Shopify vs Squarespace: If you process of setting up an online store, you must be looking for options for an eCommerce platform…suitable for your business. Well, it is hard to pick the right website builder for an online store.
In the market where you have a variety of choices, Shopify and Squarespace come as leading platforms.
Well both the platforms are performing well in their place and they are better than each other at specific points.
So, let’s discuss briefly both of them and compare Squarespace vs Shopify to find which one is right for you.
Jump To
Shopify
Shopify is one of the popular eCommerce platforms which allows you to set up an online store with basic technical skills. Through research, we found that it powers more than 8 million online businesses over the world.
Shopify was founded in 2016 in Ontario Canada. Moreover, it was in process of web hosting for a long. Today, it stands in second place after WooCommerce in this market.
It is a top-rated eCommerce website builder which is designed for online businesses. Moreover, it benefits those whose products and budget fit in its factors.
Squarespace
Talking about this company, it was founded in 2013. Squarespace is an all-rounder website builder that offers additional features for online stores. The company got worth experience in this market.
Squarespace’s facilities are quite low but much affordable than Shopify.
Moreover, in terms of design and interface…Squarespace eCommerce is the best online website builder. This makes it one of the most popular platforms in the market.
What About Pricing?
Shopify is an advanced platform so it charges quite more than Squarespace. It provides more features, tools, and app access.
Shopify Pricing – You get three plans:
- You pay $29 per month for the “Basic Shopify” pricing plan.
- You pay $79 per month for the “Shopify” pricing plan.
- You pay $299 per month for the “Advanced Shopify” pricing plan.
Squarespace Pricing – They offer four plans as:
- You pay $12 per month for the “Personal” pricing plan.
- You pay $18 per month for the “Business” pricing plan.
- You pay $26 per month for the “Basic” pricing plan.
- You pay $40 per month for the “Advance” pricing plan.
Also Read: Shopify vs WooCommerce
Shopify vs Squarespace: Pros and Cons
Shopify Pros and Cons
| PROS 👍 | CONS 👎 |
|---|---|
| Selling through multi-platforms is available | Costs may increase while depending on other tools and apps |
| Variety of templates | Transaction fees get add up while using other payment methods |
| Admirable for eCommerce business having lots of shopping features | It takes time to know working on the platform |
| Wide knowledge base with user-friendliness | |
| Offline sale solution | |
| Supportive community | |
| Low adds | |
| Easy integration with tools | |
| Customer support through e-mail and live chats | |
| Overall, the best eCommerce platform |
Squarespace Pros and Cons
| PROS 👍 | CONS 👎 |
|---|---|
| Easy to use and work with Squarespace | Limited payment options |
| Provides a lot of guidance | Limited (almost no) selling on other social platforms |
| Best for print-on-demand business | Few features for online business |
| Offline selling options | |
| Squarespace offers tons of templates with attractive designs | |
| To examine your store’s performance analytical system is available | |
| Offers great marketing strategies | |
| Squarespace has amazing blogging tools | |
| Budget-friendly |
Comparison Between Shopify and Squarespace
Both companies are performing great in their place. They have many similarities and differences. Some essential factors you on which they must be compared are listed below:
1. Ease of use
Shopify has the most wide-ranging features an apps that let you grow your selling on other platforms as well. That means it is easy to use as well.
On Shopify, you get a drag and move option through which you can move, click, and drop media elements on your page. They also provide an attractive and clear interface that keeps your focus while designing your store.
It also offers keyboard shortcuts like undo and redo which makes building an online store easier.
On the other hand, working on Squarespace is quite tricky because of its eye-catching design. As it has more creative tools than other platforms, building a perfect eCommerce store on Squarespace becomes quite challenging.
Moreover, it also has a drag-and-drop feature.
*So, it can be seen that Shopify is easier to use than Squarespace.
2. App Stores
Apps cover everything from analyzing and shipping to marketing. It indirectly helps to boost your website performance.
Shopify offers the most comprehensive apps in the market; it is very simple to integrate these third-party apps.
But, Squarespace does not have an app store.
*Hence Shopify wins clearly, if you wanted to expand your business on other apps to…go for Shopify.
3. Customizability and Template Design
Moving towards the next factor, Design, and Customizability is a very important factor in an eCommerce website. Whether it is an offline or online store, looking good is an essential point.
Shopify provides 50+ paid themes that cost around 4140 to $180. It also offers 10 free ones but those are not much impressive. Their themes cover a variety of industries like sports, clothing, gadgets, and cosmetics as well.
While on the other side, Squarespace is leading in this factor for a long. For designs and customizability, it is known as the best eCommerce builder in the market. Each template present on this website is modern and attractive with action buttons.
Moreover, they also have good mobile responsive themes! This lets your website look good on every screen.
For customized edits on Squarespace, you can use Code Block, CSS Editor, and CSS to add HTML. While in Shopify, you can edit CSS and HTML.
*Overall, Squarespace makes your website more impressive than Shopify. It provides shine on products through a wide range of themes.
4. Pricing
Shopify is an advanced platform so it charges quite more than Squarespace. It provides more features, tools, and app access.
You get three plans on Shopify as:
- Basic Shopify: Starting at $29/- per month, recommended for beginners.
- Shopify: Starting at $79/- per month, preferred for growth of the business.
- Advance Shopify: Starting at $299/- per month, used for the growth of business at a wide range.
In Squarespace, they offer four plans as:
- Personal: Starting at $12/- per month, for a simple but beautiful website.
- Business: Starting at $18/- per month, fits for all sized businesses.
- Basic: Starting at $26/- per month, features to expand the business.
- Advance: Starting at $40/- per month, for advanced growth of the business.
*Now, you can easily compare the pricing of both platforms. Squarespace might do not have many features but it has affordable plans for every size of business.
5. Customer Support
Another essential factor in any kind of online subscription is Customer Support. There are a lot of chances of facing issues at any point.
Having knowledge support which helps you any time is must be there on these platforms. Let’s check which one provides better customer support.
Shopify provides 24×7 support through e-mail and lives chat. And if you go for a plus level that is a paid plan, you get a dedicated support agent as well. He/she will help you in coding, designing, and adding a professional touch to your webpage.
Talking about Squarespace, they have limited support. They only offer live chat from Monday to Friday from 4 am to 8 pm (EST).
*Hence, both offer good and knowledgeable customer support but Shopify wins because of its additional support through e-mail and live chat.
Shopify vs Squarespace: Which One To Choose?
So, we discussed some important factors on which Shopify and Squarespace differ a lot. Selecting one of them depends upon your requirements and the type of store you are building.
For some Shopify will be more comprehensive due to its business tools and features. But for some people, Squarespace will be suitable for its impressive designs.
However, Squarespace is preferred by those who need a simple platform to build their store. And for advanced ones, Shopify welcomes you the most.
Below I listed a few bases on which you can choose:
Shopify
- Wide range of features.
- Comprehensive tools.
- Suitable for big and advance businesses.
- Multi-channel selling.
- Easy to use.
- 24/7 customer support.
Squarespace
- Best for small-sized businesses.
- Attractive designs.
- A good option for selling a few products.
- Budget-friendly.
- Amazing blogging features as well.
Hope this article helped you! Which one you prefer, Shopify or Squarespace? Comment below and let us know.
Also Read: Shopify vs Magento, Shopify vs Squarespace, Shopify vs Amazon