Squarespace vs Custom — Platform Benchmark

56.2

Squarespace

436 sites

WINNER

51.8

Custom

254 sites

Score Summary

Avg AI Readability

76.7 52.2

Avg Security

56.5 37.2

Avg Efficiency

50.2 56.6

Avg Total Score

56.2 51.8

Avg Structure

73.6 47.1

Avg Load Complexity

41.9 67.6

Avg Lighthouse

32.6 54.9

Best Site Score

71.1 87.6

Worst Site Score

36.6 15.7

Squarespace Custom

Performance by Industry

Average total score for each platform within shared industries.

Industry	Squarespace	Custom
Architecture	—	52.4 6 sites
Content Creation	—	54.1 6 sites
Corporate-personal	—	47.3 86 sites
Design	—	66.2 3 sites
Film & Video	—	—
Photography	—	53.9 153 sites

Comparison Insights

Overall Verdict

Squarespace holds a modest 4.5-point lead over Custom. The difference is real but not decisive.

Dimension Edge

Squarespace leads in: AI Readability, Security, Structure. Custom leads in: Efficiency, Load Complexity, Lighthouse. Each platform has distinct strengths in different dimensions.

Opportunities for improvement

Squarespace could target Efficiency, Load Complexity, Lighthouse to close the gap.
Custom could target AI Readability, Security, Structure to improve.

Industry-by-Industry Results

The platforms split industry wins evenly across 6 shared verticals - the overall score gap may be driven by a few outlier sites rather than a consistent pattern.