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Ecommerce platforms · head to head

Shopify vs Squarespace

Connor Blake Written by Connor Blake · Edited by Sebastiaan Smits · Fact-checked by Mateus Rocha · Published September 30, 2026 · Updated September 30, 2026

Shopify is a store first, with an app and agency ecosystem that carries a brand from first sale to Plus, from €28 a month. Squarespace is a design-led website builder that sells on every plan, from €17 a month. Direct-to-consumer brands planning to grow pick Shopify; photographers, illustrators and boutique studios selling a modest range pick Squarespace.

Side by side

ShopifySquarespace
What it isHosted ecommerce with the largest app ecosystemDesign-first website builder with a store on every plan
Best forDirect-to-consumer brands of any sizeCreatives and small design-led brands
HeadquartersCanadaUnited States
Pricing modelMonthly plan + payment feesMonthly plan
PricingPublished monthly plans from Basic through Grow and Advanced, with Shopify Plus listed from €2,100 a month; an extra fee of 2% down to 0.2% applies to orders not taken through Shopify Payments.Published monthly or annual plans, all of which can sell; Basic carries a 2% online store fee that Core and above remove, and digital content and membership sales are charged a fee below Advanced.
Free optionFree trialFree trial
List price
as listed on September 30, 2026		€28 per month billed monthly, or €21 per month billed yearly (Basic plan)€17 per month billed monthly, or €12 per month billed annually (Basic plan)
Place in our ecommerce platforms ranking#4 of 11#7 of 11
Websiteshopify.comsquarespace.com

Both are reviewed in full in Best Ecommerce Platforms in 2026. Position in that ranking can be paid for; the wording of a review or of this comparison cannot. Placement disclosure.

Which one to choose

Choose Shopify if

selling products is the business itself, you expect the catalog and order volume to grow, and you want international selling and point of sale available when needed.

Shopify, #4 in the ranking · Visit Shopify →

Choose Squarespace if

your site is a portfolio or brand presence with a small shop attached, and you want polished templates, digital downloads and member areas without installing plugins.

Squarespace, #7 in the ranking · Visit Squarespace →

Where they differ

Room for a growing catalog

Squarespace's commerce toolset is thin once a store grows: limited variant options, few bulk tools, basic inventory and a smaller extension catalog. Shopify scales from a first order to large brands on Plus, with Flow automation and a point-of-sale product along the way. A Shopify product can carry up to 2,048 variants across three options, so the ceiling sits far higher.

Edge: Shopify

What comes built in for a small creative shop

Squarespace sells digital downloads and subscriptions, gates content behind member areas and sends email campaigns with no plugins, and its templates make a small range look considered. Shopify leans on its app store for many core functions, so the monthly bill creeps up. For a studio that wants a finished site from one subscription, Squarespace is tidier.

Edge: Squarespace

Selling across borders

Shopify lets a store show prices, take payment and refund in local currencies, with its own exchange rates or prices set per country, plus storefront translation and duty estimates; this needs Shopify Payments. Squarespace allows one store currency, and its multi-currency checkout converts at payment when Squarespace Payments or Stripe is connected. A brand that wants control over each market's prices fits Shopify.

Edge: Shopify

Fees on each order

Shopify adds 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced to orders taken through a provider other than Shopify Payments. Squarespace charges a 2% online store fee on Basic and none from Core up, but takes 7%, 5% or 1% of digital content and membership sales below its Advanced plan. Which costs less depends on your payment provider and what you sell.

Edge: even

Tally: Shopify 2, Squarespace 1, even 1.

When neither fits

Neither fits a seller with wholesale accounts and customer-specific price lists, or one who must keep its own payment processor without penalty. BigCommerce builds in B2B and multi-storefront features and does not charge for an outside gateway, and Shopware is open source with a real B2B toolkit.

See BigCommerce and Shopware among the 11 products in Best Ecommerce Platforms in 2026.

Questions and answers

Can I start on Squarespace and move to Shopify later?

You can, with rework. Squarespace's export is an XML file built for WordPress that leaves out store pages and product blocks, so the catalog has to be rebuilt. Shopify also imposes fixed URL folders such as /products/ and /collections/, so existing links will change and need redirects.

Is Shopify or Squarespace better for digital downloads and memberships?

Squarespace has both in its own toolset, but takes a fee on digital content and memberships: 7% on Basic, 5% on Core, 1% on Plus and none on Advanced. Shopify sells downloads through its own free Digital Products app, with files up to 5 GB; memberships there mean adding an app.

Do Shopify and Squarespace offer a free plan?

Neither does. Squarespace gives a 14-day free trial on every plan. Shopify gives 3 days free and then charges €1 a month for the first 3 months. Shopify Plus, the top tier, is listed as starting at €2,100 a month with custom pricing.

What do Shopify and Squarespace cost per month?

Shopify lists Basic at €28 a month, Grow at €78 and Advanced at €384, or €21, €59 and €289 billed yearly. Squarespace lists Basic at €17, Core at €24, Plus at €42 and Advanced at €79 billed monthly, or €12, €18, €32 and €69 billed annually.

Sources

Prices, plan limits and product facts on this page were checked against the vendors' own pages on September 30, 2026. Vendors change both without notice, so treat the figures as of that date.