Shopify vs Squarespace (2026): Which Is Better for Selling Online?

For most stores, Shopify is the better buy in 2026. Basic costs $29 a month billed yearly, with a 2.9% + 30¢ card rate and no store fee on Shopify Payments. Squarespace Core costs exactly the same as Shopify Basic at the same card rate, so the choice at that price is about features. At standard card rates, Squarespace wins on cost only at its higher tiers, or on Basic below $500 a month in sales.

The cheapest sticker price is a trap. Squarespace Basic lists at $19 a month billed yearly, but it adds a 2% fee to every online sale. That fee cancels its $10 discount once sales pass $500 a month, and at $20,000 in sales Basic costs $390 a month more than Core. Below $500 in sales, Basic is the cheapest plan on either platform.

Toolradar data: Toolradar, the software directory we run, evaluated 104 ecommerce platforms for its October 2026 ranking, and both Shopify and Squarespace are on it. Our own arithmetic below prices seven plans at three sales levels, and the cheapest plan changes with volume. Prices were verified on the vendor pages in October 2026.

Which wins, by dimension

The matched tiers are Shopify Basic against Squarespace Core, Grow against Plus, and Advanced against Advanced, because their standard card rates line up. Shopify wins on store tools, Squarespace wins on staff seats and trial length, and the standard card rates tie.

Shopify takes the store-tools rows, and Squarespace takes staff and trial. Pick Shopify if you sell physical products across channels, need wholesale pricing, or sell in person. Pick Squarespace if the shop sits inside a brand or content site with a small catalog and no B2B needs. Moving a live store later costs time whichever you choose, so decide on the features you will need in year two.

What each plan costs per month at three sales levels

The table assumes a $50 average order, US cards at the standard rate, yearly billing, and no apps, themes, domains, taxes or POS add-ons. Each total is the plan fee, plus the card rate on sales, plus 30¢ per order, plus any store fee. Shopify Basic at $2,000 in sales works out to the plan fee, plus $58 in card rate (2.9% of $2,000), plus $12 in per-order fees (40 orders at 30¢), for $99.

The cheapest plan changes with volume. At $2,000, Shopify Basic and Squarespace Core tie at $99.00. At $20,000, Squarespace Plus is the lowest at $709.00, $20 under Basic and Core. At $100,000, Squarespace Advanced is the lowest at $3,199.00, $200 under Shopify Advanced.

Shopify Basic and Squarespace Core cost exactly the same at every volume, because their plan fees and card rates match. The tie holds on either billing term. Shopify Plus starts at $2,300 a month on a three-year term, so it sits outside this table. It adds fully customizable checkout and unlimited B2B catalogs, and its card rate drops to 2.25% + 30¢.

The top-tier gap is constant. Shopify Advanced and Squarespace Advanced both charge 2.5% + 30¢, so the $200 monthly difference in plan fees is the whole gap at any volume. Grow and Plus follow the same pattern at 2.7%, with a $30 difference. The lower Squarespace bill comes with fewer listed store tools, since its pricing page lists no B2B catalogs, no inventory locations and no checkout customization.

The fees that change the answer

• Squarespace Basic's store fee. The 2% fee applies to every online sale, on top of the 2.9% + 30¢ card rate. At the middle volume it is $400 a month, which is why Basic costs $390 more than Core there. Core and up charge 0%.
• Shopify's outside-gateway fee. Shopify adds 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus when a store takes payments through a provider other than Shopify Payments. A $50 sale through an outside gateway on Basic pays $1.00 extra.
• Premium cards. American Express and some commercial cards cost more on both platforms. On a $100 premium-card sale, Squarespace charges $3.50 on every plan, Shopify Basic charges $3.80 and Shopify Advanced charges $3.40.
• POS Pro is per location. It costs $89 a month for each location, so a two-location shop adds $178 a month on top of its plan.
• Monthly billing costs more on both. Shopify Basic and Squarespace Core both cost $39 a month billed monthly. Billed yearly, each one saves $120 a year.

What one $100 sale costs

A $100 sale on a US card costs this much on each plan, counting card fees and any store fee but not the monthly plan fee.

