Squarespace vs Shopify 2025: Which Platform Wins?

In 2025, businesses face an increasingly competitive landscape when choosing an eCommerce or website-building platform. Among the top contenders, Squarespace and Shopify stand out as robust solutions, each catering to distinct needs. This blog dives deep into their features, pricing, pros, and cons to help you decide which platform suits your goals.

I. Understanding: Squarespace and Shopify

1.1 Overview of Shopify

Shopify is a dedicated eCommerce platform designed to help businesses create, customize, and scale their online stores. With over 4 million active users globally in 2025, Shopify provides extensive tools for selling online, in-store, and across multiple sales channels.

1.2 Pros and Cons of Shopify

1.3 Overview of Squarespace

Squarespace is a website-building platform renowned for its elegant templates and user-friendly interface. While initially focused on creative professionals, Squarespace has incorporated eCommerce tools, making it suitable for small-to-medium online stores.

1.4 Pros and Cons of Squarespace

II. Shopify vs Squarespace: What’s the Difference?

2.1. Pricing: Shopify vs Squarespace

Pricing is a critical factor when choosing between Shopify and Squarespace. Both platforms offer a range of plans to cater to different types of businesses, but there are key differences in terms of what you get at each pricing tier. Here's a detailed breakdown of their pricing structures:

Shopify Pricing

Subscription fees:

Shopify offers several pricing plans depending on your business needs. These plans are more geared towards businesses that require advanced eCommerce functionality.

• Basic Plan: $39/month

• Shopify Plan: $105/month

• Advanced Plan: $399/month

• Shopify Plus: Custom pricing

Transaction Fees:

• Shopify charges additional transaction fees unless you use Shopify Payments (Shopify’s own payment processor). Transaction fees range from 2.9% + 30¢ (Basic) to 2.6% + 30¢ (Advanced) for online credit card transactions.

Additional Costs:

• Shopify’s app marketplace is extensive, but many apps come with additional fees. As your store grows, you might need to use premium apps for marketing, inventory management, and more, adding to the overall cost.

Read more: Shopify POS Pricing Squarespace Pricing

Squarespace's pricing is simpler, making it more affordable for small businesses and individuals who do not need advanced eCommerce features.

• Personal Plan: $16/month

• Business Plan: $23/month

• Basic Commerce Plan: $27/month

• Advanced Commerce Plan: $49/month

Transaction Fees:

• Squarespace charges a 3% transaction fee on the Business Plan, but there are no transaction fees on the Basic Commerce or Advanced Commerce plans.

Additional Costs:

• While Squarespace includes most features within its plans, certain add-ons such as email campaigns and professional email hosting may have additional costs.

2.2. Ease of Use: Shopify vs Squarespace

When it comes to ease of use, both Shopify and Squarespace are known for offering user-friendly platforms, but each caters to different types of users and business needs. Below is a detailed comparison of the ease of use for both platforms:

Shopify: Ease of Use

Shopify is widely regarded for its ease of use, especially when setting up an online store. Here’s what you can expect:

• Quick Setup: Once you create your account and click on the “Free trial” option, Shopify only asks you a few basic questions about your store (e.g., store name, location, and type of products). After completing these steps, your store is ready to go live.

• Intuitive Dashboard: The dashboard is clean and straightforward, with a left-hand menu linking to all the essential features like customers, products, and orders. Everything you need is right at your fingertips, which makes navigating the platform very easy.

• Customization Options: Shopify makes it simple to customize your store. You can:

  • Choose a theme from the Shopify Theme Store.

  • Select your preferred currency.

  • Set your time zone.

  • Change your store’s name.

• Streamlined Experience: Shopify does a great job of guiding you through the process without overwhelming you with too many options at once, making it an excellent choice for users who want a balance of simplicity and customization.

Squarespace: Ease of Use

Squarespace also offers an intuitive and user-friendly experience, especially when it comes to setting up a visually appealing website. Here's what you’ll encounter:

• Theme Selection: You begin by choosing an attractive theme from Squarespace's vast collection of templates. Whether you're selling books, handmade crafts, or high-tech gadgets, there's a theme that fits your brand. Customizing your chosen theme is straightforward, and it doesn’t require coding skills.

• Domain Setup: Squarespace also allows you to purchase a domain directly through the platform. The average cost is around $20 to $87 per year. You can also connect your own domain if you already own one.

• Content Management: Once your theme and domain are set up, adding products, images, and content is a breeze. You can sell physical or digital products, or even offer subscription services (available with the Commerce Advanced Plan).

• Inventory and Pricing: Setting product prices, managing inventory, and adjusting other settings like shipping options or payment methods are simple and user-friendly. The platform allows you to keep track of products without the steep learning curve that might come with more complex platforms.

