What is more user friendly? What offers more capability with a plan (shipping, email marketing, tax)? What is better for products vs. services? What’s better for beginners?

Hey all,

I’ve been on squarespace for some time but I always got the feeling that it’s more geared towards digital products, blogs, and landing pages whereas Shopify is more about physical products. But I’m not sure if it’s worth it to make the switch.

Which do you prefer and why? Do you feel there are any big feature discrepancies between them or that one does X better than Y and the other does Y better than X?

Just trying to figure things out here.

Thanks!

I'm starting a clothing business online using POD for my designs and such currently and I have a domain bought through Namecheap and I've seen a lot of people discouraging the usage of Wix in terms of usage for eCommerce and I was wondering whether Shopify or Squarespace would be better for eCommerce and running a clothing website completely online. I'm also open to any other suggestions for sites/services to use

Hello. I'm currently using squarespace for my e-commerce business. Currently, I don't have a lot of products, just very niche products. Eventually, I will scale my business into tech so I don't have a strong need for e-commerce except that for the time being, I do want to see some results. For those who switched from Squarespace to Shopify, I'm curious as to why. Is there a competitive edge? I heard that e-commerce functionalities are significantly better on Shopify but it's not a selling point because I can still sell on Squarespace. Plus Squarespace seems like a better option for my long term goals. I'm curious about those who've switched from Squarespace to Shopify. What made you switch and are primarily in the e-commerce business or something else? Thanks. I'd like to get others' input on this since Shopify does seem like a viable option. Just not sure if it'd be a good choice for me.

Does anyone have experience with trying weekly subscriptions with either platform? A friend is starting a cleaning business and they will be billed weekly.
The problem is each week the client has the option to add on a service. How do you bill weekly and give the options for add ons? I tried to help but I don’t know.

I'm currently researching platforms to switch my online store. Currently using Wix but considering switching to Shopify, but the monthly cost (plus app fees) seems pretty steep compared to alternatives like Wix, Squarespace, or even WooCommerce.

For those of you who chose Shopify over other options, was it worth it, and why?

• What made it stand out?

• Are the extra costs justified by better tools, conversions, or ease of use?

• Did anyone switch to Shopify from wix? Has it been better?

Trying to make a smart decision before committing long-term. Appreciate any insight from folks who've been through this!

I've been using Shopify as my website platform for a bit over a year. Ive made zero sales that arent family or friends, spent a lot of money on it every month and have dumped 20+ hours into making it the way I want it. I haven't learned anything about marketing, they certainly teach you nothing. Ive spent a lot of money trying to run ads here and there but its all external through apps integrated on the platform. Its been a ton of work and investment, and have had zero results. I just looked into squarespace and i already see that its 3/4ths of the price monthly, and even less if I pay yearly. I get a lot more marketing about squarespace than I do shopify but I really want to know if someone can explain the pros/cons of both like im five years old and/or give me experienced opinions on both platforms. I have no idea what I'm doing and I just want to sell my handmade wallets and stuff to people all over the world. Any tips?

For a frame of reference, my website is luscaleatherDOTcom and its $40/mo through shopify and what looks like the same package through squarespace is $28/mo and they promise help with marketing which I desperately need help with

Setting up the website for my first business. I know Shopify has lots of options that make selling real easy, but I love the clean look of Squarespace. Curious to hear what everyone’s experiences are with those platforms.

Hi guys I am a web designer and have a client that wants a basic ecommerce website built. Only maximum 5/10 products, maybe even less. Only 2/3 pages in total, homepage, about, store etc. I usually build sites with elementor and WordPress but i'm thinking an all in one solution like Squarespace or Shopify would work better for such a project. Any recommendations about which one would be better for this?

I’m starting a e-commerce business that sells products and wants to have a loyalty program for our customers, what site is the best to use? User friendly with little website designing experience. Thank you

One of my business is currently operational on Squarespace. Tons of domain authority, SEO score, and overall great ranking so I am a bit hesitant to move platforms.

However, I have been working with Shopify for my other e-commerce ventures and the functionality/features that Shopify offers make Squarespace appear like an absolute terrible platform.

At this point I really am wondering if Squarespace is even trying to be competitive with Shopify or have they completely given up on e-commerce side of their business expansion.

I currently have a small business where I sell in person (markets and trade shows) as well as an online shop. I have used Squarespace for years for various things and I really enjoy it. I like how the tools work and I like the general aesthetic.

My site has been gaining traffic but I really need to dedicate some time to marketing etc to make the shop a good earner, but before I dedicate this time, can someone please give me the run down on Shopify?

