BigCommerce vs. Squarespace: What You Need to Know

BigCommerce and Squarespace are two of the most popular platforms for starting an online store. Over 260,000+ live stores are running on the Squarespace platform, and over 60,000+ active users are using BigCommerce.

BigCommerce and Squarespace are platforms that take care of hosting and software for you, so you can focus on building your eCommerce website. We'll cover all the similarities and differences of BigCommerce vs. Squarespace so you can choose what works best for your online store.

What's BigCommerce?

BigCommerce is a fully-hosted eCommerce platform that helps business owners set up their online stores and sell their products.

Fully hosted means that the platform runs on its servers, and you don't need to purchase any web hosting or install any software on your computer to use the platform. BigCommerce offers all the tools and features you need to start an online business, including hosting, website design, payment options, marketing features, and SEO tools. All you need is a working internet connection.

Overall, BigCommerce stores are easy to set up and have lots of features. This makes them a good choice for new business owners.

What's Squarespace?

Squarespace is a website builder to assist eCommerce merchants in building their websites. Squarespace is a fully-hosted platform, like BigCommerce, so you don't need to pay for hosting or install any software. The website builder also comes with tools and features such as the following:

• Email marketing tools
• Social media integrations
• SEO solutions

Overall, Squarespace offers many features for small business owners to create their online business.

What's the Difference Between BigCommerce vs. Squarespace Features?

BigCommerce and Squarespace are two popular choices for merchants looking to start their online business. Both platforms are fully-hosted, so it's relatively easy for merchants to build their eCommerce websites.

BigCommerce and Squarespace vary primarily in cost, the number of apps/integrations, and advanced SEO functionality. Before we dive deeper into the differences between BigCommerce vs. Squarespace, we'll highlight some of the similarities of both platforms.

• Multi-channel selling: BigCommerce and Squarespace both offer multi-channel sales opportunities for merchants who want to sell across multiple channels for their online store
• Integrates with shipping software: BigCommerce and Squarespace integrate with shipping software like Easyship so you can boost online sales while saving up to 91% off shipping rates. Easyship also offers real-time tracking, automated label generation, and more
• Design options: BigCommerce and Squarespace offer themes and templates to customize your online store to your customers and needs. You can also add plugins and other applications to tailor your eCommerce store preferences

Now, we'll highlight the main differences between BigCommerce and Squarespace so you know which platform is better for your online store:

• Pricing: BigCommerce is more expensive than Squarespace and costs roughly $10 more than Squarespace's basic plan. BigCommerce plans cost upwards of $300+ per month
• Ease of use: Squarespace is a fully-hosted platform and is easy to use with its drag and drop page editor, which means elements snap into columns and rows for a more templated layout. BigCommerce is also a fully-hosted platform but is slightly more advanced if you're a newbie to eCommerce. Both BigCommerce vs. Squarespace is great for small businesses, though Squarespace is aimed more towards extreme newbies to the eCommerce market
• Apps/integrations: BigCommerce vs. Squarespace offers apps and integrations to help tailor your store to your eCommerce needs. However, BigCommerce offers nearly 1,000 apps and integrations, while Squarespace is only around 350
• Payment options: BigCommerce offers 45 different payment gateways, including Amazon Pay, Apple Pay, PayPal, Stripe, Chase, etc. Squarespace doesn't offer as many payment options as Stripe and PayPal. Connecting to Stripe for your Squarespace store allows you to use payment methods like Afterpay, Discover, and more
• Customer support: BigCommerce offers 24/7 phone support, email, and live chat for its customers. On the other hand, Squarespace only provides email and live chat support
• Transaction fees: BigCommerce doesn't charge any transaction fees for your online store. On the other hand, Squarespace doesn't charge any transaction fees. This exception is only if you're on their most expensive plans, Basic or Advanced Commerce. All other Squarespace plans charge a 3% transaction fee
• SEO functionality: BigCommerce and Squarespace handle SEO capabilities reasonably well. You can tweak elements like page title tags, headings, meta description, or alt text for BigCommerce vs. Squarespace. However, BigCommerce offers a competitive edge and makes it easier to optimize a page

Overall, your choice between BigCommerce vs. Squarespace depends on how much you're willing to pay to build your eCommerce website. BigCommerce also offers more advanced SEO features to help you further your site visibility while boosting online sales. Plus, BigCommerce offers nearly 1,000 applications and integrations for your online store.

Squarespace also offers competitive features and SEO capabilities but is not as advanced as BigCommerce. You'll still be able to rank in search results, though you'll have a harder time optimizing your webpage.

Related post: Wix vs. Squarespace: Which is Best for Your eCommerce Business

BigCommerce vs. Squarespace Pricing Comparison

One of the main differences between BigCommerce vs. Squarespace is the pricing between both eCommerce platforms. While both platforms are great options for your eCommerce business, the BigCommerce vs. Squarespace features differs significantly.

BigCommerce pricing for your online store

BigCommerce offers four different pricing plans for eCommerce merchants:

• Standard: $29.95 per month
• Plus: $79.95 per month
• Pro: $299.95 per month
• Enterprise: Contact the BigCommerce sales team for custom pricing

While there are no transaction fees for your BigCommerce store, there are credit card fees, which are:

• BigCommerce Standard: 2.59% + 49c per transaction
• BigCommerce Plus: 2.35% + 49c per transaction
• BigCommerce Pro: 2.05% + 49c per transaction
• BigCommerce Enterprise: 2.05% + 49c per transaction

BigCommerce plans come with zero transaction fees and offer 24/7 customer support regardless if you're on a more expensive plan.

