Selecting the right platform for your website builder can be challenging. When considering Shopify vs Squarespace, the decision relies on your specific needs.
Shopify excels for serious, large-scale online stores, earning it the top spot as the best e-commerce builder. However, it may only suit some due to product types, budget constraints, or style preferences.
On the other hand, Squarespace, known for its all-around website-building capabilities, offers more affordable options with appealing designs. If you prioritize design and plan to sell a limited range of products, Squarespace might be your ideal choice.
Our thorough research and user testing reveal detailed insights to help you make your decision. We will compare Shopify vs Squarespace in terms of the following:
- Target audience
- Pricing
- Ease of use
- eCommerce features
- Design flexibility
- POS
- App integration
- Marketing tool
- Support
1. Target Audience
When comparing Shopify vs Squarespace, it’s essential to look at who each platform serves best.
Shopify
Shopify is designed for businesses that are heavily focused on eCommerce. It appeals to entrepreneurs, small to large businesses, and enterprises aiming to scale quickly. Shopify’s wide range of integrations and built-in tools suit users with substantial product catalogs or those planning to grow. Statistics show that over 2.1 million active user use Shopify globally, proving its strong eCommerce focus.
Squarespace
Squarespace, on the other hand, caters more to creatives, freelancers, and small businesses that need visually appealing websites. It’s ideal for users who want to showcase portfolios, blogs, or personal branding while having basic online selling capabilities. Squarespace supports small product catalogs but is less feature-rich for large-scale eCommerce.
=> Editor’s pick: Shopify is the better choice for businesses aiming to scale their eCommerce operations, while Squarespace works best for creatives focused on showcasing content over selling.
2. Pricing
Both Shopify vs Squarespace offer different pricing structures to cater to a variety of businesses. Here’s how they stack up.
Shopify
Shopify offers a variety of pricing plans, starting from $39 per month for the Basic plan, which includes all essential eCommerce features. The Advanced plan, at $399 per month, offers additional tools like advanced reporting and lower transaction fees.
Shopify also charges transaction fees unless Shopify Payments is used, with fees ranging from 2.9% to 2.4%, depending on the plan. Transaction fees for the Basic, Shopify, and Advanced plans are 2.9%, 2.6%, and 2.4%, respectively. While Shopify’s pricing may seem steep, the investment offers value for serious online sellers.
Squarespace
Squarespace’s pricing is more affordable, starting at $16 per month for a Personal plan, though this does not include eCommerce features. The Business plan, at $23 per month, and the Basic Commerce plan at $27, allow for online selling.
However, transaction fees on the Business plan (3%) can add up for those who process many sales. For businesses with light eCommerce needs, Squarespace provides a budget-friendly option without sacrificing design quality.
=> Editor’s pick: For budget-conscious businesses, Squarespace offers more affordable pricing, especially for those not needing advanced eCommerce features.
2. Ease of Use
In the debate of Shopify vs Squarespace, ease of use is crucial, particularly for those new to website building.
Shopify
Shopify simplifies the eCommerce setup process with its user-friendly drag-and-drop interface. Users can easily navigate through product uploads, payment gateways, and sales analytics.
However, the depth of customization options may be overwhelming for beginners, requiring time to explore. Shopify’s app marketplace, while extensive, can add complexity, but 24/7 support is available for assistance.
Squarespace
Squarespace is renowned for its intuitive design interface, making it one of the easiest website builders to use. Its visual editor lets users drag and drop elements to create a polished website without technical expertise.
Squarespace’s built-in features mean fewer third-party integrations are required, reducing complexity. Although it offers less customization flexibility than Shopify, it’s perfect for users who want a professional-looking site quickly.
=> Editor’s pick: Squarespace is better in terms of ease of use. The platform’s simplicity means users can set up a polished site quickly, without the need for complex customizations.
3. eCommerce features
The eCommerce capabilities of Shopify vs Squarespace can significantly impact your business operations.
Shopify
Shopify’s eCommerce features are extensive. It provides everything from inventory management to shipping integrations, product variants, and abandoned cart recovery. It allows you to sell across multiple channels, including Facebook, Instagram, and even physical stores through Shopify POS.
Also, Shopify supports unlimited product listings, advanced reporting, and over 8,000 apps for added functionality. Features like automatic tax calculations, multiple shipping options, and global sales support make Shopify the go-to platform for growing eCommerce businesses.
Squarespace
Squarespace, while offering basic eCommerce functionality, lacks many advanced features Shopify provides. It supports product listings, inventory management, and payment processing but doesn’t include Shopify’s multi-channel sales or advanced integrations. Squarespace is better suited for small product catalogs and service-based businesses.
=> Editor’s pick: Shopify takes the lead with its comprehensive eCommerce capabilities, ideal for businesses with larger product catalogs and global sales ambitions.
