Squarespace’s AI Play: Can Blueprint and Perplexity Actually Help Small Businesses Build Websites?

While AI website builders promise to democratize web development, Squarespace's Blueprint AI requires a paid account to publish—raising questions about accessibility vs. marketing hype. The free AI website builder allows users to create sites without cost, but publication demands a paid Squarespace subscription.

This split model creates a paradox: small businesses can experiment with AI-generated designs but must pay to deploy them.

Squarespace's partnership with Perplexity introduces AI optimization (AIO) tools in the Comet browser, promising 'fast guidance' on domain registration, brand development, and design recommendations. However, the practical control users retain over these AI-generated suggestions remains unclear.

The system claims to offer domain/brand guidance via chatbot, yet no technical benchmarks or limitations are disclosed for these features.

"It’s free to use, although you need a paid Squarespace account to publish any website," the company states. This pricing structure mirrors traditional website builders like Wix and Weebly, which offer free templates but charge for premium features.

The key difference lies in AI-generated content—Blueprint AI creates entire site structures, while Squarespace's existing templates require manual customization. For small businesses testing AI capabilities, this means potential time savings in design but financial barriers to deployment.

"Customers will be able to get fast guidance on domain registration, brand development, and design recommendations," the partnership announcement claims. Yet the 'fast guidance' from Perplexity's AIO tools raises questions about user agency.

Does the chatbot provide actionable steps, or merely suggest options? The lack of concrete examples in the announcement leaves small business owners guessing about real-world utility.