Does AI Actually Build a Website Faster? What 6 Million Trials Show Us

Putting AI’s speed to the test

AI tools promise speed, but results may vary depending on the platform. AI-written copy can need a heavy rewrite to sound natural, while generated images can take several rounds of changes before they look like your brand. If you have to keep reworking the output, you might not be saving that much time in the end.

Squarespace’s tools were designed for both speed and quality, so you can get a beautiful and functional website that reflects your vision up and running quickly. Blueprint AI generates a complete site design from your answers about your business, project, or passion. Templates, our non-AI option, start from a pre-designed layout that you customize page by page.

We expected sites built with our AI website builder to go live sooner than those built from templates. And we were willing to test that assumption, comparing it to our traditional templates approach.

Our method: analyzing millions of trials across a year

To get an honest answer to which is faster, AI or templates, we wanted to track these tools in real world scenarios. Timing ourselves building a site could’ve shown how long our team takes to build a website, not how long an entrepreneur or business might take. Instead, we tapped into our customers’ trial experience.

We looked at more than six million user trials on the Squarespace platform within a fixed yearlong window from August 1, 2025 to August 1, 2026. We counted a trial as an “AI build” if the customer used Blueprint to generate the site. Users that built a site through our templates were counted as working “without AI.”

These customers built websites for a variety of use cases, from photography portfolios to hair salons to dog groomers, and chose when to publish. We assume they only pushed their site live when it met their vision and needs.

One important disclaimer with our study: Users self-select into AI vs. non-AI site building, so any gap in performance could also reflect who chooses each path rather than a causal effect of the product. However, notably, our results remained consistent across every data cut.

Using our AI website-building tool, the median time to publish was 3.32 days. Median by definition means that half our users fall under this time and half fall above it. Below we unpack some of the factors that would put a user in one camp or the other.

Does building a website with AI take less time than using a template?

The rumors are true. AI does offer a faster approach to site creation. But just how much faster might come as a surprise, especially when viewed across multiple categories.

On the whole, AI is meaningfully faster when building a website

Looking at all trials together, AI website building was the fastest approach.

• Sites built with AI are published 31.4% faster than without AI.

Sites built with AI are published 31.4% faster than without AI.

• Comparing the median time of 3.32 days with AI, it took users 4.85 days without AI.

Comparing the median time of 3.32 days with AI, it took users 4.85 days without AI.

AI also wins on the tightest of timelines—the site built under an hour

It’s no exaggeration, Squarespace customers can get a site live in minutes with our AI website builder. When we looked at the users that published a new site within the hour, AI was again the winning method.

• Within the first hour, 5.3% of AI sites went live, compared with 3.8% of template sites.

Within the first hour, 5.3% of AI sites went live, compared with 3.8% of template sites.

Does site complexity or industry affect this result?

Site type and industry both change how long a build takes, but AI sites still published faster in every group we measured.

A closer look at ecommerce sites

Naturally, a website with more complex elements like appointment booking, invoicing, or integrated email campaigns takes longer to build than a simple portfolio site. To test whether these elements affect the results, we took a closer look at ecommerce sites in particular, which have some of the most complex features: product pages, checkouts, payment processors, and more.

Even here, with sites that ticked every box of Squarespace’s features checklist, AI came out ahead. Yes, ecommerce sites took longer to publish than non-ecommerce sites, but that was true whichever site-building tool our customers used. AI's edge over non-AI held strong even when the bells and whistles were piled on.

• Ecommerce websites built with AI publish 22.2% faster than ones without AI.

Ecommerce websites built with AI publish 22.2% faster than ones without AI.

• Ecommerce sites have a median publish time of 4.02 days using AI vs. 5.17 days without AI.

Ecommerce sites have a median publish time of 4.02 days using AI vs. 5.17 days without AI.

One possible explanation is that beauty businesses, such as makeup artists or nail salons, are highly driven by aesthetics. They may spend more time and care choosing images and fine-tuning the site’s visual presentation, no matter how the site is built. Whereas a home services business, like a cleaning service, may be more task-oriented and need less of a bespoke appearance.

We didn’t test this, so treat it as a hypothesis. But even among industries like beauty, AI sites still represent meaningful time savings. If your business is visually driven, you may want to plan for extra building time.

AI builds websites faster on a global scale

One last question we wanted to examine was whether these findings were unique to the U.S. Would the time saved with AI drop away once we expanded our study to the rest of the world? We split the data by region and discovered that AI sites publish faster worldwide, with slight differences in speed.

• In the US, AI publishes 27.7% faster, with a median publish time of 2.96 days for AI vs. 4.09 days without AI.

