Shopify vs Squarespace Which is Better in 2024?

As a web designer and e-commerce consultant with years of experience under my belt, I've had the opportunity to work extensively with both Shopify and Squarespace. In 2024, these two platforms continue to be popular choices for online businesses, each with its own set of strengths and weaknesses. I've built numerous stores, guided countless businesses through the selection process, and even migrated sites between these platforms. This comprehensive Shopify vs Squarespace comparison will help you decide which platform is best for your online presence in 2024.

1. Ease of Use

When it comes to user-friendliness, both Shopify and Squarespace have their merits.

Shopify

In my experience, Shopify offers a straightforward and intuitive interface, especially for e-commerce. The platform's dashboard is well-organized, making it easy to manage products, orders, and customers. I recently helped a tech-novice client launch her handmade crafts business on Shopify, and she was impressed by how quickly we got her store up and running.

The step-by-step setup wizard is particularly helpful for newcomers. Most of my clients can handle day-to-day store management with minimal assistance after the initial setup.

Squarespace

Squarespace is renowned for its user-friendly interface, and in 2024, it continues to excel in this area. The platform's drag-and-drop editor is incredibly intuitive, allowing users to create stunning websites with ease. I've found that clients with no prior web design experience can quickly grasp Squarespace's interface.

However, when it comes to e-commerce functionality, Squarespace's interface can feel a bit less intuitive compared to Shopify. I've noticed that clients sometimes struggle to find specific e-commerce features within Squarespace's broader website-building interface.

Winner: Tie. Shopify is easier for pure e-commerce, while Squarespace is more intuitive for general website building.

2. Design and Customization

The ability to create a visually appealing and branded online presence is crucial for many of my clients.

Shopify

Shopify's theme store offers a wide variety of professionally designed templates, many of which are specifically tailored for e-commerce. In 2024, they've continued to expand their selection of mobile-responsive and customizable themes. I recently used their new AI-powered theme customizer for a client's boutique store, and it significantly sped up the design process.

For deeper customizations, Shopify uses its own templating language, Liquid. While powerful, I've found there's a learning curve involved. For one project, we needed a highly customized product page, which required hiring a Shopify expert.

For businesses seeking ultimate flexibility and performance, choosing headless Shopify is an option worth considering. This approach separates the front end from the back end, allowing for enhanced customization and optimized performance across various platforms. While Squarespace doesn't offer a comparable solution, this advanced Shopify setup can be ideal for unique, high-performance e-commerce experiences.

Squarespace

Squarespace is known for its stunning, designer-quality templates, and in 2024, they continue to impress. Their templates are modern, visually striking, and highly customizable through their intuitive drag-and-drop editor. I've found that Squarespace's designs often require less initial customization to look professional.

However, Squarespace can be more limiting when it comes to deep customizations. While you can add custom CSS and JavaScript, the platform doesn't offer the same level of backend access as Shopify. For a recent client who needed a unique product customizer, we hit some limitations with Squarespace's customization options.

Winner: Squarespace for general website design, but Shopify for e-commerce-specific design and deep customizations.

3. E-commerce Features

When it comes to selling online, the feature set of each platform can make a big difference.

Shopify

Shopify is purpose-built for e-commerce, and it shows in its feature set. Some key features I frequently use include:

• Unlimited products
• Comprehensive inventory management
• Abandoned cart recovery
• Multi-channel selling (social media, marketplaces)
• Advanced reporting and analytics

The Shopify App Store is a major strength. With thousands of apps available, I've always been able to find solutions for my clients' specific needs. For instance, I recently used a subscription box app for a client selling monthly tea packages, which wasn't available as a built-in feature.

Squarespace

Squarespace has significantly improved its e-commerce capabilities over the years. In 2024, it offers a solid set of features for small to medium-sized online stores:

• Product variants and SKU management
• Tax and shipping calculators
• Abandoned cart recovery (on higher-tier plans)
• Basic inventory management
• Integration with some third-party tools

While Squarespace's e-commerce features are sufficient for many small businesses, I've found them lacking for more complex e-commerce needs. For instance, when working with a client who needed advanced B2B features, we ultimately had to move from Squarespace to Shopify to meet their requirements.

Winner: Shopify, for its more comprehensive e-commerce feature set and extensive app ecosystem.

4. SEO and Marketing

Effective SEO and marketing tools are crucial for driving traffic and sales.

Shopify

Shopify provides a solid foundation for SEO with:

• Customizable title tags, meta descriptions, and URLs
• Automatic sitemap generation
• Built-in blog functionality

I've had great success optimizing Shopify stores for search engines. However, I've sometimes found the URL structure limitations frustrating. For instance, you can't remove the '/products/' slug from product pages.

Shopify's marketing tools have improved significantly. The email marketing feature, which integrates directly with your store data, has been particularly useful for my clients running targeted campaigns.

