Shopify Vs Squarespace: Which Is the Right Choice For Your Business in 2024?

In the era where over 2 billion individuals regularly engage in online shopping, the significance of launching an e-commerce store has never been greater. However, merely creating an online store isn't sufficient to attract your ideal customers. As a business owner, you must ensure top-notch design, a user-friendly menu, optimized SEO, and visually appealing aesthetics. Numerous platforms provide e-commerce features, integrating them seamlessly into your website for a streamlined experience.

Squarespace stands out as a versatile website builder with built-in e-commerce functionality. On the other hand, Shopify is an all-encompassing platform specifically designed to assist customers in selling online. While both options are robust, they come with their own set of advantages and drawbacks. This guide delves into a comprehensive comparison of Squarespace vs Shopify, aiding you in making an informed decision about the right platform for your needs.

Squarespace Overview:

Squarespace emerges as a website builder tailored for the imaginative minds and website proprietors aiming to craft remarkable online spaces. With Squarespace, coding knowledge becomes unnecessary; a touch of time investment is all it takes to fashion a stunning website. This includes features like built-in eCommerce checkout tools, personalized domain names, and SSL certificate protection for added security.

Originating in 2003 in Maryland, USA, Squarespace initially served as a blog hosting service. Over time, it transformed into a more expansive platform. By 2006, it had already achieved a remarkable $1 million in revenue.

While accessible to anyone for website design, Squarespace particularly caters to designers, artists, photographers, and other creative professionals. Initiating the journey is as simple as creating an account, selecting a template, and customizing it to align with your specifications. The allure of Squarespace lies in its array of beautiful design options, establishing it as one of the premier choices in the realm of eCommerce and online selling.

Shopify Overview:

In the realm of technology, Shopify stands out as a subscription-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) sales platform. Offering a range of subscription plans, with fees starting at INR 1,994 per month, Shopify provides a versatile solution for online business. The standard plans encompass a branded online store and a comprehensive set of tools for both in-person and online selling.

Additionally, Shopify introduces a budget-friendly "Starter" plan priced at just INR 20 per month. While it doesn't include an online store, it supports mobile point-of-sale (POS) sales and features a Buy Button for selling on external websites, blogs, and through email.

All Shopify plans come equipped with an extensive suite of business management tools. Fundamental functionalities such as product sourcing, sales and inventory tracking, payment processing, shipping, customer accounts, marketing, and reporting are integral components of each Shopify plan. Furthermore, the flexibility of the platform allows users to easily expand their toolkit by integrating numerous Shopify Apps.

Why Choose Squarespace Instead of Shopify: 

Squarespace outshines Shopify in its ability to present and manage content effectively. If your aim is to create a visually appealing content site with a side focus on uncomplicated selling, Squarespace frequently proves to be the more advantageous option.

The platform boasts an extensive collection of free templates, surpassing what Shopify offers. It stands out for its user-friendly interface and features a highly advanced drag-and-drop editor, enhancing the overall ease of use. In summary, although it may not be the top pick for exclusive e-commerce needs, Squarespace stands as an excellent preference for individuals venturing into web design and those who are beginners in the realm of e-commerce.

Why Choose Shopify Instead of Squarespace:

Opting for Shopify over Squarespace is primarily driven by its superior performance in the realm of e-commerce. Shopify excels in providing diverse selling options that go beyond the capabilities of Squarespace, particularly in areas like drop shipping, tax computation, point of sale transactions, and international commerce.

The extensive library of over 8,000 apps available for Shopify further enhances its appeal. This abundance of apps simplifies the integration of the platform with various tools and services, allowing for the seamless addition of extra functionalities. In essence, Shopify emerges as a significantly more professional, robust, and scalable e-commerce solution when compared to Squarespace.

Pros And Cons

Squarespace pros And Cons

Pros of Squarespace:

• Extensive Collection of Designer Templates

• Excellent Analytics System for Non-Ecommerce Websites

Cons of Squarespace:

• Limited Payment Options

• Lack of Autosave Functionality in the Editor

Shopify Pros And cons

Pros of Shopify:

• Recognized as the Leading Ecommerce Platform

• Seamless Multi-Channel Selling on Facebook and Instagram

Cons of Shopify:

