Extend Squarespace Trial: 14 Days, or Up to 12 Months
To extend Squarespace trial time yourself, open your site editor and look at the URL. After config/ type extendtrial and press Enter. That adds 14 days. Working with a Squarespace Circle Partner gets you considerably longer, up to 12 months with a Platinum Partner.
The 14-day extend Squarespace trial trick
This one is quick and most people don't know it exists.
/config/.
config/extendtrial. Press Enter.
That's it. Your trial now has another 14 days on it. There's no confirmation screen, so check the trial date in your settings if you want to be sure it worked.
It's a one-time extension per trial, so it buys you a fortnight rather than an indefinite runway.
The Circle Partner route: 6 to 12 months
If 14 days isn't enough, the better option is working with a Squarespace Circle Partner, who can put your build on a much longer trial.
How long depends on the partner's status. Silver gets 3 months, Gold gets 6 months, and Platinum gets 12 months.
I'm a Platinum Partner, so builds I work on run on a 12-month trial. In practice that means you don't pay Squarespace anything while the site is being designed and built, and your subscription only starts when the site goes live.
Clients also get 25% off their first year of an annual plan through the same partner status. Between the two, the platform cost of a new site is close to nothing until launch.
What a trial does and doesn't include
A trial site is a full site. You can build every page, add custom code, and get the whole thing finished.
What you can't do is connect a custom domain or take payments, since both need a paid plan. You also can't be found in search, because trial sites aren't indexed, which is exactly what you want during a build.
You can share the work with clients or colleagues using the built-in squarespace.com URL, and password protect it so only the right people see it.
If the trial already expired
An expired trial isn't deleted. The site goes dormant and the content is still there.
Upgrading to a paid plan brings it straight back with everything intact. The extendtrial trick generally only works while a trial is still running, so if you've already passed the date, that's the route.
Squarespace does hold expired trial content for a period rather than deleting it immediately, but don't rely on that indefinitely. If it matters, either upgrade or export your content.
Using the time well
The reason most trials run out isn't the design. It's the content.
People build a good-looking site with placeholder text, then stall for weeks waiting to write the words. If you're on a clock, write your copy first and build around it, which is faster and produces a better site.
Same for photography. A build waiting on a photoshoot can sit still for a month.
If you'd rather not race a trial at all, that's part of what hiring it out solves, since the timeline becomes someone else's problem and the platform is free while it happens.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a Squarespace free trial?
14 days as standard, extendable by another 14 with the extendtrial URL trick. Circle Partners can extend much further, up to 12 months at Platinum level.
Can I extend a Squarespace trial more than once?
The URL trick is a one-time 14-day extension per trial. Beyond that you need a partner extension or a paid plan.
What happens when my Squarespace trial ends?
The site goes dormant rather than being deleted, and upgrading to a paid plan restores it with everything intact.
Can I get a 6 month Squarespace trial?
Yes, through a Circle Partner. Gold Partners can extend to 6 months and Platinum Partners to 12. It's applied to the site by the partner.
Want a 12-month trial and 25% off your first year while your site gets built? That comes with every project I take on. Book a free call.
I'm Dylan, the designer behind Highr Labs and a Squarespace Circle Platinum Partner. I build custom Squarespace sites for businesses in Utah and across the US. More about me, or book a free call if you want to talk through a project.
