Shopify vs Squarespace
Shopify and Squarespace are both E-commerce tools. Shopify is aimed at small businesses and enterprise, while Squarespace is aimed at small businesses and creators. Squarespace costs less, from $25/mo versus $39/mo for Shopify.
The leading hosted e-commerce platform
Design-led websites with commerce
| Pricing | Paid · $39 | Paid · $25 |
| Starting price | $39/mo | $25/mo |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Free trial | 3 days | 14 days |
| Built for | Small businesses, Enterprise | Small businesses, Creators |
| Platforms | web, ios, android | web, ios, android |
| Country | CA · 2006 | US · 2003 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Shopify if
Merchants of any size who want a managed, scalable store and are in a Shopify Payments country.
- Most complete hosted commerce stack
- Reliable checkout with high conversion (Shop Pay)
- Enormous app and theme ecosystem
Look elsewhere if: Digital-only creators (Gumroad, Payhip) or teams wanting full code control (WooCommerce, Medusa).
Choose Squarespace if
Creatives and small businesses wanting a beautiful site with minimal effort.
- Beautiful designs out of the box
- All-in-one simplicity
- Reliable hosting
Look elsewhere if: Large stores (Shopify) or content-heavy sites (WordPress).
Shopify vs Squarespace pricing
Shopify
- Basic$39/mo$29/mo billed annually; 2.9% + 30¢ online card rate
- Grow$105/mo$79/mo billed annually; 2.7% + 30¢, 5 staff accounts
- Advanced$399/mo$299/mo billed annually; 2.5% + 30¢, 15 staff accounts
- Plusfrom $2,300/moEnterprise features, B2B, checkout customization
Squarespace
- Basic$25/mo$19/mo billed annually; 2% store fee, 7% digital fee
- Core$39/mo$29/mo billed annually; 0% store fee, 5% digital fee
- Plus$65/mo$49/mo billed annually; 0% store fee, 1% digital fee
- Advanced$139/mo$99/mo billed annually; 0% store and digital fees
Shopify · Key features
- Themes and a drag-and-drop online store editor
- Shopify Payments, Shop Pay and multi-currency with Markets
- Inventory, orders, shipping labels and POS
- App store with 8,000+ apps and Flow automation
- Checkout extensibility, B2B and headless (Plus)
- Shopify Magic AI and Sidekick assistant
Cons
- Transaction fees unless using Shopify Payments (not available everywhere)
- App costs add up quickly
- Theme customization needs Liquid knowledge
Squarespace · Key features
- Award-winning design templates
- E-commerce with products and subscriptions
- Acuity scheduling integration
- Email campaigns and member areas
- Domains and hosting included
- Blueprint AI site builder
Cons
- Less flexible than WordPress
- E-commerce features behind Shopify
- Slower page builder for complex layouts
Shopify vs Squarespace: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Shopify or Squarespace?
Squarespace starts at $25/mo and Shopify at $39/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Shopify and Squarespace have a free plan?
Shopify has no free plan, a 3-day free trial. Squarespace has no free plan, a 14-day free trial.