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If you’re looking to start or grow your online store in 2024, you might be wondering which platform is best for you: Shopify vs Squarespace? Both are popular and powerful options for ecommerce, but they have different features, pricing, and pros and cons.
While many people often compare Shopify with Etsy, you might also be searching for its comparison with Squarespace. In this article, I’ll compare and contrast Shopify and Squarespace for ecommerce. I will also help you decide which one is right for your business and budget.
So, if that is something that you want to know, then I have you covered! Keep on reading this blog till the end to learn more…
What is Shopify?
Shopify is a dedicated ecommerce platform that lets you create and manage your own online store. You can choose from hundreds of templates, customize your store’s design, add products, set up payment methods, track inventory, manage orders, and more.
Shopify, which is a completely legit platform, also has a huge app store. Here you can find plugins and integrations for various functions, such as marketing, analytics, shipping, customer service, and more.
It is ideal for anyone who wants to sell online. So, whether you’re a beginner or an expert, and whether you sell physical or digital products or services, this platform is great for you.
What is Squarespace?
Squarespace is a website builder that lets you create beautiful and professional websites for any purpose. You can use Squarespace to create a blog, a portfolio, a landing page, or an online store.
Squarespace has a drag-and-drop interface where you can easily customize your site’s layout, colors, fonts, images, and more. It also has a range of features and integrations for ecommerce, such as product catalogs, shopping carts, checkout pages, payment gateways, inventory management, order fulfillment, and more.
Squarespace is ideal for anyone who wants to create a stunning and stylish website, with or without ecommerce functionality.
Shopify vs Squarespace: Ecommerce Features
When it comes to ecommerce features, Shopify has the edge over Squarespace. Shopify is designed specifically for ecommerce, and has more advanced and comprehensive tools for selling online.
Squarespace, on the other hand, is more focused on website design, and has more limited and basic ecommerce features. Here are some of the key differences between Shopify and Squarespace for ecommerce:
1. Product Options
Shopify allows you to sell unlimited products, with unlimited variants, options, and SKUs. You can also sell digital products, services, subscriptions, and memberships.
Squarespace limits you to 200 products per site, with up to 100 variants per product. You can also sell digital products and services, but not subscriptions or memberships.
2. Payment Methods
Shopify supports over 100 payment gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, and more. You can also use Shopify Payments, which is Shopify’s own payment processor and offers lower fees and faster payouts.
Squarespace supports only four payment gateways: PayPal, Stripe, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can’t use any other payment methods on Squarespace.
3. Shipping and Taxes
Shopify has a built-in shipping calculator. This automatically calculates your customers’ shipping rates and taxes based on their location and order details. You can also create your own shipping rules, zones, and labels and integrate with various shipping carriers and services.
Squarespace does not have a shipping calculator, and you must manually enter the shipping rates and taxes for each country and state. You can also create your own shipping rules and labels but can’t integrate with any shipping carriers or services.
4. Marketing and SEO
Shopify has various marketing and SEO tools, including email marketing, social media integration, discount codes, coupons, gift cards, loyalty programs, and abandoned cart recovery. You can also use Shopify’s app store to find more plugins and integrations for marketing and SEO.
Squarespace has some marketing and SEO tools, such as email marketing, social media integration, discount codes, coupons, and gift cards. However, Squarespace has no abandoned cart recovery, loyalty programs, or an app store for more plugins and integrations.
5. Analytics and Reporting
Shopify has a powerful and detailed analytics and reporting dashboard. Here you can track and measure your store’s performance, sales, traffic, conversions, customers, products, and more. You can also use Shopify’s app store to find more plugins and integrations for analytics and reporting.
Squarespace has a basic and limited analytics and reporting dashboard where you can track and measure your site’s performance, traffic, conversions, customers, and products. However, Squarespace does not have as many metrics and insights as Shopify, and you can’t use any other plugins or integrations for analytics and reporting.
Shopify vs Squarespace: Pricing
When it comes to pricing, Squarespace is cheaper than Shopify but also offers less value for money. Squarespace has four pricing plans billed annually, ranging from $12 to $40 per month.
