BigCommerce vs Squarespace: Pricing, Features & Which Is Best?

Choosing an ecommerce platform is one of the most important decisions you'll make for your online business. The right platform can streamline your operations, support your growth, and help you reach more customers. The wrong one can hold you back and waste your time and money.

BigCommerce and Squarespace are two of the most popular options available today. Both are hosted solutions that handle hosting, security, and updates for you. But they take very different approaches to ecommerce, and which one is right for you depends on your specific needs.

This guide breaks down everything you need to know to make the right choice for your business.

What Are the Core Differences Between BigCommerce and Squarespace?

BigCommerce is an ecommerce-first platform, meaning it was built from the ground up specifically to handle complex online store operations, high sales volumes, and extensive product catalogs. It provides robust tools for scaling businesses, advanced sales features, and multi-channel selling capabilities. 

Squarespace, on the other hand, began as a website builder known for its stunning design capabilities and user-friendly interface. While it has successfully integrated comprehensive ecommerce functionalities, its primary strength still lies in creating visually appealing websites for creatives, portfolios, and small businesses where design and content often take precedence.

Think of BigCommerce as a specialized ecommerce factory, while Squarespace is a versatile design studio that also makes great products. BigCommerce was specifically created as a platform for creating an online store, while Squarespace was initially conceived for content-based websites, with ecommerce functionality added later.

How Do Pricing and Fees Compare Between BigCommerce and Squarespace?

Pricing is a critical decision factor for any business, and understanding the total cost of ownership, including potential hidden fees, is essential for budgeting. Squarespace's pricing is generally more affordable for smaller ventures, with plans ranging from $16 to $99 per month when billed annually for ecommerce. BigCommerce's core plans range from $29 to $299 per month annually, with an Enterprise plan for larger stores.

BigCommerce's pricing tiers are linked to annual revenue, potentially bumping stores to higher plans as sales grow. Squarespace's pricing does not scale based on revenue, offering more predictable costs.

BigCommerce's lack of transaction fees is a significant advantage for high-volume sellers. Squarespace charges 2-3% on lower-tier plans, which can add up quickly as your sales grow. However, Squarespace's simpler pricing structure makes budgeting easier for small businesses.

Which Platform Is Easier to Use for Building an Online Store?

Ease of use directly impacts the time and effort required to launch and manage an online store, especially for users without extensive technical skills. Squarespace is known for its intuitive design interface and drag-and-drop functionality, making it user-friendly for those without technical skills and easier for most users to pick up. BigCommerce is slightly more advanced, with a steeper learning curve, especially for advanced customization, but offers more depth for experienced users willing to navigate it.

If you're a novice without coding experience, Squarespace will feel more natural. You can build a professional-looking store in hours, not days. BigCommerce requires more time to learn, but experienced developers appreciate the flexibility and power it offers.

Setup and Onboarding

Squarespace gets you up and running quickly with a guided setup process. You can have a basic store live in under an hour. BigCommerce requires more configuration, but provides more options to customize your setup from the start.

Daily Operations

Managing products, orders, and customers is simpler on Squarespace. The interface is clean and intuitive. BigCommerce's dashboard is more complex but offers more advanced features for managing large inventories and complex operations.

How Do Design and Template Options Compare?

A visually appealing and professional storefront is crucial for brand image and customer trust. Design flexibility allows businesses to create a unique online presence. Squarespace offers a larger selection of free, aesthetically pleasing, and professional templates (around 180), all customizable using its drag-and-drop editor. BigCommerce has more templates overall (around 150-193), but only about 12 are free, with premium themes costing $199-$400 upfront.

Squarespace's templates are modern and beautiful out of the box. You don't need to customize much to look professional. BigCommerce's templates are functional but often require customization to look contemporary. Many require heavy customization to look modern.

Which Platform Offers Better Scalability for Growing Businesses?

Businesses need a platform that can evolve with their needs, avoiding the costly and disruptive process of migrating to a new platform as they expand. BigCommerce is built for large-volume sellers and offers unrivaled sales functions and inventory size, making it ideal for scaling businesses and international selling. Squarespace is better suited for smaller product catalogs (limited to 100 SKUs per product) and may require third-party tools for complex multi-channel selling.

Inventory and Product Limits

BigCommerce supports unlimited products and SKUs. Squarespace limits you to 100 SKUs per product, which can be restrictive for businesses with many variants.

Multi-Channel Selling

BigCommerce integrates with multiple sales channels (Amazon, eBay, Facebook, etc.) natively. Squarespace requires third-party apps for multi-channel selling, which adds complexity and cost.

