What Squaremuse does

Squaremuse was a Canadian-domiciled (Pixieset Media Inc.) design products business that built and sold premium customizable design kits, custom elements, and pricing kits for the Squarespace website platform (versions 7.0 and 7.1). Founded in 2016 by the Flo.themes creative team and led by founder Ross Tanner, the company maintained a headcount of 1-10 employees and operated from Los Angeles in a product-led growth model. Its core product was a library of 30+ pre-built design kits, each comprising page layouts, CSS codes, graphic elements, curated font/color palettes, and step-by-step video tutorials. For Squarespace 7.0, Squaremuse developed a proprietary installer wizard that automated demo deployment; for 7.1, designs required manual installation with team support. The company also sold individual Custom Elements (sliders, FAQ blocks, testimonial sliders, newsletter blocks, etc.) and paid setup services ranging from $179 Installation Support to $1,499 Full Setup, plus tiered support add-ons ($19-$129).

The customer base centered on creative professionals — primarily photographers (wedding, elopement, lifestyle, portrait, editorial, commercial), with secondary verticals including videographers, event planners, florists, design studios, bloggers/content creators, educators/coaches, and creative solopreneurs. Squaremuse reached customers globally via its own e-commerce storefront, distributing digital products as one-time licenses paid through Stripe, with no subscription required. The company also operated "Squaremuse Market," a curated marketplace featuring partner designers' templates. In July 2021, the Squaremuse team was acquired by Pixieset, a provider of client photo galleries, websites, and studio management tools for photographers. Following the integration, the Squaremuse shop closed on May 5, 2023, with support continuing until January 31, 2024, and the team's capabilities redirected to the Pixieset Website platform and its drag-and-drop Flex Editor. The company claimed to have served hundreds of thousands of photographers worldwide over its lifetime.

Name

Squaremuse

Legal name

Pixieset Media Inc

Website

https://squaremuse.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Squaremuse sold premium customizable Squarespace design kits, custom elements, and setup services to creative professionals, especially photographers, through direct e-commerce. The shop closed in May 2023 after the team integrated into Pixieset.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Website Templates

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Content Asset Libraries & Template Marketplaces (stock, characters, themes) (EDAFAHAI)

Keywords

• Squarespace templates
• Website design kits
• Creative website designs
• Custom CSS codes
• Squarespace design assets

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Design Kits (One-time License): Primary revenue stream from selling design kits for Squarespace websites. Each design kit is sold as a one-time payment with a single-site license. Customers receive lifetime access to the template with no subscription fees. Design kits include page layouts, CSS codes, graphic elements, and video tutorials.
2. Setup Services: Professional installation and setup services where Squaremuse team implements the design kit into the customer's Squarespace account. Options include Installation Support ($179), Simple Setup ($699), Full Setup ($1,499), and Switch to 7.1 Package ($899). These are one-time service fees.
3. Custom Elements: Individual interactive plugins (sliders, FAQ blocks, testimonial sliders, etc.) sold as one-time purchases. Available for both Squarespace 7.0 and 7.1.
4. Support Add-on Packages: Paid support packages for additional assistance beyond free support: Simple ($19), Medium ($49), Complex ($79), and Advanced ($129). Also includes re-engagement fee of $129 for projects on hold.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Squaremuse sold premium customizable design kits, custom elements, and pricing kits built for the Squarespace website platform (versions 7.0 and 7.1). Each design kit bundled pre-built page layouts, CSS codes, graphic elements, curated fonts and color palettes, and step-by-step video tutorials. The company also offered paid setup services (Installation Support, Simple Setup, Full Setup, Switch to 7.1) and tiered support add-ons for customers needing hands-on implementation assistance.

Product overview

Squaremuse offered a portfolio of premium customizable design products for Squarespace website platform, consisting of Design Kits (website templates for versions 7.0 and 7.1), Custom Elements (add-on interactive plugins like sliders and FAQ blocks), and Pricing Kits. The company also provided paid setup services including Installation Support, Simple Setup, Full Setup, and Switch to 7.1 migration packages, plus tiered Paid Support Packages. Squaremuse Market was a sub-brand marketplace for curated designer collaborations. As of May 2023, the shop closed as the team joined Pixieset, with ongoing support available until January 2024.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Squaremuse Market: A curated collaboration hub bringing together talented designers worldwide to empower creatives with Squarespace design products.

