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Shopify vs Squarespace Showdown: Insights From A Shopify Expert

  • by Cameron Fulton
Shopify vs Squarespace Showdown: Insights from Shopify Experts

The eCommerce world is booming—and competitive. With online retail expected to reach over $7 trillion by 2025, choosing the right platform isn’t just important; it’s essential. For many business owners, the debate often boils down to two names: Shopify and Squarespace. Both are popular. Both promise success. But which one will truly empower your business to grow?

In this guide, we’ll go beyond surface-level comparisons. You won’t just read about features; you’ll get actionable insights, real pros and cons, and recommendations tailored to your specific needs. Whether you're a creative with a small product line or a serious entrepreneur aiming to scale fast, we’ve got you covered.

Let’s deep dive from a Shopify Expert perspective going into each aspect of Shopify vs Squarespace.

Shopify vs Squarespace: The Quick Overview

Before diving into the nitty-gritty details, here’s a quick snapshot of what each platform offers:

  • Shopify: A powerhouse built for eCommerce. From small stores to massive enterprises, Shopify scales with your business. Known for its vast app ecosystem, advanced selling features, and seamless integrations.

  • Squarespace: A beautifully designed platform that started as a website builder and later added eCommerce capabilities. Ideal for businesses that want gorgeous, content-heavy websites with simple online stores.

Now, let’s break down each platform across key categories.

Product Management: Shopify vs Squarespace

When it comes to managing your products, flexibility is key. Here’s how the two stack up:

Shopify

  • Unlimited products: No upper limit means you can keep adding products as your store grows.
  • Product Variants: Supports up to 100 variants per product. Want more? There are apps that can assist with combining products and custom coding solutions for themes. 
  • Digital products and subscriptions: Requires third-party apps for advanced functionalities like selling subscriptions.

Squarespace

  • Product limit: Supports up to 10,000 products per store page, which works well for small to medium businesses.
  • Variants and options: Allows up to 6 options and 250 variant combinations per product.
  • All-in-one: No need for apps—it supports physical, digital, service, and subscription products out of the box.

Takeaway: If your product catalog is large or growing rapidly, Shopify’s flexibility gives you room to scale. Squarespace is great for simpler stores with a manageable product range, however you will find yourself upgrading to Shopify very early in your ecommerce journey. 

Design and Customization

Your website’s design can make or break a sale. So, which platform gives you more control?

Shopify

  • Themes: As of writing this Shopify has 13 free themes and hundreds of paid ones via their theme store. Each is mobile-optimized.
  • Customization: Advanced users and developers can edit Liquid files and CSS files for deeper customization. Liquid is the unique coding language used by all Shopify themes.
  • App integrations: Tons of design-enhancing apps in the Shopify App Store. However please be warned they can slow down your Shopify site, so always use caution. 

Squarespace

  • Templates: Over 230 stunning, fully customizable templates.
  • Drag-and-drop editor: Easy to use, no coding required.
  • Built-in design features: Includes image editing, video backgrounds, and more.

Takeaway: If you want a unique, heavily customized store, Shopify’s advanced options are a better fit. Squarespace stands out for those who want an effortless setup paired with sleek, visually appealing designs.

SEO and Marketing Tools

Driving traffic to your store requires strong SEO and marketing tools. Here’s how the platforms compare:

Shopify

  • SEO basics: Lets you edit meta tags, alt text, and URLs.
  • Apps for advanced SEO: Use apps for more advanced SEO strategies.
  • Marketing tools: Built-in tools for email marketing, social media, and abandoned cart recovery.

Squarespace

  • Built-in SEO: Automatically generates clean URLs, XML sitemaps, and meta tags.
  • Content marketing: Strong blogging features for content-driven SEO.
  • Email campaigns: Integrated email marketing tools (extra cost).

Takeaway: Shopify excels in marketing automation and sales-driven features. Squarespace offers better content-driven SEO capabilities.

Scalability and Performance

Your platform needs to keep up as your business grows. Let’s see how Shopify and Squarespace handle scale.

Shopify

  • Performance: Built for high traffic and large catalogs.
  • CDN: Uses a global CDN to ensure fast load times worldwide.
  • Enterprise scale: Shopify Plus is designed for large-scale businesses seeking advanced customization and high-volume sales capabilities.

Squarespace

  • Performance: Best for small to medium-sized businesses.
  • No built-in CDN: Relies on external hosting, which may affect global performance.
  • Growth potential: Limited scalability compared to Shopify.

Takeaway: For businesses anticipating significant growth, Shopify is the safer bet.

Customer Support

Running an online store means you’ll need help at some point. Who offers better support?

Shopify

  • 24/7 support: Available via chat, email, and phone.
  • Extensive resources: Includes a vast knowledge base and active community forums.

Squarespace

  • 24/7 support: Live chat and email support.
  • Help center: Comprehensive guides and tutorials.

Takeaway: Shopify’s phone support and larger community give it a slight edge for hands-on assistance.

Pricing and Transaction Fees

Budget matters. Let’s talk costs.

Shopify

  • Plans: Starts at $29/month. Higher plans offer better features.
  • Transaction fees: 0% if you use Shopify Payments; up to 2% if you don’t.

Squarespace

  • Plans: Starts at $26/month for eCommerce (paid annually).
  • Transaction fees: 0% on Advanced Commerce plans.

Takeaway: Squarespace has lower upfront costs, but Shopify’s features may justify the price for larger stores.

Third-Party Integrations and Extensions

Integrations can expand your store’s capabilities. Here’s how the two compare:

Shopify

  • App ecosystem: Thousands of apps for everything from marketing to logistics.
  • API access: Ideal for developers wanting custom integrations.

Squarespace

  • Built-in features: Many core functions are included, reducing the need for apps.
  • Limited third-party apps: Fewer options compared to Shopify.

Takeaway: Shopify’s robust app store gives it the flexibility to adapt to any business need.

User Experience and Learning Curve

How easy is it to get started and manage your store?

Shopify

  • Ease of setup: Quick to launch, but advanced customizations require learning.
  • Learning curve: Slightly steeper for non-tech-savvy users.

Squarespace

  • Ease of setup: Extremely user-friendly, thanks to its intuitive drag-and-drop builder.
  • Learning curve: Minimal—great for beginners.

Takeaway: Squarespace is perfect for solopreneurs and creatives. Shopify rewards those willing to invest time in learning.

Final Verdict: Shopify or Squarespace?

Here’s the bottom line:

  • Choose Shopify if: You need advanced eCommerce features, plan to scale quickly, or have a large product catalog.
  • Choose Squarespace if: You want a simple, elegant site with built-in content marketing tools.

Ultimately, the right choice depends on your goals. Consider what matters most: ease of use, design, scalability, or features. Once you know that, the decision becomes clearer.

Ready to build your store? Whether you choose Shopify or Squarespace, taking action is the first step toward eCommerce success!

Need more personalized advice? Reach out to us for expert guidance on choosing the perfect platform for your business! Plus 5 Designs has built and assisted with migrating websites from Squarespace to Shopify for years. We look forward to chatting with you.