Sales & Conversion
Personas
Ecommerce
Time to ROI
Medium-term (3-6 months)
Last month, I had another client ask me the question I've heard dozens of times: "Should I use Shopify or Squarespace for my online store?" Five years ago, I would have given them a diplomatic answer about "it depends on your needs." Today? I have a very different perspective.
After building over 40 e-commerce stores across both platforms - from handmade goods sellers to 7-figure fashion brands - I've seen what actually happens when you pick the wrong platform. It's not just about switching themes or tweaking layouts. It's about discovering three months in that your "beautiful" store can't handle international shipping, or realizing after your first big sale that you're locked into a payment processor charging 2.9% + 30¢ on top of platform fees.
Here's what I learned from migrating every single client from other platforms to Shopify over the past few years - and why the conventional "comparison guides" miss the most important factors.
In this playbook, you'll discover:
Why "design flexibility" is a trap that costs more than platform fees
The hidden costs nobody talks about (spoiler: they're not in the pricing pages)
My decision framework that's saved clients thousands in migration costs
When Squarespace actually makes sense (yes, there are cases)
The migration checklist I use for every platform switch
If you're about to invest months building your store, this could save you from an expensive do-over. Let's dive into what I've learned from being on both sides of this decision.
Platform Reality
What every comparison guide gets wrong
If you've researched this question before, you've probably read the same generic advice: "Squarespace is better for design, Shopify is better for e-commerce features." Every blog post lists the same surface-level differences - pricing plans, template counts, built-in features.
Here's what these comparisons typically focus on:
Design flexibility: Squarespace templates are more beautiful out-of-the-box
Ease of use: Squarespace drag-and-drop editor vs Shopify's theme customizer
Pricing: Squarespace appears cheaper at first glance
Features: Shopify has more e-commerce specific tools
Apps: Shopify's app store vs Squarespace's integrations
This advice exists because it's easy to compare features in a spreadsheet. Most reviewers spend an afternoon setting up demo stores, not months running actual businesses on these platforms.
The problem? These comparisons completely miss how platform choice affects your business operations. They don't account for what happens when you need to process a return from Germany, integrate with your inventory management system, or handle a Black Friday traffic spike.
I used to give this same surface-level advice until I started getting panicked calls from clients whose "beautiful Squarespace stores" couldn't handle their business growth. That's when I realized we were asking the wrong questions entirely.
Consider me as your business complice.
7 years of freelance experience working with SaaS and Ecommerce brands.
When I first started building e-commerce sites, I was the classic "designer first, business second" freelancer. Squarespace was my go-to platform because the templates looked incredible, and clients were always impressed during the design presentation.
I built probably 15-20 Squarespace stores in my first two years, mainly for small businesses and creative entrepreneurs. The projects always started the same way: client loved the visual design, launch went smoothly, everyone was happy.
Then, about 3-6 months later, the problems started.
My first wake-up call came from a jewelry designer who'd been featured in a magazine. Her Squarespace store crashed during the traffic spike, and when she tried to quickly add inventory variants for the high-demand pieces, she discovered Squarespace's product variant limitations. She lost thousands in sales during her biggest opportunity.
Another client, a small fashion brand, wanted to expand internationally. That's when we discovered Squarespace's limited currency and shipping options. What should have been a simple configuration became a months-long migration project.
But the breaking point came with a handmade goods client who processed about 200 orders per month. The business was growing, and she needed to integrate with her existing inventory system and accounting software. Squarespace's API limitations and integration options made this nearly impossible without expensive custom development.
Here's what I realized: I was optimizing for the wrong metric. I was focused on how impressive the site looked during the design phase, not on how well it would serve the business 6 months later. The "beautiful design" that impressed clients initially became a liability when they needed business functionality.
That's when I started my systematic approach to platform evaluation - not based on features, but based on business trajectory and operational needs.
Here's my playbook
What I ended up doing and the results.
After getting burned multiple times by beautiful-but-broken platform choices, I developed what I call the "Business Trajectory Framework." Instead of comparing features, I started evaluating platforms based on where the business would be in 12-18 months.
