We've written about leaving Squarespace before. The same questions keep coming from people on Wix, Weebly, and Format, so here's the version that covers those three, and what "keep everything" actually means, because it's not quite everything.
What you keep, and what stays behind
On all three, the same line holds: your content is portable, the site is not. Your written words, your images, your logo, and your domain (if it's registered in your name) all come with you. What doesn't come is the layout and design, that was built inside the platform's editor, and it stays there. So "export" gives you a folder of material to rebuild from, not a working website. Knowing that up front is half the battle.
The platform-specific catch
Each builder has its own snag. Wix is the stubborn one, its URLs and page structure are awkward to preserve, so redirects matter more on the way out. Weebly has been deprioritised since Square bought it, so you're leaving a product that's already winding down. Format is built for photographers, so the things to plan around are your galleries and any built-in store, both of which live inside Format. None of these is a reason to stay; they're just things to handle in the right order.
The move that keeps you safe
The order is the same one that protects a Squarespace move:
First, get your domain into an account in your own name, before anything else, calmly, not under deadline. Second, build and test the new site on a separate address while your current one stays live, so nothing goes dark. Third, preserve your page addresses and set permanent 301 redirects for any that change, so your Google rankings carry across instead of resetting. Fourth, switch your DNS to the new host and keep the old subscription running a few more weeks as a safety net before you cancel.
That's it. The fear is "I'll lose my rankings or break my email." Both are avoidable entirely by doing the steps in that order, rather than cancelling first and scrambling.
What you gain
When it's done, you've got files you hold, hosting you control, and the domain in your name, with faster pages too, since the site isn't carrying a builder's overhead. You can run it yourself from there, or put it on a plan and have the hosting, maintenance, and search handled for you. That second option is the host-and-maintain lane, and it is worth being precise about what it is: we did not build that site, so it never becomes ours, there is nothing for you to buy out, and it stays yours throughout. You are the owner of record, and the next move, whenever you want it, is yours to make.
If you'd rather not do the move yourself, that's exactly what website rescue is: we map it, build the replacement, and switch it over without the downtime. We've done it off all three. There are side-by-side comparisons for Wix, Weebly, and Format too.
Tell us what you're on, Wix, Weebly, or Format, and where your domain lives, at info@mule-digital.com, and we'll map the move before you commit to anything.