If you want to build an informative website or blog, your choice should be Squarespace. Of course, Shopify also can be useful for this aim; however, it may not be enough all the time in terms of functionality. Thus, when it comes to Squarespace\u2019s advantages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- There are various high-quality templates on Squarespace, which you can create well-designed websites.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- It does not require prior information about designing a website because it is highly easy to use.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The platform has the perfect tools for photo editing and displaying images. It means that it has excellent features for blogs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Besides, Squarespace has various features for content display. Hence, creating a professional look for your website is easy and quick.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The platform is highly reliable and ready to help with any issue.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
When designing and maintaining an online store, Shopify would be a better choice than Squarespace. It is because most of its features for online shopping are not available on Squarespace. These are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Shopify allows shoppers to make their payments in multiple currencies. Thus, it is possible for online store owners to reach customers from different countries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- When it comes to buying and selling, tax calculations are necessary and significant on these platforms. Shopify\u2019s tax calculation functionality seems better than other platforms like Squarespace.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Third-party apps like Zoho and Quickbox increase the functionality of online stores. Shopify has efficient integration with these kinds of third-party apps.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The inventory management of Shopify seems better than Squarespace due to its being more sophisticated and varied.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Ease of Use<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Shopify and Squarespace have a user-friendly dashboard similar to most website builders. If we compare with details Shopify vs. Squarespace, we need to focus on the aims of these website builders. As we mentioned, Shopify is the best for online store websites, but if you need a content-based website, Squarespace will be a proper choice. Thus, it can be challenging to choose Squarespace even though you want to build an online store. In addition, Squarespace has many templates and customization opportunities, which is why creating a website design requires practice to get used to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Pricing of Squarespace and Shopify<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When preparing a budget for your business, pricing matters greatly since your payment should be worth spending. Besides, your budget may change according to your company\u2019s size or purpose. Hence, examining pricing and deciding whether it is worth it is crucial before choosing the right platform. Thus, here are the pricing details of Squarespace and Shopify:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Squarespace Plans<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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- Personal Plan: <\/strong>Personal plan is $16 per month, allowing you to create your content-driven website. The platform does not allow you to customize your website in this plan. Besides, users cannot sell their products via this plan. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Business Plan:<\/strong> The business plan is $23 per month. You can sell products with an additional 3% transaction fee per sale. Besides, this plan has more sophisticated features like announcement bars and pop-up messages.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n
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- Basic Commerce:<\/strong> Basic commerce plan requires $27 per month. The plan allows you to use point-of-sale functionality if your company is based in the United States. Besides, users can utilize business and personal plans\u2019 features as well.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Advanced Commerce:<\/strong> Advanced Commerce plan requires $49 per month. It has advanced features as well as other plans\u2019 features, such as real-time carrier shipping, advanced e-commerce features, abandoned cart recovery, etc. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Squarespace Select:<\/strong> This plan was announced recently and did not have a particular fee. The fee differs according to the needs of customers. You can access SEO consultation and support for your website. According to your needs, experts offer a negotiable price.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
All plans of Squarespace have discounts if you purchase the plan that you want on an annual basis. Moreover, the platform offers a two-week free trial for paid plans except for the Squarespace Select plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shopify Plans<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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- Basic Shopify: <\/strong>Basic Shopify plan costs $24 per month. This plan allows you to add two more users to your account with additional features. It is the cheapest plan; thus, you cannot access all platform features. With this plan, the platform only allows you to sell on your existing website. It means that you cannot design your online store on Shopify.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"shopify](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/dopingcloud\/blog\/en\/2022\/12\/shopify-prices.jpg\")
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- Shopify:<\/strong> Shopify plan costs $69 per month. Professional reporting features are available on the platform from this plan and up. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Advanced Shopify:<\/strong> The Advanced Shopify plan costs $229 monthly and includes nearly all features. Besides, you can add fifteen users to your account. It is an effective feature, especially for big businesses.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Like Squarespace, Shopify also offers a discount if you purchase a plan annually and a two-week free trial. Moreover, the abandoned cart saving feature is available on all plans of Shopify. If it is necessary for your business, you should consider this advantage. Lastly, you can have point-of-sale functionality with all plans. However, you should pay an additional fee, which is $89.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Pricing Comparison<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Since both platforms have different plans, it may be hard to distinguish and compare all plans with each other. Therefore, a comparison may be helpful for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Firstly, if you do not want to sell products and want to design an informative website for your company, the Personal Plan of Squarespace can be the right choice for you. It costs $16 per month and allows you to utilize all photo editing and content-displaying features with easy and strong templates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To create and maintain an online store, you should purchase either the Business Plan of Squarespace or the Basic Shopify plan of Shopify at least. When prices are compared, Business Plan seems $3 cheaper than Basic Shopify. However, Squarespace requires a 3% transaction fee. Besides, when Squarespace’s limited payment gateway options are considered, Shopify seems more advantageous in pricing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lastly, the Shopify Lite plan allows users to sell if they have a website or a Facebook page. Besides, it only costs $9. It means that if you have an option like that, you do not have to pay high monthly fees for two platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Payment Gateways<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The two platforms have a big difference in terms of payment gateways. Firstly, Squarespace only allows payments from four gateways. They are PayPal, Stripe, Afterpay, and Apple Pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, Shopify allows shoppers to make payments from more than 100 gateways. Since they also accept payments in various currencies, choosing Shopify seems more professional. You may not need to accept payments in different currencies if you have a local company. However, if you have a big business or are aiming to widen your business to the world, it would be best to choose Shopify. Even though Squarespace accepts payments from four gateways, these platforms are not available in some countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Themes<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The online stores are very similar to the physical shops. The shops should not be just attractive but also simple to navigate because otherwise, they will leave the store quickly. Websites are the same about this issue; if your website is not attractive in theme and the navigations are complicated, the users will leave the website, and it increases the bounce rate, which has a bad impact on SEO. Moreover, the statistics show people surf the web with their smartphones more than computers. In this situation, having a mobile responsive website theme is compulsory for a good user experience. The good news is no matter which website builder you choose, both Spotify and Squarespace have mobile responsive and user-friendly themes. However, Squarespace is the winner of the Shopify vs. Squarespace competition about themes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shopify <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Shopify has limited free templates, and you must pay for the other ones. These templates are minimal and simple, so you can draw attention to just your products. <\/p>\n\n\n
- Advanced Shopify:<\/strong> The Advanced Shopify plan costs $229 monthly and includes nearly all features. Besides, you can add fifteen users to your account. It is an effective feature, especially for big businesses.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Shopify:<\/strong> Shopify plan costs $69 per month. Professional reporting features are available on the platform from this plan and up. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Advanced Commerce:<\/strong> Advanced Commerce plan requires $49 per month. It has advanced features as well as other plans\u2019 features, such as real-time carrier shipping, advanced e-commerce features, abandoned cart recovery, etc. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Business Plan:<\/strong> The business plan is $23 per month. You can sell products with an additional 3% transaction fee per sale. Besides, this plan has more sophisticated features like announcement bars and pop-up messages.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n
- Personal Plan: <\/strong>Personal plan is $16 per month, allowing you to create your content-driven website. The platform does not allow you to customize your website in this plan. Besides, users cannot sell their products via this plan. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
![\"shopify](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/dopingcloud\/blog\/en\/2022\/12\/shopify-themes-1.jpg\")
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"squarespace](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/dopingcloud\/blog\/en\/2022\/12\/squarespace-knowledge-forum.jpg\")
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