Squarespace or Shopify?
Which is the best solution for an online store?
This is question everyone is asking us right now. The answer is βit dependsβ.
Shopify* and Squarespace look very similar on the surface, but weβve worked with them for some time, and we know the pros and cons of both.
A Part-Time Gig?
If your primary aim to build a content-focused website or a blog and sell a couple of products on the site in your own country, then Squarespace is your best bet. Squarespace is an excellent platform for websites and for small online stores. It does have fairly limited tax, shipping and payment processing options right now, but if youβre a micro business in the UK or the US, you probably wonβt notice these issues in the first few years. It really depends what you are selling, where your business is located, and where the prospective purchasers reside.
A Startup with Potential?
If your primary aim is to create an online store that is scalable, or youβre based outside the UK/US, then Shopify is the better option. Shopify is more expensive, and itβs much more difficult to build a site of beauty, but it has a more extensive feature set and excellent payment processing options for almost every country in the world, including buy now, pay later services like Klarna.
The Best of Both?
If you already have a Squarespace website then a third option is to add an ecommerce companyβs βBuy Buttonsβ to your Squarespace website.
Shopify has the Shopify Lite plan for this purpose. By integrating Shopify Buy Buttons into your Squarespace site you can use the Shopify cart, checkout and payment providers on your Squarespace site.
Ecwid* also offers Buy Buttons so you can use their cart, checkout and payment providers on your Squarespace site. One of Ecwidβs payment providers is Square, who are willing to take payments on behalf of higher-risk businesses, such as those selling CBD products. We wrote a guide about it here.
*If you see an asterisk beside a link in this guide, it indicates this is an affiliate link. If you make a purchase, I may receive a small commission but the price you pay will not increase - it may decrease!
Summary
In summary, each platform comes with pros and cons. If youβre choosing between the two, you may want to consider:
Whether you want a βwowβ factor. Squarespaceβs design options are vastly superior to Shopify. For the best visual design without code, choose Squarespace.
Your budget. Monthly pricing and transaction fees vary between the companies and their plans. If you plan to sell online, buy a Commerce plan otherwise you will be charged transaction fees in addition to the payment processing charges.
The products you are selling. Some products are considered higher-risk by payment providers and cannot be sold through mainstream payment providers used by Squarespace and Shopify. For these, youβll need to consider Ecwid.
The country where you are based. Some payment gateways only support a few countries. Shopify supports more than 100 gateways; Squarespace offers two for online stores - Stripe and PayPal.
The countries you intend to sell to. This will affect the complexity of your shipping and sales tax requirements. Shopify supports more of both.
If you intend to sell in-person. Want a point of sale solution too? Squarespace offers POS in the USA, but is yet to roll it out around the world. Shopify integrates with point-of-sale.
If youβd like telephone support. Shopify is a much larger company and it still offers telephone support. Squarespace provides support via online chat (during certain core hours) and via an online form with email follow-up 24/7, excluding holidays.
