Comparison
Folio vs Squarespace for Authors
Squarespace doesn't know what an ISBN is. Folio was built for the book world.
Where Squarespace falls short for authors
No book catalog
Squarespace has no concept of a book. No cover display, no series grouping, no edition management. You're building product pages meant for candles and t-shirts.
No reader management
No email capture designed for readers, no newsletter integration built for book launches. You're left stitching together third-party tools.
Expensive for what you get
Squarespace starts at $16/month for a basic site with no e-commerce. Their commerce plan is $33/month. Folio starts at $7/month with book catalog included.
Generic templates
Beautiful, yes. But not one is designed for an author. You'll spend hours adjusting layouts that were built for restaurants and photographers.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Folio | Squarespace |
|---|---|---|
| Book catalog | Native, with series & editions | Not available |
| Direct book sales | Built-in (keep 85%) | Commerce plan ($33/mo) |
| Series grouping | Yes | No |
| Custom domain | All plans | All plans |
| Starting price | $7/mo | $16/mo |
| Author-specific templates | Yes | No |
| Email capture for readers | Built-in | Third-party integration |
| Setup time | Under 10 minutes | 2-4 hours |
The verdict
Squarespace is a beautiful generic website builder. But if you're an author, you'll spend hours configuring what Folio gives you out of the box. Book catalog, series pages, direct sales, reader email capture — all built in, at a third of the price.
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