
Starting From
- Basic: $16/mo billed annually — 2% transaction fee, 7% on digital content
- Core: $23/mo billed annually — 0% store fees, 5% digital content fee
- Plus: $39/mo billed annually — lower payment fees, 1% digital content fee
- Advanced: $99/mo billed annually — lowest fees, 0% across the board
PROS
- Elegant templates with built-in e‑commerce features
- No transaction fees on Core+ plans
- AI tools like Fluid Engine & Blueprint streamline site design
- Ideal for creative professionals, boutiques, and portfolios
CONS
- Limited checkout and integration flexibility
- No template switching post-launch
- App marketplace much smaller than competitors
- Fees on digital content unless on top tier
Squarespace Commerce Review
Heads up: This Squarespace review includes affiliate links—if you click and buy, I may earn a commission. I only recommend tools I’d personally use or suggest to a friend.
Squarespace Commerce is the e‑commerce layer of Squarespace’s famously elegant website builder. It’s not just for photographers or designers anymore—Squarespace has matured into a serious storefront option for small to mid-sized brands who want aesthetics and ease, not endless customization. If you’re a creative, boutique owner, or service provider wanting sleek storefront functionality without hiring a developer, Squarespace might be your best bet.
Table of Contents
Quick Answers
- What is Squarespace Commerce? A built-in commerce system layered over Squarespace’s elegant drag-and-drop website builder.
- Who’s it for? Creatives, consultants, and boutique retailers who want design-first simplicity with moderate store features.
- Key features? Unlimited products, member areas, AI-powered templates, SEO tools, checkout and subscription support.
- Compared to alternatives? Less powerful than Shopify or BigCommerce, but way simpler and more polished for style-focused brands.
- Easy to set up? Yes—Fluid Engine and Blueprint AI make onboarding friendly and visually driven.
- Integrations? Stripe, PayPal, tax tools, 47+ extensions. Light but enough for most SMB use cases.
- How much? From $16 to $99/month (billed annually). Higher tiers reduce fees and add shipping, email, analytics, and integrations.
- Pros & cons? ✅ Beautiful design, no fees on Core+; ❌ Limited customization, fees on digital unless Advanced.
- Worth it? For style-conscious shops with small teams and light product catalogs—absolutely. Not for deep inventory or custom tech stacks.
- Where to get it? Start your Squarespace Free Trial →
1. Features & Capabilities
Squarespace Commerce supports unlimited physical and digital products, subscription services, and membership areas—even on the entry-level plans. It’s a full package wrapped in minimalist design.
Its AI-powered site tools like Fluid Engine and Blueprint make page creation surprisingly fast and intuitive. Need to launch in a day? It’s possible. Need to tweak designs visually without touching code? Also easy. Want to set up abandoned cart emails or offer discount codes? Those are all included, too.
While Squarespace’s checkout is limited to Stripe and PayPal, it’s secure and optimized for mobile. Upsells and advanced promo flows are lacking, but there’s support for basic checkout customization, sales tax integration, and automatic email receipts.
SEO and blogging tools are solid, especially for service businesses that rely on organic traffic. Analytics dashboards are baked in. You’ll also get social integrations, product reviews, gift cards, and invoicing.
However, app integrations are limited. Squarespace offers 47 extensions—plenty for basics like dropshipping, shipping labels, or syncing with Amazon, but nowhere near Shopify’s 8,000+ ecosystem. If you need deep accounting or warehouse sync, look elsewhere.
2. Pricing & Value
Squarespace’s pricing is simple and consistent, with four main tiers (billed annually):
Basic
$16/month
- 2 contributors
- 2% transaction fee
- 7% digital content/membership fee
- Accept payments
- Sell products/services
Core
$23/month
- Unlimited contributors
- 0% store transaction fees
- 5% digital content/membership fee
- Google email*
- API access
Plus
$39/month
- Lower payment processing (2.7%)
- 1% digital content fee
- Sales funnel analytics
- Advanced shipping/tax
Advanced
$99/month
- Lowest fees (2.5%)
- 0% digital content fee
- Full commerce API
- Maximum control for large stores
No free plan exists, but all tiers include a generous 14-day free trial. Discounts apply if paid annually. Compared to Shopify, Squarespace is more affordable at low-to-medium scale, though you trade away flexibility.
3. Ease of Use & Onboarding
Onboarding is one of Squarespace’s best strengths. Blueprint AI and Fluid Engine combine to help you generate, customize, and publish a storefront with minimal clicks or confusion. It’s like having a designer whispering in your ear.
Templates are mobile-optimized and beautiful, with dozens of layout presets. Editing content is visual and intuitive—no clunky back end or HTML wrestling required. However, once your site is published, switching templates is non-trivial and usually requires rebuilding from scratch.
If you want plug-and-play design with graceful onboarding, this is one of the easiest commerce builders on the market.
4. Case Studies & Reputation
Squarespace remains a darling among creatives. It’s consistently top-rated for design ease, site appearance, and low-friction publishing. Platforms like TechRadar, All About Cookies, and EcommerceGold highlight its visual strengths and simplicity—while also noting its lack of depth for advanced selling.
Use cases shine in portfolios, lifestyle brands, coaches, service businesses, and artisan e‑commerce stores. It’s not your best option if you’re running flash sales or enterprise-level fulfillment—but it’s perfect for anyone selling 5–500 products who wants to focus on branding.
5. Customer Support & Reliability
Squarespace provides 24/7 email support and live chat on weekdays. It also offers an extensive help center, webinars, and a user forum. While there’s no phone support, the documentation is well-written and solutions are searchable.
Uptime and reliability are solid, and platform performance rarely becomes a bottleneck. Hosting is included, SSL is free, and you get version control and backups built-in. The only hiccup may come during Black Friday traffic spikes or if you need help integrating a third-party system.
6. Squarespace Review Summary & Final Rating
Pros
Cons
Squarespace Review Final Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.3/5)
Squarespace Commerce is a beautiful, intuitive option for creators and boutique sellers who value style and simplicity. It’s not as powerful as Shopify, but it’s much easier to live with—and for many growing brands, that trade-off is worth it.