2.3. Shopify vs Squarespace: Templates and Design Flexibility

The look and feel of your store play a crucial role in attracting and retaining customers. A well-designed site not only showcases your products effectively but also enhances user experience. Let’s take a closer look at how Shopify and Squarespace approach themes and design flexibility.

Shopify Themes

Shopify offers a wide range of 213 themes, including both paid and free options. Here's a breakdown of what you can expect:

Themes Available:

• 3 free themes.

• 200 paid themes priced between $140 and $450.

• Shopify makes it easy to choose the right theme with several filter options:

  • Industry: Categories like Arts and Crafts, Clothing, Electronics, Pet Supplies, etc.

  • Catalog Size: Themes are sorted based on catalog size (1 to 9 products, 10 to 199, or 200+ products).

  • Desired Features: Filters include options like Age Verifier, Event Calendar, Infinite Scroll, etc.

  • Recent Releases: Stay up to date with the latest theme releases.

  • Popularity: See which themes are trending among other Shopify users.

  • Price: Find themes based on your budget by sorting from high to low or vice versa.

Customization Options:

• For those with coding experience, Shopify allows adding custom code to modify themes further.

• If you prefer a simpler approach, Shopify offers a drag-and-drop editor to customize layouts, fonts, colors, and more.

Squarespace Themes

Squarespace also offers a robust selection of themes that are particularly known for their visual appeal and suitability for creative industries. Here’s what you can expect:

Themes Available:

• 1177 themes spread across 22 categories including Food, Travel, Art, Photography, and Podcasts.

• TThese themes are divided into eight main types such as Portfolio, Online Store, CV, Courses, etc., ensuring you can find a design that fits your needs.

Customization Options:

• Squarespace allows you to customize using CSS, HTML, or Markdown, giving you complete control over your design if you have coding experience.

• Although Squarespace lacks some of Shopify’s detailed theme filters (such as catalog size, popularity, or specific features), its user-friendly design interface makes it simple to create a polished website.

2.4 Product and Blog Import/Export

Shopify:

• Shopify makes importing and exporting products easy using CSV file templates. This allows merchants to bulk upload, update, or export product data.

• Shopify offers several apps that enhance import/export functionality, which is useful for handling large inventories or complex product catalogs.

• Blog posts can also be exported and imported easily using CSV files or third-party apps.

Squarespace:

• Squarespace allows product import and export using CSV files, but it has fewer customization options than Shopify.

• Squarespace focuses on simplicity, so while it offers basic import/export tools, more complex needs may require third-party integrations.

• Blog content can be exported as an XML file, allowing easy transfer of posts to other platforms like WordPress.

2.5. Payment Options

2.6. Shopify vs Squarespace: eCommerce features

Shopify:

• Store Setup: Customizable themes, unlimited product listings, variants, and collections.

• Payment Processing: Supports multiple gateways like PayPal, Stripe, and Apple Pay.

• Shipping & Fulfillment: Integrates with major carriers and supports dropshipping.

• Inventory Management: Advanced tracking, low-stock alerts, and multi-location support.

• Marketing & Analytics: Built-in SEO, email marketing, abandoned cart recovery, and real-time analytics.

• Multichannel Selling: Sell on platforms like Instagram, Amazon, and Etsy.

• POS Integration: Syncs online and offline inventory for in-person sales.

Squarespace:

• Store Setup: Beautiful templates, product variants, and options.

• Payment Processing: Supports Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay, and credit cards.

• Shipping Tools: Basic integration with third-party carriers.

• Inventory Management: Simple tracking for smaller inventories.

• Marketing & Analytics: Built-in email marketing and basic SEO tools.

• Subscription Services: Offers subscription-based products.

2.7. Shopify vs Squarespace: Tax Calculations

Both Shopify and Squarespace offer built-in tax calculation tools that automatically determine tax rates based on the customer's location. However, there are key differences in their tax features:

• Automatic Tax Calculation: Both platforms automatically calculate taxes based on the customer's location.

• Tax Exemptions: Both offer tax exemptions for specific products or customers (e.g., non-profit or wholesale).

• Multiple Currencies: Both support multiple currencies for international sales.

Shopify:

• Third-Party Apps: Shopify has a wider range of third-party tax apps for businesses with complex needs.

• Accounting Integration: Shopify integrates better with accounting software.

• Tax Reporting: Shopify offers detailed, exportable tax reports, making it easier for businesses to manage their taxes.

Squarespace

• Squarespace offers basic tax features, but its tax reporting and third-party integrations are more limited compared to Shopify.

2.8. SEO & Page Speed: Shopify vs Squarespace

When it comes to driving traffic from search engines like Google and Bing, SEO plays a crucial role. Here’s how Shopify and Squarespace stack up in terms of SEO features:

Shopify:

• SEO-Friendly: Shopify offers customizable meta tags, image alt texts, automatic sitemaps, and easy 301 redirects.

