Shopify vs. Squarespace (2018) – Where should I build my website?

Shopify vs. Squarespace, what is the better platform for my online store? Let’s make this choice simple and clear, are you trying to build a website or an online store? If your goal is to create an online store with advanced functionality, professional reporting and a vast inventory of products, then Shopify is your best option. If your primary aim to create an attractive website to showcase content, then Squarespace is definitely your best bet.

Now, this does not mean that Squarespace does not provide a great online store experience; they do and do a great job at it as well. There “our all-in-one platform” gives you everything you need to run your business. We only suggest Shopify as it offers superior functionality like Dropshipping and its ‘point of sale‘ (POS) kit.

3 Questions to Provide Clarity

Ask yourself these 3 questions and the choice between Shopify vs. Squarespace will become very clear.

Question 01: Do you want to sell outside your online store while keeping your inventory and stock count automatically synced?

If you said “YES” to this question then Shopify is your clear choice. A key feature offered by Shopify is a ‘point of sale’ (POS) kit. It works with both iOS and Android devices and allows you to sell easily not just online but in actual physical locations too. The ‘point of sale‘ (POS) kit comprises a barcode scanner, card reader, cash drawer and receipt printer, you can buy any of these items individually or as a package.

Squarespace can still sell in physical locations too, but you could not accept chip and pin or print receipts; you would have to ask them to enter their card details into a laptop or tablet and email their receipt.

Question 02: Will you be using a fulfillment and dropshipping service?

A fulfillment service is a third-party warehouse that prepares and ships your orders for you. Dropshipping is a retail fulfillment method where a selling merchant doesn’t stock or own inventory. Instead, the merchant purchases inventory as needed from a third party, usually a wholesaler or manufacturer, and ships directly to the customer.

If you’re interested in starting a dropshipping business then Shopify is your clear choice.

Squarespace doesn’t directly integrate with fulfillment services but offers Shipwire, Printful, and Amazon FBA Fulfillment through our integration with ShipStation.

Question 03: Do you need access to a specific payment gateway?

Shopify allows you to use over 100 different ‘payment gateways’ to be used almost anywhere and in most currencies. Squarespace works with 2 payment gateways, Stripe and PayPal. Stripe can only sell goods in 25 countries, leaving Paypal as the sole payment processing option. 

Keep in mind, the 2 most popular third-party payment gateways are Stripe and PayPal, so is this such a bad thing?

So what is Squarespace Best For?

If your primary aim to build an attractive website to showcase content, then Squarespace is definitely your best bet. Not everybody needs a really advanced e-commerce website, so if your goal is just to sell a few products online, or offer a professional service, Squarespace is a great choice.

Shopify vs. Squarespace, Thoughts or Questions?

If you’ve used either Shopify and Squarespace, it would be great to hear your thoughts, please feel free to post your comments or questions below. 

If you need help with either platform, please feel free to contact us.

Hope you enjoyed this article, thanks for reading!