
| Squarespace | Subsplash | |
|---|---|---|
| Church sites in the study | 198 | 155 |
| Updated within the last year | 91.4% | 95.5% |
| Working online giving | 77.3% | 93.5% |
| Service times findable | 92.4% | 98.1% |
- Updated within the last year: Subsplash leads by 4.1 points. 95.5% of Subsplash church sites showed an update within the last year, against 91.4% on Squarespace.
- Working online giving: Subsplash leads by 16.2 points. 93.5% of Subsplash church sites had a working online giving path, against 77.3% on Squarespace.
- Service times findable: Subsplash leads by 5.7 points. 98.1% of Subsplash church sites made service times findable, against 92.4% on Squarespace.
For context, across every reachable site in the study 74% showed an update within the year and 67.3% had working giving. This is correlation, not causation: a platform does not make a church tend its website, but churches that tend their websites cluster on certain platforms. Read the full study and method.
Where Squarespace and Subsplash rank among church platforms
| Squarespace | Subsplash | All sites | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Updated within the last year | 4th of 8+17.4 pts vs average | 2nd of 8+21.5 pts vs average | 74% |
| Working online giving | 4th of 8+10 pts vs average | 1st of 8+26.2 pts vs average | 67.3% |
| Service times findable | 2nd of 8+8.6 pts vs average | 1st of 8+14.3 pts vs average | 83.8% |
Rank among the 8 named platforms in the study (The Church Co, Subsplash, Weebly, Squarespace, Tithe.ly Sites, Wix, WordPress (self-hosted), GoDaddy Websites + Marketing). A tie shares the higher rank. See every church website builder compared.
Price and who does the work
- Monthly price
- Squarespace$19–$99/month billed annually ($25–$139 month-to-month) — plus your volunteer’s hours
- SubsplashNot published — “Pricing based on church size and usage.” Third-party reports observe roughly $249–$350+/month for the bundle
- Church Digital$120/month flat — published, whole price
- Setup fee
- Squarespace$0 — the setup is your time
- SubsplashNot published
- Church Digital$0, ever
- Who builds the site
- SquarespaceYou (or a volunteer), from a template
- SubsplashYour team, from Subsplash templates
- Church DigitalWe do — custom design, built for you
- Who updates it
- SquarespaceYou — weekly, by name, forever
- SubsplashYour team, in the Subsplash dashboard
- Church DigitalWe do — email us the change
- Contract
- SquarespaceMonthly or annual plans, self-serve
- SubsplashVaries by bundle — confirm your terms
- Church DigitalNone — cancel anytime, from your account
- Online giving
- SquarespaceA third-party embed you choose and configure yourself
- SubsplashSubsplash Giving — $0/month platform fee, 2.3% + $0.30 cards / 1% ACH (published)
- Church DigitalWe connect the giving platform you already use
Vendor details come from our full reviews of Squarespace and Subsplash, which name each pricing source and the date it was checked (first verified 2026-07-16). Prices change; confirm on the vendor's own page.
What three years costs
- Squarespace
- $684 to $3,564
- Basic to Advanced, $19 to $99/month on annual billing
- Subsplash
- about $8,964 to $12,600 or more
- bundle price not published; third-party reports observe roughly $249 to $350+/month
- Church Digital
- $4,320
- $120/month flat, $0 setup, built and updated for you
Three years at the monthly prices in the table above, times 36. This leaves out domains, add-ons, renewal increases and the hours someone at the church spends building and updating the site, which is the larger cost on a do-it-yourself platform. Where a vendor publishes no price, the range is what third parties report, not a vendor figure.
Which one fits your church
Squarespace fits a church when
- You have a named person who enjoys the tool and updates it weekly — the study says Squarespace churches like yours mostly thrive.
- Design control matters to your team and they want to own it themselves.
- The published $19–$29/month price is the whole budget, and your volunteer’s time isn’t part of the math.
What it does well
- The templates really are that good
- Their churches keep sites fresh
- Transparent, published pricing
Where churches struggle with it
- The weekly-update question
- Church features are assembly required
- Giving lags the church platforms
Subsplash fits a church when
- You actually use the bundle — app, media, and giving together. The integration is doing real work, and the premium is buying something.