In the US, AI publishes 27.7% faster, with a median publish time of 2.96 days for AI vs. 4.09 days without AI.

• In the rest of the world, AI publishes 24.7% faster, with a median publish time of 4.34 days for AI vs. 5.76 days without AI.

In the rest of the world, AI publishes 24.7% faster, with a median publish time of 4.34 days for AI vs. 5.76 days without AI.

Does connecting to a custom domain change how fast sites publish?

Experimentation and iteration are encouraged when it comes to Squarespace’s site-building tools. Customers can test out ideas and see how a website might take shape before committing. Choosing a custom domain is a reasonable sign that someone is getting ready to launch, so we looked at it separately.

When a custom domain is connected, both AI and non-AI sites see a substantial increase in the percentage of sites published and the speed at which they’re pushed live. But once again, AI sees the bigger time savings.

• When a domain is in place, the publish rate increases by 14.6x when using AI vs. 11.3x without AI.

When a domain is in place, the publish rate increases by 14.6x when using AI vs. 11.3x without AI.

• AI’s speed advantage over sites without AI expands when there’s a domain, from 18.3% faster with no domain to 30.9% faster with one.

AI’s speed advantage over sites without AI expands when there’s a domain, from 18.3% faster with no domain to 30.9% faster with one.

Breaking down how users save time when building a site with AI

Looking at all these different data slices comparing AI and templates, we were able to answer with confidence what tool is faster. But we couldn’t say how. In order to determine precisely how the tool worked more efficiently and where users saved time, we took a closer look at the website-building process and where the time went.

AI users spent less time editing

In our AI tool, you begin by telling the tool about your needs, vision, or goals. Our AI website builder uses the information you share to create a cohesive direction for your website. The output avoids one-size-fits-all design, and the result is users spend less time making modifications.

The data reflects this. Time spent in our editing tool and the overall number of edits dropped for those using the AI website builder.

• AI users spend 38% less time editing compared to those without AI.

AI users spend 38% less time editing compared to those without AI.

• The AI workflow has a median of 374 edits vs. 574 edits without AI.

The AI workflow has a median of 374 edits vs. 574 edits without AI.

What speed means for your timeline

AI can help you build a website when time is tight

Every way we looked at it, AI site building emerged as the fastest approach. This result was consistent across site complexities and industries. That time savings can make spinning up a website a doable task.

In a previous survey of more than 500 businesses, roughly one in four said they spend more than 16 hours a week—the equivalent of two full workdays—on administrative tasks like inquiries, scheduling, and payments. Given those commitments, it can be hard to carve out a moment to build a site. A 31% time savings could be the difference between getting your site out there or leaving it on the to-do list.

If your business already has customers and you needed a site online yesterday, a shorter build means you can meet today’s needs that much sooner.

The template approach is still an excellent option

If speed isn’t your top priority, templates are still a smart choice to build a good website. It’s really about your preferred working style. If you enjoy looking at ready-made pages, navigation, and design settings where you add your own content, adjust layouts, and refine the look to match your brand, templates are a good fit. They give you a guided set of design choices, which suits people who prefer fewer open-ended decisions.

In a past business survey, some business owners told us they have concerns about AI, including environmental impact, ethics, and originality. If you prefer to avoid AI assistance in your work, for any reason, templates are the obvious choice.

Both site-building tools are informed by Squarespace’s 20-plus years of design experience and help you turn out polished and professional sites.

Speed will only accelerate as our tool evolves

Our AI website builder can already generate a full site—not just a homepage—in one sitting. As our tools evolve, we expect the time it takes to publish a site to decrease even further. We’ll continue to document any wins and changes we observe so you can make the most informed choices for whatever you’re building.

How to publish faster

A little preparation can save you time when building your website, no matter which tools you use. Approach the task the same way a professional web designer does to make the process more efficient.

Gather your assets

Before you start building, collect your logo, brand colors, fonts, photos, and website copy in one place. Having these ready to upload will help you spend less time searching for files or making design decisions as you go. If you don’t have a logo yet, use Squarespace’s free logo generator to create one.

Plan your site structure

A good-looking website can strongly influence trustworthiness, but visitors also need to find information and take action easily. Identify the key things your audience needs and how you’ll organize it. For example a service-based business should make it easy to find services, pricing, and booking info. Keep navigation simple and use clear calls to action to guide your visitors to the next step.

Run through a ready-to-launch checklist

A successful site hits a variety of elements, from a mobile-friendly design to clear trust signals. Before you hit the “publish” button and launch your site, be sure all your bases are covered. Use this website checklist to make sure your site is optimized from day one.