Shopify vs Squarepace
AKA how to choose the right one for you and your business
Picture this, you’ve just had the brilliant idea to start a new business or you are thinking of finally taking the leap and getting a website for your business. Great, but now you’re confused and overwhelmed trying to decide if Squarespace or Shopify is the best platform for your business. Both platforms have their pros and cons, and we love them both for different reasons so it's important to understand the differences between the two before making a decision.
Squarespace Benefits
Squarespace is a website builder that also offers some basic e-commerce functionality. It's a great option for businesses that primarily want to sell a service or display their work want with a beautiful, professional-looking website.
Some of the benefits of Squarespace include:
Easy to use: Squarespace has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to build and manage your website. It uses a drag and drop builder to easily create new pages or edit exisiting ones.
All-in-one solution: Squarespace offers everything you need to build and run your website, including hosting, templates, and e-commerce functionality.
Beautiful templates & layouts: Squarespace is known for its stunning templates that are perfect for showcasing products. Now with Squarespace 7.0 there are even more custom layouts that don’t require any coding knowledge.
Affordable pricing: Squarespace offers competitive pricing, with plans starting at just $12 USD per month.
However, there are some downsides to using Squarespace:
Limited e-commerce functionality: Squarespace's e-commerce functionality is not as robust as Shopify's, which may be a deal-breaker for some businesses.
Limited payment options: Squarespace only supports a handful of payment gateways, which may not work for all businesses.
Businesses best suited to Squarespace
We have found over the years that Squarespace suits businesses that are selling a service, want to show of their creative works or just need basic e-commerce and aren’t planning on expanding their e-commerce side. In fact this site was designed and built using Squarespace which shows how much we adore it.
Here are some examples:
Hairdressers
Beauty Salons
Yoga and Pilates Studios
Influencers and Content Creators
Artists
Agencies
Graphic Designers
Real Estates Agencies
Portfolios
Nail Salons
Interior Desigers
Digital products
Basic e-Commerce
Blogs
Musicians
Coaches
Squarespace is perfect for you if ...
You are looking for a website that is easy to use and update
You’re not particularly tech savvy
You want a website that you don’t need to know how to code to get great results
You like to do DIY edits
You want a website platform that does everything including e-commerce, blogs, email and marketing
You don’t have a lot of time (or don’t want to spend the time) making changes and updates
You don’t ever want to sell more than 100 items in an online store and don’t need complex e-commerce such as wholesale, bundles and complicated discounts.
Some of the Squarespace Websites we have designed and built
Shopify Benefits
Shopify is a dedicated e-commerce platform that is designed specifically for businesses that want to sell products online, it’s our go to website platform for e-Commerce businesses and brands.
Some of the benefits of Shopify include:
Robust e-commerce functionality: Shopify offers a wide range of features and functionality specifically designed for e-commerce, including inventory management, shipping, and payment processing.
Scalability: Shopify is perfect if you are planning on scaling your e-commerce businesses and will need more complex features such as wholesale capabilities.
Extensive app store: Shopify has an extensive app store that allows you to add additional functionality to your store as needed.
Multiple payment options: Shopify supports over 100 payment gateways, giving you more flexibility in how you accept payments.
Great customer support: Shopify offers excellent customer support, with 24/7 phone, email, and live chat support.
With some of the recent updates, Shopify is now even easier to use than ever.
Modern templates that are responsive with great UX/UI
However, there are some downsides to using Shopify for e-commerce:
More expensive: Shopify's pricing is generally more expensive than Squarespace's, with plans starting at $39 USD per month.
Steeper learning curve: Shopify can be more difficult to use than Squarespace, especially for beginners as it has a more complex backend with far more options than Squarespace
It’s not great for blogging. It’s fine if you are using your blogs to drive traffic to your website but it’s not the best to use as primarily a blogging or content site. Squarespace does this much better and is cheaper too.
Businesses best suited to Shopify
We’ve been using Shopify for over 8 years now and we find it best for businesses that are primarily selling products such as e-Commerce brands. We’ve even had quite a few of our own e-commerce stores that we have built in Shopify along with our client’s store.
Shopify is perfect for you if ...
You need a website platform that can handle complex e-Commerce
You don’t mind learning a more complicated system
You want an e-commerce website that you can customise with apps so you don’t have to hire a developer
You are looking for a professional looking online store
You want to be able to easily scale and grow without having to change websites
You want a website with the best ecomm practices already built in
Some of the Shopify Websites we have designed and built
So, which platform is best for your businesses?
Ultimately, it depends on your specific needs and budget. Squarespace is a beautiful, easy-to-use website that is perfect for showing off your content with basic e-commerce functionality, while Shopify is the way to go if you need more robust e-commerce features and support. Whichever platform you choose, make sure to do your research and consider all the pros and cons before making a decision.
Still confused and would like us to design and build your website for you?
Book a discovery call with us and let’s get this thing moving!
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