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There are lots of new Squarespace templates coming out these days, but most of them follow the same pattern. You get a polished homepage, some nice demo pages and solid typography. But as soon as you start building, you realise how limited the design really is. I have built more than 400 Squarespace sites at Altitude Design since 2018, and I have watched plenty of good-looking templates fall apart the moment real client content goes in.
That is what made Ore from Ghost Plugins stand out to me.
What Ore is
Instead of feeling like a typical template, Ore comes across as a flexible design system for Squarespace. That difference really matters. Ore does not lock you into a fixed website design that becomes frustrating to customise. Instead, it gives you a solid starting point with a big library of reusable sections and layouts you can mix and match as needed.
Flexibility is at the core of the whole system. Ghost says the kit comes with over 50 moveable sections and more than 10 pre-designed pages, and you notice that right away when you start using it. If you are still working out what kind of starting point you need, my guide on how to choose the right Squarespace template covers the questions worth asking before you buy anything.
What impressed me
What I really like is that it does not feel too much like a typical template. Many Squarespace templates look great in demos but get tricky when you try to adapt them for a real business with real content. Ore avoids these issues by keeping the structure clean, open and modular. It seems purposefully built to handle client edits, which is actually pretty rare.
Ghost Plugins' "Paper" approach is also smart. Their Paper templates are basically non-branded systems, so you do not have to work around someone else's strong visual style. You get a much cleaner starting point.
As someone who builds websites for a living, I find this is where Ore really proves its value. For freelancers and agencies, it could really speed up project delivery. Ghost says it can save 10 to 15 or more hours of setup and layout work, and I honestly believe that. The biggest time drain in Squarespace projects usually is not the platform. It is having to build consistent sections, spacing, responsive layouts and page structures from scratch each time. Ore seems to have solved many of those problems before you even get started.
It is also worth noting how Ghost Plugins has grown within the Squarespace community. They started out mainly focused on plugins, but over time have quietly built a strong ecosystem of templates, design systems and tools. Ghost says its platform is now used on over 100,000 Squarespace websites, which is pretty impressive for this niche. You will also hear Ghost Plugins mentioned often by other respected Squarespace creators and educators when people talk about useful Squarespace resources and plugin providers, and they feature in my round-up of the best Squarespace template shops in 2026.
Who Ore suits
Ore feels neutral, editorial, modern and adaptable. You could realistically turn it into a site for a creative studio, consultant, personal brand, agency, service business, or even something more product-focused without needing to rebuild everything. In my experience it is strongest for studios, consultants and agencies who want a professional framework and are happy to shape it; if you sit in that group, it is also worth comparing it with our Squarespace templates for consultants, which take a more industry-specific route to the same goal.
That neutrality is a double-edged thing. A non-branded kit gives you freedom, but it also means the template is not making any decisions for you about what a consultant's or a studio's site should say and do. I have written before about why I build industry-specific templates and why generic ones usually do not convert as well, and that trade-off applies here: Ore gives you an excellent structure, but the conversion thinking is still yours to do.
Honest caveats
Ore is a design kit rather than a finished site. That suits people who are willing to assemble, edit and refine, and it suits them very well, but it is a poor fit for someone who wants a one-click result they can publish the same afternoon. Expect to spend real time choosing sections, tuning spacing and typography, and cutting the pages you do not need. It is also a one-off purchase from a third party, not a Squarespace product, so check the current version, what is included and the licence terms on Ghost's page before you buy, particularly if you plan to use it across multiple client projects. Finally, because the kit is deliberately neutral, the quality of the finished site depends more on your own design judgement than it would with a heavily styled template.
Verdict
Overall, I think Ore is best for people who want a professional starting framework instead of a super-stylised, one-click website. If you like tweaking layouts, reordering sections, refining typography and making a site truly your own, this is probably a much better option than most traditional Squarespace templates out there. It feels less like buying a finished website and more like getting a well-designed creative system. Honestly, that is probably the direction more Squarespace templates should go.
If you would rather start from something more decided, with the industry-specific structure already worked out, browse our full range of Squarespace templates and compare the two approaches side by side.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Ore template design kit?
Ore is a Squarespace template design kit from Ghost Plugins. Rather than a single fixed website design, it provides a library of moveable sections and pre-designed pages that you combine and edit to build your own site.
Is Ore a finished website or a starting point?
It is a starting point. You get a structured system of sections and pages, but you are expected to assemble, edit and refine them with your own content, so it suits people who are comfortable working inside the Squarespace editor.
What does "Paper" mean in Ghost Plugins' template range?
Paper is Ghost Plugins' name for its non-branded template systems. The idea is that the design is deliberately neutral, so you are not working around another designer's strong visual style and can apply your own branding more easily.
Who is Ore best suited to?
In my view it suits creative studios, consultants, agencies, personal brands and service businesses that want a professional, editorial framework. It is also a strong option for freelancers and agencies who build Squarespace sites for clients and want a faster, more consistent starting point.
Does Ore require custom code?
The kit is built to work within the standard Squarespace editor, and in my use I did not need custom code to get a clean result. As with any template, you can add CSS if you want to fine-tune details, but it is not required to use the sections as designed.
How does Ore compare with an industry-specific Squarespace template?
Ore is neutral by design, so it gives you flexibility but leaves the industry-specific structure and conversion decisions to you. An industry-specific template makes more of those decisions for you, which is quicker for a one-off business site but less adaptable across different kinds of projects.
Related SquareLocator Guides
- Best Squarespace Template Shops in 2026
- How to Choose the Right Squarespace Template
- Why I Build Industry-Specific Squarespace Templates
- Squarespace Templates for Consultants
- Squarespace Templates
- Squarespace Courses
This article contains an affiliate link. If you buy through it we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Ore is featured because it is genuinely worth knowing about.