Squarespace Basic is the expensive line here, because $2 of its $5.20 is the store fee, charged on each sale whatever the card. On Shopify Basic with an outside gateway charging the same 2.9% + 30¢, the same sale also costs $5.20, since Shopify's 2% lands on top. Keep Shopify Payments and a Basic sale costs $3.20.

Which should you pick?

• Selling online only, one catalog, no staff: Shopify Basic or Squarespace Core. They cost the same, so decide on checkout and apps. Squarespace Core adds the code block that Squarespace Basic does not include.
• A brand or content site with a small shop: Squarespace Core or Plus. Plus is the lowest bill of the seven plans at $20,000 in sales, and it allows unlimited contributors.
• Wholesale or B2B buyers: Shopify. Its B2B catalogs cap at 3 on Grow and Advanced and are unlimited on Plus, while Squarespace's pricing page lists none.
• A physical shop, pop-ups or several stock locations: Shopify, with POS Pro at $89 a month per location. Squarespace's in-person option comes with every plan, but it lists no in-person rate, so its cost cannot be checked.
• A store doing $100,000 a month or more with no B2B needs: Squarespace Advanced, at $3,199 a month in the table, $200 under Shopify Advanced.

Where to go next

The wider field sits in our best ecommerce platforms ranking. If the entry plan is still too much, the cheaper Shopify alternatives guide prices ten platforms at $10,000 a month, and the Shopify pricing guide breaks down Shopify's plans in full. For the product walkthrough, read our Shopify review.

Shopify's app layer is covered in our best Shopify apps roundup, and the email side in email marketing for Shopify. If in-person sales matter, our best POS systems ranking compares the hardware and processing options. Once orders leave the warehouse, compare labels and rates in our best shipping software ranking, and once the store is live, our guide to reducing cart abandonment is the next read.

How we compared

We read Shopify's US pricing page, its POS pricing page and Squarespace's US pricing page on October 10, 2026, and checked each figure against the page source. Toolradar's ranking supplies the platform count. Cost totals are our arithmetic from those published rates under the stated assumptions, not a quote. Re-check the vendor pages before you commit, because promotions and plan terms change.

FAQ

Is Shopify or Squarespace better in 2026?

Shopify is better for most stores. Its Basic plan costs the same as Squarespace Core, and Shopify also lists B2B catalogs, inventory locations and POS Pro, with fully customizable checkout on Plus. Squarespace is the better pick for a small shop inside a brand site, where unlimited contributors and a 14-day free trial matter more than B2B.

Is Squarespace cheaper than Shopify?

Only at low sales volumes and on its higher tiers. Squarespace Basic at $19 a month beats Shopify Basic below $500 in monthly sales, but its 2% fee makes it dearer above that. Squarespace Plus undercuts Shopify Grow by $30 a month, and Squarespace Advanced undercuts Shopify Advanced by $200, at the same card rates.

How much does Shopify cost per month?

Basic is $29 a month billed yearly or $39 billed monthly. Grow is $79 yearly or $105 monthly, and Advanced is $299 yearly or $399 monthly. Card rates run from 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic to 2.25% + 30¢ on Plus, which starts at $2,300 a month on a three-year term.

Does Squarespace charge a transaction fee?

Yes, on Basic only. Basic adds a 2% fee to every online sale on top of its 2.9% + 30¢ card rate. Core, Plus and Advanced charge 0% on online sales, and their card rates run from 2.9% down to 2.5%.

Does Squarespace have point of sale?

Yes. Its point of sale is included on every plan and runs from the Squarespace mobile app in the US, with payments through Square. The pricing page lists no in-person card rate, so it cannot be set against Shopify's 2.6% + 10¢ on Basic.

Which platform has better checkout?

Shopify. It lists fully customizable checkout on Plus, and Squarespace's pricing page does not mention checkout customization on any plan. Squarespace does let you add CSS, HTML and JavaScript from Core up, but the pricing page does not say that reaches the checkout.

Cite this: Retailpresso, "Shopify vs Squarespace (2026): Which Is Better for Selling Online?", October 2026.

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