Is a Squarespace domain really free, and what do you pay after the first year?

Summary

An eligible Squarespace annual website plan includes one domain for its first year; it does not include free renewals. The offer covers domains priced at the .com tier, claimed within a year of starting or switching to an eligible plan. A transfer can also require a paid registration extension, so compare the amount due today and the renewal price before choosing where to keep your domain.

What the free year covers

A domain is the address of your site, separate from its website subscription. The free-domain offer covers one eligible domain per site on annual billing. Monthly-billed sites, Mobile Start plans and resold domains are excluded. More expensive extensions cannot use it as a partial discount. The free year begins when the domain is registered or transferred, not necessarily when the website plan begins.

If you register an eligible domain during a trial and later upgrade to annual website billing within the required period, the offer can appear as a balance adjustment toward future charges rather than cash returned to you. Look for the adjustment in the invoice instead of assuming the original domain payment will be refunded.

Compare the payment, not just the monthly equivalent

US Basic example	Website payment	Eligible domain in year one
Annual billing	$19 × 12 = $228 paid for the year	Included
Monthly billing	$25 each month; $300 over twelve months	Separate registration charge

Source: official US-dollar pricing view, checked 10 October 2026; USD before applicable taxes. The annual website saving is $300 − $228 = $72, before the domain difference. This is a twelve-month comparison, not a reason to pay $228 up front for a site you only need briefly. Plans and prices offered in Japan differ.

Year two needs its own line in the budget

After the free year, the domain renews at its annual TLD price. TLD means the ending, such as .com or .net. Review the renewal price in the domain search or dashboard, rather than using a promotional starting price as the recurring cost. A simple second-year budget is the website renewal amount plus the domain renewal amount, with any separate email subscription added.

Switching the website to monthly billing during the free domain year does not forfeit the offer. Canceling the annual site plan within the first 14 days does, and the nonrefundable domain registration charge is deducted from the website refund. Do not assume canceling the website also cancels every separate subscription.

A free transfer can still require payment

The transfer page says there is no transfer fee, but a one-year registration extension is required, with published examples ranging from $20 to $70 by TLD. The transfer billing guide directs you to the actual checkout price and says regular, not promotional, rates apply. Use that amount for your domain; the published range is not a quote for every extension.

For the standard transfer described there, remaining registration time carries over with an extra year added. An eligible annual website’s free-domain offer may cover the extension through a balance adjustment. The domain must be unlocked, supported and at least 60 days past registration or its previous transfer. Confirm eligibility before making the website launch depend on the move.

You can keep the registrar and website separate

A registrar manages the domain registration. Moving it to Squarespace can simplify administration, but connecting a domain held with another registrar is also an option. Compare renewal prices and keep the existing email records intact when changing where the domain is managed.

Use the free year if you already want an annual Squarespace site and the domain qualifies. If you prefer monthly website billing or your current registrar’s renewal terms, compare keeping the domain there. For a transfer, approve the registration extension only after its actual price and the next renewal are clear.

Sources

Current facts checked 10 October 2026; calculation assumptions are stated in the text.

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What changed on this page

editorial basis11 October 2026 Article 62 — Costs and plan conditions
Earlier text did not distinguish all conditions used in the cost comparison. → Clarified free-year eligibility, renewal, balance adjustments and transfer-extension payment.
Editorial correction using official facts checked10October2026, not a vendor price-change announcement.

Every recorded change to this site is in the change log.