Choosing the Right Website Platform for Your Coaching Practice
If you're a coach trying to decide how to build your online presence, you're not alone. It can feel overwhelming when so much seems at stake for your business—but really, you just want to focus on meeting with people and helping them grow.
So, what do you do?
The short answer: It depends on what you need right now, your design preferences, and where you're headed with your practice.
Below is an honest breakdown of three platform options—Squarespace + Acuity, Squarespace + Paperbell, and Kajabi—so you can choose what works best for you.
Platform Comparison at a Glance
Simple Start
Squarespace + Acuity
Professional presence without the overwhelm
Perfect for launching your Storywork practice: a polished website you can easily update plus client scheduling that actually works—all without complicated features you don't need yet.
• Most affordable option for a professional setup
• Intuitive website editing (no coding required)
• Integrates with Zoom or Google Meet
• Syncs with your Google Calendar automatically
• Reliable and scalable when set up correctly
Client-Centered
Squarespace + Paperbell
Streamlined experience for you and your clients
Ideal for coaches who want a beautiful brand presence plus a seamless client portal. Your website stays flexible while Paperbell handles scheduling, payments, and client communication in one place.
• Designed for 1-on-1 coaching relationships
• Scheduling, payments, contracts, and video in one system
• Easier to manage without technical expertise
• Squarespace handles your public presence and SEO
• Best balance of professional design and functionality
Full Platform
Kajabi
All-in-one solution for established practices
Best for coaches ready to scale with courses, digital products, or memberships. Kajabi offers powerful automation and marketing tools—but requires more time and investment to implement effectively.
• Built for coaches with multiple revenue streams
• Sell courses, products, and memberships from one platform
• Advanced marketing automation and email campaigns
• Higher monthly investment with steeper learning curve
• Worth it when you need sophisticated funnels and scalability
Detailed Platform Comparison
| Feature | Simple Start Squarespace + Acuity | Client-Centered Squarespace + Paperbell | Full Platform Kajabi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Launching your practice | Interacting with your clients frequently | Scaling with courses |
| Monthly cost | $40–70 | $80–110 | $149–399 |
| Setup complexity | Moderate | Easy | Complex |
| Professional website | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Client scheduling | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Group coaching | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Payment processing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Client portal | ✓ Generic All-Members Page | ✓ Built-in Specific to Client |
✓ Robust but Complicated |
| Contracts & forms | Manual | ✓ Automated | ✓ |
| Design flexibility | High | High | Limited |
| SEO control | Strong | Strong | Good |
| Sell products & courses | Basic | Basic | Advanced |
| Email marketing | Add-on | Add-on | Built-in |
| Marketing automation | — | — | Advanced |
Simple Start
Squarespace + Acuity
- Lowest cost for getting started
- Best for: launching your practice
- Cost: $40–70
- Setup: Moderate
- Group coaching: ✓
Client-Centered
Squarespace + Paperbell
- Easiest setup + built-in client portal
- Best for: growing your practice and interacting with your clients frequently
- Cost: $80–110
- Setup: Easy
- Group coaching: ✓
Full Platform
Kajabi
- Advanced courses + marketing automation
- Best for: scaling with courses
- Cost: $149–399
- Setup: Complex
- Group coaching: ✓
In summary, Kajabi is complicated and it’s likely more than you need. However, if you are ready for Kajabi, you can hire an expert here.
Option 1: Squarespace + Acuity — Starting at $40/month
Best for: Coaches who want creative control, beautiful branding, and room to grow with blogs, courses, and newsletters.
Acuity Scheduling integrates seamlessly within Squarespace as a powerful tool for scheduling, invoicing, package purchases, intake forms, and more.
With Squarespace, your site can beautifully reflect your heart, communicate your vision, and evoke the essence of the hospitality, safety, and presence you desire to offer your clients.
What's Great:
Highly customizable—design your site to reflect your brand perfectly
Custom domain (like www.yourname.com)
Custom email that matches your domain
Expandable: add a blog, email list, store, podcast, online courses, and more
Fully integrated with Acuity Scheduling for booking, invoices, and client management
20% discount at Squarespace when you hire me to design and set up your site
What's Involved:
Takes more time to set up compared to other options
You may want expert help to get it looking and functioning exactly how you want
Acuity from within Squarespace functions as a powerful tool for scheduling, invoicing, purchasing a package of appointments, requesting intake forms, and more.
With Squarespace, your site can beautifully reflect your heart, communicate your vision, and evoke the essence of the hospitality, safety, and presence you desire to offer your clients.
Featured above are screenshots from a template available in my template shop.
You can View the Demo Site Here → (password = password).
Option 2: Squarespace + Paperbell — Starting at $73/month
Best for: Coaches who want the beautiful, flexible website of Squarespace combined with Paperbell's robust client management system.
This pairing gives you the best of both worlds: a professional, SEO-friendly website that you control, plus an all-in-one client portal that handles scheduling, contracts, payments, and communication seamlessly.
What's Great:
Beautiful Squarespace website for your public presence
Paperbell's built-in client portal, contracts, and scheduling
Easier client onboarding and management
Room to grow with blogs, courses, and email marketing through Squarespace
Professional and polished without sacrificing functionality
What's Involved:
Higher monthly cost than Squarespace + Acuity alone
Two platforms to manage (though they integrate well)
Setup requires connecting both systems
With Paperbell, your design options are limited to this.