4. Payment Gateways
When looking at payment flexibility in Shopify vs Squarespace, the difference becomes clear.
Shopify
Shopify supports over 100 payment gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.net. The platform also offers its own gateway, Shopify Payments, which eliminates transaction fees for users who opt-in. Shopify Payments provides seamless integration, with reduced fees (as low as 2.4%) for larger plans.
The flexibility of Shopify’s payment options makes it easier for businesses to cater to customers worldwide, as it accepts multiple currencies and supports international payment methods.
Squarespace
Squarespace is more limited in its payment gateway options, supporting only PayPal, Stripe, and Square. This limitation can be a drawback for businesses needing more flexibility or global reach.
Also, Squarespace does not offer its own payment processor, so businesses will incur transaction fees with each payment gateway. While the payment options may suffice for smaller operations, businesses aiming for global sales may find this restrictive.
=> Editor’s pick: Shopify wins with its broad range of payment gateways and the option to lower transaction fees through Shopify Payments. It is the better choice for businesses with higher sales volumes.
5. Design Flexibility
For creatives, design flexibility is crucial. Here’s how Shopify vs Squarespace compare.
Shopify
Shopify offers a wide range of design templates, with over 220 professional themes available, with only 13 available for free. Users can customize these templates to fit their brand’s identity using Shopify’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor.
If the limited free selection fails to meet your needs, there’s an alternative. Shopify allows users to explore premium themes priced between $140 and $400 each.
Alternatively, for more affordable options, users can turn to third-party themes available in online marketplaces, offering thousands of templates at prices ranging from $20-100.
H3: Squarespace
Squarespace is renowned for its design flexibility, offering over 180 sleek, modern templates optimized for mobile devices. All of them are free. Its design interface is intuitive, with built-in customization options allowing users to easily modify fonts, colors, and layouts. No coding skills are required, making it an excellent choice for creative users focused on design.
While Shopify offers a wider variety of themes specifically designed for eCommerce, Squarespace presents only 7 themes tailored for online stores. However, any Squarespace theme can accommodate an online shop—whether designed for eCommerce or not; the functionality remains the same.
=> Editor’s pick: Shopify is better for themes, as it allows for the creation of high-quality, tailored, and professional-looking sites.
6. Point of Sale (POS)
POS integration is another key difference in Shopify vs Squarespace.
Shopify
Shopify’s POS system has two pricing tiers: Shopify POS Lite and Shopify POS Pro. POS Lite is included with all Shopify plans at no extra cost, making it accessible for small businesses. However, the Pro version, which offers advanced features like multi-location management and in-depth analytics, costs an additional $89 per month per location.
When it comes to hardware, Shopify sells a range of devices like card readers, cash drawers, and receipt printers, which can be purchased separately. Shopify’s POS system is available globally, offering extensive support for businesses in multiple countries. Its mobile app lets you turn any iOS or Android device into a POS terminal, providing great flexibility and mobility.
Squarespace
Squarespace POS is significantly more affordable but also more limited. The POS functionality is integrated with Squarespace’s Commerce plans, starting at $27 per month for the Basic Commerce plan, which includes online and in-person sales.
However, it offers a dedicated POS app for only IOS. It also relies on Square to process payments. This means you’ll need to purchase Square hardware separately, and transaction fees will apply depending on Square’s pricing structure.
=> Editor’s Pick: While Squarespace offers a more affordable POS system for small businesses, Shopify POS provides far more scalability, features, and geographic accessibility
7. App Integration
App integration is a significant advantage for Shopify vs Squarespace, especially for businesses looking to expand functionality.
Shopify
Shopify’s app ecosystem is vast, with over 8,000 apps available in its app store. These apps range from marketing tools and inventory management to customer service and accounting, making them highly adaptable to any business need.
Shopify’s extensive app marketplace allows users to add features without custom development, which enhances flexibility and scalability. Popular apps like MailChimp, QuickBooks, and Google Analytics integrate smoothly with Shopify. Now, over 87% of Shopify merchants use apps to extend their store’s capabilities.
Squarespace
Squarespace’s app integration is more limited, focusing on built-in tools to reduce dependency on external apps. While this simplifies the user experience, it restricts functionality for businesses that need more advanced eCommerce solutions. Squarespace offers fewer third-party integrations than Shopify, making it more suitable for simpler websites.
=> Editor’s Pick: Shopify is the clear winner with its vast app marketplace for businesses requiring greater flexibility and scalability through third-party apps.
8. Marketing Features
When comparing marketing capabilities between Shopify vs Squarespace, each platform offers a unique set of tools to help businesses grow.
Shopify
Shopify provides a powerful set of marketing tools designed to help businesses grow. It offers built-in SEO optimization, social media integration, and email marketing tools via Shopify Email, allowing store owners to create and manage campaigns directly within the platform. Additionally, Shopify supports Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and other marketing channels through apps and third-party integrations.