• Transaction Fees Imposed on Alternative Payment Methods

• Cumulative Monthly Expenses, Especially with Additional Apps

How the Platforms Stack Up

SS Vs SP	Squarespace	Shopify
Cost:	The Personal plan comes at $18 monthly, the Business plan at $27 monthly, and the Premium plan is priced at $69 per month when billed annually. For those opting for month-to-month billing, slightly higher rates apply.	The Basic plan is set at $29 per month, the Shopify plan is available for $79 monthly, and the Advanced plan is priced at $299 per month. Opting for month-to-month incurs slightly higher rates. Additionally, there's Shopify Lite, tailored for those adding a buy button to an existing site, priced at $9 per month.
Templates and Design:	Access a diverse range of templates at no extra cost, with recommended themes tailored to suit different industry types.	Choose from a selection of 10 complimentary templates or opt for over 50 premium templates, each available for a fee. These templates come equipped with industry-specific features to enhance your website design.
SEO Tools:	Providing meta descriptions and customizable URLs for all pages, with access to Google Analytics included in every plan. Exciting news – the SEOSpace SEO plugin is now available!	Automatically generates page titles and meta descriptions based on page content, while the setup simplifies compliance with Google's Core Web Vitals requirements.
Blogging	Includes integrated analytics and features like categories, comment moderation, tags, and the ability to schedule posts.	Access tools for managing categories, comment moderation, tags, and post scheduling, with the added convenience of bulk post removal options.
Customer Support:	Benefit from around-the-clock customer support through email, social media, and live chat, though phone support is not currently provided.	Enjoy 24/7 customer support via email, live chat, and phone, though support through social media channels is not available.
Backup and Storage:	Provides unlimited storage; however, users are required to manually back up their website content.	Provides unlimited storage, but it is essential for users to manually back up their website content.

Pricing:

When comparing Shopify to Squarespace, pricing plays a crucial role. Squarespace's premium offering, the Commerce Advanced package at $65 per month, sits slightly higher than Shopify's entry-level Basic package priced at $39 per month. This pricing discrepancy reflects a broader distinction in the platforms' approaches.

Squarespace serves as a user-friendly and versatile entry point for website creation across various purposes. The robust eCommerce functionality is concentrated in its highest, yet still affordable, tier. Notably, Squarespace provides an enterprise option with features such as custom website production, one-on-one SEO sessions, unlimited website creation, and an internal intranet site.

Although enterprise pricing isn't explicitly stated, it appears to offer considerable value by combining an extensive account with professional guidance.

On the other hand, Shopify includes basic eCommerce features like payment processing and shipping management in its lowest tier but introduces a more enterprise-level package at $2,000 per month for "high-volume businesses." Unlike Squarespace, Shopify's pricing tiers show significant jumps. The mid-tier is priced at $105 per month, and the Advanced tier reaches $399 per month. Each tier offers additional staff accounts, improved reporting capabilities, and lower credit card fees as incentives.

In summary, independent sellers and small businesses may find suitable options in Squarespace's four packages or Shopify's Basic offering. However, larger sales operations might discover that Squarespace's commerce capabilities fall short, making Shopify's higher-priced tiers a more fitting choice.

SEO :

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) harnesses keywords and high-quality content to broaden your online store's reach, potentially attracting buyers worldwide.

In the realm of SEO, both Shopify and Squarespace offer integrated support, each employing a distinct approach.

Shopify aligns with Google's Core Web Vitals requirements, focusing on page loading time, responsiveness, and visual stability. It simplifies the process by automatically generating suggested titles and meta descriptions based on page content, thereby saving user time. Shopify also provides best practice prompts and incorporates built-in marketing tools to boost SEO efforts.

Squarespace empowers users with control over meta titles, descriptions, and custom URLs. Google Analytics is seamlessly integrated into all plans. However, certain older Squarespace templates may pose challenges, restricting users from customizing page titles. To address this, a third-party plugin named SEOSpace is available for download, offering additional SEO tools tailored for Squarespace users.

Considering a Business Blog?

Integrating a blog into your business strategy can significantly enhance your online presence, drive website traffic, and potentially become an additional revenue stream. Despite the added task to your to-do list, a blog, especially when paired with an e-commerce site, proves highly effective for marketing.

Choosing to pursue this avenue with Squarespace simplifies the process. The platform offers comprehensive blogging features, including analytics, post scheduling, and the ability to archive posts.

Similarly, Shopify provides blogging functionality seamlessly within its service. The process of building, publishing, and managing your blog mirrors Squarespace, making it a valuable tool for complementing your online store with informative content. This content can range from product details to helpful tips and tricks, providing your audience with valuable insights.