Shopify has three pricing plans, ranging from $29 to $299 per month, billed monthly. Here are the main differences between Shopify and Squarespace’s pricing plans:
1. Basic Plan
Squarespace’s basic plan costs $12 monthly and allows you to create a website with unlimited pages, storage, and bandwidth. However, you can’t sell any products on this plan, and you must pay a 3% transaction fee on any donations you receive.
Shopify’s basic plan costs $29 per month and allows you to create an online store with unlimited products, storage, and bandwidth. You can also sell on multiple channels like Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, and more. However, you must pay a 2.9% + 30¢ transaction fee on every sale unless you use Shopify Payments.
2. Business Plan
Squarespace’s business plan costs $18 monthly and allows you to sell unlimited products without transaction fees. You also get access to some ecommerce features, such as product reviews, inventory management, and customer accounts.
However, you still have to pay a 2.9% + 30¢ payment processing fee on every sale, and you can’t use any third-party payment gateways. Shopify’s business plan costs $79 per month and allows you to sell unlimited products without transaction fees if you use Shopify Payments.
You also get access to more ecommerce features, such as gift cards, professional reports, and abandoned cart recovery. You also get lower payment processing fees, starting from 2.6% + 30¢ per sale.
3. Advanced Plan
Squarespace’s advanced plan costs $40 monthly and allows you to sell unlimited products without transaction fees. You also get access to more ecommerce features, such as subscriptions, advanced shipping, and advanced discounts.
However, you still have to pay a 2.9% + 30¢ payment processing fee on every sale, and you can’t use any third-party payment gateways. Shopify’s advanced plan costs $299 per month and allows you to sell unlimited products with no transaction fees if you use Shopify Payments.
You also get access to more ecommerce features, such as an advanced report builder, third-party calculated shipping rates, and a custom SSL certificate. You also get lower payment processing fees, starting from 2.4% + 30¢ per sale.
Shopify vs Squarespace: Ease of Use
Regarding ease of use, both Shopify and Squarespace are user-friendly and intuitive platforms, but they have different approaches and learning curves.
Shopify is more straightforward and simple to use, as it has a clear and organized dashboard where you can access all the features and settings for your store. It is definitely one of the best and most popular platforms to make money for a reason!
Shopify also has a step-by-step guide, tutorials, and support to help you set up and run your store. Squarespace is more creative and flexible to use, as it has a drag-and-drop interface where you can customize every aspect of your site’s design.
Squarespace also has a guide, tutorials, and support to help you create and manage your site. However, Squarespace can be more confusing and overwhelming, as it has more options and menus, and some features are hidden or hard to find.
Shopify vs Squarespace: Customer Support
When it comes to customer support, Shopify has the advantage over Squarespace, as it offers more channels and availability for help and assistance.
Shopify has 24/7 customer support via phone, email, live chat, and social media. You can also access Shopify’s help center, community forum, blog, podcasts, webinars, and courses for more resources and guidance.
Squarespace has customer support via email and live chat from Monday to Friday, 4 am to 8 pm EST. You can also access Squarespace’s help center, community forum, blog, workshops, and guides for more resources and guidance.
Shopify vs Squarespace: Which One is Right for You?
The answer to this question depends on your goals, needs, and preferences. If you’re looking for a platform that is dedicated and optimized for ecommerce and has more features, integrations, and support for selling online, then Shopify is the best choice for you.
Shopify is also more scalable and flexible, as it can handle any size and type of online store and can grow with your business. However, Shopify is also more expensive and complex, as it has higher fees and more settings and options to manage.
If you’re looking for a focused and streamlined website design platform with more options and tools for creating beautiful and professional websites, then Squarespace is the best choice for you.
Squarespace is also more affordable and simple, with lower prices and fewer features and settings to manage. However, Squarespace is also more limited and basic, as it has fewer features, integrations, and support for ecommerce and can’t handle complex or large online stores.
Conclusion
Shopify and Squarespace are both great platforms for ecommerce, but they have different strengths and weaknesses. Shopify is the best option for anyone who wants a dedicated and powerful ecommerce platform with more features, integrations, and support for selling online.
Squarespace is the best option for anyone who wants a focused and elegant website builder with more options and tools for creating beautiful and professional websites. Ultimately, the choice between Shopify and Squarespace depends on your goals, needs, and preferences.
I hope this article helped you make an informed decision. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave a comment below.
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