Treat me like an idiot and let me know why you use Shopify over others, or why you use Squarespace over others. Please keep it to these two as I don't want to confuse stuff, if you use another site, great but I only want to discuss these two right now.

cheers

Every store I’ve dabbled in I’ve relied on Shopify and it feels like most other people do too.

Would you guys say there are any benefits using anything else or is it best to just rely on Shopify forever?

Anyone that has had experience with both shopify and squarespace, which do you think is better in terms of efficiency and reliability? For reference, I'm creating an athletic wear brand and I'm indecisive as to which platform to use as my main source of traffic/contact.

I am starting an online store and confused between wix, squarespace and Shopify. I have heard a lot about Shopify but Wix has evolved a lot in the past. What is your opinion?

For a small business to sell physical and printable products - Shopify vs. Wordpress vs. Squarespace vs. Wix? I also may have a long-term blog so lots of writing.

It's very important to me to have my own website shop, not JUST be on marketplaces such as Etsy, Amazon, etc.

I've looked over lots of conversations and articles on this topic but am still unclear.

Is this correct? What I think what I overall hear people saying is:

• Squarepace and Wix are known as easy for anyone to make a website (which REALLY appeals to me). They're an ongoing cost and nickel-and-dime you for many features. They're more learning curve than some may realize. It's debatable how well SEO can do there. I'm unsure if they're good for ecommerce.

• Shopify is easy for anyone to set up and maintain. It's limited in what it can do but that also makes it easier than Wordpress and maybe way less moving parts that can cause problems or complication. It's I guess more expensive than Wordpress - yet if no website developer person is needed then there is not that cost. So in that sense is it way cheaper than Wordpress? It has some limits such as can't sell restricted products but I doubt any of my product ideas are on restricted list (haven't read that list yet). Shopify has been enjoyed and recommended by some seemingly long-term successful shops and artists.

• Wordpress does more customization than the other options ever can. I don't really know specific examples of when this could matter to me cause that is probably stuff I wouldn't realize I want until I dive into setting up a shop. One example I heard was to be able to design checkout page to look different ways. One concern is I heard Shopify isn't great for products with customization. I definitely want custom options for some of my notebooks. Another concern is it sounds not beginner-friendly or easy (and I spent countless hours years ago trying to learn CSS or code or whatever only to then be told I had done it all wrong and in comparison Squarespace ended up seeming EXTREMELY appealing and easy and fun). I heard mixed things even on Elementor and Astra after thinking maybe those are the ticket to Wordpress fun ease. That makes me think if I pick Wordpress I'd need to hire an expensive builder/maintainer. Startup costs being even higher would make life much harder and slow the whole business down. Other concern is when I've heard Wordpress can be full of need for updates, plug-in problems, so many options some find it overwhelming, etc. I don't know if it's easily mobile-friendly which is one thing I love about Squarespace. But yes, some say Woocommerce is better than Shopify. I guess it depends what details the business needs?

-- PLEASE answer this in a super "layman's terns," simple, understandable way, keeping in mind I am absolutely not experienced at website design and am limited in how much time, energy, learning curve I am open to putting in to learning website design. I love graphic design and copywriting and branding but all those are different topics. The actual tools and structure of websites such as codes and plug-ins is what I mean I am barely knowledgeable in and barely open to directing my energy into learning. (There are only so many houes each day so we all must choose what interests/skill-building to focus on.) I love the idea of DIYing it all and not having to find money for expensive web designer and especially don't want to feel chained to years of needing a designer to update for me (though maybe I should reframe this; like I'd far rather always need a mechanic my whole life than learn to completely fix/maintain my own car).

I am an artist who needs a portfolio and a shop. I sell things like stickers, prints, and other things online. I want access to the Instagram/Facebook online selling feature. I currently have BOTH a Shopify (this one was recommended by another art-repreneur) and a Squarespace. I cannot seem to find an easy way to make Shopify feature my portfolio properly (maybe I can't find the gallery function?), so I have both with Squarespace as my online portfolio and Shopify as my shop ($$$$$$). Should I switch my e-commerce to Squarespace? Is there an argument for keeping both? They link to each other, so it's not like they're completely separate branding/identify-wise.

Shopify Pros-

-easy integration across platforms (Instagram, youtube, tiktok(I think))

• discounted shipping

-very analytics heavy/forward

Shopify Cons

-not super user-friendly for business owner

-$35/month on lowest rung (for me??)

Squarespace Pros-

-Beautiful and easy-to-use portfolio site

Squarespace Cons

-I'd have to switch my whole store over

-??