Below is the breakdown of features in each BigCommerce plan:

Squarespace pricing for your online store

Squarespace offers four different pricing plans such as the following:

• Personal: $19 per month
• Business: $33 per month
• Basic Commerce: $36 per month
• Advanced Commerce: $65 per month

Squarespace plans share some features, like 24/7 customer service and basic SEO features. However, there are some key differences between the plans, as you can see in the table below.

Squarespace charges a 3% transaction fee for the Personal and Business plans, but not for Basic Commerce or Advanced Commerce.

Pros and Cons of BigCommerce vs. Squarespace

BigCommerce vs. Squarespace are excellent options for starting your online store. However, depending on your needs as an eCommerce merchant, your choice of an eCommerce platform will vary.

Pros & cons of BigCommercce

BigCommerce offers 24/7 customer support, integration with third-party applications, and zero transaction fees, making it a great choice for small and large businesses alike. Below are some of the advantages and cons of BigCommerce.

Pros of BigCommerce

• Integrates with shipping software: Integrate your BigCommerce store with top shipping platforms like Easyship for fast and discount-rate shipping up to 91% off
• 24/7 support: Enjoy 24/7 support via phone, live chat, and email for your BigCommerce store
• Zero transaction fees: ​​0% transaction fees for purchases made via your BigCommerce site
• Free 15-day trial: Enjoy your first 15 days for free with BigCommerce to see if its the right eCommerce platform
• Integrates with third-party applications: Integrate your BigCommerce store with over 900+ apps to enhance your online store experience
• Multi-channel selling: Choose to sell across multiple social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and whichever platform you choose
• Built-in features: BigCommerce comes with built-in features geared towards expanding your eCommerce business like SEO optimization and website design options
• Themes/templates: BigCommerce offers 170 themes and templates to design and customize your website to anyone's needs

Cons of BigCommerce

• Annual sales threshold: BigCommerce puts a cap on yearly sales limits. If eCommerce merchants sell above a certain threshold, you're forced to upgrade to a different plan. Standard plans are limited to $50,000 in sales, Plus plans are limited to $180,000 in sales, and Pro plans are limited to $400,000. Anything above the $400,000 threshold is negotiable with BigCommerce under the BigCommerce Enterprise plan.
• Lacks complete control over design options: BigCommerce is a fully-hosted eCommerce platform, meaning you have no control over speed performance or hosting choice

Pros & cons of Squarespace

Squarespace offers affordable subscription plans that allow you to integrate with shipping software and sell across multiple channels. However, there are some cons, like restrictive templates and no phone support.

Pros of Squarespace

• Templates and designs: Squarespace offers 110+ templates for merchants to choose from for their online store
• Affordable: Squarespace plans are cheaper than BigCommerce pricing plans making it a more affordable option for eCommerce merchants and small businesses
• Live chat and email: Squarespace offers live chat and email support for Squarespace merchants, making it easy to reach their support team if needed
• Integrates with shipping software: Squarespace integrates with top shipping platforms like Easyship so merchants like yourself can save up to 91% off on all domestic and international orders. Easyship also offers automated label generation so you can pick and pack your orders quickly
• Multi-channel selling: Squarespace merchants can sell on multiple channels, making it easier to reach customers on various social media platforms and eCommerce sites

Cons of Squarespace

• Limited apps/integrations: Squarespace doesn't offer as many plugins as BigCommerce. Squarespace offers 350 free plugins for users to choose from their online store
• Restrictive templates: Squarespace offers aesthetically pleasing templates, though it may feel restrictive to some merchants. You don't have complete control over where content is placed in your Squarespace store. This feature may seem helpful for newbies in eCommerce but may seem restrictive in creativity to more well-seasoned online merchants
• No phone support: Squarespace offers email and live chat support but lacks phone support for its users
• No free plan: Unlike BigCommerce, Squarespace doesn't offer a free 15-day trial for users. You'll have to choose a Squarespace plan if you want to use its services

Integrate Easyship to Your BigCommerce vs. Squarespace Store

BigCommerce and Squarespace offer advantages for using their platform for your eCommerce website. The main difference between both platforms is the price and features you want for your business.

BigCommerce is more advanced than Squarespace regarding SEO capabilities and the number of apps/integrations. However, Squarespace is also an excellent platform geared toward smaller businesses starting in the eCommerce space.

Creating an optimized shipping experience is also an integral part of the success of your eCommerce business. Luckily, Easyship integrates with BigCommerce and Squarespace so that you can create a seamless shipping experience for your online store.

With Easyship, you'll gain access to features and benefits that are guaranteed to help you create a world-class shipping experience, such as the following:

• Shipping Dashboard: Manage orders and create shipments instantly in the Shipping Dashboard. Plus, keep track of all your delivery lead times in one place for your business
• Real-Time Shipping Rates at Checkout: Easyship shows the cheapest, fastest, and best value shipping options at your store's checkout. This feature makes it easier to be flexible with your shipping options while letting customers have a choice
• Easyship Branding Suite: Easyship provides a delivery experience consistent with your brand. Add your logo and advertising materials to your packing slips, landing pages, and tracking emails

Ready to ship? Sign up for a FREE Easyship account and create your optimized shipping strategy for your online store

BigCommerce vs. Squarespace FAQ

Are Bigcommerce and Squarespace the same?

BigCommerce and Squarespace are both website builders that can help eCommerce merchants build their online stores.

Does Squarespace use BigCommerce?

No, Squarespace and BigCommerce are two different eCommerce platforms.

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