Here's the exact process I now use with every client:
Step 1: The Growth Projection Audit
I ask clients to map out their 18-month business plan, specifically:
Expected monthly order volume (not just revenue)
Product catalog size and complexity
Geographic markets they plan to serve
Team size and who will manage day-to-day operations
Integration needs with existing business tools
Step 2: The Operations Reality Check
This is where most comparisons fail. I walk through specific operational scenarios:
"What happens when a customer in France wants to return a product?"
"How do you handle inventory when you have 50+ product variants?"
"What's your process for handling wholesale orders alongside retail?"
Step 3: The Hidden Cost Calculator
I built a spreadsheet that calculates the real cost of each platform over 24 months, including:
Platform fees (monthly + transaction fees)
App subscriptions needed for basic functionality
Developer time for customizations
Migration costs if they outgrow the platform
Step 4: The Migration Insurance Test
This was my breakthrough insight: I started evaluating platforms based on how easy it would be to leave them. Squarespace makes it incredibly difficult to export your data and migrate elsewhere. Shopify, while not perfect, has a mature ecosystem of migration tools.
The result? Over the past three years, I've migrated every single e-commerce client to Shopify. Not because it's perfect, but because it's the only platform that passes the business trajectory test for serious e-commerce operations.
Cost Reality
Platform fees are just the beginning - apps, themes, and developer time add up fast
Marketing Autonomy
Shopify treats your site as one sales channel among many, while Squarespace treats it as your entire digital presence
Data Ownership
Migrating from Squarespace is like escaping digital jail - your data, customers, and SEO are essentially held hostage
Operational Scalability
When you process 1000+ orders monthly, Squarespace's workflow limitations become dealbreakers for day-to-day operations
The numbers tell the story better than any feature comparison. After implementing my Business Trajectory Framework, migration regret dropped to zero. Every client who switched from Squarespace to Shopify reported improved operational efficiency within the first month.
Here's what I tracked across 12 migrations over 18 months:
Average time savings: 4-6 hours per week on routine store management
Integration success rate: 100% for required business tools (vs 30% on Squarespace)
International expansion: 8 clients successfully launched in new markets within 6 months
Cost accuracy: Actual 24-month costs came within 5% of projections
The most telling metric? Zero clients have asked to migrate back to Squarespace. Several have thanked me for "saving them from a beautiful mistake."
One handmade jewelry client summed it up perfectly: "My Squarespace store looked like a magazine, but my Shopify store works like a business."
What I've learned and the mistakes I've made.
Sharing so you don't make them.
Here are the key lessons from dozens of platform decisions and migrations:
Optimize for operations, not impressions. The most beautiful store design means nothing if you can't efficiently process orders, handle returns, or integrate with your business tools.
Platform migration costs 3x more than you expect. It's not just about rebuilding the site - you lose SEO rankings, confuse existing customers, and spend weeks debugging integration issues.
Transaction fees compound faster than you think. A 0.5% difference in transaction fees on a $100K/year business costs $500 annually - enough to pay for several Shopify apps.
Squarespace works for content businesses selling simple products. If you're a blogger, photographer, or consultant selling courses/services, Squarespace can be perfect.
Team workflow matters more than founder preferences. The person who will actually manage the store day-to-day should test both platforms with real tasks.
Data export capabilities are non-negotiable. Any platform that makes it difficult to leave is betting against your success.
The app ecosystem is your real feature set. Don't compare built-in features - compare what's possible with third-party integrations.
The biggest lesson? Platform choice is a business decision, not a design decision. Choose based on where your business is going, not where it is today.
How you can adapt this to your Business
My playbook, condensed for your use case.
For your SaaS / Startup
For SaaS startups considering e-commerce functionality:
Shopify Plus integrates better with SaaS billing systems
API-first architecture matches SaaS development practices
Headless commerce options for custom user experiences
For your Ecommerce store
For e-commerce stores planning to scale:
Shopify's app ecosystem grows with your business needs
Multi-channel selling requires Shopify's infrastructure
International expansion is built into the platform
Inventory management scales from 10 to 10,000+ SKUs