Shopify vs. Squarespace: Which is best?
Selecting an internet site platform is a crucial determination. Whichever platform you choose will closely have an effect on many points of your undertaking or enterprise’s advertising and marketing and operations. Plus, switching platforms sooner or later can value plenty of money and time.
However deciding which platform to make use of is not simple.
At first look, Shopify and Squarespace seem like related merchandise — each can help you construct an internet site and promote on-line with out coding expertise. So, what units Shopify and Squarespace aside? And which platform is greatest in your wants?
On this article, we’ll examine Shopify vs. Squarespace in 9 key areas:
- Common Overview
- Pricing and Worth
- Ecommerce
- Cost Gateways and Transaction Charges
- Themes and Design
- Apps
- Dropshipping
- Buyer Help and Steering
- POS
Let’s dive in!
(Disclosure: This web site is part of Shopify inc. media properties. Though we attempt to publish goal, correct, and factual content material, this text could comprise biased opinions.)
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Shopify vs. Squarespace: Common Overview
Earlier than we discover the main points, let’s get a basic really feel for each Shopify and Squarespace.
Shopify was made to allow companies to arrange and handle on-line shops. In distinction, Squarespace was constructed as a extra basic web site builder for content-based web sites, resembling portfolios, brochure web sites, and service-based enterprise web sites.
Over time, Shopify’s capability to deal with content material has elevated dramatically — particularly with the assistance of third-party apps. And Squarespace has added ecommerce performance to the platform to allow customers to promote on-line.
Consequently, you should utilize both platform to construct a web-based retailer or a content-based web site.
Nevertheless, though Shopify and Squarespace have prolonged their performance over time, it is truthful to say their focus has remained the identical.
Shopify remains to be centered on offering an built-in suite of enterprise instruments to assist “anybody, anyplace” begin a enterprise.
And Squarespace nonetheless positions itself as a extra basic set of “easy instruments in your huge concepts.”
You may see this theme play out in the remainder of this text.
So, it is essential to ask your self an important query from the outset: Would you like a content-based web site, or would you additionally prefer to promote by way of your web site sooner or later?
Shopify vs. Squarespace: Pricing and Worth
Price is a crucial consideration when weighing Shopify vs. Squarespace. So, which platform is cheaper, and which one offers extra worth? Let’s have a look.
Shopify has 5 totally different pricing plans to select from:
- Shopify Lite: $9 per 30 days
- Fundamental Shopify: $29 per 30 days
- Shopify: $79 per 30 days
- Shopify Superior: $299 per 30 days
- Shopify Plus: $2,000+ per 30 days
It is essential to notice that Shopify Lite would not include an internet site. As a substitute, it offers entry to Shopify’s primary commerce options, together with a point-of-sale (POS) resolution and on-line ‘Purchase Now’ buttons (extra on this later).
Shopify Plus is the platform’s enterprise resolution, utilized by the likes of Gymshark, KKW Magnificence, Wholefoods, and Fitbit.
Shopify additionally offers a free 14-day trial so you may take a look at the platform for your self earlier than signing up.
Squarespace presents 4 pricing plans:
- Private: $12 per 30 days
- Enterprise: $18 per 30 days
- Fundamental Commerce: $26 per 30 days
- Superior Commerce $40 per 30 days
It is value declaring that Squarespace’s ‘Private’ plan is pretty restricted. For instance, you:
- Cannot use MailChimp to seize web site customer’s electronic mail addresses
- Do not get entry to promotional popups and announcement bar options
- Cannot customise your web site with CSS or javascript (which is essential when the extensions out there are so restricted — extra on this later)
Consequently, most customers will seemingly wish to improve to the ‘Enterprise’ plan pretty shortly. This plan is a little bit cheaper than the ‘Fundamental Shopify’ plan.
Nevertheless, when you think about that Squarespace fees a 3% price on each transaction on the ‘Marketing strategy,’ the ‘Fundamental Shopify’ plan appears to supply extra worth — particularly as Shopify presents much more out-of-the-box ecommerce options.