But it’s true—the design element isn’t so bad when you look at everything else you get! It truly is accessible in one easy-to-find place. You can sign up today and get three months free + an Expert Setup Call during your seven-day free trial.
Option 3: Kajabi — Starting at $149/month
Best for: Established coaches ready to scale with courses, memberships, and advanced marketing automation.
Kajabi is an all-in-one platform designed for coaches who are selling digital products, running email campaigns, and building sales funnels. It's powerful but comes with a steeper learning curve and higher price point.
What's Great:
Complete all-in-one system
Advanced course creation and membership sites
Built-in email marketing and automation
Sales funnels and landing pages
Everything you need to scale in one platform
What's Involved:
Significantly higher monthly investment
More complex to set up and learn
Limited design flexibility compared to Squarespace
Best suited for coaches who are already established and generating revenue
A Closer Look at the Most Common Starting Setups
| Feature | Paperbell by itself, no amazing website | Squarespace + Acuity A Solid Choice | Squarespace + Paperbell Best of Both Worlds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $57 | $40–70 | $80–110 |
| Setup time | Very quick | Moderate | Easy |
| Design flexibility | Very limited | High | High |
| Custom domain | paperbell.com/yourname | yourname.com | yourname.com |
| Blog & courses | Not supported | Yes | Yes |
| Scheduling / CRM | Built-in | Acuity-integrated | Paperbell-integrated |
| Client portal | Built-in Specific to Client |
Generic All-Members Page | Built-in Specific to Client |
| Room to grow | Limited | Strong | Strong |
| Marketing Tools | Limited | Strong | Strong |
Paperbell
by itself, no amazing website
- Monthly cost: $57
- Setup time: Very quick
- Design flexibility: Very limited
- Custom domain: paperbell.com/yourname
- Blog & courses: Not supported
- Scheduling / CRM: Built-in
- Client portal: Built-in (specific to client)
- Room to grow: Limited
- Marketing tools: Limited
Squarespace + Acuity
A Solid Choice
- Monthly cost: $40–70
- Setup time: Moderate
- Design flexibility: High
- Custom domain: yourname.com
- Blog & courses: Yes
- Scheduling / CRM: Acuity-integrated
- Client portal: Generic All-Members Page
- Room to grow: Strong
- Marketing tools: Strong
Squarespace + Paperbell
Best of Both Worlds
- Monthly cost: $80–110
- Setup time: Easy
- Design flexibility: High
- Custom domain: yourname.com
- Blog & courses: Yes
- Scheduling / CRM: Paperbell-integrated
- Client portal: Built-in (specific to client)
- Room to grow: Strong
- Marketing tools: Strong
Helpful Add-Ons to Know About
Acuity Scheduling (within Squarespace):
Basic tier starts at $12.80/mo (with Squarespace plan)
Calendar for each team member, employee, or location
Calendar syncing
Custom payment settings and card vaulting
Embeddable scheduler
Customizable scheduler
Automatic reminder emails
Time zone conversion for clients
Integrations
Group appointments, classes, or one-on-one appointments
Discounts and coupons
Advanced reporting
Upgrade to $21.60/mo (with Squarespace plan) for:
SMS/Text reminders
Appointment bundles (packages of 6 or 12 sessions)
Gift certificates, memberships, or subscriptions
Upgrade to $39.20/mo (with Squarespace plan) for:
Multiple time zones for multiple team members
Optional "Powered by" badge removal
HIPAA (BAA) compliance
Custom API and CSS for advanced branding
Signing Contracts:
Acuity can include a checkbox for agreeing to your Terms and Conditions, which is legally binding and works for most coaching relationships. For more robust legal protection, consider:
SignNow — $8/month
DocuSign — $10/month
Dropbox Sign — $15/month
Custom Email Domain:
1 year of Google Workspace is free with your Squarespace subscription
After that: $6/user/month for a branded email like you@yourdomain.com
Video Conferencing
Acuity integrates with your favorite video tools:
Zoom — auto-generates a meeting link in confirmations (Pro plans start at $14.99/mo)
Google Meet — easy if you're using Google Workspace (Note: Google Meet is not HIPAA compliant)
CRM or Client Management Tools
Squarespace offers a limited CRM that works well for many coaching businesses, especially NFTC Storywork coaching practices. You can use Squarespace (or any free method) to take notes on client meetings or track client progress.
Consider using your preferred method, such as a notebook, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Evernote, or Notion. For a more robust all-inclusive CRM, consider:
Notion — flexible and free for tracking client notes or goals
Airtable — spreadsheet-style database
HoneyBook — full-service CRM with forms, contracts, and billing
Paperbell — robust, all-inclusive CRM built specifically for coaches
Want Some Help?
If you're leaning toward Squarespace, there are several great templates available to help you get started. But if you don't want to go it alone, I can jump in on a template you've already purchased or build you a custom site from scratch.
Pricing starts at $600 for a site built from a template and goes up to $1,200+ for a fully custom site. See my full pricing here.
Not tech-savvy? I offer ongoing support plans starting at $30/month. I'll help you manage your Squarespace site, keep things running smoothly, and ensure your design stays sharp and impactful.
With a support membership and custom design with Squarespace, you get:
Ongoing design and tech support
A beautiful, functional website that reflects your coaching brand
Peace of mind, knowing your platform can grow with you
Ready to Build a Coaching Website You Love?
Let's build something meaningful together. To get started, fill out an interest form here or email me directly.
Check out my portfolio and template shop to see what's possible.
