Openprovider vs Squarespace: a 2025 comparison

Introduction

If you’re managing multiple domains for your clients, reselling profitably and getting full control over your domain portfolio are probably your top priorities.

When looking for a Squarespace alternative, domain resellers recognize bottlenecks related to the very nature of their solutions: as a website builder for end users, web agencies, and hosting providers might find that it lacks the necessary service structure to sell domains smoothly.  

In this comparison, we’ll explore how Openprovider and Squarespace stack up when it comes to domain management, DNS flexibility, and long-term scalability, for web and marketing agencies, hosting providers, and MSPs looking for more automation options, full control, and bigger margin potential.

This guide doesn’t aim to discredit the mentioned brands, but to offer an objective comparison based on publicly available data, customer feedback, and internal product testing as of August 2025.

Limitations of Squarespace for domain control

Squarespace simplifies the process of building and launching a website, but that simplicity often comes at the cost of flexibility, especially in domain management. Here’s where it falls short for technical users and resellers:

• Locked-in domain registrations

When you register a domain through Squarespace, it’s tied into their ecosystem. Transferring domains out is possible, although not suitable for bulk operations. For agencies managing multiple clients or portfolios, this lock-in can create unnecessary friction and dependency.

• Minimal DNS management options

Squarespace offers basic DNS settings. There’s limited support for advanced zone file configurations, automated DNS provisioning, or bulk edits, which domain resellers need to manage their portfolios.

• No domain-related API or automation

Squarespace doesn’t have focused API access to perform automated actions like registrations, renewals, DNS updates, or SSL provisioning. This means more manual work and no opportunity to integrate with your existing systems or workflows.

• Limited SSL flexibility

SSL is enabled by default for Squarespace-hosted domains, but it’s a closed system. There’s no support for installing your own certificates, reselling them, or managing their lifecycles, making it unsuitable for users who require control over security infrastructure.

These limitations might position Squarespace as a good alternative for business owners, but a tough fit for professionals and companies looking to scale domain operations or consolidate their client portfolio under one efficient and automated platform.

Squarespace VS Openprovider – Quick scan

Openprovider’s membership model gives agencies, hosters and developers registry-cost pricing on 1,900+ TLDs, plus full API control, while Squarespace targets single-site owners with higher renewal fees and no domain automation.

Openprovider: a domain-centric alternative for agencies and IT pros

Whether you’re managing domains for hundreds of clients or building white-labeled digital infrastructure, Openprovider gives you full control over every step of the domain lifecycle.

Our RCP platform isn’t an add-on, it’s a foundation. Here’s how we support digital agencies, developers, and hosting companies better than closed platforms like Squarespace:

Full domain lifecycle control

Search, register, transfer, renew, restore, or delete domains across more than 1,900 TLDs, all from one place. Agencies and hosting providers no longer have to juggle multiple registrar accounts, expiry calendars, or pricing inconsistencies.

Every action is transparent, auditable, and under your control. This matters especially for teams consolidating domains from client takeovers or mergers: Openprovider helps reduce complexity while improving portfolio visibility.

Access to domains at cost price

Our Membership model eliminates margin guesswork.

For a flat yearly fee, you get access to wholesale prices, direct from the registry.

If you’re a freelancer, agency, or IT company working on fixed-fee projects, the savings quickly add up. This model not only boosts profitability but also makes it easier to offer bundled services (e.g., “domain + site + DNS”) without hidden costs eating into your bottom line.

API-first infrastructure for automation

Our REST API supports every domain and DNS function, ideal for developers and MSPs automating domain provisioning, setting custom nameservers, or integrating domain operations into their own platforms.

For example, a managed service provider can auto-register domains when a client signs a hosting contract. This reduces manual work, removes human error, and allows small teams to scale services without adding headcount.

White-label and client-ready tools

Openprovider’s RCP (Reseller Control Panel) is designed for flexibility and branding.

Agencies and hosters can offer clients a fully customized domain experience without needing to build infrastructure from scratch. With integrations for WHMCS, HostBill, Upmind, Clientexec and others, onboarding your customers becomes fast and seamless, letting you focus on service, not setup.

Advanced DNS and SSL management

Most digital businesses expect their web partners to handle DNS and security as part of the package. Openprovider makes this easy with powerful DNS tools, DNSSEC support, and Premium SSL options (DV, OV, EV, and S/MIME). 

Support that speaks your language and your business

Our multilingual support is built for professionals, not consumers. Whether you’re based in Benelux, India, or Spain, you’ll find support available.

Our team understands domain lifecycle issues, DNS propagation delays, registrar-specific quirks, and reseller workflows. 

Use case fit

Openprovider isn’t for everyone, and that’s the point.

We’re not trying to serve casual bloggers or hobbyists looking for a one-click website, but to serve digital businesses that need more control, better margins, and infrastructure that doesn’t get in the way.

Here’s how different segments of our audience can benefit from switching from Squarespace to Openprovider:

Web agencies managing multiple client sites and domains

Squarespace might work for your client’s landing page, but it’s not built to manage 100, 1000, or 100,000 domains across different brands.

Agencies using Openprovider can centralize their portfolio, automate renewals, configure DNS in bulk, and control costs through flat-rate Membership pricing.

You no longer need to rely on a consumer-grade interface or chase down domain credentials from scattered platforms. Everything’s streamlined, transparent, and built for team collaboration.

Want to start offering domains profitably by buying them at wholesale price? Choose the right Membership for your portfolio size. 

Hosting providers offering branded domain portals

When domain sales are part of your revenue stream, flexibility and white-labeling matter. Openprovider’s platform lets you integrate directly via REST API or pre-built module integrations (WHMCS, HostBill, Upmind, etc.), offering your customers a seamless experience, under your own brand.

Compared to Squarespace’s closed-loop model, Openprovider empowers hosters to build their own storefront, set their own margins, and provide their own support. It’s your business, not ours.

Freelancers who want to scale domain handling professionally

For freelance developers and marketers managing a handful of client sites, Squarespace may seem convenient, but it doesn’t scale. Openprovider’s control panel, pricing transparency, and bulk tools let you move from project-based work to long-term client portfolio management.

With minimal overhead, a free and centralized domain management platform and full access to domain tools, even solo professionals can offer enterprise-grade services to their clients and start building recurring revenue streams.

Verdict and use-case scenarios

Squarespace delivers a polished experience for building and publishing websites, but when it comes to professional-grade domain management, it’s simply not designed for scale. If you’re running a creative agency, a hosting company, or building domain-based infrastructure for clients, you’ll eventually hit a ceiling.

Openprovider, by contrast, is engineered for growth. Agencies gain operational efficiency, developers get API access and full DNS control, and resellers benefit from cost-price domain purchasing that protects their margins.

Here’s the bottom line:

• If you’re a freelancer managing a few client domains and looking to grow professionally, Openprovider gives you the tools to move beyond basic setups and into recurring service models.
  
• If you’re a digital agency juggling dozens of domains and client environments, Openprovider helps consolidate, automate, and scale domain operations under one roof.
  
• If you’re a hosting provider offering white-label services, Openprovider’s API and control panel modules give you full control over branding, pricing, and provisioning.

Squarespace may be fine for the first website. But when control, automation, and margin matter, Openprovider is the better long-term partner.

Explore our membership plans and start scaling your domain business today.