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Best for Dropshippers
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Is designed for growing businesses and has automated ecommerce tools
Offers unlimited product listing with all subscription tiers
Best for Versatility
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Easy to use drag-and-drop platform like Wix
Offers ecommerce tools for sales, payment, and fulfillment
Squarespace is our winner for its overall ability to accommodate a variety of online businesses. Consultants, event planners, merchants with physical products, dropshippers, and more will find a home with Squarespace.
However, anyone wanting to create a large-scale dropshipping brand will find that the tools offered by Shopify can get you to global proportions. Even if world ecommerce domination isn’t your goal, Shopify can make you into an expansive brand.
We break down the differences between the two ecommerce platforms, our experience building websites with each, and how to choose the right web builder for your business.
Shopify offers a large library of apps and widgets to integrate dropshipping suppliers, print-on-demand services, shipping, and other ecommerce services. While the design of your Shopify store will look professional and aesthetically pleasing, it’s not always geared toward multipurpose use.
On the other hand, Squarespace offers beautiful web design, ecommerce integration, and the ability to run businesses that provide services or digital products instead of just dropshipping.
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 Our Pick | |
| Star rating | ||
| Price | $29/mo-$2,300/mo | $25.00-$139.00/mo |
| Free trial | Yes — 3 days | Yes — 14 days |
| Money-back guarantee | ||
| Number of collaborators | Up to unlimited | Up to unlimited |
| Storage space | Unlimited | Yes — Up to unlimited |
| Custom domain | Yes (only for annual subscription) | |
| Site analytics | Yes, starting with Advanced plan | |
| Ecommerce tools | ||
| AI tools | ||
| Learn more | Get Shopify | Get Squarespace |
We use our proprietary grading rubric in all of our testing, which considers ease-of-use, design, price, compatibility, and features (among other metrics).
Our testing process is designed to ensure that the product isn't too confusing, delivers on its claims, and offers you a lot for a reasonable price. We sign up for each option ourselves, just like you would. Our ratings reflect the real-world performance of the product, which allows us to give our best advice on whether or not it's worthwhile.
To learn more about how we test, check out our full testing methodology here.
Shopify is a powerful resource for anyone wanting to start a dropshipping business. It has an extensive library of compatible apps and widgets to connect dropshipping wholesalers, print-on-demand services, and more. In addition, Shopify offers some of the most advanced global marketplace integration of any web builder we tested.
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We found Shopify to be the most intricate web builder we tested, requiring us to watch several third-party tutorials to get started. While this wasn’t a deal breaker, it also meant that it’s not beginner-friendly. We also found that the tools required a level of understanding that most people don’t have when first starting out. It wasn’t intuitive, and we had some trouble at first.
Once we finished our Shopify experience, we understood why serious online entrepreneurs use the platform. We also understood why people new to ecommerce might feel overwhelmed if they start with this web builder.
From the start, we found Squarespace easy to use and beautifully built. It includes hosting, security, and ecommerce all in one platform. The AI tools walked us through building our website so we weren’t overwhelmed, and we were able to set up our site quickly. We found the templates aesthetically pleasing and a professional way to showcase the visual elements of our business.
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That’s not to say there weren’t some issues. Once we set a template, we couldn’t change it, which was surprising. We had to manually edit all the elements to create a different layout, which isn’t the case with other web builder platforms. We also found Squarespace to have more limited customization options than other web builders.
Even still, Squarespace really gave us a sense of versatility and functionality. We could see using it for dropshipping as well as art sales, consulting practices, and a multitude of other online businesses that don’t directly deal with wholesaler-to-customer relationships.
Squarespace starts lower and caps payments lower. While Shopify's hosting costs can reach thousands, Squarespace makes scaling easier without huge overhead costs.
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Best Value | |
| Price range | $29/mo-$2,300/mo | $25.00-$139.00/mo |
| Best value plan | Advanced for $299/mo | Core for $36.00/mo |
| Free trial | Yes — 3 days | Yes — 14 days |
| Money-back guarantee | ||
| Learn more | Get Shopify | Get Squarespace |
Shopify doesn’t require you to input a payment method during your 3-day trial period, which means you can try out any of its plans for 72 hours without worrying about forgetting to cancel. Shopify includes a lot of functionality, so take the time to really get to know the platform and each of its tiers.
Basic:
Shopify:
Everything in Basic plus
Advanced:
Everything in Shopify plus
Plus:
Everything in Advanced plus
Squarespace also offers a trial without having to input a payment method. If you want to try it out, you’ll have 14 days to design and customize your website before committing to one of the plans below.
Basic
Core:
Everything in Basic plus
Plus:
Everything in Core plus
Advanced:
Everything in Plus plus
It’s essential for web builders to offer strong core features so that you get a solid foundation when building your site.
