BigCommerce vs Squarespace: Who Wins?

BigCommerce and Squarespace power approximately 43,000 and 4.2 million websites, respectively. Going by these numbers alone, choosing Squarespace to host your online store might seem like a no-brainer. However, there’s more to the story.

There’s a lot to consider when making that decision. You need to think about your short and long-term business goals, store size, budget, and more.

BigCommerce vs Squarespace at a Glance

1. What Are BigCommerce and Squarespace: An Overview

When deciding on which eCommerce platform to host your online store, one of the most important questions you need to ask is: How much time am I willing to spend building and managing my website?

If you lack the technical expertise and time to handle maintenance, security, and other backend tasks to keep your website running, you should always go for a fully hosted eCommerce solution. It means that your website will run on the provider's servers, so you don't need to install any software on your computer or pay for web hosting to operate your online store.

Both BigCommerce and Squarespace are fully hosted, allowing you to focus on what really matters—running your business.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce is a fully hosted eCommerce solution marketed to large-volume businesses. It allows business owners to set up their digital stores and sell their products and services.

You can leverage the platform's rich arsenal of tools and features, which include web design tools, hosting tools, sales and marketing tools, shipping and inventory tools, and everything else required to make your store functional. All you need to do is ensure you have a working internet connection.

Squarespace

Squarespace is also a fully hosted eCommerce solution marketed to small and medium-sized businesses. You can use the website builder to set up your eCommerce business and start selling your products and services online.

Squarespace also boasts an impressive collection of tools and features, including SEO tools, social media integrations, email marketing features, and more. Businesses can use these tools to build and grow their online businesses.

Winner

Each of these eCommerce builders has different strengths. BigCommerce is the better option for large businesses with enterprise-level sales volumes, while Squarespace is ideal for smaller businesses.

2. BigCommerce or Squarespace: Ecommerce Features

When choosing an eCommerce platform based on the features each offers, the ultimate question you’re looking to answer is: Which one will help me sell more?

BigCommerce Features

BigCommerce’s standard plan costs $29 per month compared to Squarespace’s Commerce Basic, which costs $28 per month. While a $1 difference might not seem like much, the number of additional features you get with BigCommerce is incomparable. Some notable ones include:

• Product reviews and ratings: BigCommerce has a built-in comment section where customers can submit comments and ratings directly onto your store’s product pages.
• Multi-currency selling: You can accept payments in 100+ different currencies.
• Real-time shipping quotes: You can provide accurate shipping rates to customers from major providers like UPS and FedEx.

The higher-tier plans come with even more powerful features, including the abandoned cart-saver tool, product filtering, and Google reviews. BigCommerce goes the extra mile to ensure merchants have everything they need to run their online stores efficiently and effectively. 

Squarespace Features

While BigCommerce certainly has some of the most powerful eCommerce tools for online businesses, we’re not in any way implying that Squarespace is deficient. On the contrary, its collection of features is impressive. Our favorites include:

• Selling on Instagram: You can tag your store’s products on your posts for a wider audience reach.
• Customer checkout on your store domain: You don’t have to redirect customers to third-party websites just to process payments.
• Customer accounts: You can incentivize customers to create user accounts to speed up checkout in the future.

While these are undoubtedly amazing features, the only downside we found is that Squarespace doesn’t appear to go the “extra mile” compared to BigCommerce.

For instance, BigCommerce offers several apps you can integrate into your store to help you detect and mitigate potentially fraudulent activity. With Squarespace, however, you must rely on whatever security measures your payment processor is using to protect your customers against cyber threats.

Winner

BigCommerce is the clear winner here. The platform is built for enterprise-level merchants and comes with powerful sales features, many of which are lacking in Squarespace.

3. Ease of Use

When it comes to ease of use, the question we are ultimately answering is: Which one is better for customizing and managing your store?

BigCommerce Usability

BigCommerce has a steep learning curve in terms of usability. While both BigCommerce and Squarespace have section-based editors, BigCommerce doesn’t give users much control over the formatting in each block. This isn’t the case for Squarespace.

