Squarespace is a design-focused website builder with integrated hosting and domain name registration tools, hundreds of templates, and a stock photo library. Squarespace sites are popular with creative professionals, service providers, and private individuals who use its drag-and-drop builder to create their websites.
However, Squarespace may not have all the features you need, especially if you operate an ecommerce business. Although its more expensive plans can support ecommerce businesses, Squarespace isn’t specifically built as an online store platform. It also isn’t as affordable or customizable as some alternatives.
Business owners in search of more advanced built-in ecommerce functionality, more flexible customizations, or lower prices might consider one of the following Squarespace alternatives.
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Best Squarespace alternatives
These platforms can allow business owners with limited design skills to build a beautiful and functional online store quickly. Most website builders on this list also offer managed web hosting and domain names, limiting the number of different service providers you’ll need to contract with. If your ecommerce business has outgrown Squarespace, these 10 providers can be good alternatives.
Shopify
Shopify offers a powerful website builder with more than 100 mobile-responsive templates and a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor, like Squarespace. Unlike Squarespace, the platform is purpose-built for ecommerce and includes a range ofbuilt-in features designed to help users build and operate powerful online stores.
Although Shopify is designed to allow users without coding knowledge to set up an online store easily, web developers or users with specific needs can also customize the site for individual use cases.
Key features:
- Marketing automation
- Support for international payments
- Fully functional mobile app
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Point of sale (POS) offered
- Free SSL certificate
Pricing:
- Basic: $39 per month
- Shopify: $105 per month
- Advanced: $399 per month
- Enterprise: Contact Shopify
Best for: Ecommerce business owners who need a website that can scale with their business.
WordPress
WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) capable of powering both personal and professional sites. WordPress has a steeper learning curve than many competitors and doesn’t provide integrated web hosting. The tradeoff is various customization abilities for users with advanced coding knowledge (or those who hire a web developer). WordPress is also open-source software, meaning anybody can create a plug-in or add-on designed to work with the platform.
Key features:
- More than 60,000 plug-ins and 10,000 themes
- Free and open-source software
- Ecommerce tools available with “WooCommerce Plug-in”
Pricing: Free
Best for: Users on a budget with technical knowledge in website design and functionality, who don’t mind having multiple service providers.
Weebly
Weebly (owned by Square) is designed to support ecommerce businesses. It provides a drag-and-drop web builder like Squarespace and offers free integrated hosting. Weebly plans include ecommerce features, but only higher-tiered plans allow users to choose a custom domain name, remove Square ads, sell digital products, and access phone support.
Key features
- Unlimited product listings
- Unlimited storage
- Inventory management
- SEO tools
- Free plan offered
Pricing:
- Free plan
- Personal: $10 per month
- Professional: $12 per month
- Performance: $26 per month
Best for: Online store owners who want a website with built-in ecommerce functionalities at a low price point.
Wix
Wix is a website builder designed to help users without technical experience launch a professional website. It offers hosting, user-friendly design tools, more than 800 design templates, and a free plan. However, free plans require sites to use a wixsite.com domain and include Wix ads on every page. Wix’s paid plans allow custom domain names and ad-free pages, include a Google Analytics tool, and enable payment processing.
Key features:
- Free trial offered
- Free plan offered
- More than 800 design templates
- Integrated hosting
Pricing:
- Free
- Light: $16 per month
- Core: $27 per month
- Business: $32 per month
- Business Elite: $159 per month
- Enterprise: Contact Wix
Best for: Ecommerce store owners on a budget who don’t require extensive customization options.
Pixpa
The Pixpa website builder allows businesses to build professional websites without coding. Pixpa offers SEO features and custom contact forms. The platform also integrates with translators like Gtarnslate and Weglot to help users build multilingual sites.
Pixpa offers four paid plans, and its two premium plans allow online stores. Advanced ecommerce features like customer accounts, inventory management, and abandoned cart recovery tools are only available with the most expensive plan.
Key features:
- SEO tools
- Free domain for one year
- Free trial offered
- Contact forms
- Translation tools for multiple languages
Pricing:
- Basic: $8 per month
- Creator: $15 per month
- Professional: $20 per month
- Advanced: $25 per month
Best for: Online businesses with smaller product catalogs and small business owners looking for translation features.
Strikingly
Unlike many other site builders, Strikingly offers a free plan that provides basic ecommerce features, including the ability to sell one product and have up to five different pages. To access full ecommerce features, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan. With the exception of the top-priced program tier, Strikingly limits product listings and page numbers, so it’s not the best choice for businesses with large product catalogs or those requiring more complex sites.
Key features
- Custom domains
- Free version offered
- Free trial offered
- Drag-and-drop editor
Pricing:
- Free
- Limited: $12 per month
- Pro: $20 per month
- VIP: $59 per month
Best for: Business owners who want to quickly create small or one-page sites or those who prefer higher transaction fees and lower monthly rates.