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Best Features | |
| Number of contributors | Up to unlimited | Up to unlimited |
| Custom domain | ||
| Free domain | ||
| Site analytics | ||
| Storage space | Unlimited | Yes — up to unlimited |
| AI tools | ||
| SEO tools | ||
| Professional email | Yes, free Google Workspace for the first year | |
| Learn more | Get Shopify | Get Squarespace |
As far as core features are concerned, these two are evenly matched, with a few small exceptions. Shopify offers unlimited storage space on all its plans, while Squarespace requires you to purchase a higher tier for unlimited storage. Since Squarespace is a place to showcase your media, including videos, this might be an issue for some businesses.
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Shopify includes email marketing initiatives in all its plans, while Squarespace gives you a year free with Google Workspace with its top three plans. You’ll have to pay for the Google Workspace email to keep it after the first year, but at least it’s an option. Shopify will link up and allow you to forward messages to your established third-party service, but don’t expect the ability to get one for free even when you’re just starting out.
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Just like when you have a brick-and-mortar store, ecommerce is nothing without proper marketing. There’s an infinite number of stores out there, and good marketing is going to help you stand out from the crowd.
Our Pick |
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| Customer accounts | ||
| Customer subscription plans | ||
| Customer loyalty programs | ||
| Product reviews | ||
| Newsletter list | ||
| Physical point of sale options | ||
| Physical product support | Shopify marketplace with distributor integration, shipping, customer support | Third-party extension integrations |
| Sales and discounts | ||
| Gift cards | ||
| Extras | Some AI tools, large widget library, customizable templates, global sales support, BSB capabilities, bot protection, and more | AI tools, customizable templates, SEO checklist, widget library |
| Learn more | Get Shopify | Get Squarespace |
Shopify has so many different kinds of ecommerce integration and marketing opportunities that there’s no contest here. Squarespace has a stellar marketing section too, but Shopify eclipses it.
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While Shopify doesn’t offer a professional email like Squarespace, it does offer a variety of email marketing options if you want to connect to a third-party email service. Shopify will even email your customers if they abandon their cart without finishing the purchase, a service we didn’t see offered by Squarespace.
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Flexible and affordable pricing
Pay-per-item option instead of monthly fees
As a business owner, you need a cookie policy to disclose what you do with user data. You also need privacy policies, a refund policy, and others. With TermsFeed, you can quickly create legal provisions for GDPR, CCPA, CPRA, and more.
When you run a store, you will need support if your site goes down. We contacted customer support for both companies to see who had the better response.
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Best Support | |
| 24/7 customer support | ||
| Customer support options | AI chat, live chat, resource pages | Live chat, email, forums, online guides |
| Learn more | Get Shopify | Get Squarespace |
We were surprised that Shopify’s support was lacking outside of the AI chat and resource pages. While we needed to use the chatbot to get answers to our issues with Shopify, Squarespace’s online guides were so helpful and comprehensive that we never felt the need to reach out.
Shopify will send you to a real person via chat if it can’t answer your questions. We just spent more time than we’d have liked getting there. Squarespace offers helpful tips and guides so that you never feel you need to wait around for support.
Squarespace is a better tool for multiuse. No matter if you’re an artist showcasing the work you have for sale or a dropshipper wanting to dominate the kitchen gadgets market, you’ll find a useful Squarespace design. Shopify has a lot of tools for dropshippers, but other business owners may feel its services are lacking.
If you’re a dropshipping business, Shopify offers more options, including scalable global markets. It’s also a wiz with global currency. Even if you only want to sell domestically, you’ll find a large library of wholesalers and other integrations to take your brand to a higher level.
Squarespace is definitely less expensive, starting with its highest-tier plan.
Yes! Squarespace has smart integrations, so it doesn’t matter what you sell. You’ll be able to do it professionally on its platform.
Squarespace is the better option for most businesses due to its versatility, ecommerce tools, and price point.
| Category | |
Our Pick |
| Value | ||
| Core features | ||
| Ecommerce features | ||
| Compatibility & customer support | ||
| Learn more | Get Shopify | Get Squarespace |
Squarespace offers better value for money. It’s more economical, includes integrated email, and provides user-friendly customer support.
Easy to use drag-and-drop platform like Wix
Offers ecommerce tools for sales, payment, and fulfillment
If you plan on being a global or large domestic dropshipping brand, you may want to migrate to Shopify eventually. For the most part, however, Squarespace will give you a beautiful and functional website that caters to various businesses.
Squarespace is our top pick, but you could try a comparable service like Wix if you're still unsure. It’s beginner-friendly and even includes a free tier, so you can comfortably build your site before it launches.
Small business owners who want WordPress integration or a more hands-on approach may consider a combination web hosting and builder platform like GoDaddy or Hostinger.
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| Star rating | ||||
| Best for | Best for small to mid-sized businesses | Best for beginners | Best for Square POS businesses | Best for scaling |
| Price range | $25.00-$139.00/mo | Free-$159/mo | Free or $79.00/mo (billed annually) | $29/mo-$2,300/mo |
| Learn more | Read Our Squarespace Review | Read Our Wix Review | Read Our Square Online Review | Read Our Shopify Review |
Flexible and affordable pricing
Pay-per-item option instead of monthly fees
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