Outli.ne vs. Squarespace: Choosing the Right Tool for Your Visual Portfolio

The right builder helps you get booked faster.

While you're spending three weeks wrestling with templates, adjusting margins, and watching YouTube tutorials on how to make a simple gallery work, your competition just launched their portfolio in 15 minutes and started booking.

Here's the simple truth: Squarespace is a general website builder. It's great for a lot of businesses—restaurants, law firms, personal sites. Outli.ne is a focused portfolio builder for visual creators who need to show work and get booked fast.

The 15-Minute vs. 3-Week Reality Check

Let's start with the most painful difference: time.

Squarespace setup reality:

• Week 1: Choose template, realize it doesn't showcase your work properly
• Week 2: Watch 12 YouTube tutorials, customize CSS, break something
• Week 3: Finally launch, then spend another week tweaking because it still doesn't feel right

Outli.ne setup reality:

• 15 minutes: Upload your work, organize by service, go live

The difference? Outli.ne was built specifically for visual creators who need to showcase work and book clients: not blog about their weekend adventures or sell products online.

Clear Pricing: $4 vs. $20+ Monthly

Squarespace pricing breakdown:

• Personal Plan: $16/month (no online store)
• Business Plan: $23/month (basic e-commerce)
• Plus all the hidden costs: premium templates, plugins, apps

Outli.ne pricing:

• $4/month (annual)

That's a $192-276 difference per year. For a photographer booking just one extra client because their portfolio looks more professional and is easier to browse, that pays for 2+ years of Outli.ne.

But here's what really matters: you're not paying for features you'll never use. Squarespace charges you for blog functionality, inventory management, and a dozen other tools that visual service providers simply don't need.

Why "One Size Fits All" Doesn't Fit Visual Creators

Squarespace treats your photography portfolio like it's a corporate website. Here's what that means for you:

The Template Problem

• Squarespace: 100+ templates designed for everyone = perfect for no one
• Outli.ne: Templates designed specifically for photographers, tattoo artists, makeup artists, stylists

Organization That Matches How Clients Browse

• Squarespace: Generic galleries that mix your wedding work with your portraits
• Outli.ne: Service-based "Stacks" that let clients find exactly what they're looking for

The Mobile Experience

• Squarespace: Responsive design that adapts to mobile
• Outli.ne: Built mobile-first because 70% of your clients are browsing on their phones

Take a look at Mario's portfolio or Everly's showcase. Notice how clean and focused they are? That's what happens when you use a builder made for visual work.

The "I Don't Have Time" Solution: Portfolio Concierge

Here's where Outli.ne can help.

Don't want to build it yourself? Our Portfolio Concierge service handles everything:

• One-time setup: $99
• Professional setup in 24-48 hours
• Your work organized by service
• SEO optimization for your local market
• Mobile-optimized design
• Ready to book clients immediately

Compare that to hiring a Squarespace designer (average cost: $2,000-5,000) or spending weeks doing it yourself.

Real Visual Creators, Real Results

Brian Ziff, Photographer: Switched from Squarespace after struggling with confusing navigation and endless template tweaks. His Outli.ne portfolio now converts 3x better because clients can actually find and view his work easily.

Spirit Skin Artistry (Holistic Esthetician & Brow Artist): Needed a clear way to show services and results. Their organized portfolio lets clients browse by service—facials, brows, skin treatments—without digging through pages.

The Features That Actually Matter for Visual Creators

Service-Based Organization

Instead of throwing all your work into one generic gallery, Outli.ne's "Stacks" feature lets you organize by:

• Wedding photography vs. portraits vs. commercial
• Traditional tattoos vs. realistic vs. fine line
• Bridal makeup vs. editorial vs. special effects

Client Journey Optimization

On a general website builder, clients often click around to find what they want. Outli.ne puts your best work front and center, organized the way clients hire you.

Clarity at a Glance

Your best work appears first, organized by what clients are actually booking. No digging through menus or mixed galleries.

The Hidden Costs of "Free" Features

Squarespace loves advertising all their "included" features. But ask yourself:

• Do you need a blog? (Most visual creators don't)
• Do you need e-commerce? (You're selling services, not products)
• Do you need advanced analytics? (You need bookings, not bounce rates)
• Do you need unlimited pages? (Your portfolio should be focused, not sprawling)

You might be paying $20+ monthly for features you don't need if your goal is getting booked.

The Migration is Easier Than You Think

Worried about switching platforms? Here's the reality:

From Squarespace to Outli.ne:

1. Export your images (you already have them)
2. Upload to Outli.ne (15 minutes)
3. Organize by service (10 minutes)
4. Go live (immediate)

No broken links, no lost SEO (your domain transfers), no complicated migration process.

What Your Clients Actually Care About

Stop building for web designers and start building for clients who book you.

Your clients don't care about:

• 47 different font options
• Advanced CSS customization
• Blogging capabilities
• E-commerce integration

Your clients care about:

• Seeing your work clearly
• Finding examples of what they want
• Contacting you easily
• Finding what they want quickly on their phone

The Bottom Line: Choose the Right Tool for Your Work

Squarespace is a publicly-traded company that needs to serve everyone to maximize revenue. Outli.ne exists to help visual creators showcase their work and book more clients.

The math is simple:

• Save $192+ per year
• Launch in 15 minutes instead of weeks
• Convert more visitors with purpose-built features
• Focus on your craft instead of website maintenance

Your portfolio should work as hard as you do. Not harder.

Ready to Make the Switch?

Thousands of visual creators have already moved from general website builders to focused portfolio builders. The question isn't whether you should switch: it's whether you're ready to stop letting your website hold your business back.

Check out these examples of what's possible when your portfolio is built specifically for visual work. Or if you want it handled completely, our Portfolio Concierge team can have you live and booking clients within 48 hours.

Your work deserves better than a generic template. Your business deserves a builder that understands visual creators.

Create your Outli.ne in 15 minutes.