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You successfully transferred your business idea from your mind to the paper — you have set up your inventory, your business address is registered, and you have the ops figured out. Now it's time to bring it to your customers, and you need the best eCommerce ecosystem to build your website and overall online business.
Shopify is one of the popular choices, primarily because it is built for eCommerce businesses.
However, Squarespace, while designed as a do-it-yourself builder for projects like blog pages, course pages, video pages, etc., has become a popular choice for eCommerce businesses as well.
Since we are interested in everything eCommerce and shipping, this comparison caught our attention, and we have to work to figure out which platform is more suitable to help your business scale.
In this blog, we will dive deep into the Shopify vs. Squarespace debate and present you with unbiased facts so that you can choose the right platform.
Overview of Shopify and Squarespace
Shopify and Squarespace are two popular e-commerce platforms used for creating online stores. Both platforms offer a range of features and tools for managing online sales and customer interactions. However, they have different histories and target users.
Two Different Histories
Shopify was specifically designed as a solution for making an online store, while Squarespace was initially created as a solution for building and maintaining content-based websites. Over time, both platforms have become more similar, with the addition of e-commerce features to Squarespace and content-creation tools to Shopify.
Building a ‘Website’ or an Online Store?
The first question to ask when deciding between Squarespace and Shopify is what you are trying to build. An online store is a website that prioritizes selling products, while a website is a site that prioritizes conveying information. Squarespace is better for building a content-driven website, while Shopify is better for building an online store.
Here’s an overview of the comparison for your ease.
Pricing: Shopify Vs. Squarespace
Shopify Pricing
Shopify’s plans are tiered to suit businesses of all sizes:
- Starter: $5/month, offering basic selling features for social media and existing websites.
- Basic: $39/month, includes core eCommerce features like inventory management.
- Shopify: $105/month, adds advanced reporting and better shipping discounts.
- Advanced: $399/month, including custom reporting and third-party shipping rate calculations.
- Shopify Plus: Custom pricing starts at $2,300/month for enterprise solutions. All plans except the Basic Shopify plan include Shopify POS, which offers robust hardware compatibility and functionality for both online and offline sales.
Shopify charges additional transaction fees (up to 2%) unless you use Shopify Payments. Credit card fees range from 2.5% to 2.9% + 30¢, depending on your plan.
Squarespace Pricing
Squarespace offers four plans designed for a mix of personal and business use:
- Personal: $16/month, limited to basic website functionality.
- Business: $23/month, includes basic eCommerce but charges a 3% transaction fee.
- Commerce Basic: $39/month, removes transaction fees and includes additional selling tools.
- Commerce Advanced: $99/month, adds advanced shipping and subscription selling capabilities.
Squarespace transaction fees apply only to lower-tier plans and certain product types like subscriptions (up to 9%).
Verdict: Shopify applies additional transaction fees unless you use Shopify Payments and Squarespace charges transaction fees on its lower-tier plans and subscription-based products.
Transaction Fees and Credit Card Fees
Transaction fees are a percentage fee of sales charged by the e-commerce platform. Credit card fees are a percentage fee of sales charged by the payment gateway. Shopify offers Shopify Payments, which avoids transaction fees on all plans except the Basic Shopify plan. Squarespace offers three payment processing options: Squarespace Payments, PayPal, and Stripe.
Design and Customization: Shopify Vs. Squarespace
Template Options
Squarespace offers 185+ free templates designed for aesthetics, ideal for showcasing creative portfolios or content-heavy websites. Shopify provides 13 free templates and over 200 paid themes, focusing heavily on eCommerce functionality. The Shopify Theme Store offers a wide range of free and premium e-commerce themes and features responsive designs.
Customization
Squarespace’s Fluid Engine gives users precise control over page layouts. You can adjust mobile and desktop designs separately for a polished look across devices. Shopify’s drag-and-drop editor allows template-based edits but offers less flexibility for individual pages.
Code Access
Shopify provides access to HTML, CSS, and its Liquid code for advanced customization, while Squarespace supports CSS and JavaScript edits on higher-tier plans.
Who Wins?
For visually stunning designs, Squarespace has the edge. For customization and functional eCommerce templates, Shopify excels.
eCommerce Features - Shopify Vs. Squarespace
Inventory Management
Shopify supports unlimited products and variants, making it perfect for businesses with large inventories in their Shopify store. Squarespace limits stores to 10,000 products and 250 variants, which is better suited for smaller catalogs.
Payment Gateways
Shopify integrates with over 100 payment gateways, including crypto options, offering flexibility for global sales. Squarespace supports Stripe, PayPal, and Square but lacks multi-currency features.