Shopify’s advanced analytics and customer insights also allow for more targeted marketing strategies. Features like discount codes, abandoned cart recovery, and multi-channel selling enable merchants to maximize their reach and sales potential.
Squarespace
On the other hand, Squarespace offers a more basic set of marketing features than Shopify but still includes key tools to promote a business. Its built-in email campaigns allow users to create branded emails directly within the platform. Squarespace also provides SEO optimization, social media integration, and the ability to create marketing pop-ups and announcement bars to engage visitors.
However, Squarespace’s marketing tools are less focused on eCommerce. It lacks some advanced marketing features like abandoned cart recovery and multi-channel integrations that Shopify offers.
=> Editor’s pick: Shopify takes the lead with its built-in tools and third-party integrations for more comprehensive marketing features and scalability.
9. Customer Support
Lastly, customer support is a critical factor when choosing between Shopify vs Squarespace, particularly for businesses that need reliable assistance.
Shopify
Shopify is known for its 24/7 customer support via live chat, email, and phone. The platform also has an extensive help center and a community forum for self-help. Shopify provides dedicated support through its Shopify Experts Program, making it ideal for businesses that require immediate and professional assistance.
Squarespace
Squarespace offers customer support via email and live chat but does not provide 24/7 phone support like Shopify. While its knowledge base is extensive, live chat is only available during business hours, which can be limiting for users who need immediate help.
=> Editor’s pick: For businesses requiring round-the-clock support, Shopify provides more comprehensive and accessible customer service, making it the better choice.
Shopify vs Squarespace: Quick Assessment & Verdict
Shopify vs Squarespace, each platform caters to different user needs, and while both are powerful in their own right. Hence, understanding their strengths and weaknesses can help you make an informed decision. Below is a summary table highlighting the key comparison factors to give you a clearer picture of which platform might suit your business:
| Factors | Shopify | Squarespace |
| Target Audience | eCommerce-focused businesses, all sizes | Creatives, freelancers, small businesses |
| Pricing | Starts at $39/month, transaction fees apply | Starts at $16/month, more affordable |
| Ease of Use | Easy but can get complex with advanced features | Very intuitive, ideal for beginners |
| eCommerce Features | Extensive, multi-channel selling, advanced tools | Basic, limited for large-scale operations |
| Design Flexibility | 220 high quality and professional themes | Only 7 themes tailored for online stores |
| POS | Advanced, syncs online and offline sales | Basic integration with Square |
| App Integration | 8,000+ apps, highly scalable | Limited, focuses on built-in tools |
| Marketing | Strong SEO, email, multi-channel marketing | Basic SEO, email, and social media tools |
| Support | 24/7 support via chat, email, and phone | Email and chat, no 24/7 phone support |
In short, for scaling eCommerce operations with advanced tools and integration options, Shopify stands out. With features like multi-channel selling, abandoned cart recovery, and a robust POS system, Shopify is ideal for businesses focused on growth.
Squarespace is better for creatives, freelancers, and small businesses prioritizing design and ease of use. It offers beautiful templates and a highly intuitive interface but lacks Shopify’s advanced eCommerce tools.
Squarespace vs Shopify: FAQs
Shopify is designed primarily for eCommerce, offering advanced selling tools, multi-channel support, and a vast app ecosystem. Squarespace focuses on visually appealing websites with basic eCommerce functionality, making it ideal for creatives or small businesses prioritizing design over complex sales features. If you’re expanding your eCommerce operations and need advanced features like inventory management, multi-channel sales, or a robust POS system, switching to Shopify makes sense. However, if your business mainly focuses on content and design with light selling needs, Squarespace might still be sufficient. For businesses with smaller product catalogs or light eCommerce needs, it’s worth selling on Squarespace. Its easy-to-use platform and beautiful templates make it ideal for those who prioritize design, though it lacks the advanced eCommerce tools found in platforms like Shopify. Squarespace is good for small online shops with simple product offerings. It offers basic eCommerce features, including inventory management and payment processing, but may not be the best option for larger businesses or those needing advanced sales tools and multi-channel integration.
Squarespace vs. Shopify: What is your choice?
In short, when it comes to eCommerce, both Shopify and Squarespace stand out as excellent website builders. Shopify excels in sales tools, whereas Squarespace shines in blogging and showcasing captivating images. So, the choice between “Shopify vs Squarespace: Which is better?” boils down to what you need and what you prefer.
If you’re considering Squarespace Shopify integration to make use of all their features, LitCommerce is an ideal partner. For further platform comparisons, explore our eCommerce blog or join our Facebook Community for valuable eCommerce insights and updates. Contact us anytime you need assistance!