• Page Speed: Shopify sites load faster, which benefits SEO.

• URL Structure: Shopify's URL structure is slightly awkward (e.g., /products/ for product pages), but it doesn't significantly hurt SEO.

• 301 Redirects: Shopify automatically prompts you to set up redirects when changing URLs.

Squarespace:

• SEO Features: Squarespace allows page title customization but can be tricky with alt texts. It also supports 301 redirects, but manually.

• Page Speed: Squarespace sites load slower, especially on mobile, which can negatively affect SEO.

• Internal URLs: Initial Squarespace URLs (e.g., yourstore.squarespace.com) can confuse search engines until set up properly.

2.9. Marketing Features

Shopify

Shopify offers a comprehensive set of marketing tools, including:

• Shopify Email: Automate branded email campaigns.

• SEO tools: Customizable tags and sitemaps for better rankings.

• Social media integration: Sync with Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and more.

• Google Ads: Run Smart Shopping campaigns.

• Shopify Collabs: Partner with influencers.

• Customer engagement: Use Shopify Inbox for live chat.

Add-ons like Klaviyo and Smile.io further enhance its marketing capabilities.

Squarespace

Squarespace provides essential marketing tools, including:

• Email campaigns: Create branded emails with templates.

• SEO tools: Optimize with custom title tags and sitemaps.

• Social media integration: Share content on Instagram and Facebook.

• Promotions: Add banners for sales and events.

• Analytics: Track visitor behavior and sales trends.

2.10. Shopify vs Squarespace: Apps & Extensions

When it comes to adding features and functionalities to an online store, third-party apps and extensions play a vital role. Let’s see how Shopify and Squarespace handle this aspect of customization.

Shopify Apps

Shopify's App Store is a vast and powerful resource, with over 8,000 apps available. These apps cover virtually every aspect of running an eCommerce business and are designed to help merchants increase efficiency, sales, and customer experience.

• App Store Size: Over 8,000 apps.

• Categories: Apps for sales channels, marketing, design, product management, customer service, analytics, shipping, and more.

• Pricing: On average, apps cost around 20/month, though many offer free versions or trials.

• User-Friendly Dashboard: Shopify’s app dashboard includes sections like "Popular with Merchants" and "Trends for this Month," making it easy for store owners to find the most useful and trending apps.

• App Quality: Apps are typically well-tested and come with a good number of user reviews and ratings, making it easier to choose the best ones for your store.

With so many options, Shopify provides merchants the ability to customize their stores to a great extent, allowing for unique and powerful eCommerce solutions. For beginners, the large selection may seem overwhelming, but Shopify’s dashboard and categories help narrow down choices to the most relevant tools.

Squarespace Apps

Squarespace's extension offerings are far more limited compared to Shopify, with only 44 extensions available. While this may seem like a small number, the limited selection means it’s easier for beginners to browse and select extensions without feeling overwhelmed.

• Extension Store Size: 44 extensions.

• Categories: Extensions for marketing, shipping, accounting, customer service, and more.

• Pricing: Many extensions are either free or have no upfront costs. Users only pay for premium plans or additional features when needed.

• Lack of Filters: Unlike Shopify, there are no specific categories like "Trending" or "Popular with Merchants," which could make finding the right app a bit trickier in a smaller selection.

Although Squarespace's app selection is significantly smaller than Shopify’s, it is still enough for smaller businesses to get the necessary tools to manage their stores. The advantage of Squarespace’s approach is that it’s simpler and potentially less overwhelming for beginners who need fewer add-ons to run their stores.

2.11. Dropshipping: Shopify vs Squarespace

Both Shopify and Squarespace now support dropshipping, but their approaches and offerings differ in terms of ease of use and available tools.

Shopify: Dropshipping

• Established Dropshipping Support: Shopify has been a dropshipping platform since 2015 and offers a large selection of dropshipping apps, including popular ones like Oberlo, Spocket, and DSers.

• App Store: With over 8,000 apps available, Shopify provides extensive integrations with dropshipping suppliers and apps to automate tasks like product import, order fulfillment, and inventory management.

• Product Management: Easy to manage products with detailed descriptions, images, and prices. You can easily import products from dropshipping suppliers, manage your shipping rates, and track deliveries.

• Payment Gateways: Shopify supports a wide range of payment methods, including PayPal, Stripe, and Shopify Payments.

• Shipping and Delivery: Features to manage shipping rates, tracking, and delivery notifications are fully integrated with dropshipping apps.

Read more: The Ultimate Guide to Shopify Dropshipping

Squarespace:Dropshipping

• Newer Dropshipping Support: Squarespace only introduced dropshipping in 2021, so its features are less extensive than Shopify's.

