I get a lot of questions from clients about the differences between Shopify and Squarespace and which would be better for them. The answer is that they are both excellent and have pros and cons depending on your needs and wants. The first question you want to ask yourself before choosing one over the other is, how many products am I selling, and how custom do I want my site?

I've compiled a quick list of the differences between these two website platforms.

Shopify

Shopify is great if you have a lot of products to sell, mainly if any of these products have customization or many different variants.

• They offer many more customization options for plug-ins (apps), such as recently purchased pop-ups and item customizations. Some are free, and others cost extra monthly.

• Shopify offers free themes, but the more intuitive ones are extra. Most are from $100-$200.

• Shopify is can be limiting with its layouts. More advanced internal page designs can be tricky.

• The site's backend is very detailed, and you can utilize advanced inventory and shipping options and see detailed analytics about your products and customers.

• Currently, plans start at $29 per month.

Squarespace

• Squarespace is great for small businesses offering services or showing off a portfolio.

• It is excellent for smaller e-commerce sites with limited product options.

• Templates are included with hosting, and they are very customizable. You can change the layouts for every page!

• Extra plugins are available through outside developers for a small fee.

• Currently, basic commerce plans start at $23 per month.

• *Perk - If I start the website for you, you will receive 20% off your first year of hosting.

Both sites offer:

• Paypal and Credit Card payments

• Blogs

• Built-in analytics

• Automatic discounts and codes

• Gift cards

• Social media integration

• Modern templates

• Secure checkouts

As always, let me know if you have any questions or comments. Ready to get started? Send me a message!