Squarespace vs Alibaba Cloud: Free Credits, Pricing & Eligibility Compared (2026)

Squarespace gives student creators a quick, low-cost way to launch websites with a 50% first-year discount. Alibaba Cloud targets software startups with up to $120,000 in backend cloud infrastructure credits. Here is how their pricing, eligibility rules, and claim processes compare.

Squarespace vs Alibaba Cloud Credit Offers and Pricing

Choosing between these two platforms depends on whether you need a simple landing page or high-compute cloud infrastructure. Comparing a website builder discount with enterprise cloud credits helps you spend your budget wisely.

Squarespace 50% Off Student Discount Rules

Squarespace offers current college students a 50% discount on their first annual website plan. This offer is verified using Student Beans and applies strictly to the initial yearly payment, after which standard pricing kicks in.

The discount excludes monthly billing, domain registration fees, Acuity Scheduling, and site reactivations. It also cannot be stacked with promo codes or additional promotional discounts.

Alibaba Cloud Startup Catalyst Program

Alibaba Cloud provides its Startup Catalyst program to give qualified businesses cloud infrastructure credits ranging from a $1,000 Launcher tier up to $120,000 for high-growth startups.

While these credits cover Core compute, storage, and database services, Alibaba Cloud restricts how credits can be applied across their ecosystem.

• Excluded Purchases: Domain name registrations, CDN usage, Marketplace tools, and prepaid software packages.
• Review Period: Applications take 5 to 7 business days for internal business verification.
• Lifetime Limit: Accounts are limited to one maximum lifetime credit allocation.

Eligibility Requirements and Application Steps

Both platforms require strict identity checks before issuing discounts or credit balances. Following the right order prevents your application from being rejected or losing your discount.

How to Qualify for Squarespace Student Discounts

To claim the Squarespace offer, you must be a currently enrolled student at an accredited higher education institution. High school students, faculty members, and alumni are not eligible for this offer.

You can request one single-use discount code every 12 months through Student Beans, provided your student identity remains active.

1. Create a free trial website on Squarespace first.
2. Log into Student Beans and complete your student status verification.
3. Copy your unique 50% discount code.
4. Upgrade your trial site to an annual website plan and paste the promo code at checkout.

How to Qualify for Alibaba Cloud Startup Credits

Alibaba Cloud evaluates applicants based on startup stage, technology stack, and business structure. Having a clear product plan speeds up the manual approval process.

Do not launch production workloads before your credits are credited to your account balance, as past spending cannot be covered retroactively.

1. Register an enterprise account on Alibaba Cloud.
2. Navigate to the Startup Catalyst program page and click Apply.
3. Fill out your business details, pitch deck link, and infrastructure goals.
4. Wait 5 to 7 business days for approval before spinning up paid cloud servers.