Shopify vs Squarespace: Choosing the Right eCommerce Platform for Your Business

Introduction

As eCommerce continues to grow, choosing the right platform for your online store has become crucial for business success. Two popular options that often come up in this discussion are Shopify and Squarespace. While both platforms offer eCommerce capabilities, they have distinct features and strengths that cater to different business needs. In this comprehensive comparison, we'll explore Shopify vs Squarespace to help you determine which platform is best suited for your online business.

Before we dive into the details, it's important to note that both platforms have evolved significantly over time:

• Shopify was specifically designed as a solution for creating online stores
• Squarespace was initially created for building and maintaining content-based websites, but has since added eCommerce features

Let's explore the key aspects of both platforms to help you make an informed decision.

Pricing Comparison

Shopify Pricing

Shopify offers tiered plans to accommodate businesses of various sizes:

• Starter: $5/month - Basic selling features for social media and existing websites
• Basic: $39/month - Core eCommerce features including inventory management
• Shopify: $105/month - Advanced reporting and improved shipping discounts
• Advanced: $399/month - Custom reporting and third-party shipping rate calculations
• Shopify Plus: Starting at $2,300/month - Enterprise solutions

All plans except Basic Shopify include Shopify POS 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 on Pricing

Shopify applies additional transaction fees unless you use Shopify Payments, while Squarespace charges transaction fees on its lower-tier plans and subscription-based products. The choice between the two will depend on your specific business needs and expected transaction volume.

Design and Customization

Template Options

Squarespace offers over 185 free templates designed with aesthetics in mind, making it ideal for showcasing creative portfolios or content-heavy websites. On the other hand, Shopify provides 13 free templates and over 200 paid themes, with a strong focus on eCommerce functionality. The Shopify Theme Store offers a wide range of free and premium eCommerce themes with responsive designs.

Customization Capabilities

Squarespace's Fluid Engine gives users precise control over page layouts, allowing for separate adjustments of mobile and desktop designs 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

For those with technical skills, Shopify provides access to HTML, CSS, and its Liquid code for advanced customization. Squarespace supports CSS and JavaScript edits on higher-tier plans.

Design and Customization Winner

If you're looking for visually stunning designs, Squarespace has the edge. However, for customization and functional eCommerce templates, Shopify excels.

eCommerce Features

Inventory Management

Shopify supports unlimited products and variants, making it perfect for businesses with large inventories. 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. Squarespace's dropshipping options are limited but 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.

eCommerce Features Winner

Shopify leads in scalability, payment flexibility, and dropshipping options, while Squarespace offers user-friendly tools for smaller operations.

Shipping Options

Shopify Shipping

Shopify offers three main shipping methods:

1. Shopify Shipping: Available for orders shipped from the US, Canada, and Australia, offering discounted rates and integrated fulfillment.
2. Dropshipping: Extensive app support for global dropshipping solutions.
3. Self-Fulfillment: Allows users to choose their own couriers and compare shipping rates.

Key benefits of Shopify Shipping include:

• Up to 70% off shipping costs
• Integration with major carriers like USPS, UPS, DHL, and Canada Post
• Features such as overnight delivery, shipping insurance, and package pick-ups

Squarespace Shipping

Squarespace enables shipping through three main methods:

1. Self-Fulfillment: Allows for personal touches in packaging and shipping from your location.
2. Dropshipping: Basic options available, but with longer transit times and less control.
3. Third-Party Logistics (3PL): Integrated support for outsourcing warehousing and fulfillment.

Squarespace's shipping features include:

• Integration with UPS for self-fulfillment
• Options for personalized packaging in self-fulfillment
• 3PL support for inventory management and fulfillment

Shipping Comparison

Here's a detailed comparison of shipping features between Shopify and Squarespace:

Shipping Winner

Shopify offers more comprehensive shipping solutions, especially for businesses looking to scale. However, Squarespace may be sufficient for smaller operations prioritizing personalization in their shipping process.

Marketing and SEO Tools

SEO Capabilities

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, while Squarespace excels with clean URLs and direct integration 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.

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.

Marketing and SEO Winner

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

Blogging Capabilities

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.

Content Management Winner

Squarespace leads in content management, particularly for blogs and creative portfolios.

Analytics and Reporting

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.

Analytics and Reporting Winner

Shopify's analytics are more detailed and useful for scaling businesses, while Squarespace's reports are adequate for smaller stores.

Support and Resources

Shopify offers 24/7 support via live chat and email in multiple languages. Squarespace provides live chat and email support in English only.

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.

Support and Resources Winner

Shopify provides better global support, but Squarespace's resources are more user-friendly for beginners.

Final Verdict: Which Platform Is Right for You?

Choosing between Shopify and Squarespace ultimately depends on your specific business needs and goals. Here's a summary to help you decide:

Choose Shopify if:

• You're planning to scale your eCommerce business rapidly
• You need advanced shipping and payment options
• You want access to a wide range of third-party apps and integrations
• You require detailed analytics and reporting capabilities
• You're comfortable with a slightly steeper learning curve for more functionality

Choose Squarespace if:

• Design and aesthetics are a top priority for your brand
• You're primarily focused on content creation with some eCommerce functionality
• You prefer an all-in-one solution with less reliance on third-party apps
• You're looking for an easier-to-use platform with a gentler learning curve
• You need built-in features for subscriptions, memberships, or online courses

Remember, both platforms offer free trials, so it's worth testing them out to see which one feels more intuitive and aligns better with your business needs.