Head-to-head
Shopify vs Squarespace: which one in 2026?
Shopify is a hosted commerce platform for stores that grow into many products and channels, and Squarespace is a website builder from Squarespace, Inc. that treats the shop as one section of a designed site. Shopify leans toward selling, Squarespace toward presentation with a lighter set of commerce controls.
Verdict
Shopify suits businesses that earn mainly through the shop, because apps, channels and headless options keep working as volume grows. Squarespace suits a site-first business where products are a side line and bundled services matter. Confirm Squarespace's entry price before budgeting, since its pricing pages show two sets of figures, and read both privacy policies yourself, because neither says anything about AI training.
Shopify and Squarespace side by side
| Shopify | Squarespace | |
|---|---|---|
| Price entry | €21 per month for Basic on yearly billing | €14.52 per month, billed yearly |
| Billing and trial | A 3-day free start, then EUR 1 monthly for three months. Basic is EUR 28 on monthly billing and EUR 21 when paid for a year. | A 14-day trial with no card, and no free plan. The pricing pages show two sets of figures: euro amounts such as 17 and 12 for Basic, but a product page that says $19. |
| Charge for outside card processors | Orders paid outside Shopify Payments add 2% on Basic, then 1%, 0.6% and 0.2% moving up to Plus. | The store sales fee is 2% on Basic and zero on the three higher plans. Digital content carries 7%, 5%, 1% and 0%. |
| Built-in card rates | 1.9% plus EUR 0.25 on Basic, 1.8% on Grow, 1.6% on Advanced and 1.4% on Plus. | 2.0% plus EUR 0.25 on Basic and Core, 1.7% on Plus, 1.5% on Advanced, and a 2.0% currency conversion charge. |
| Who can log in | Basic gets no extra staff accounts, Grow five, Advanced fifteen, and Plus has no limit. | Two contributors on Basic, then no limit on Core, Plus and Advanced, so editors can be added freely. |
| Content, bookings and memberships | Sales channels span online, point of sale, Shop app, social, marketplaces and AI chats. No native booking or membership product appeared in the pages read. | Scheduling, invoicing, paid memberships, donations and limited releases sit inside the same subscription as the shop. |
| Inventory and shipping depth | Basic offers 10 inventory locations and Plus 200. Advanced adds live carrier rates from third parties. | Inventory tracking, label printing, gift cards, digital downloads and subscriptions are listed. Automated tax and shipping labels begin at Core. |
| AI helpers | Sidekick handles setup, images and copy in the admin, with AI-made store designs and selling through AI chats. | Blueprint AI Builder drafts a site after a few questions. Design Intelligence and writing tools cover headlines, descriptions, SEO tags and email. |
| Where the data lives | No hosting region is named, EEA data goes to Shopify International Ltd., and closed stores are kept two years. | The policy refers to servers in the US, cites Data Privacy Framework certification and Standard Contractual Clauses, and may keep de-personalized data indefinitely. |
Where each one wins
Shopify wins on
- Shopify's 16,000+ apps and Storefront API give a growing store far more room than a template-bound site.
- Plus offers 200 inventory locations, phone support and a checkout that can be customized.
- Shopify Payments falls to 1.4% plus EUR 0.25 at the top, under Squarespace's best rate of 1.5%.
Squarespace wins on
- Squarespace drops the store sales fee to zero on Core, while Shopify's outside-gateway fee never fully disappears.
- Contributor seats are unlimited from Core, against five staff accounts on Shopify Grow.
- Scheduling, memberships, donations and email campaigns arrive in the one subscription.
Which to pick
Pick Shopify if
You sell a deep catalog across several channels, want developer access through an API, or expect B2B pricing and many warehouses.
Pick Squarespace if
Your shop is one part of a designed site that also takes bookings or paid memberships, and several people need editor access.
Each tool in context: Shopify profile, Squarespace, and the full Best AI Ecommerce Platforms in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What does Squarespace actually charge each month?
The pricing pages show two sets of figures. Euro amounts per plan appear, such as 17 and 12 for Basic, without labelling which applies to annual terms, while the product page says plans start at $19 after the trial. Check the amount at checkout.
Do Squarespace and Shopify differ on staff access?
Yes. Squarespace allows two contributors on Basic and unlimited ones from Core. Shopify gives Basic no additional staff accounts, Grow five, Advanced fifteen, and Plus an unlimited number, so a team of eight needs Advanced on the Shopify side, at the yearly rate listed.
Which platform bundles bookings and memberships?
Squarespace lists scheduling, invoicing, memberships, donations and limited releases beside the store, with Acuity Scheduling mentioned in its FAQ. Shopify's pages read show sales channels and apps, but no native booking product, so appointment booking there relies on an installed app.
Can I sell digital downloads on both?
Squarespace lists digital downloads and charges a content fee of 7% on Basic, falling to 0% on Advanced. Shopify's pricing details read do not describe a digital content fee. Check app requirements for file delivery and licensing before launching a download shop on either.