Square Vs Squarespace: Which is Better for Ecommerce in 2024

If you're a small business owner looking to build an online store, you've probably come across Square and Squarespace. Both platforms offer a variety of features and tools to help you get started, but which one is right for you?

In this blog post, we'll take a comprehensive look at Square vs Squarespace, comparing their ecommerce features, pricing, ease of use, and more. We'll also share our recommendations for which ecommerce platform is best for different types of businesses.

Square vs Squarespace: At a Glance

Here is the explanation about Square and Squarespace

What is Square?

Square is a company that specializes in payment processing and point-of-sale (POS) solutions. It offers a range of services for businesses, including payment processing hardware and software. Square is known for its small, portable card readers that allow businesses to accept payments via credit cards and mobile devices. In addition to payment processing, Square also provides various tools for managing sales, inventory, and customer data.

What is Squarespace?

Squarespace, on the other hand, is an all-in-one website builder and e-commerce platform. It's designed to help individuals and businesses create and manage their websites, including online stores. Squarespace offers a wide selection of customizable templates and features for building visually appealing websites. It provides hosting, domain registration, and e-commerce capabilities, making it a comprehensive solution for those looking to establish an online presence and sell products or services online.

Certainly, let's provide a quick overview of Square and Squarespace for e-commerce:

Square overview

• Payment-Centric: Square primarily focuses on payment processing and point-of-sale solutions, making it a robust choice for in-person and online transactions.
• Versatility: It's suitable for various business types, from small vendors to larger enterprises, looking for payment solutions integrated with e-commerce.
• Inventory Management: Square offers basic inventory management tools, making it easy to track and manage products.
• Marketplace Integration: You can integrate Square with other e-commerce platforms like BigCommerce and WooCommerce for a broader range of e-commerce features.

Squarespace overview

• All-in-One Platform: Squarespace is an all-in-one website builder and e-commerce platform that provides website design, hosting, and e-commerce capabilities.
• Design-Centric: Known for its beautiful and customizable templates, Squarespace is an excellent choice for those who prioritize aesthetics.
• User-Friendly: It's designed for users with limited technical expertise, offering a straightforward setup process.
• Limited Payment Options: While Squarespace does offer payment processing, it may have fewer payment gateway options compared to Square.

Squarespace vs Square: Features

Certainly, let's compare the features of Square and Squarespace for e-commerce:

Square features

• Payment Processing: Square is primarily known for its robust payment processing capabilities, making it easy for businesses to accept credit card payments both online and in person.
• Point-of-Sale (POS) Solutions: Square offers hardware and software solutions for in-person sales, including card readers, registers, and POS software.
• Inventory Management: Square provides basic inventory management tools, allowing you to track and manage your products.
• E-commerce Integrations: While Square has e-commerce capabilities, it often integrates with other platforms like BigCommerce and WooCommerce to offer a wider range of e-commerce features.

Squarespace features

• Website Building: Squarespace is a comprehensive website builder that enables you to create visually appealing and responsive websites, including online stores.
• Design-Centric Templates: It's known for its beautiful and customizable templates, making it an excellent choice for those who prioritize aesthetics.
• All-in-One Platform: Squarespace provides hosting, domain registration, and e-commerce capabilities in one package, simplifying website management.
• User-Friendly: It's designed with user-friendliness in mind, offering an intuitive interface and a straightforward setup process.
• E-commerce Tools: Squarespace includes essential e-commerce features such as product listings, shopping cart functionality, and order management.

Square vs Squarespace: Pricing

Here is a comparison of the pricing of Square and Squarespace:

Square pricing

• Free plan: Includes a basic website builder, product management, inventory tracking, shipping integration, and payment processing.
• Professional plan: $29 per month. Includes all of the features of the free plan, plus a custom domain name, email marketing, and social media integration.
• Performance plan: $79 per month. Includes all of the features of the Professional plan, plus abandoned cart recovery, gift cards, and product reviews.
• Premium plan: $129 per month. Includes all of the features of the Performance plan, plus access to premium templates and design features.

Squarespace pricing

• Personal plan: $23 per month. Includes a website builder, one website, and unlimited bandwidth and storage.
• Business plan: $27 per month. Includes all of the features of the Personal plan, plus a custom domain name, email marketing, and social media integration.
• Basic Commerce plan: $33 per month. Includes all of the features of the Business plan, plus product management, inventory tracking, shipping integration, and payment processing.
• Advanced Commerce plan: $65 per month. Includes all of the features of the Basic Commerce plan, plus abandoned cart recovery, gift cards, product reviews, and custom CSS and JavaScript.

Square vs Squarespace: Customer Service

Both Square and Squarespace offer good customer support, but there are some key differences.

Square offers 24/7 customer support via phone, email, and live chat. Squarespace offers 24/7 customer support via email and live chat, but phone support is only available Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific time.