- Your congregation lives in the Subsplash app for sermons and giving. Moving them out has a real cost this page doesn’t pretend away.
- Your site already looks like the study numbers above — fresh content, working giving. The platform isn’t your problem.
What it does well
- One platform, one bill
- Giving that actually works
- Their churches keep sites current
- A real network
Where churches struggle with it
- The price is a conversation, not a number
- You buy the bundle to get the website
- The website layer is templated
- Leaving is a multi-product move
If nobody has the hours for either
Website
A custom-built church website, hosted and maintained for you.
Normally $120/mo, founding rate $90/mo
$90 a month for as long as you stay (regular $120). No setup fee. Nothing to pay until your site is live.
$0 today. Checkout saves your card; the first charge is the day your site goes live, after you approve it.
- Custom design for your church
- Service times, sermons, giving, events
- Hosting and updates included
- Live on your own domain
- Christmas and Easter pages, every year
- Help applying for the Google Ad Grant
$0 setup · no contract · cancel anytime
First-month money-back guarantee
If the building or the weekly updates would land on a volunteer who does not have the hours, Church Digital is the done-for-you route: we design, build, host and update the site, and the church emails us changes.
Common questions
- Is Squarespace or Subsplash better for a church website?
- It depends on who will keep the site current. In our 2026 study of 2,000 church websites we identified 198 on Squarespace and 155 on Subsplash. On freshness, Subsplash church sites came out ahead (95.5% against 91.4%). On working online giving, Subsplash church sites came out ahead (93.5% against 77.3%). This is correlation, not causation: a platform does not make a church tend its website, but churches that tend their websites cluster on certain platforms.
- Which costs less for a church, Squarespace or Subsplash?
- Squarespace: $19–$99/month billed annually ($25–$139 month-to-month) — plus your volunteer’s hours. Subsplash: Not published — “Pricing based on church size and usage.” Third-party reports observe roughly $249–$350+/month for the bundle. Vendor prices change, so confirm on each vendor's own pricing page before you commit.
- Does Squarespace or Subsplash build the church's website for you?
- Squarespace: You (or a volunteer), from a template. Subsplash: Your team, from Subsplash templates. If nobody at the church has the hours, Church Digital designs, builds, hosts and updates the site for $120 a month flat with $0 setup.
- Which is easier for a church to keep updated, Squarespace or Subsplash?
- We can't measure ease directly, but we can measure the result. Updated within the last year: Subsplash leads by 4.1 points. 95.5% of Subsplash church sites showed an update within the last year, against 91.4% on Squarespace. Across all sites in the study the figure was 74%. Who updates it: on Squarespace, you — weekly, by name, forever; on Subsplash, your team, in the Subsplash dashboard.
- Which is better for online giving, Squarespace or Subsplash?
- Working online giving: Subsplash leads by 16.2 points. 93.5% of Subsplash church sites had a working online giving path, against 77.3% on Squarespace. How giving works on Squarespace: a third-party embed you choose and configure yourself. On Subsplash: subsplash Giving — $0/month platform fee, 2.3% + $0.30 cards / 1% ACH (published). Across all sites in the study, 67.3% had a working giving path.
- What does a church website cost over three years on Squarespace or Subsplash?
- Squarespace: $684 to $3,564 (Basic to Advanced, $19 to $99/month on annual billing). Subsplash: about $8,964 to $12,600 or more (bundle price not published; third-party reports observe roughly $249 to $350+/month). Three years at the monthly prices in the table above, times 36. This leaves out domains, add-ons, renewal increases and the hours someone at the church spends building and updating the site, which is the larger cost on a do-it-yourself platform. Where a vendor publishes no price, the range is what third parties report, not a vendor figure.
- How was the Squarespace vs Subsplash data collected?
- We audited 2,000 real church websites across the United States in July 2026, identified the platform each one runs on, and checked each site for a recent update, a working giving path and findable service times. No individual church is named. The full method is published at /research.
More head-to-head comparisons
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