• App Integration: Squarespace offers fewer dropshipping apps (only 44 extensions in total) compared to Shopify’s large app ecosystem. However, the limited options may suit beginners looking for simplicity.

• Product Management: Like Shopify, Squarespace allows for easy product management, including adding descriptions, images, and prices, but its dropshipping features are more basic and lack the depth Shopify offers.

• Payment Gateways: Squarespace supports major payment gateways like Stripe, PayPal, and Apple Pay.

• Shipping and Delivery: Squarespace provides tools for shipping rates and tracking, though the integration with dropshipping suppliers is less comprehensive than Shopify’s.

2.12 POS Integration: Shopify vs Squarespace

Shopify:

• Pricing: Shopify POS has two tiers: POS Lite (included with all plans) and POS Pro ($89/month per location).

• Features: POS Pro offers advanced features like multi-location management, in-depth analytics, and greater flexibility.

• Hardware: Shopify provides a wide range of hardware (e.g., card readers, cash drawers) for separate purchase.

• Global Support: Available in multiple countries, and the mobile app lets you turn any iOS or Android device into a POS terminal.

Squarespace:

• Pricing: POS functionality is integrated with Squarespace’s Commerce plans starting at $27/month (Basic Commerce plan).

• Features: The POS app is only available for iOS devices and works through Square for payment processing.

• Hardware: You need to purchase Square hardware separately, and transaction fees follow Square’s pricing structure.

2.13 Shopify vs Squarespace: Support (Shopify Wins)

Both Shopify and Squarespace offer user-friendly platforms with strong customer support, but Shopify stands out with its 24/7 availability and comprehensive options.

Shopify Support

• 24/7 Chat Support: Available on all plans, offering immediate help at any time.

• Priority Phone Support: Exclusive to Shopify Plus users, offering quicker resolutions.

• Help Center & Community Forum: A wealth of self-help resources and community insights.

Squarespace Support

• Email & Live Chat Support: Available, but only during business hours (4 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, Monday to Friday).

• Help Center & Community Forum: Useful for troubleshooting common issues.

• No Phone Support: Squarespace does not offer phone support on any plan, which may be limiting for users who prefer speaking directly with an agent.

2.14. Shopify vs Squarespace: Security (Squarespace Wins)

Both Shopify and Squarespace prioritize security, but Squarespace edges out Shopify due to its strong security track record.

Shopify Security

• SSL Certificate: Provides a free 256-bit SSL certificate for secure data encryption.

• Two-Step Authentication: Available to protect accounts.

• Recent Criticism: In 2024, Shopify experienced two significant customer data leaks, affecting over 200,000 stores, which raised concerns about its security.

Squarespace Security

• SSL Certificates: Automatically secures all domains with free SSL certificates.

• Two-Factor Authentication: Helps protect accounts from unauthorized access.

• Stronger Track Record: Squarespace has seen fewer data breaches and is considered by some to be a safer choice for eCommerce businesses.

Verdict: Conclusion

III. Who Should Use Shopify? And Who Should Use Squarespace?

3.1. Shopify is best for:

1. Small to Medium-Sized Businesses (SMBs)

• Ideal for growing businesses across various industries, including fashion, electronics, beauty, and more.

• Favored for its affordability, ease of use, and robust tools for scaling online operations.

2. Entrepreneurs & Creators

• Popular among young entrepreneurs (millennials and Gen Z) who value its simple design and business-friendly features.
• Especially appealing to the creator economy, such as artists and influencers selling branded merchandise or digital products.

3. Global Users

• Supports multiple languages and currencies, enabling seamless international selling.

• Equally effective for local and global audiences, with features tailored to worldwide connectivity.

4. Tech-Savvy Sellers

• Designed for digital natives comfortable with online tools and seeking customization through integrations and apps.

3.2. Squarespace is best for:

1. Creative Professionals

• Perfect for photographers, designers, artists, and writers who need visually stunning templates to showcase their work.
• Provides tools for bloggers, influencers, and content creators to establish a polished online presence.

2. Small Business Owners

• Best for small teams, particularly in creative fields like food, art, and lifestyle.

• Combines strong branding options with straightforward eCommerce features.

3. Demographics

• Primarily used by young professionals aged 25-34, balancing appeal across genders (slightly more popular among women).

• A great choice for individuals starting careers, side hustles, or small businesses.

Conclusion

Both Squarespace and Shopify shine in their respective areas, making the choice heavily dependent on your specific needs. If design and simplicity are your priorities, Squarespace is a solid pick. However, if you’re serious about eCommerce and scalability, Shopify remains the superior choice in 2025.

Evaluate your business goals, budget, and long-term growth plans to make the best decision.

Read more:

• Shopify vs WooCommerce: Choose The Best Fit For Your E-Commerce Project

• Shopify vs WordPress: Which Is The Best Fit For Your Online Business?