Squarespace

Squarespace has always had strong SEO features, and they continue to impress in 2024. Some features I appreciate include:

• Clean, customizable URLs
• Automatic schema markup
• Built-in SEO checklist

Squarespace's blogging features are particularly strong, which can be a significant advantage for content marketing strategies. I've found it easier to create and manage content-rich sites on Squarespace compared to Shopify.

In terms of marketing, Squarespace offers email campaigns, social media integration, and basic analytics. However, these features aren't as comprehensive as what you'd find on a dedicated e-commerce platform like Shopify.

Winner: Tie. Shopify has stronger e-commerce-specific SEO and marketing features, while Squarespace excels in content-related SEO and general website marketing.

5. Performance and Scalability

As businesses grow, performance and scalability become increasingly important.

Shopify

Shopify's hosted solution means you don't have to worry about server management. I've worked with several high-traffic Shopify stores, and the platform has consistently delivered excellent performance. Shopify's global CDN ensures fast loading times worldwide, which has been particularly beneficial for my clients with international customers.

Scalability is where Shopify really shines. I've seen stores go from a few sales a day to thousands without any performance issues. The platform handles traffic spikes remarkably well, which was a lifesaver when one of my clients' products went viral.

Squarespace

Squarespace also offers robust hosting with good performance for most websites. In my experience, Squarespace sites load quickly and handle moderate traffic well. Their image optimization features are particularly impressive, ensuring fast load times even for media-heavy sites.

However, when it comes to high-volume e-commerce, I've found Squarespace can struggle. For one client who experienced a sudden surge in orders during a flash sale, we encountered some performance issues that we likely wouldn't have faced on Shopify.

Winner: Shopify, particularly for its ability to handle high-volume e-commerce and traffic spikes.

6. Pricing

Understanding Shopify vs Squarespace pricing is crucial for making an informed decision, especially for small businesses.

Shopify

Shopify's pricing structure for 2024 is:

• Basic Shopify: $39/month
• Shopify: $105/month
• Advanced Shopify: $399/month

All plans include e-commerce functionality, but features like professional reports and lower credit card rates come with higher-tier plans. Shopify's transaction fees (if you're not using Shopify Payments) can add up, which is something to consider.

Squarespace

Squarespace's pricing for 2024 (for plans including e-commerce):

• Business: $33/month
• Basic Commerce: $36/month
• Advanced Commerce: $65/month

Squarespace's plans are generally cheaper than Shopify's, especially for advanced features. However, it's worth noting that even the highest-tier Squarespace plan may not offer the same level of e-commerce functionality as Shopify's mid-tier plan.

Winner: Squarespace for lower overall costs, but Shopify may offer better value for serious e-commerce businesses.

7. Payment Options

Flexible payment options can significantly impact conversion rates.

Shopify

Shopify Payments, powered by Stripe, is a strong native solution. It's easy to set up and provides a seamless checkout experience. Shopify also supports a wide range of third-party payment gateways, although these come with additional transaction fees unless you're on the Shopify Plus plan.

I've been able to implement region-specific payment methods for various clients, which has been crucial for international businesses.

Squarespace

Squarespace has fewer payment gateway options compared to Shopify. They offer integration with Stripe, PayPal, and Square. While this is sufficient for many small businesses, I've had clients with specific payment needs that Squarespace couldn't accommodate.

Squarespace doesn't charge additional transaction fees, which is a plus. However, the limited payment options can be a drawback for businesses with specific requirements or those operating in regions not supported by the available gateways.

Winner: Shopify, for its wider range of payment options and better support for international selling.

Conclusion

After years of working with both Shopify and Squarespace, I can confidently say that both are excellent platforms, but they shine in different areas.

Choose Shopify if:

• Your primary focus is e-commerce
• You need advanced e-commerce features or anticipate needing them as you grow
• You want access to a wide range of third-party apps and integrations
• You're planning to scale to a high-volume store

Choose Squarespace if:

• You want a visually stunning website with e-commerce capabilities
• Your focus is split between content (like blogging) and selling
• You have a small to medium-sized store with straightforward needs
• You value ease of use in website design over advanced e-commerce features

In my experience, Shopify is the better choice for businesses that are primarily focused on e-commerce, especially if they anticipate growth or have complex selling needs. Squarespace, on the other hand, is ideal for content-rich websites that also want to sell, or for small businesses with simple e-commerce needs who prioritize design and ease of use.

Remember, while the platform choice is important, it's your products, content, marketing strategy, and customer service that will ultimately determine your online success. Both Shopify and Squarespace provide robust tools to help you build a successful online presence.

Decided on Shopify for Your E-commerce Journey?

Take the next step with F22 Labs. Our Shopify developers can help you launch and optimize your online store. Whether you're interested in choosing traditional setups or headless Shopify, we'll ensure your e-commerce experience is smooth and successful from day one.

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