Products and services

• Design Kits for Squarespace Premium customizable website design packages for Squarespace platforms (versions 7.0 and 7.1) targeting creative businesses, photographers, videographers, event planners, florists, and design studios. Each kit includes pre-built page layouts, CSS codes, graphic elements, curated font combinations, color palettes, step-by-step video tutorials, and a site launch checklist.
• Custom Elements Individual interactive code-ready plugins for Squarespace including sliders, FAQ blocks, testimonial sliders, summary posts, image cards, info blocks, newsletter elements, contact forms, and tabs that extend the functionality of a Squarespace website.
• Pricing Kits Pre-designed pricing page layouts for displaying investment packages, services, and product offerings on Squarespace websites, aimed at creative businesses and solopreneurs who need polished sales pages.
• Installation Support Package DIY implementation support package priced at $179 covering demo page implementation, Site Styles editing, and CSS code implementation with 2 business days execution and 1 week of email support. The customer purchases the design kit separately and invites the Squaremuse team as a contributor.
• Simple Setup Package Full implementation service priced at $699 with content population, client-provided fonts and colors, sitemap building, 2 rounds of feedback, 5 business days execution, and site launch with SEO considerations such as URL mapping and redirects.
• Full Setup Package Premium setup service priced at $1,499 including a 30-minute strategy call, personalized layouts, content migration, 2 weeks post-launch support, 25% discount on three Custom Elements plus free implementation and personalization of those elements, and a detailed video review.
• Switch to 7.1 Package Migration service priced at $899 covering content migration from Squarespace 7.0 to 7.1, including blogposts, up to 5 galleries, recreating main info pages, sitemap population, basic SEO optimizations, site launch help, and a 50% discount on a design kit of choice.
• Paid Support Packages Tiered support services for additional assistance beyond free support: Simple ($19) for minor adjustments under 30 minutes, Medium ($49) for simple CSS and Custom Element implementation, Complex ($79) for moderate CSS and content changes, and Advanced ($129) for complex code and migration tasks.
• Squaremuse Market A curated marketplace sub-brand featuring premium Squarespace templates from partner designers, including Studio Seagraves (Indio), Third West Studio (Odessa), Strala Design (Capri), and Blank Tela Studio (Cosi), designed to extend the Squaremuse design library through creative community collaborations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Save hundreds of hours of manual website building work through pre-built layouts and installer tools
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers31 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pixieset (Transition)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2023Squaremuse shop closed on May 5, 2023, with all design products transitioning to Pixieset Website platform. Existing Squaremuse customers received 50% discount on first year of Pixieset Website. Squaremuse team now focuses entirely on Pixieset Website platform development, including the new Flex Editor drag-and-drop builder.
• PixiesetcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2021Squaremuse team joined Pixieset in July 2021, with Squaremuse becoming a brand under Pixieset Media Inc. The partnership brought together Squaremuse's design expertise with Pixieset's client photo galleries, websites, and studio management tools. Squaremuse continues supporting existing customers while contributing to Pixieset Website platform development. As of May 2023, Squaremuse shop closed and customers are transitioned to Pixieset.
• SquarespacecoreTechnology or IntegrationSquaremuse creates design products exclusively for the Squarespace website platform. They are not affiliated with Squarespace but develop templates compatible with both Squarespace 7.0 and 7.1 versions. Squaremuse designs utilize Squarespace's native features, CSS customization capabilities, and template architecture.
• FlothemesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDescribed as Squaremuse's 'sister brand', Flothemes is a creative team that originally developed designs for WordPress before expanding to Squarespace through Squaremuse. The two brands share creative direction and design philosophy. Some Squaremuse designs (like Elise, Lyra) were inspired by Flothemes bestsellers.
• Studio SeagravesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner designer for Squaremuse Market, created the Indio Squarespace template. Studio Seagraves contributed to the curated marketplace of third-party designs.
• Third West StudiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner designer for Squaremuse Market, created the Odessa Squarespace template. Third West Studio contributed to the curated marketplace of third-party designs.
• Strala DesignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner designer for Squaremuse Market, created the Capri Squarespace template. Strala Design contributed to the curated marketplace of third-party designs.
• Blank Tela StudiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner designer that created the Cosi design kit for Squaremuse, available through the main Squaremuse shop for both Squarespace 7.0 and 7.1 versions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• TemplateMonster: Long-standing template and theme marketplace covering Squarespace, WordPress, and other CMS platforms; competes directly for the same SMB creative customer with similar one-time-purchase templates.
• Wix: Broad incumbent website builder with a large template library, AI site generation, and an ascendant creative/SMB base; competes for the same end customers seeking template-based websites.
• Squarespace: The underlying platform for all Squaremuse products; offers its own premium templates and increasingly AI-built sites that compete with Squaremuse's curated design kits for the same creative SMB segment.
• ThemeForest (Envato): The largest online marketplace for website templates and themes; competes with Squaremuse for designer/creative buyer attention with a far broader catalog and lower price points across multiple platforms including Squarespace.

Direct peers

• SmugMug: Photography-focused website and portfolio platform serving professional photographers; directly comparable end customer (photographers) and template-based site delivery.
• Showit: Website builder purpose-built for photographers and creative businesses with customizable templates; competes with Squaremuse in the same photographer-website category with a native platform offering.
• Flothemes: Described as Squaremuse's sister brand under Pixieset Media Inc., Flothemes offers premium design templates for Squarespace and WordPress targeting the same creative/photography audience with the same one-time-license model.
• Elegant Themes: Premium theme vendor (Divi, Extra) for WordPress; a direct comparable on business model (premium design kits, one-time and membership licenses) serving SMB and creative customers.
• Format: Portfolio website builder targeted at photographers, designers, illustrators and other creatives; a comparable in audience (creative SMBs) and template-based website delivery model.

Others

• Pixieset: Parent brand of Squaremuse and provider of client galleries, websites, and studio management tools for photographers; the platform into which Squaremuse's design IP has been integrated since 2021.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/getsquaremuse
• Instagraminstagram.com/getsquaremuse
• Xx.com/getsquaremuse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/squaremuse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Squaremuse