thegrid.io

What is The Grid?

The Grid is a website-building platform whose current public message centers on a major transition: its V2 sites are archived, existing users are being told they will receive a tool to back up their content, and new user registration is paused until V3 arrives. The page positions V3 as the first full realization of a long-held vision — making it easier to go from acquiring a domain to building a recognizable presence, using simple text and media rather than complicated tooling.

That makes The Grid hard to evaluate as a normal, ready-to-use product today. The page does not present current pricing, current feature lists, or a live signup path; it describes a reset and a future release.

Who it is for

• Existing V2 users: the immediate practical audience. If you had a site on The Grid, the relevant action is to watch for the backup tool and secure your content before assuming anything will carry over automatically.
• Designers and non-coders drawn to an AI-assisted, template-free build: The Grid has historically appealed to people who want a distinctive site without assembling it block by block. The page reinforces that ambition, but it is a statement of intent, not a demonstration of the current product.
• Anyone needing a site now: a conventional builder or CMS is the safer choice while registration is closed.

What to expect, and what not to

The page is candid about communication style: no frequent “everything is great” updates, no minimal shells shipped just to satisfy investors, and no steady drip of progress announcements. That is refreshing honesty, but it also means you cannot plan around a V3 date. The phrase “AI was the easy part” suggests the team sees the harder work as the surrounding experience — domains, media, publishing — rather than the generation itself.

A practical next step

If you are weighing options, treat The Grid as unavailable for new projects until V3 opens registration. In the meantime, compare it against established alternatives such as Squarespace for polished templates and commerce, Wix for a broad app market and flexibility, or Webflow if you want fine design control and are willing to learn its model. If you already have a V2 site, prioritize the backup email over any redesign plans.

What happened to The Grid V2 and how can I back up my content?

The Grid's V2 website builder has been sunset: the company placed existing V2 sites in an archived state and says current users will be emailed a tool to acquire and back up their content. New user registration is closed until V3 opens. In other words, V2 is not being maintained as a live publishing platform, but the team has committed to giving account holders a way to retrieve their material before V3 arrives.

What "archived state" means in practice

• Your published V2 site is no longer treated as an active, supported product.
• Your content is meant to remain retrievable through the backup/export tool the company says it will email to current users.
• Because the message promises an email rather than an on-site download button, your first dependency is access to the email address tied to your Grid account.

How to back up your content

1. Find the email address you used to sign up for The Grid and search that inbox (including spam and promotions folders) for the backup tool notice.
2. Follow the acquisition/backup instructions in that email as soon as you receive them; export windows after a sunset are rarely open indefinitely.
3. If no email arrives, reply to any Grid correspondence you still have, or check whether the domain still hosts a contact or support channel.
4. Once you have the export, store it somewhere you control — a cloud drive plus a local copy — rather than relying on the Grid dashboard.
5. Open the exported files to confirm text, images and any embedded media actually came through before you delete or abandon the original account.

A realistic reader scenario

Suppose you run a small studio portfolio on a V2 site. You should assume the site will stop being a dependable storefront, so treat the export as a migration project: inventory pages, copy the text into a document, download images at full resolution, and rebuild on a platform you can maintain yourself or with a mainstream host. If the export tool produces structured files, a developer can help reassemble them; if it produces only a flat archive, plan on manual re-entry.

Choosing where to go next

If keeping your existing content matters more than the tool you use, migrate now rather than waiting for V3. If the design automation was the main draw, watch The Grid's own announcements, and in the meantime consider established alternatives such as Wix, Squarespace or Webflow for visual building, or WordPress if you want a portable, self-hosted setup.

When will The Grid V3 launch and what should I expect?

The Grid has not announced a launch date for V3. Its own notice about sunsetting V2 says only that registration will reopen with V3 and that users will hear more once the new engine is ready — explicitly promising no regular progress emails and no incremental releases in the meantime.

What the notice actually commits to

• V2 sites are archived. Existing users are to be emailed a tool to acquire and back up their content, so the practical priority is preserving what you already have rather than waiting on new features.
• Registration is closed until V3. There is no stated timeline, waitlist date or beta window.
• V3 is positioned as a rebuild, not an update. The language points to a redesigned engine that handles the path from buying a domain to publishing text and media, with AI described as the easy part rather than the headline feature.

What to expect, realistically

Treat V3 as an unannounced product. The notice is unusually candid that the team went quiet and under-communicated, which is a signal about communication cadence going forward: expect long silences, then a fuller reveal. For planning purposes, that means no date to schedule around.

If you need a site live this quarter, don't build your plans on The Grid. A concrete reader scenario: a photographer wanting a portfolio before a spring show should either restore their archived V2 content elsewhere or choose a platform with a published roadmap, then revisit The Grid once V3 ships and you can evaluate the actual editor.