Duda
Duda is specifically built to help agencies and software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies build sites for clients. Higher-tired plans include multiple-account management and collaboration tools and email-based customer support. Users who want to sell online will need to purchase separate ecommerce plans (starting at $10 per month) in addition to a basic site plan.
Key features
- Drag-and-drop editor
- Free trial
- Client management features on higher-tiered plans
- Multiple team members allowed on higher-tiered plans
Pricing:
- Basic: $19 per month
- Team: $29 per month
- Agency: $52 per month
- White Label: $99.50 per month
Best for: Agencies or web designers who need to build and manage sites for multiple clients.
GoDaddy
GoDaddy is a website hosting platform that also offers a website builder. The GoDaddy website builder provides more than 100 website templates and a free option.
Ecommerce business owners will need to spring for the Commerce plan, which allows unlimited product listings and supports up to 1,000 marketplace and social channel sales per month. GoDaddy’s lower-tiered products also allow users to accept payments and schedule appointments through the platform, making it an option for online service providers.
Key features:
- Appointment scheduling system
- GoDaddy payments hub
- One year of free email
- Website and marketing analytics dashboard
Pricing:
- Free
- Basic: $9.99 per month
- Premium: $14.99 per month
- Commerce: $20.99 per month
Best for: Service providers and appointment-based business owners on a budget.
Webflow
Webflow offers a free plan and three ecommerce plans. All ecommerce plans allow unlimited sales volumes, integrate with Google shopping and Meta platforms, and place upper limits on product listings.
Like Squarespace, Webflow doesn’t require users to have technical coding abilities, but the website builder is set up to generate code that users can give to a designer or developer. This means that business owners can bring in professional help.
Key features
- Free plan available
- ApplePay, Stripe, and PayPal integrations
- Facebook integration
Pricing:
- Free
- Basic: $14 per month
- CMS: $23 per month
- Business: $39 per month
- Enterprise: Contact Webflow
Best for: Business owners who want a web builder they can use without technical knowledge.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce offers three standard plans and custom enterprise pricing. The basic features offered with all plans include unlimited storage and product listings and support for multiple currencies. BigCommerce also supports selling on marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, and Walmart, and social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. It also offers a POS and a page builder.
Key features
- Free trial
- Marketplace selling
- Multiple currencies supported
- Unlimited product listings
Pricing:
- Standard: $39 per month
- Plus $105 per month
- Pro: $399 per month
- Enterprise: Contact BigCommerce
Best for: Omnichannel businesses and those that cater to international customers, or embrace an omnichannel strategy.
When to switch to a Squarespace alternative
- You’re looking for a lower-cost option
- You want more customization
- You want more third-party app options
- You want more advanced ecommerce options
Squarespace isn’t specifically designed to support ecommerce businesses, so many business owners switch to a Squarespace alternative in support of built-in ecommerce functionality or more flexible customizations.
Here are four signs that it might be time to find a new platform:
You’re looking for a lower-cost option
Squarespace does not offer a free plan, and at $23 per month, its cheapest plan is more expensive than many alternatives. Squarespace’s most affordable plan doesn’t include ecommerce features. The platform also restricts social selling, point of sale (POS), and product reviews to its two most expensive plans, and commerce APIs, advanced shipping tools, and subscription sales tools are only available with the most expensive option. Some marketing features, like promotional banners and pop-ups, are also restricted to higher-priced plans.
You want more customization
Squarespace is designed to allow beginner web designers to create professional-quality sites, but the tradeoff is more limited customization. Switching platforms can provide you with more ecommerce website design flexibility.
You want more third-party app options
Some website builders have more third-party app integration options than Squarespace. You might consider switching if Squarespace’s integrations can no longer meet your needs.
You want more advanced ecommerce options
Squarespace doesn’t allow stores to accept multiple currencies or include native dropshipping integration, and some platforms offer more advanced inventory management and tax calculation. Business owners looking for more features designed for ecommerce businesses may choose to make the switch.
Squarespace alternatives FAQ
What are the best alternatives to Squarespace for website building?
Here are 10 of the best paid and free alternatives to Squarespace for ecommerce businesses:
- Shopify
- WordPress
- Weebly
- Wix
- Pixpa
- Strikingly
- Duda
- GoDaddy
- Webflow
- BigCommerce
Why would I consider alternatives to Squarespace for my website?
Ecommerce business owners might consider switching from Squarespace for more flexible customization options or more advanced built-in ecommerce features.
Is Shopify a good alternative to Squarespace for ecommerce websites?
Yes. Shopify is a purpose-built ecommerce platform that allows users with limited design or technical experience to easily create a stunning website.