Dropshipping
Shopify offers a vast app marketplace with dropshipping integrations like DSers, Spocket, and Printful, among the many Shopify apps that enhance site functionalities. Squarespace’s dropshipping options are few, but they include Printful and Printique for print-on-demand services.
Subscription Selling
Squarespace has built-in tools for subscriptions, memberships, and online courses. Shopify requires apps like Recharge to enable subscription functionality.
What’s Best?
Shopify leads in scalability, payment flexibility, and dropshipping, while Squarespace offers user-friendly tools for smaller operations.
Shipping with Shopify vs. Squarespace
Shipping is an integral part of any eCommerce experience. This means you want your platform to help simplify shipping and offer shipping integrations that save time and money.
Shipping with Shopify
Shopify offers its users three ways to ship Shopify Shipping, dropshipping, or self-fulfillment shipping.
Shopify Shipping
Ship orders to customers for less when you opt for Shopify shipping. You can start shipping as soon as you get your first order. Get discounted rates, fulfill orders faster, and manage everything in one place with Shopify. Both Shopify and Squarespace offer various shipping options, but Shopify provides more extensive integrations and discounted rates.
- Available for orders shipped from fulfillment locations based in the United States, Canada, and Australia, it offers a dedicated network of fulfillment centers to ensure timely deliveries, lower shipping costs, and an overall positive shipping experience.
- Shopify sellers can use Shopify shipping for free.
- Available couriers include USPS, UPS, and DHL in the United States, Canada Post in Canada and Sendle in Australia.
- Benefits include overnight delivery, shipping insurance, package pick-ups, and international shipping.
Dropshipping
Shopify dropshipping may be an excellent option for your online business. Rather than keeping items in stock yourself, your customer’s order is transferred to your supplier, who then delivers the item to the customer.
- It takes the stress away from sending your products to customers globally
- Shopify offers a range of dropshipping apps like Oberlo
- An economical option for online merchants
Self Shipping
Do you want to ship solo? Shopify allows users to choose couriers that fit their and their customers’ expectations and budgets.
- Compare and contrast shipping rates (i.e,. try our free shipping rates calculator)
- Integrate with Easyship to seamlessly ship your items and streamline your fulfillment process, plus you’ll save up to 70% off on shipping
- More control over the shipping and fulfillment process, unlike other shipping options
Shipping with Squarespace
Squarespace enables you to ship in several ways, including self-fulfillment, dropshipping, and via a third-party logistics partner (3PL).
Self Fulfillment
When you opt for Squarespace's self-fulfillment shipping service, you can pack orders from the comfort of your home or your place of business.
- Easy to add personal touches to your package (i.e. thank you note)
- Ship with available couriers like UPS
- Help keep logistic costs lower
Dropshipping
Once the customer places an order on your Squarespace site, the item is delivered from the manufacturer to the consumer’s address when you opt for dropshipping with Squarespace.
- An economical option for eCommerce merchants
- Offers the least control over the fulfillment of an order
- Longer transit times
Third-Party Logistics Providers (3PLs)
Squarespace allows users to opt for 3PL to outsource their distribution, warehousing, and fulfillment services.
- 3PL providers control your entire fulfillment process such as managing your inventory
- 3PLs can help reduce shipping costs, split inventory, access new markets, and more
- Offers a hands-off approach to the fulfillment process
Takeaway: For smaller businesses, consider opting for self-service shipping on Shopify. That way, it’ll keep logistic costs lower and make it easier to add those special touches you know your customers love.
Marketing and SEO Tools: Shopify Vs. Squarespace
Both platforms allow editing of key SEO elements like meta titles, descriptions, and alt text. Shopify’s auto-generated meta tags save time for large catalogs. Squarespace excels with clean URLs and integrates directly with Google Analytics.
Advanced SEO Options
Shopify integrates with Yoast SEO for $19/month, providing actionable keyword insights. Squarespace offers similar functionality with the SEO Space extension, though at a higher price.
Email Marketing
Shopify Email is free for up to 10,000 emails/month and supports workflows like abandoned cart recovery. Squarespace Email Campaigns cost $7-$68/month and are ideal for branding consistency. Integrating email marketing tools directly into your Squarespace website can enhance brand consistency and streamline business operations.
Social Media Integration
Shopify allows selling directly through platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Squarespace supports limited social selling integrations but offers tools like Unfold for creating branded posts.
Verdict
Shopify’s tools and integrations provide more options for robust marketing and SEO. Squarespace’s offerings work well for visually driven businesses with less complex marketing needs.