Square's customer support is generally well-regarded by users, with many praising the company's fast response times and helpful representatives. Squarespace's customer support is also generally well-regarded, but some users have complained about long wait times for live chat support.

Overall, both Square and Squarespace offer good customer support, but Square has a slight edge due to its 24/7 phone support.

Here is a table comparing the customer support offered by Square and Squarespace:

Square vs Squarespace: Pros & Cons

Certainly, let's explore the pros and cons of Square and Squarespace for e-commerce:

Square pros & cons

Pros:

1. Payment Processing Expertise: Square is renowned for its seamless payment processing solutions, making it an excellent choice for businesses that prioritize secure and efficient transactions.
2. Versatility: It caters to various business types and sizes, from small vendors to larger enterprises, making it a versatile option for payment processing and basic e-commerce needs.
3. Inventory Management: Square offers basic inventory management tools, allowing businesses to track and manage their products.
4. Integration Options: You can integrate Square with other e-commerce platforms like BigCommerce and WooCommerce, expanding your e-commerce capabilities.

Cons:

1. Limited Website Design: Square's website design options are more limited compared to dedicated website builders like Squarespace. Customization may be limited for those seeking unique designs.
2. Less Focus on Aesthetics: Square's primary strength is payment processing, so it may not offer the same level of design and visual customization as Squarespace.

Squarespace pros & cons

Pros:

1. Stunning Website Design: Squarespace is renowned for its beautiful and customizable templates, making it an excellent choice for businesses that want visually appealing websites and online stores.
2. All-in-One Platform: It provides hosting, domain registration, website building, and e-commerce capabilities in one package, streamlining website management.
3. User-Friendly: Squarespace is designed to be user-friendly, with an intuitive interface and straightforward setup process, making it accessible to users with limited technical expertise.

Cons:

1. Focused on Design: While design is a strength, Squarespace's e-commerce capabilities may not be as advanced as dedicated e-commerce platforms in terms of features and scalability.
2. Cost: Squarespace can be relatively more expensive compared to some other website builders, which may not be ideal for budget-conscious businesses.

Square vs Squarespace: Integrations

Square and Squarespace both offer a variety of integrations with third-party services. This allows you to connect your online store to other tools and services that you use to run your business.

Here are some examples of integrations that are available for Square up and Squarespace:

Square integrations

• Shipping carriers: USPS, FedEx, UPS, DHL
• Payment processors: PayPal, Apple Pay, Stripe, Afterpay
• Marketing tools: Mailchimp, Constant Contact, Klaviyo
• Accounting tools: QuickBooks Online, Xero
• CRM systems: Salesforce, HubSpot

Squarespace integrations

• Shipping carriers: USPS, FedEx, UPS, DHL
• Payment processors: PayPal, Apple Pay, Stripe, Afterpay
• Marketing tools: Mailchimp, Constant Contact, Klaviyo
• Accounting tools: QuickBooks Online, Xero
• CRM systems: Salesforce, HubSpot
• Ecommerce platforms: Amazon, Etsy, eBay
• Social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
• Logistics platforms: ShipStation, ShipBob

Overall, Square online and Squarespace offer a similar range of integrations. However, Squarespace offers a few integrations that are not available for Square, such as integrations with ecommerce platforms and social media platforms.

Square vs Squarespace: Alternatives

Certainly, here are some alternatives to consider for both Square and Squarespace:

Alternatives to Square for Payment Processing:

1. PayPal: A widely used payment processing platform known for its versatility and international reach.
2. Stripe: Offers customizable payment solutions with a developer-friendly approach.
3. Authorize.Net: Known for its secure payment gateway services suitable for businesses of all sizes.

Alternatives to Squarespace for Website Building and E-commerce:

1. Shopify: A dedicated e-commerce platform offering a range of features for building and managing online stores.
2. Wix: A user-friendly website builder with e-commerce capabilities, known for its drag-and-drop interface.
3. BigCommerce: A robust e-commerce platform suitable for growing businesses with advanced features.
4. WordPress (with WooCommerce): A highly customizable and versatile option for building websites and e-commerce stores.
5. Weebly: A simple website builder with basic e-commerce functionality.

Square vs Squarespace vs Shopify

Here is the tabular comparison between Square, Squarespace and Shopify:

Conclusion

So, which platform is right for you? Square vs Squarespace?

Ultimately, it depends on your specific needs and requirements. If you're looking for an affordable ecommerce platform with basic features, Square is a good option. If you need more advanced features or want more control over the design of your website, Squarespace is a good choice.

If you're still not sure which platform is right for you, I recommend starting with Square Online's free plan. This will give you a chance to test out the platform and see if it's right for you. If you need more features, you can always upgrade to a paid plan or switch to Squarespace.

FAQs

Here are the most frequently asked questions related to Square and Squareup: