Shopify vs Wix vs SquareSpace: The Best Website Builder in 2024

Shopify vs Wix vs SquareSpace: Which is the Best Website Builder? [2024]

April 17, 2024 GemPages Team 0 Comments

According to research by Internet World Stats, 5.3 billion people use the Internet globally, with 65.7% representing potential online customers. The online market is expansive, and if you plan to enter the online selling game, there is significant potential.

So, the first move is to find the best platform for building and selling to start your business. However, the market presents numerous options, which might overwhelm you when making a choice.

Let us present you with three major names that stand out: Shopify vs Wix vs Squarespace. Whether you are an experienced online business owner or a complete beginner venturing into the online business, go through our comparison to find the platform that best suits your needs.

Introduction to Shopify vs Wix vs Squarespace

Shopify

Shopify is a comprehensive eCommerce platform that helps you to start, manage, and grow an online business. It facilitates the creation of online stores, sales management, customer outreach, and payment acceptance across digital and physical channels.

Wix

Wix is a user-friendly drag-and-drop website builder that empowers you to create, manage, and expand your online presence without the need for coding or design expertise. Whether it’s a basic personal blog or a sophisticated hub for your online business, you can confidently build it with Wix.

Squarespace

Squarespace is an all-in-one platform that enables you to craft professional-looking websites without requiring coding knowledge, sell online, market your business, and more. It is widely utilized for portfolios, blogs, business sites, and online stores.

Wix vs Shopify vs Squarespace: Quick Comparison Chart

Pricing Plan

Shopify

Wix

Squarespace

Entry plan

$19 USD

*Most popular

10 inventory locations
24/7 chat support
Localized global selling (3 markets)
POS Lite

$17 USD

$16 USD

Intermediate plan

$49 USD

$29 USD

$23 USD

*Most popular

Mobile – optimized websites
Templates to fit every need
Free custom domain
Send invoices for free
Advanced website analytics
Sell products and services
Checkout on your domain

Advanced plan

$299 USD

$36 USD

*Most popular

10 collaborators
100 GB storage space
Standard marketing suite
Free domain for one year
Standard site analytics
Standard payments
Standard eCommerce

Highest plan

$2,300 USD

$159 USD

$52 USD

In the Shopify vs Wix vs Squarespace battle, Shopify is slightly more expensive than the other two, but it’s worth it if you want powerful eCommerce features and plan to sell on multiple channels.

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Wix and Squarespace are more affordable for basic needs, but their eCommerce capabilities might be limited for complex stores.

If you have a tight budget and a small online store, Wix might be a good fit. However, if you prioritize design and want more eCommerce features than Wix offers for the same budget, go with Squarespace.

Important note: This is just a general overview of their pricing plans. Make sure to research their pricing plans thoroughly to choose the one that aligns best with your specific needs.

Key features

Shopify

Wix

Squarespace

Free trial

Yes

(3-day free trial)

Yes

(14-day free trial)

Yes

(14-day free trial)

eCommerce focus

Yes

*Primary function

Yes

*Add-on functionality

Yes

*Add-on functionality

Sell online and in-store

Yes

Sales channel

Multiple channels

Limited channels

Custom domain

Yes

Integrated fulfillment network

Yes

Drag-and-Drop

Yes

Templates

70+

800+

100+

SEO features

Yes

Email marketing tools

Yes

App store

Yes

Transaction fee

Yes

Scalability

Highly scalable for large stores

Moderately scalable

Product and inventory

Powerful product and inventory management

Product and inventory management, but may not be ideal for complex stores

Product and inventory management, limited to simpler stores.

24/7 support

Yes

Shopify vs Wix vs Squarespace: Comparison in Depth

Shopify vs Wix vs Squarespace: eCommerce Functionality

Shopify: Primarily focused on eCommerce, offering a wide range of features tailored for online stores, including inventory management, payment processing, shipping options, and more.
Wix and Squarespace: eCommerce functionalities are add-on features designed for basic stores with a limited product line.

Although Wix and Squarespace are user-friendly, they may not be as powerful as Shopify for complex businesses with a large product catalog or high sales volume.

Learn More: Shopify vs WordPress: Which Is Better?

Shopify vs Wix vs Squarespace: Ease of Use

Shopify: Compared to Wix and Squarespace, Shopify demands a bit more learning, especially for beginners new to eCommerce. Its focus on eCommerce functionality can make it seem a bit daunting. Nonetheless, Shopify provides an intuitive interface and clear layout for handling products, inventory, and orders. To simplify the design process and make things easier, GemPages comes in handy. It allows eCommerce store owners to design their storefronts effortlessly with just a few clicks, eliminating the need for extensive technical skills.

Wix: Wix is an ideal option for beginners with an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, plenty of customization options, extensive template library, mobile responsiveness, and other eCommerce add-on features.
Squarespace: Like Wix, Squarespace is also user-friendly with its drag-and-drop interface, extensive library of pre-designed templates, and easy product addition and content management. However, its limited customization options may not meet everyone’s needs.

Shopify vs Wix vs Squarespace: Mobile Responsiveness

All three platforms are mobile-responsive, ensuring your seamless experiences.

Shopify: Shopify themes and templates are generally mobile responsive. Additionally, Shopify offers a dedicated mobile app enabling convenient store management from anywhere. You can add and edit products, monitor orders, and track sales directly from your phone.
Wix: Wix drag-and-drop editor simplifies mobile optimization, allowing you to preview and adjust your website’s mobile version directly within the editor. Additionally, Wix mobile preview mode ensures user-friendliness across different screen sizes.
Squarespace: Squarespace templates are mobile-responsive, typically requiring minimal adjustments to ensure a satisfying mobile experience. However, Squarespace’s mobile editing functionality is more limited compared to Wix or Shopify’s dedicated mobile apps.

Shopify vs Wix vs Squarespace: Marketing Tools

Shopify: Shopify provides comprehensive marketing features with a large app ecosystem, making it suitable for users looking for advanced marketing capabilities.
Wix: Wix offers user-friendly marketing tools suitable for beginners who prioritize ease of use. However, advanced features might be limited.
Squarespace: Squarespace provides built-in marketing tools with a focus on simplicity, making it suitable for users who prefer easy-to-use marketing features.

Learn More: 9+ Best Shopify Marketing Apps for Success in 2024

Shopify vs Wix vs Squarespace: SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Tools

Shopify: Shopify stands out as the most adaptable choice for advanced SEO optimization. With its built-in features and wide-ranging third-party apps, it offers a strong foundation for implementing effective SEO strategies.
Wix: Wix provides easy-to-use SEO tools perfect for beginners looking for simple on-page optimization without any complicated technical details.
Squarespace: Squarespace could work if you have very basic SEO needs, but be aware of its limitations and potential challenges in achieving high rankings in search results.

Shopify vs Wix vs Squarespace: Dropshipping

Shopify: Among the three platforms, Shopify is the most dropshipping-friendly option. It seamlessly integrates with popular dropshipping apps, allowing you to easily import products, manage inventory (supplier-side), and fulfill orders.
Wix: Wix is a user-friendly platform, making it easy to set up a basic dropshipping store even for beginners with no coding knowledge. However, its built-in eCommerce features for dropshipping might not be as powerful as Shopify’s.
Squarespace: Squarespace provides minimal support for dropshipping, with few built-in features or apps tailored for it. Moreover, it’s not suitable for large dropshipping stores.

Learn More: 9 Best Dropshipping Courses for Your Success Story in 2024

Shopify vs Wix vs Squarespace: Payment Gateways

Shopify: Shopify supports numerous payment gateways, including Shopify Payments, which integrates seamlessly with the platform, as well as 100+ third-party options.
Wix: Wix offers its own payment gateway, Wix Payments, allowing you to accept payments directly on their websites. In addition to Wix Payments, you can also integrate other 60+ third-party payment gateways.
Squarespace: Squarespace, in contrast, offers fewer payment gateway choices compared to Shopify and Wix.

Shopify vs Wix vs Squarespace: Inventory Management

Shopify: Among the three platforms, Shopify offers the most powerful inventory management system. You can track stock levels (including variants and SKUs), set reorder points, manage product availability, and receive low-stock notifications. Moreover, it integrates with various inventory management apps for even more advanced functionalities.
Wix: Wix offers a basic inventory management system that’s user-friendly and simple to set up. You can track stock levels and monitor product availability.
Squarespace: Squarespace’s inventory management system is the least powerful, offering the most basic functionality.

Shopify vs Wix vs Squarespace: Customer Support

Shopify: Shopify offers 24/7 support via live chat, phone, and email. Additionally, you have access to a wealth of self-help resources such as tutorials, articles, and video guides.
Wix: Wix provides support through multiple channels, including email, phone, and a help center. Specifically, Wix caters to users with different levels of expertise, offering support tailored to beginners as well as more advanced users seeking technical assistance.
Squarespace: Squarespace support options may be more limited compared to Shopify and Wix. It offers 24/7 email support; live chat support is available on some higher-tier plans, but not all.

Conclusion

Briefly, selecting the ideal platform among Wix vs Shopify vs Squarespace hinges on your specific goals and preferences.

If you prioritize a user-friendly website builder with beautiful design templates and basic eCommerce functionality, Wix or Squarespace could be a good fit.

However, if you are serious about building a successful online store with extensive sales features and the ability to scale, Shopify is the clear winner.

In this case, opting for GemPages, a conversion-focused Shopify page builder, is highly recommended for effortlessly creating your online store.

Take a look on GemPages smart features:

Intuitive drag-and-drop editor. No coding.
All page types: Landing page, Product page, Home page, Collection page, and more.
AI Image-to-Layout for instant editable layouts from reference images/ URLs.
100+ marketing and sales boosters, 80+ customizable CRO templates tailored for diverse industries.
Mobile responsiveness by default.
24/7 customer support via live chat and email.

Ready to Craft Stunning Pages? GemPages Makes it Easy!

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FAQ about Shopify vs Wix vs Squarespace

1. What is Shopify/ Wix/ Squarespace?

Shopify, Wix, and Squarespace are all website-building platforms with unique focuses:

Shopify: Specializes in eCommerce, enabling businesses to effortlessly create online stores, manage products, track inventory, and accept payments in one platform.
Wix: Renowned for its easy drag-and-drop interface, perfect for beginners to build websites, with eCommerce features available, though not as advanced as Shopify.
Squarespace: Prioritizes design and aesthetics, offering user-friendly tools for creating visually appealing websites, while its eCommerce capabilities may be more basic compared to Shopify.

2. Do I need technical skills to use Shopify vs. Wix vs. Squarespace?

You generally don’t need heavy-duty technical skills to use Shopify, Wix, or Squarespace:

Wix and Squarespace offer easy-to-use platforms with drag-and-drop interfaces for visually building your site without coding.
Shopify may require a bit more learning compared to the other two, it’s still tailored for non-technical users.

3. Can I sell products/services on Shopify vs. Wix vs. Squarespace?

Yes. All three platforms – Shopify, Wix, and Squarespace – allow you to sell products and services, but with some key differences:

Shopify: The top choice for eCommerce, built specifically for online stores with powerful features for managing products, inventory, and secure payments.
Wix and Squarespace: While they support eCommerce, it’s more of an add-on feature rather than the primary focus. They’re better suited for simpler stores with fewer products or services.

About GemPages Academy

GemPages Academy is a knowledge hub for storefront optimization and achieving overall eCommerce success. In collaboration with industry experts and leveraging cutting-edge Shopify applications, GemPages Academy offers a diverse array of content in various formats, including insightful blogs, intuitive tutorials, comprehensive webinars, and educational courses.