How to decide whether to wait

For comparison while you wait, established site builders with public release cycles include Squarespace, Wix and WordPress.com.

Next step: if you hold a V2 site, watch your inbox for the backup email and export your content as soon as it lands, since archived states can become permanent without much warning.

How does The Grid use AI to build websites and how does it differ from traditional website builders?

The Grid's own update describes a shift away from its V2 website builder: existing V2 sites were moved into an archived state, users were to be emailed a tool to back up their content, and new registration was paused until a future V3. The page frames AI as "the easy part" of a much larger effort to connect buying a domain with building a name, and it explicitly says the team is heads-down on a new engine rather than shipping incremental updates. So the honest answer to "how does it use AI" is: the company positions AI as one component of an automated site-building pipeline, but the page itself doesn't spell out the current mechanics, and V2 is no longer a live option for new sites.

What this means in practice

If you're evaluating The Grid today, treat it as a product in transition rather than a ready-to-use builder. The practical questions to ask are:

• Is V3 actually available yet? The page says registration reopens with V3, so check whether that has happened before planning around it.
• What happens to existing content? V2 users need to use the provided backup tool; don't assume sites stay live.
• What does "AI" do here? The page treats AI as a means to smooth the path from domain to finished site, not as a chat-style assistant you direct step by step.

How it differs from traditional builders

Traditional builders like Wix or Squarespace give you a visual editor, templates, and hosting you control directly. You pick a layout, drag elements, and publish. The Grid's pitch is closer to "describe or supply content, and the system assembles the site" — less manual layout, more automation. The trade-off is control and predictability: template builders are stable and well-documented, while an AI-driven approach can feel opaque, and in this case the platform is mid-rebuild.

A concrete scenario

Suppose you run a small consultancy and need a site this month. A traditional builder gets you live in a weekend with full control over every page. The Grid, based on its own page, is not the safe choice right now — V2 is archived and V3 timing isn't confirmed there. If you're curious about AI-first building, the sensible next step is to check whether V3 registration has reopened and what the backup/export options look like, then compare that against a conventional builder you can launch immediately.

What are the pricing and subscription options for The Grid?

The Grid's own site does not currently list pricing or subscription tiers. Its main page is a "Sunsetting V2" notice: V2 sites have been archived, existing users are being emailed a tool to back up their content, and registration is closed until V3 opens. No plan names, billing periods, or payment options appear on the page.

That matters if you are evaluating it now: you cannot sign up, compare plans, or estimate cost from the official page. Treat any pricing you see on third-party blogs, coupon pages, or old reviews as historical and likely tied to the retired V2 product, not to V3.

How to plan around the missing price list

• If you already had a V2 site: watch for the backup email and export your content first. Pricing is irrelevant until you decide whether to return for V3.
• If you are choosing a site builder today: The Grid is not a usable option while registration is closed. Pick a tool you can start using now, and revisit The Grid only after V3 launches.
• If you want to track it: check the official page periodically for a V3 announcement, then look for a pricing page before committing.

For comparison while you wait, established alternatives publish their plans openly, for example Squarespace and Wix. The practical decision rule: never budget for a product whose current price and signup terms are not stated on its own site.

Can I join a waitlist or reopen registration for The Grid V3?

Registration is not open now, but it is set to reopen with V3. The Grid's own notice says V2 sites are archived, current users will be emailed a tool to back up their content, and "user registration will reopen with V3." No waitlist or signup form is mentioned, so the practical answer is: watch for the V3 registration announcement rather than expecting a waitlist you can join today.

What to do in the meantime

• If you already had a V2 site, check the email tied to your account for the backup tool and retrieve your content before anything else.
• If you are new, do not rely on a placeholder or third-party "invite" page. Registration reopening is the stated path.
• Expect the announcement to be sparse. The notice says the team will stay quiet until the new engine is ready and explicitly warns against frequent status emails.

How to judge whether V3 is worth waiting for

The key question is whether the product still matches your workflow. The original pitch was about simplifying the chain from buying a domain to publishing a polished personal site, with AI handling layout and design decisions. If your need is a site you can launch this week, a conventional site builder or a publishing platform is the safer choice. If you want to see whether the automated design approach has matured, V3 is the version to evaluate.

For context on alternatives while you wait, compare established options such as Squarespace, Wix, and WordPress.com. Each has trade-offs: more manual design control versus more automation, and different levels of ongoing cost and maintenance. The Grid's appeal was less manual work; the trade-off was less direct control and, as the V2 shutdown shows, dependence on a small team's roadmap.

A concrete next step: set a reminder to check the official site periodically, and keep your content in a format you control — your own domain and exported text and images — so a future platform change does not strand it.