We also found the number of toolbars for performing simple tasks like modifying fonts or changing color schemes overwhelming. Adding products was pretty straightforward, but when it came to customization, things took a turn for the worse.

Website management is truly where BigCommerce truly shines. You can sell all types of products (service-based, digital, and physical) and handle larger-than-average inventories with ease. We particularly like how BigCommerce automatically generates stock-keeping units (SKUs). This feature makes it easy to identify and organize all the different variants of products.

See also: Clicks to Conversions: How to Improve BigCommerce UI/UX

Squarespace Usability

With Squarespace, customizing your online store is a breeze. When you first sign up, it will prompt you to choose a template before walking you through how to customize it using the platform’s website editor.

The site editor has a simple, clean, and intuitive interface. We liked how everything was laid out, and it didn't take long before we figured out where everything was. Unfortunately, we can’t say the same for BigCommerce.

As far as eCommerce management goes, Squarespace has no shortage of tools to manage your store’s finances and inventory. We found it remarkably easy to add products and category tags, organize them based on various attributes such as size and color, and even view the amount of stock available for each product.

Winner

Both platforms are pretty decent when it comes to store management, although BigCommerce has a slight edge over Squarespace in that regard. However, as far as overall ease of use goes, Squarespace takes the cup.

4. Themes and Templates

As far as themes and templates go, you should ask yourself which of the two options makes your online store look better.

BigCommerce Themes and Templates

BigCommerce boasts an impressive collection of 100+ themes. That can’t be a bad thing, right? Not exactly.

While there’s nothing inherently wrong with them, the problem is that most (if not all) of them seem to have been designed to strictly adhere to eCommerce best practices. Templates like Fortune, for instance, are specifically optimized to offer sales and discounts, which can be a problem if that doesn’t align with your business’s core marketing strategy.

While we like the nifty sales features like the customizable checkout functionality and the functional product slideshows, we thought the template designs were a little lackluster. They didn't have as much personality as we would have liked, and we found them rather difficult to customize. One would have needed a background in web development to be able to do so.

Squarespace Themes and Templates

Squarespace offers 170+ themes, all of which are breathtakingly stunning. You can tell that each one of these professional-looking themes was built for online stores. They’re sleek, modern, stylish, and chock-full of built-in features that add to their functionality.

The best part is that you can choose any template for your online store without having to pay extra for it since it’s already included in your plan. Based on our findings, it is virtually impossible to end up with a basic-looking Squarespace website.

Winner

Squarespace is the clear winner in this category. Its contemporary collection of templates is hard to beat. 

5. Performance and Security

Downtime, slow-loading pages, and hacked databases would be a nightmare for any online store owner. With that in mind, which of the two platforms has your back from a performance and security standpoint? To answer this question, we pit each of them against each other to see which one would emerge on top.

BigCommerce Performance and Security

From our analysis, the average site loading speed for BigCommerce stores was 8.7 seconds and 2.3 seconds on mobile and desktop devices, respectively. These were only a fraction of a second slower than Squarespace.

That said, Google’s recent algorithm update puts BigCommerce in the lead. The update focuses on checking a site’s core web vitals regarding user experience, and, for whatever reason, Google appears to prefer BigCommerce websites. This fact increases their likelihood of ranking higher on search engine results pages (SERPs).

With regard to security, BigCommerce, like Squarespace, includes a free SSL certificate on all their plans. This is a critical trust signal to customers that their sensitive personal and financial information is in safe hands. As a result, they don’t have to worry about their payment details ending up in the hands of hackers.

See also: Protecting Your Store: A Guide to BigCommerce Security

Squarespace Performance and Security

The average site loading speed for Squarespace stores was 8.5 seconds and 2.1 seconds on mobile and desktop devices, respectively. While it might not be that different from BigCommerce, Squarespace is marginally faster.

It also had a better overall server response time (SRT). This is the total duration for the server to respond to a request, such as the time it takes to display content after a customer clicks a link.

With regard to security, Squarespace, like BigCommerce, includes a free SSL certificate in all its plans. Customers are more likely to enter their payment information on your website if they’re confident hackers won’t get to it.

