Web hosting with an AI website builder and the Horizons AI app/site builder (now part of Hostinger AI Builder).
Shopify vs Squarespace
Features, pricing, strengths and trade-offs — and which one fits your situation.
The verdict
Editor’s verdict
Shopify is a dedicated commerce platform built to scale, while Squarespace is a design-led website builder that includes commerce as one of many features. Choose Shopify if selling products is your core business, you expect a growing catalogue, need advanced inventory, shipping and multichannel selling, or want access to thousands of apps and in-person POS. Choose Squarespace if your site is mainly about your brand, portfolio or services and you sell a modest number of products, since it offers stronger templates, blogging and built-in scheduling with less setup. Shopify often needs paid apps to fill gaps, which raises ongoing costs, while Squarespace's store features become limiting for complex catalogues. If you only need to sell a handful of items on a simple site, either works, and a builder such as Wix may also suit.
Neither has a permanent free plan, but you can start with a free trial.
Which should you choose?
Choose Shopify if…
- You need businesses whose main goal is selling products online, from first sale to large catalogues
- You're one of: online retailers, d2c brands, businesses selling in person and online
- Most complete commerce feature set among hosted builders
Choose Squarespace if…
- You need creatives and small businesses wanting a polished, design-led site with built-in selling
- You're one of: photographers and creatives, restaurants and local businesses, small online shops
- You want something quicker to learn
- Consistently polished design output with little effort
At a glance
| Shopify | Squarespace | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Businesses whose main goal is selling products online, from first sale to large catalogues | Creatives and small businesses wanting a polished, design-led site with built-in selling |
| Free plan | Trial only | Trial only |
| Starting price | From $29/mo | From $16/mo |
| Learning curve | Medium | Low |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, API | Web, iOS, Android |
| Ideal for | Online retailers, D2C brands, Businesses selling in person and online, Dropshippers | Photographers and creatives, Restaurants and local businesses, Small online shops, Consultants selling services |
Feature comparison
| Shopify | Squarespace | |
|---|---|---|
| AI site generation | Yes | Guided (Blueprint AI) |
| E-commerce | Yes | Yes |
| Blog / CMS | Yes | Yes |
| Hosting included | Yes | Yes |
| Custom domain | Yes | Yes |
| Code / content export | Limited | Limited |
| SEO tools | Yes | Yes |
| App / plugin marketplace | Yes | Limited |
| Design freedom | Medium | Medium |
IncludedLimited / higher plansNot available— Not confirmed
Security & enterprise
| Shopify | Squarespace | |
|---|---|---|
| Business / enterprise plan | Yes | Yes |
| SSO (SAML / OIDC) | Shopify Plus (SAML) | Enterprise plan |
| SCIM user provisioning | — | — |
| SOC 2 | Type II | Type II |
| ISO 27001 | Yes | — |
| HIPAA (BAA available) | — | — |
| GDPR DPA | Yes | — |
| Data residency options | — | — |
| No training on your data | — | — |
| Audit logs | — | — |
| Admin controls | Yes | Enterprise plan |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
From each vendor's security documentation. "—" = not confirmed. What to ask vendors · Compare all tools
What each tool does
Shopify
Shopify is a hosted e-commerce platform that provides an online store, checkout, payments, inventory, shipping and point-of-sale in one system. Stores are built on themes that can be customised visually or in Liquid code, with Sidekick and Shopify Magic generating store designs, content blocks and copy from prompts. A large App Store extends it for marketing, subscriptions, reviews and more.
Key features- Hosted storefront with themes and visual editor
- Shopify Checkout and Shopify Payments
- Sidekick AI assistant that edits themes and generates blocks
- AI store builder that generates a storefront from a description
- Inventory, shipping, tax and POS tools
- App Store with thousands of apps
Squarespace
Squarespace is an all-in-one website builder known for its designer templates, with hosting, SSL and commerce included. Its Blueprint AI builder asks about your goals and style, then assembles a site from its design system that you refine in the Fluid Engine editor. It also bundles scheduling, invoicing, email campaigns and member areas.
Key features- Designer templates and Fluid Engine drag-and-drop editor
- Blueprint AI guided site builder on every plan
- Online store for physical, digital products and services
- Blog with scheduling and categories
- Acuity Scheduling, invoicing and email campaigns
- Extensions for shipping, tax and accounting
Pricing
Shopify
Free plan: no (free trial). Paid from $29/mo billed annually (Basic)
Squarespace
Free plan: no (14-day trial). Paid from ~$16/mo billed annually (Personal)
Prices last checked September 2026. Plans change often — confirm on each vendor's site.
Pros and cons
Shopify
Strengths- Most complete commerce feature set among hosted builders
- Very large app and theme ecosystem
- Scales from a small shop to high-volume stores
- Mobile app for managing orders and products
- Many common features depend on paid third-party apps
- Extra transaction fees when not using Shopify Payments
- Blogging and content tools are basic compared with WordPress or Squarespace
- Full site design cannot be exported to another platform
Not ideal for: Portfolios, service businesses and content-led sites without much to sell will get better value from Squarespace, Wix or Framer.
Squarespace
Strengths- Consistently polished design output with little effort
- Hosting, security and updates fully managed
- Commerce, scheduling and marketing tools in one account
- Mobile app for editing and managing orders
- No free plan, only a trial
- Only blog and page content can be exported, not the full site design
- Far smaller extension ecosystem than Shopify or WordPress
- Advanced store needs such as complex filtering or custom checkouts are limited
Not ideal for: Large stores with complex catalogues should use Shopify, and sites needing extensive custom functionality are better on WordPress or Webflow.
Integrations
Shopify
Squarespace
FAQ
What is the main difference between Shopify and Squarespace?
Shopify is built for businesses whose main goal is selling products online, from first sale to large catalogues; Squarespace is built for creatives and small businesses wanting a polished, design-led site with built-in selling.
Is Shopify or Squarespace cheaper?
Shopify starts from $29/mo and Squarespace starts from $16/mo (as of September 2026). On entry price, Squarespace is cheaper — but compare what each plan includes, since limits differ. Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.
Do Shopify and Squarespace have free plans?
Neither has a permanent free plan, but you can start with a free trial.
Which is easier to use, Shopify or Squarespace?
Squarespace is generally quicker to learn (Shopify: medium, Squarespace: low learning curve).
What are good alternatives to Shopify and Squarespace?
Other website builders tools worth comparing include Hostinger, Wix and Framer.
