Haiden Hibbert
f you’ve been looking for a way to host an online course on Squarespace, you’ve likely realized that while the built-in options are a good start, they can sometimes feel a bit restrictive for growing brands.
If you want total control over your student experience, flexible pricing, and advanced engagement tools, you need to know how to pick the right squarespace course builder.
In this guide, we’ll show you why using a squarespace online course plugin like MemberSpace is the best way to turn your website into a powerful hub for all your exclusive content.
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Choosing a Squarespace Course Builder: Native vs. MemberSpace
Squarespace introduced its own built-in course feature. It’s convenient, but it comes with limitations. A lot of educators run into this when they try to customize the student experience and realize they can’t change much.
So, why choose MemberSpace as your Squarespace online course builder instead of sticking with their built-in tools?
- 100% Flexibility: You aren’t stuck with a pre-set layout. You can structure your course exactly how you want, using any Squarespace blocks or custom code.
- Advanced Pricing Tiers: Squarespace’s native options are limited. With MemberSpace, you can offer free trials, multiple payment plans, and even increase pricing for existing members.
- Drip Content: This is a game-changer for engagement. You can release lessons over time (e.g., one lesson every 7 days) rather than giving everything away at once.
- Student Interaction: MemberSpace allows for comments and reactions directly on your lessons, turning a static course into an active community.
- Custom Signup Forms: Collect the specific data you need from students during registration—something native tools often lack.
| Feature | Squarespace Courses | MemberSpace |
|---|---|---|
| Course structure | Fixed “chapter + lesson” format | Fully customizable — organize by module, topic, or format |
| Number of courses | One course per Course page | Create and manage unlimited courses from one dashboard |
| Pricing options | One‑time payment only | One‑time, subscription, payment plan, or free |
| Bundles & memberships | Not supported | Combine multiple courses or digital products into bundles or memberships |
| Content delivery | All content available at once | Drip lessons over time or schedule releases |
| Student access | Basic course viewer | Secure, branded member dashboard on your Squarespace site |
| Payment flexibility | Squarespace Commerce checkout only | Stripe integration — credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link |
| Scalability | Best for single, standalone courses | Built to scale with multiple courses, tiers, and pricing models |
How to Build Your Course with MemberSpace: A Step-by-Step Guide
Ready to get started? Here is how to set up a professional course on your existing Squarespace site.
Step 1: Install MemberSpace
First, sign up for a MemberSpace account and install it on your Squarespace site. This will add a layer of membership functionality, so you can still sell access to your course from your Squarespace site.
Once connected, MemberSpace will host all of your course content, as well as handle permissions and payments.
Step 2: Add Your Course Content
You’ll add all of your course content directly to MemberSpace. Our team recently launched a micro-course, so you can take a peak at what this might look like below:
- Create a new “Space”: Think of this as the home for your specific course.
- Add Folders for Modules: Organize your content by creating a folder for each module (e.g., “Module 1: The Basics”).
- Add Your Lessons: Within those folders, upload or embed your course content – videos, files, articles, or even gated pages of your Squarespace website.
- Add Quizzes & Certifications: Want to test your students? Use a tool like Typeform to embed quizzes directly into your lesson pages. You can even set up an automated certification to be sent once they finish the final module.
Pro Tip: Keep Your Students Engaged
You can easily add interactive elements like lesson comments and reactions, dedicated Q&A posts, and “Next” links to guide students through the curriculum so they never get lost.
Step 3: Set Your Price
One of the biggest advantages of using MemberSpace is the pricing flexibility. You can choose from:
-
- Free: Perfect for “micro-courses” used as lead magnets to grow your email list.
- One-Time Payment: The classic “buy it once, own it forever” model.
- Recurring Payments: Ideal if your course is part of a larger monthly membership subscription.
- Multiple Payments (Installments): If you have a high-ticket, expensive course, offering 3 or 4 monthly installments lowers the barrier to entry and increases conversions.
Step 4: Launch and Promote
Once your content is locked behind MemberSpace, it’s time to go live!
- Add a Signup Link: Grab the signup link from the pricing plan you just created and add it to a “Join the Course” button on your Squarespace navigation or sales page.
- Promote: Use your social media and email list to drive traffic to your site.
- Update Over Time: The beauty of this setup is that you can easily add new lessons or update old ones without ever having to migrate to a new platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to host an online course on Squarespace?
To host an online course on Squarespace with maximum flexibility, many creators use a plugin like MemberSpace. This allows you to gate specific content, drip lessons over time, and offer multiple payment tiers while keeping your design entirely on your Squarespace site.
Can I use a Squarespace course builder to drip content?
Yes, if you use a professional squarespace course builder like MemberSpace, you can “drip” your content. This means you can schedule lessons to unlock automatically at specific intervals (e.g., one module every 7 days) after a student signs up, which helps prevent student overwhelm.
How do I add a Squarespace online course plugin to my site?
Adding a squarespace online course plugin like MemberSpace is a simple process. You sign up for an account, add a small code snippet to your Squarespace site’s header, and then select which pages or uploaded content you want to protect and sell to your students.
Can I offer payment plans for my Squarespace course?
Yes. While native Squarespace options can be limited, using MemberSpace as your course builder allows you to offer one-time payments, recurring subscriptions, and even installment plans (multiple payments) to lower the barrier to entry for your students.
How do students interact within a Squarespace online course?
You can foster student interaction by enabling comments and reactions directly on your lesson pages through MemberSpace. This turns your Squarespace site into a collaborative learning environment where students can ask questions and engage with each other.
Final Thoughts
You don’t have to leave the platform you love to build a world-class education business. By using MemberSpace as your squarespace course builder, you get the design power of Squarespace combined with the membership power of a professional squarespace online course plugin.
Stop settling for “basic” and start building a course that can grow with your business. Sign up for MemberSpace today and see the difference flexibility makes!