Winner

It’s a tie for both platforms. Whether you pick BigCommerce or Squarespace to host your online store, both providers are at par with regard to performance and security.

6. Payment Options & Transaction Fees

When comparing the payment options and transaction fees for both platforms, we sought to find an answer to the question: Which of the two is better for making sales?

First, we should make an important distinction between payment gateway fees and transaction fees. The two phrases are often used interchangeably when they don't, in fact, mean the same thing.

Payment gateway fees are the costs payment processors charge for handling your store’s payments. These are usually somewhere in the realm of 2.9%+30¢ for most major providers like Stripe and PayPal.

On the other hand, transaction fees are the costs some eCommerce platforms charge merchants by taking a small commission on every sale.

BigCommerce Payment Options & Transaction Fees

BigCommerce doesn’t charge merchants any transaction fees for sales made on their platform. When it comes to payment options, BigCommerce is miles ahead of the game.

It works with popular payment gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, Apple Pay, and 60+ other providers. It also supports over 100 currencies, making it ideal for eCommerce enterprises operating on a global scale.

Squarespace Payment Options & Transaction Fees

Squarespace charges online store owners on its Business plan 3% in transaction fees for sales made on their platform. However, merchants on the Basic Commerce and Advance Commerce plans don’t incur any fees.

As far as payment options go, Squarespace only works with a handful of providers, including PayPal, Stripe, Apple Pay, and Afterpay. It also only supports 27 currencies compared to BigCommerce’s 100+.

Winner

BigCommerce is the clear winner here. Given all the different payment options it offers, BigCommerce might be a better option if your online business targets a global audience.

7. Marketing Features

When it comes to marketing, more is always better. We sought to find out which of the two platforms had a wider array of marketing features.

BigCommerce Marketing Features

BigCommerce is built for enterprise-level online stores, so it makes sense that its arsenal of marketing tools is fully stocked. We particularly like the built-in ability it gives customers to check out on Instagram without having to exit and go to the merchant’s website.

That said, the platform’s vast majority of marketing capabilities come from third-party integrations. The BigCommerce Apps Marketplace is chock-full of apps with a wide range of marketing capabilities. You’ll find apps that let you schedule discounts and promotions in advance, track trending keywords for better SEO, and more.

Squarespace Marketing Features

As impressive as BigCommerce is, it doesn’t compare to Squarespace. The eCommerce provider includes powerful marketing tools on all its plans, which means you don’t have to leave the platform or exit the website editor just to add new features to your site. Some of these built-in functionalities include:

• Subscription: You can set up a subscription model for any product in your store.
• Custom forms: You can create a form to collect information on your customers when they add products to their cart.
• Related products: You can use this feature to display related products on any product page you choose.
• Custom button: You can edit the text using the Add to Cart button and customize it to read anything you want.
• Social accounts: This feature automatically updates your social account anytime you publish new products for a wider reach.

Another great marketing feature that is native to Squarespace is the ability to add "limited stock" labels to products in your store. This approach has been proven to boost conversions by creating a sense of urgency among shoppers when products are running out.

Winner

As far as the total built-in marketing features go, Squarespace is head and shoulders above the competition. The main issue with BigCommerce is that its merchants must primarily rely on third-party apps to integrate marketing capabilities into their online stores.

8. BigCommerce vs Squarespace: Pricing

Price is always a major factor in any business decision-making process. With that in mind, we wanted to know which of the two platforms gives merchants more value for money.

BigCommerce Pricing

BigCommerce has a significantly higher price range than Squarespace. The reason for this is simple: The platform is built for high-volume sellers.

The downside to the price point is that despite the higher costs, the platform is heavily reliant on third-party apps. This means that you might find yourself having to pay more for these integrations over and above the recurring monthly subscription.

Squarespace Pricing

Of the four Squarespace plans, only the Business, Commerce Basic, and Commerce Advanced plans are actually made for eCommerce. The Basic and Advanced plans allow merchants to sell unlimited products with zero transaction fees. The Business plan levies a 3% transaction fee on every product sold.