Shopify vs. Squarespace: Ecommerce
Even should you’re not interested by promoting proper now, there could come a degree when it is smart to begin incomes cash on-line. So, it is value contemplating Shopify vs. Squarespace for ecommerce.
After all, should you plan to begin a enterprise or take an present enterprise on-line, this part is particularly important for you.
So, what is the deal?
Unsurprisingly, each single Shopify plan means that you can promote through your web site and different on-line gross sales channels like Fb, Instagram, Amazon, eBay, and Walmart.
Compared, you will must improve to the Enterprise, Fundamental Commerce, or Superior Commerce plans to promote through Squarespace. Squarespace additionally lets you promote through Fb, Instagram, and Amazon.
Squarespace’s ecommerce options are arguably a little bit simpler to make use of than Shopify’s at first — however that is most likely as a result of Shopify has much more ecommerce options out there than Squarespace.
For instance, Shopify offers a “Purchase Now” button function.
This lets you embed merchandise anyplace on-line the place you may add a snippet of code, resembling in weblog posts. So, should you have been to companion with influencers to advertise your merchandise, you can give them the choice to embed merchandise inside the publish itself.
Shopify additionally presents extra superior ecommerce options that Squarespace would not.
For instance, cross-border ecommerce is a sexy alternative for a lot of on-line companies. Sadly, Squarespace would not provide a multi-currency possibility. In distinction, Shopify offers a multi-currency device that enables customers in different nations to view costs and checkout of their native foreign money. With the power to supply merchandise from all around the world, performance like cross-border ecommerce is important in at present’s interconnected financial system.
It is also value noting that Shopify’s in depth app retailer offers nearly limitless ecommerce potential (extra on this quickly).
All in all, Shopify wins the ecommerce battle, palms down.
Shopify vs. Squarespace: Cost Gateways and Transaction Charges
To promote on-line, you want a cost gateway to facilitate transactions.
You should use greater than 100 cost gateways with Shopify, together with all the large ones, like Amazon Pay, Stripe, and PayPal. Plus, the platform has its personal gateway, Shopify Funds.
That stated, Shopify fees a further 2% should you use any service aside from Shopify Funds. However until you might have a powerful attachment to a different cost gateway, Shopify Funds is the way in which to go anyway, because of its seamless integration with the platform.
Alternatively, Squarespace integrates with simply 4 on-line cost gateways — Stripe, Paypal, Afterpay, and Apple Pay.
So, what about transaction charges?
Shopify Funds fees 2.9%, plus $0.30 per transaction on the ‘Fundamental Shopify’ plan, and the fees lower as you improve to the ‘Shopify’ and ‘Shopify Superior’ plans to 2.6% and a couple of.4%, respectively.
With Squarespace, transaction charges differ relying on which cost gateway you employ, though the charges will seemingly be related.
Backside line, Shopify takes the lead because of its streamlined course of and skill to combine with so many cost gateways worldwide.
Shopify vs. Squarespace: Themes and Design
In relation to constructing an internet site, look issues — quite a bit. So, let’s examine Shopify vs. Squarespace on design.
Shopify presents 9 free web site themes and 72 paid themes that value between $100 and $180. Every of those themes presents a number of variables, too — so there are extra choices out there than you may see at first look.
Nonetheless, within the most unlikely situation that you do not discover what you are on the lookout for, you may all the time buy one of many 1,200 Shopify themes out there on Theme Forest from third-party builders.
However, Squarespace offers 127 templates which might be free to make use of.
Shopify and Squarespace each provide beautiful, skilled responsive designs — this implies they adapt robotically to totally different display screen sizes.
Nevertheless, most of Squarespace’s templates appear to be geared towards customers who wish to showcase a portfolio or different content material. And Shopify’s look like higher outfitted to handle ecommerce.
Shopify vs. Squarespace: Apps
With the huge ocean of digital instruments out there on-line, no web site builder or ecommerce platform can create and handle every part in-house. For that reason, each Shopify and Squarespace present a library of apps and extensions.
You should use apps and extensions to:
- Change the looks of your web site
- Improve gross sales with specialised instruments for issues like electronic mail advertising and marketing
- Enhance the transport expertise for patrons
- Add widgets for media, social media, and extra
- Supply merchandise
Shopify’s App Retailer performs host to greater than 6,000 apps and integrations — merely put, there’s an app for principally every part you may consider.
