Is Squarespace Basic enough for a portfolio site, or do you need Core?

Summary

What a portfolio page holds

A portfolio page is an index of projects, each with its own page. One portfolio page can hold up to 60 projects, and a Basic site can have up to 1,000 pages, so the number of pieces you show won't force an upgrade. A few limits apply on every plan:

• You can't password-protect or hide an individual project.
• Projects can't be moved from one portfolio page to another.
• The mobile app won't add portfolio pages or edit projects.

Templates don't cost extra on any plan.

Where Basic runs out

Collaborators. Basic allows two contributors, and the site owner counts as one. Core has no limit.

Code. Core adds site-wide and per-page code injection and lets code blocks run JavaScript and iframes. That matters if you embed widgets or scripts from other services. Basic code blocks still accept HTML, Markdown, and CSS wrapped in style tags.

Video. Basic stores 30 minutes of video. Core stores five hours, Plus 50 hours, and Advanced has no cap. For a filmmaker or motion designer, thirty minutes is only a few reels.

Email. Core includes one free Google Workspace Starter inbox for the first year. Basic doesn't.

The break-even point for selling work

Basic takes a 2 percent transaction fee on store sales. Core takes none. The annual price gap is $120, so Core comes out ahead once store sales pass $6,000 a year ($120 ÷ 0.02).

At $3,000 in print sales, Basic's fee is $60, for a total of $288 against Core's $348. Card processing through Squarespace Payments is the same on both plans, 2.9% plus $0.30 on domestic cards, so it doesn't change the comparison. If you sell courses or members-only content instead, the fee on those sales is 7 percent on Basic and 5 percent on Core.

Adding branded email narrows the gap further. A Workspace Starter seat bought on Basic costs $84 a year, bringing year one to $312, while Core's $348 already includes that seat for the first year.

AI setup and SEO

Blueprint AI, Squarespace's site generator, can be used free during the 14-day trial, which doesn't require a credit card. Publishing the site requires a paid plan, and the builder runs on desktop only. The SEO tools, including automatic sitemaps, page titles and descriptions, structured data, and the Google Search Console connection, come with every site.

Sources

• https://www.squarespace.com/pricing
• https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/29215717722637
• https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015517328
• https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/360035611791-Portfolio-pages
• https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/206545367
• https://www.squarespace.com/solutions/creative-services
• https://www.squarespace.com/websites/ai-website-builder
• https://www.squarespace.com/marketing/seo
• https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/205812258

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