Content Management: Shopify Vs. Squarespace
Squarespace offers an intuitive blogging platform with advanced formatting options and built-in tools for displaying blog summaries. Shopify’s blogging functionality is basic and less customizable.
Gated Content
Squarespace supports gated content and subscription models natively, allowing creators to monetize blogs or courses. Shopify requires third-party apps for similar functionality.
User Management
Squarespace allows unlimited contributors on most plans, while Shopify limits admin seats to 1-15, depending on the plan.
Recommendation
Squarespace leads in content management, particularly for blogs and creative portfolios.
Analytics and Reporting: Shopify Vs. Squarespace
Shopify provides detailed reports, including sales, traffic, and customer insights, with customization options on higher-tier plans. Squarespace offers more basic reporting, focusing on website traffic and purchase funnels.
Custom Reports
Only Shopify allows users to create custom reports, but this feature is available only on the Advanced plan or higher.
Integration Options
Both platforms integrate with Google Analytics, but Shopify provides additional tools for inventory and sales tracking through apps.
Verdict
Shopify’s analytics are more detailed and useful for scaling businesses, while Squarespace’s reports are adequate for smaller stores.
Support and Resources: Shopify Vs. Squarespace
Shopify offers 24/7 support via live chat and email in multiple languages. Squarespace provides live chat and email support in English only. While Squarespace support is available via live chat and email, it is limited to English only, which can be a drawback for non-English speaking users.
Help Resources
Squarespace’s help center is rich with visual guides and tutorials. Shopify’s knowledge base is comprehensive but lacks visuals.
Community and Experts
Shopify has a vast network of developers and consultants, making it easy to find expert help. Squarespace’s community is smaller but active.
Final Word
Shopify provides better global support, but Squarespace’s resources are more user-friendly for beginners.
Final Verdict: Which Platform Is Right for You?
Shopify excels in scalability, extensive courier integration, discounted shipping rates, advanced automation tools, and global dropshipping capabilities. Ideal for businesses aiming for rapid growth and streamlined logistics.
Squarespace shines with personalization options, integrated 3PL support, and flexibility for smaller, creative businesses. Best suited for entrepreneurs prioritizing control over branding and packaging.
Choosing between Shopify and Squarespace ultimately depends on your business needs. For those focused on scaling their eCommerce operations with advanced logistics and automation, Shopify is the clear winner. Conversely, Squarespace may be the better fit if you prioritize design aesthetics and simpler setups for smaller operations.
As you navigate your eCommerce journey, consider integrating Easyship into your logistics strategy. Easyship simplifies shipping processes by offering discounted rates and seamless integrations with both platforms, ensuring that you can manage your fulfillment efficiently while saving costs on shipping.
Integrating Easyship with Your Platform
- For Shopify Users: The Easyship app can be easily installed from the Shopify App Store. Once integrated, you can manage all your shipping needs directly from your Shopify dashboard.
- For Squarespace Users: With our simple shipping integration, you can completely revamp your Squarespace store. Our app streamlines your shipping procedure so you can concentrate on expanding your business, regardless of how big or new you are.
FAQs
1. Is Squarespace as good as Shopify?
It depends on your needs.
Squarespace is excellent for visually appealing websites with simple eCommerce needs, especially for creators, artists, and service-based businesses.
If your business is focused heavily on online selling, inventory management, multiple payment gateways, and integrating with third-party apps and platforms. In that case, Shopify is generally more robust and better suited for growth.
2. Is anything better than Shopify?
Better is subjective—depending on business size, type, and goals.
Alternatives may be “better” in specific areas:
- BigCommerce: Comparable to Shopify but better suited for enterprise-level needs and offers more built-in features without relying on apps.
- WooCommerce (WordPress): Better for those wanting full customization and control, but requires technical know-how.
- Wix eCommerce: More beginner-friendly and affordable, but less scalable.
- Magento (Adobe Commerce): Highly customizable, but best for large enterprises with developer resources.
3. Is Shopify worth the fees?
Yes, for most businesses focused on eCommerce
While the base price starts around $39/month (as of 2025), transaction charges, apps, and themes can increase fees.
Shopify offers features like:
- Secure checkout and hosting
- Extensive app ecosystem
- Mobile-friendly themes
- Marketing tools
- 24/7 support
4. Is Squarespace good for selling?
Yes, but with limitations.
Squarespace supports eCommerce and includes:
- Product pages and variants
- Secure checkout
- Subscriptions and digital product support
- Integration with Stripe, PayPal, and Afterpay
However, compared to platforms like Shopify, it lacks advanced inventory management, third-party logistics (3PL) support, and deep customization.
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