That said, Squarespace offers more bang for your buck, mainly due to all the built-in features it comes with. Once you pick a plan and pay the required monthly subscription fee, that’s all you’ll ever need to pay.

Winner

The all-in-one convenience you get with Squarespace is hard to beat. With no additional need for third-party integrations, the eCommerce platform offers the best value for money.

9. Help and Support

We sought to answer the question of how easy it is to get technical assistance on each of the two platforms.

BigCommerce Support

Based on our assessment, we can confirm that the BigCommerce customer support representatives are available 24/7 via phone call or live chat. They are also reachable via email, but you would need to submit a ticket through the website. The team was prompt in responding to queries, so there were no issues there.

The website also has a Help Center complete with learning guides, in-depth videos, user-help documents, and community resources merchants can leverage to get help with their issues. 

Squarespace Support

Squarespace support was a little underwhelming. At the time of this publication, there was an error on the website indicating that the live chat feature was temporarily closed. We cannot say for certain how long that notice had been up. The only available support channel we found was email.

On the plus side, the website has a pretty rich resource library you can use to find a solution for your issue.

Winner

With all the different channels through which merchants can reach the support team, BigCommerce wins in terms of help and customer service. Squarespace is lagging in that regard. 

10. BigCommerce vs Squarespace: Pros and Cons

Last, but not least, we wanted to find out how the two platforms stack up against each other. What are the benefits and drawbacks of each?

BigCommerce: Pros and Cons

Pros

• 0% transaction fees on each plan
• Excellent large-scale inventory management capabilities
• Multi-currency selling
• Provides real-time shipping quotes
• Has a built-in comment section for product ratings and reviews
• Supports 65+ payment providers and 100+ currencies
• 24/7 availability of customer support
• Powerful selling tools for enterprise-level businesses

Cons

• Lackluster templates
• Unintuitive website editor
• Lack of built-in marketing tools
• Doesn’t provide great value for money
• Relies heavily on third-party app integrations

Squarespace: Pros and Cons

Pros

• Robust Instagram selling tools
• Easy-to-use, intuitive website editor
• Sleek, modern themes
• 170+ templates to choose from
• Fast server response time (SRT)
• Several built-in eCommerce functions
• Loads of built-in marketing tools
• Offers better value for money

Cons

• 3% transaction fees for merchants on the Business plan
• Limited payment options
• Support is only available via email
• Only supports 27 currencies
• Limited scalability

The Verdict

BigCommerce or Squarespace: Which platform wins? While both eCommerce providers are impressive in their own right, if we had to recommend one, it would no doubt be Squarespace.

All things considered, the website builder offers more value for money, has a bigger and better selection of free templates, has a more intuitive and flexible website builder, and doesn’t rely on nearly as many third-party integrations as BigCommerce does. What’s more, none of the Squarespace plans put a cap on store sales.

If you want to migrate your online store from BigCommerce to Squarespace or vice-versa or to an entirely different eCommerce provider, Cart2Cart can do it for you quickly and efficiently. With our fully automated shopping cart migration tool, you can take the headache out of the re-platforming process and change your eCommerce solution in a few clicks with no downtime or data loss.

Ready to see Cart2Cart in action? Sign up today for a free demo.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 

What are the drawbacks of BigCommerce?

The most common complaints about BigCommerce include:

• The lackluster themes and templates
• The inflexible and unintuitive website editor
• The shortage of built-in marketing tools
• It doesn’t offer great value for money
• Its heavy reliance on third-party app integrations

What is better than Squarespace?

In terms of price and feature sets, Shopify is the next best thing to Squarespace. Wix and Webflow are also pretty decent alternatives.

What are the disadvantages of Squarespace?

Some notable drawbacks of Squarespace include:

• The 3% transaction fees for merchants on the Business plan
• The limited payment options compared to other eCommerce providers
• The fact that support is only available via email
• It only supports 27 currencies
• Its limited scalability

Do professionals use Squarespace?

Yes, many web developers and designers use Squarespace to build online stores and develop portfolios for their clients.