This isn't a theoretical comparison. This is a real website for a real business, rebuilt from Squarespace to custom static HTML. The business is LOH Knives, a custom knife and speargun maker based in Melbourne. Brenton, the owner, had been running his site on Squarespace for a while. It worked, but it never quite felt like him. When we rebuilt it in static HTML, the difference was night and day.
Here's what changed, and why it matters for any small business thinking about where their website lives.
The homepage: first impressions
The Squarespace version looks like a Squarespace site. White background, standard navigation, a hero image with text over it. It's clean enough, but it could be any business. There's nothing about the design that says "this person forges knives by hand in a workshop." It looks like a template because it is one.
The new HTML site is completely different. Dark, immersive, full-bleed imagery that puts you underwater with the spearfishing photography. The logo is prominent. The tagline, "From Depth and Summit," sets the tone immediately. It feels like the brand. It feels like Brenton. You land on this page and you know exactly what kind of business this is before you read a single word.
That's what custom code gives you. Total control over how the page feels. No template constraints. No fighting against a page builder to get the layout right. Every pixel is intentional.
The about page: telling the story
On Squarespace, the about page follows the platform's rules. A photo on the left, text on the right, all on a white background. The content is there, but the presentation doesn't match the story being told. Brenton is a freediver, spearfisherman, and bowhunter who makes tools inspired by wild places. That story deserves more than a standard two-column layout on a white page.
The HTML version wraps the story in the world it comes from. Dark backgrounds, underwater photography layered behind the portrait, a heading that reads "Tools born from the wild." The text sits alongside images that draw you into the lifestyle. It doesn't just tell you about the brand. It makes you feel it.
With Squarespace, you're working within their design system. You can tweak colours and fonts, but the underlying structure is rigid. You can't do full-bleed background images that blend into content sections. You can't layer elements with the same precision. You're always one step removed from the design you actually want.
The scroll: see it in motion
Screenshots only tell half the story. Watch both sites scroll side by side and the difference becomes even clearer. The Squarespace site scrolls through sections that feel disconnected. White blocks stacked on top of each other. The new site flows. Sections blend into each other. The imagery pulls you through the page. There's a sense of movement and atmosphere that a template simply can't replicate.
Beyond the visuals: what else changes
Speed. The Squarespace site loads Squarespace's JavaScript framework, their analytics, their font loader, their commerce engine (even if you're not using it). All of that adds weight. The static HTML site loads only what it needs. HTML, CSS, images. Nothing else. The result is a page that loads in under a second versus three or four seconds on Squarespace.
Cost. Squarespace charges $16 to $33 per month depending on the plan. That's $192 to $396 per year just to keep the site online. The static HTML site costs $15 per year for the domain name. Hosting is free on Cloudflare Pages. Over five years, that's a difference of around $900 to $1,900.
Ownership. The Squarespace site lives on Squarespace. If they raise prices, you pay more. If they change their templates, your design changes. If you want to leave, good luck exporting everything cleanly. The HTML site is a folder of files on your computer. You own them. You can host them anywhere. You can edit them with AI tools or hand them to any developer in the world.
SEO. Static HTML loads faster, which Google rewards. The code is clean and semantic, which makes it easier for search engines to understand. There's no bloated framework getting in the way. Meta tags, structured data, and Open Graph tags are all added exactly where they need to be, without relying on a plugin or a platform's limited SEO settings panel.
Security. Squarespace handles security for you, which is convenient. But you're also trusting them with everything. A static HTML site has no database, no login page, no server-side code. There is literally nothing to hack. It's the most secure type of website that exists.
Updates. Need to change something on your Squarespace site? Log in, navigate the dashboard, find the right section, make the edit, hope the formatting doesn't break. Need to change something on a static HTML site? Open the file, tell an AI tool like ChatGPT or Claude what you want changed, and upload the updated file. Or send a quick message to your designer. Done.
Who should stay on Squarespace?
To be fair, Squarespace still makes sense for some businesses. If you're running an online store with hundreds of products and need inventory management, payment processing, and shipping calculations, a platform like Squarespace or Shopify handles that well. If you need user accounts, memberships, or a blog with dozens of contributors, a CMS has its place.
But most small businesses don't need any of that. A knife maker, a yoga studio, a naturopath, an astrologer, a tradie. These businesses need a beautiful, fast website that tells their story, shows their work, and gives customers a way to get in touch. Static HTML does all of that better than Squarespace, for a fraction of the ongoing cost.
The bottom line
Brenton's Squarespace site worked. It existed. It showed his products. But it didn't capture who he is or what his craft represents. The HTML rebuild turned his website into something that matches the quality and intention of the work he does with his hands every day. It loads faster. It costs less. He owns it completely. And it looks nothing like a template.
If your website feels like it could belong to any business, it's probably time to ask whether the platform you're on is actually serving you, or just serving itself.
Disclaimer: All platform pricing, features, and comparisons mentioned in this article are accurate to the best of my knowledge as of March 2026. Pricing and features may have changed since publication. This article reflects my professional opinion and experience as a web designer.