Squarespace stands out for its advanced visual capabilities

While Shopify holds its own in the visual realm, Squarespace takes the lead in design. Both platforms utilize a user-friendly, block-based page editor with easy setup and editing. However, Squarespace's templates surpass Shopify's in both quantity and quality.

The sheer variety and excellence of Squarespace's templates stand out, offering users a diverse range of visually appealing options. Product addition processes are almost identical on both platforms, but Squarespace's product displays excel in aesthetics. Users can create intricately detailed pages for each product, incorporating features like zoom or lightbox functions for images and even uploading 360° turntable images for user interaction.

For serious sellers engaged in large-scale operations, the visual enhancements provided by Squarespace might not outweigh the advanced eCommerce tools offered by Shopify. However, smaller businesses and individual sellers may find the trade-off worthwhile, as Squarespace's design-centric approach can be particularly beneficial for creating visually stunning and engaging product pages.

For those scaling a store, Shopify provides a more robust suite of tools

While both Shopify and Squarespace equip you with the necessary tools for managing an eCommerce store, Shopify stands out for its dedication to providing a comprehensive and highly efficient eCommerce experience. The platform's strengths reflect the expertise of its creators, who clearly understand the intricacies of running successful online businesses.

Sales Channels: Shopify offers seamless integration with various sales channels, allowing you to expand your reach to platforms like Facebook Marketplace, Instagram Ads, TikTok Ads, and major online marketplaces such as Amazon and Walmart.

Payment Options: Shopify supports an extensive array of payment gateways, including popular options like Apple Pay and PayPal, pay-later platforms like Affirm and Klarna, and even international and crypto-based payment systems. In contrast, Squarespace has more limited options, working primarily with PayPal, Stripe, Square, and Apple Pay.

Shipping Integration: Shopify's direct integrations with USPS, UPS, DHL, and dropshipping services enable sellers to calculate carrier rates, print labels, and access significant shipping discounts, all within the platform. While Squarespace's basic packages cover the essentials for lower-volume sellers, they may lack the scalability needed for larger operations.

In-Person Selling: Shopify offers its own point-of-sale system with lower transaction rates compared to Squarespace, which relies on point-of-sale capabilities through Square.

For those starting or running a smaller, basic business, these differences may not be critical. However, those with a strong eCommerce focus and ambitions to scale are likely to heavily lean towards Shopify, leveraging its additional features and tools for a more advanced and streamlined business operation.

Template Design and Customizability

Squarespace has better template design and customizability

Squarespace emerges as the top choice for building websites, offering a level of professional quality that is unparalleled. Its sleek and modern themes cater to a diverse range of industries, allowing your products to shine and creating an enticing online shopping experience. In contrast, Shopify, while providing a decent selection of themes, falls short in terms of attractiveness and customization.

Just as a well-organized physical store attracts customers, the appearance of your online store is crucial. Squarespace's templates, known for their modern and sleek design, outperform Shopify in our testing. Each template conveys a clear message and incorporates easily identifiable key action buttons. Furthermore, Squarespace excels by providing industry-specific themes, including a focus on the creative sector, setting it apart from Shopify. Additionally, all Squarespace templates are mobile-responsive, ensuring a visually appealing experience across different screen sizes. This underscores Squarespace's position as an industry leader in design for ecommerce builders.

Can We Make Custom Edits?

For personalization of your online store, delving into code allows for custom modifications.

In Shopify, HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) customization can be achieved through the Shopify Admin page.

On the other hand, Squarespace facilitates customization by enabling the addition of HTML through a dedicated Code Block and CSS through their CSS Editor.

This hands-on approach to code editing empowers you to fine-tune your website's appearance and functionality according to your specific preferences and branding requirements. It's a valuable avenue for those who seek a higher level of control over the design and user experience of their e-commerce platform.

Features for Sales

For ecommerce website builders, Shopify stands out as one of the most comprehensive options, securing a comfortable lead. While Squarespace holds its ground with impressive inventory management tools, Shopify emerges as the unequivocal winner, offering a broader array of payment gateways and robust shipping features.

Undoubtedly, sales tools take the spotlight as the pivotal feature for effective online selling. At Website Builder Expert, we recognize that these tools extend beyond mere considerations of product prices, images, and discounts. Our exploration of each website builder aims to discern the superior performer in facilitating the sale of your inventory.

Point of sale (POS) in Shopify vs Squarespace

Exploring the Point-of-Sale (POS) functionality in ecommerce, both Shopify and Squarespace provide options to seamlessly blend online and offline selling experiences. This feature enables the use of card readers and other selling hardware, such as barcode scanners and receipt printers, in physical locations like retail outlets, market stalls, or events.