Squarespace presents simply 24 extensions — though this quantity is prone to develop over time.
Understandably, this can be a large win for Shopify.
Virtually talking, which means that should you signal as much as Squarespace and also you uncover that it would not present a function you would like, you are caught. Whereas with Shopify, it is very seemingly there will be an app to fill the hole.
Backside line, Shopify’s app retailer offers customers with nearly limitless customization potential with out the necessity for coding.
Shopify vs. Squarespace: Dropshipping
Dropshipping is a well-liked method to begin promoting merchandise on-line with out buying stock upfront, storing merchandise, or transport orders to clients. As a substitute, a third-party dropshipping provider will deal with all of these issues for you!
Try the picture under to see dropshipping in motion:
Because of Shopify’s colossal app retailer, the platform has an abundance of dropshipping apps — together with print-on-demand companies that allow you to promote merchandise with your personal designs on them.
Additionally, Shopify has Oberlo — we empower entrepreneurs to kickstart their dream enterprise with a streamlined Shopify dropshipping app and devoted dropshipping assets.
Compared, Squarespace offers one dropshipping app and a couple of print-on-demand apps.
Once more, Shopify’s large app retailer means it wins the dropshipping class.
Shopify vs. Squarespace: Buyer Help and Steering
To get essentially the most out of Shopify and Squarespace, you will must be taught in regards to the platforms’ options and capabilities. You might also run into issues that you just need assistance to unravel. So, it is value contemplating what assets and buyer assist can be found that will help you.
Shopify has an unlimited quantity of assets to assist customers get began with the platform and develop a worthwhile enterprise on-line.
For instance, there’s an intensive assist heart, an lively discussion board, and 24/7 buyer assist. Plus, you will get assist in 21 languages through electronic mail, telephone, or stay chat.
If that is not sufficient, Shopify additionally offers a wealth of weblog assets, free on-line programs, and the Shopify Masters podcast, that are all jam-packed with actionable insights and ideas.
Squarespace presents assist through electronic mail and stay chat. And like Shopify, there’s additionally a assist heart, discussion board, weblog, and sequence of instructional webinars.
In brief, Shopify and Squarespace each provide a superb quantity of assist and assets. Nevertheless, Shopify has the sting right here because it presents free telephone assist on each plan.
Shopify vs. Squarespace: POS
Should you plan to promote in individual — or suppose you may wish to sooner or later — it is value contemplating Shopify vs. Squarespace’s level of sale (POS) options.
POS methods allow you to take funds through {hardware} that is built-in along with your on-line retailer, unifying your on-line and offline stock administration, gross sales information, and buyer information.
Shopify has its personal POS (known as Shopify POS) and a complete vary of POS {hardware} you could buy in bundles or individually, relying in your wants. This POS system is tightly built-in with Shopify and it is out there on all plans — together with Shopify Lite.
Squarespace has partnered with POS resolution Sq. to supply customers a method to take funds in individual — though it is solely out there to customers primarily based in the US. Additionally, Squarespace solely means that you can combine a card reader and would not provide different {hardware}.
Shopify is the clear winner right here with a extra highly effective, streamlined, and versatile POS system. Plus, it presents much more {hardware} choices.
Last Ideas: Which Is Higher, Shopify or Squarespace?
Shopify and Squarespace are each sensible web site builders with beautiful themes and loads of options.
So, which one must you use?
Here is our take: If you wish to create an affordable and easy content-based web site solely, think about Squarespace’s ‘Private’ plan. Nevertheless, if you would like entry to extra options than Squarespace’s private plan otherwise you wish to begin promoting on-line or in individual, use Shopify.
Shopify offers extra options out-of-the-box than Squarespace, particularly within the ecommerce division. For instance, Shopify presents extra cost gateway choices, telephone assist, and a superior POS system.
Plus, Shopify’s huge app retailer dwarfs Squarespace’s assortment of extensions and integrations, offering ample room for progress and customizations.
Join Shopify’s free 14-day trial to test it out firsthand.