International Selling

BigCommerce has built-in support for multiple currencies, languages, and tax calculations for international sales. Squarespace's international capabilities are more limited and often require additional setup.

How Do SEO Capabilities Compare Between the Two Platforms?

Effective marketing and strong SEO are vital for online visibility, attracting customers, and achieving business growth. Understanding each platform's capabilities helps in choosing one that supports marketing efforts. BigCommerce offers superior and more flexible SEO features, providing more control over technical SEO aspects like sitemaps and robots.txt. Squarespace includes a powerful set of built-in marketing tools, excellent blogging functionality, and decent email marketing, but its technical SEO capabilities are more limited.

BigCommerce gives you granular control over meta tags, URLs, and schema markup. Squarespace handles the basics well but limits your customization options. For serious SEO work, BigCommerce is the better choice.

What Advanced eCommerce Features Does Each Platform Offer?

Merchants with complex needs require specialized functionality. BigCommerce offers native B2B functionality, multi-storefront capabilities, and extensive API access, making it a strong contender for enterprise and headless commerce solutions. Squarespace's advanced features are more geared towards enhancing the core retail experience, with fewer native options for complex B2B or enterprise-level operations, often requiring third-party integrations.

How Do Customer Support and Security Features Compare?

Reliable customer support is crucial for resolving issues quickly and efficiently, minimizing downtime, and ensuring a smooth operation of the online store. BigCommerce offers 24/7 phone, chat, and email support with an ecommerce-focused team, which is beneficial for complex issues. Squarespace provides 24/7 live chat and email support, with responsive service and clear help guides, but lacks phone support.

Both platforms include free SSL certificates and are PCI DSS compliant, ensuring secure transactions and data protection for merchants and customers. BigCommerce's support team has deeper ecommerce expertise, which can be valuable when troubleshooting complex issues. Squarespace's support is friendly and responsive but may not have the same level of ecommerce specialization.

Which Platform Is Best for Small Businesses?

For many small businesses, the choice between BigCommerce and Squarespace often comes down to their specific priorities and growth ambitions. Squarespace is generally recommended for most small ecommerce businesses, especially those just starting or run by creative entrepreneurs. Its ease of use, modern templates, and strong marketing features make it ideal for getting a store up and running quickly without a steep learning curve.

BigCommerce can be an option for small businesses with rapid growth plans, offering enough features in its entry plan to get an online store running, and scalability to avoid platform switching as you grow. If you're planning to scale significantly, BigCommerce might be worth the extra complexity.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Each Platform?

No platform is perfect, and while these platforms both have a lot to offer, there are benefits as well as drawbacks to each. Listed below are a few pros and cons for BigCommerce and Squarespace.

BigCommerce Pros and Cons

Squarespace Pros and Cons

Deciding Between BigCommerce and Squarespace

Choosing between BigCommerce and Squarespace comes down to understanding your business priorities. If you're a small business or creative entrepreneur who values ease of use and beautiful design, Squarespace is an excellent choice. You'll get a professional store up and running quickly without needing technical expertise.

If you're planning to scale, have a large product catalog, or need advanced ecommerce features, BigCommerce is the better investment. Yes, it has a steeper learning curve and higher costs, but it provides the tools and flexibility you need to grow.

Consider your current needs and your growth plans for the next 2-3 years. Think about your budget, technical comfort level, and the features you absolutely need. Both platforms are solid choices—the best one is simply the one that aligns with your specific situation.

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FAQs

Is BigCommerce better than Squarespace?

It depends on your needs. BigCommerce is better for scaling businesses with large inventories and complex operations. Squarespace is better for small businesses and creatives prioritizing ease of use and design.

Can I migrate from Squarespace to BigCommerce later?

Yes, you can migrate your store, but it requires planning and may involve some downtime. It's easier to start with the right platform from the beginning.

Which platform is better for dropshipping?

BigCommerce is generally better for dropshipping due to its multi-channel selling capabilities and inventory management features. Squarespace can work for small dropshipping operations but has limitations.

Do both platforms include SSL certificates?

Yes, both BigCommerce and Squarespace include free SSL certificates with all plans, ensuring secure transactions.

Which platform has better SEO?

BigCommerce offers more advanced SEO features and customization options. Squarespace has solid foundational SEO but fewer advanced options.

Can I use my own domain on both platforms?

Yes, both platforms allow you to use a custom domain. You can connect your own domain or purchase one through either platform.

What's the difference in payment processing?

BigCommerce supports 65+ payment gateways with no transaction fees. Squarespace charges 2–3% transaction fees on lower-tier plans.

Which platform is better for international selling?

BigCommerce has better built-in support for international selling with multi-currency and multi-language capabilities. Squarespace's international features are more limited.