The essence of POS goes beyond mere transaction facilitation; it ensures synchronization between your online store's backend and the selling hardware. This synchronization guarantees accurate inventory levels, regardless of whether a sale occurs online or offline.

While both platforms, Shopify and Squarespace, incorporate POS features, the key distinction lies in the supported selling hardware. Shopify boasts an extensive range, allowing you to use barcode scanners, card readers, cash drawers, and more. This hardware can be obtained individually or as part of a comprehensive package, available in an increasing number of countries.

On the other hand, Squarespace integrates with Square, a specialized ecommerce company providing POS hardware. Notably, Squarespace's POS functionality is currently limited to the integration of the Square card reader, exclusively available in the United States.

Shopify extends its POS capabilities with additional features like staff accounts, permission settings, staff PINs, and comprehensive store management. The platform supports selling in up to 1,000 locations, and for enhanced functionality, merchants can opt for the 'Shopify POS Pro' add-on at $89 per month. Shopify also offers a 'Starter' plan at $5 per month for those solely interested in utilizing it as a POS solution, presenting a cost-effective option not provided by Squarespace.

Integrating Shopify and Squarespace with Google Workspace

Squarespace has emphasized its collaboration with Google by providing users with a seamless integration of Google Workspace. When you subscribe to a Squarespace plan, specifically the 'Business' 'Commerce Basic' or 'Commerce Advanced' plans, you can opt for Google Workspace during the purchase. Notably, users on these plans receive a complimentary one-year Google Workspace plan for a single user.

The integration allows you to perform essential Google Workspace admin tasks directly within your Squarespace site. These tasks include adding users, renaming or deleting users, and accessing Google Workspace invoices. While these functionalities are easily accessible through the standard Google Workspace admin panel, the convenience of managing them within the Squarespace environment is noteworthy.

The standout feature of this integration is the complimentary one-year Google Workspace account, presenting a significant cost-saving benefit. This is particularly advantageous for solopreneurs who require only one email account.

Moreover, Squarespace seamlessly connects with Google Workspace in another aspect—enabling the linkage of data capture forms to a Google Sheet. This functionality ensures that you have a real-time overview or archive of form submissions directly from your website. In contrast, Shopify lacks similar out-of-the-box functionality and would require the addition of an app to achieve this.

Applications for Mobile Platforms

Both Shopify and Squarespace offer mobile apps, providing users with convenient ways to manage their websites or stores while on the go.

For Squarespace, there are three primary apps catering to different needs:

Squarespace: The main app for managing Squarespace sites on iOS and Android devices. It enables content editing, analytics viewing, and order management. If you're in the U.S., it also grants access to point-of-sale features.

Scheduling Admin: Designed for managing appointments with clients.

Scheduling Client: Allows clients to book and manage appointments.

Shopify also offers several apps, with the most relevant ones being:

Shopify: This app allows users to edit specific aspects of their Shopify sites, view basic statistics, and check orders.

Shopify POS: Geared towards utilizing Shopify's point-of-sale features, enabling users to take orders and accept payments in physical locations.

While these two apps are sufficient for running a Shopify store on a mobile device, Shopify provides additional apps for users seeking more functionality. Notable among them are:

Shopify Inbox: Adding a live chat service to your Shopify store, facilitating easy management of queries and product details sharing during conversations.

Shop: Offering an accelerated checkout option, the ability to pay for products in installments, and features for following or discovering brands. It also provides a mechanism for shoppers to tip merchants.

These mobile apps enhance the flexibility and accessibility of managing and operating online stores through Shopify and Squarespace platforms.

Choosing Between Shopify and Squarespace for Your Business

Shopify suits businesses engaged in:

• Direct sales and shipping to individual customers.

• Regularly listing products on various platforms, including social media and third-party marketplaces.

• Generating substantial revenue to leverage reduced payment processing fees and shipping discounts offered at higher pricing tiers.

On the other hand, Squarespace is well-suited for businesses involved in:

• Appointment bookings.

• Small Or Medium Business

• Revenue streams from memberships or exclusive content.

• Generating lower revenue where the cost advantage of cheaper payment processing fees with Shopify or Shopify Advanced becomes a significant factor.

Both platforms provide trial periods—three days for Shopify and two weeks for Squarespace. If time permits, experimenting with both services to set up your e-commerce website can offer valuable insights into which platform aligns better with your preferences before committing to a paid plan.