Squarespace vs Square

Squarespace vs Square (2025) — Complete Feature, Pricing & Use-Case Showdown

Last updated: July 2025

Which platform gives you the smoother path from beautiful website to friction-free sales—Squarespace’s design-first builder or Square’s POS-driven commerce stack? This guide breaks down every angle: site design, inventory sync, fees, SEO, subscriptions, analytics, and more.

Table of Contents

1. Platform Overviews

Squarespace (Fluid Engine 2.0)

Squarespace pairs award-winning templates (now ≈230 designs) with its upgraded Fluid Engine 2.0 drag-and-drop editor, giving creators pixel-level control without code. Squarespace Templates | Fluid Engine Guide

E-commerce, Member Areas, Scheduling, and Email Campaigns live under one roof—perfect for visually driven brands who sell light-to-mid-size product catalogs.

Square Online (+ Square POS)

Square started with payments, then added POS hardware and a commerce-focused site builder. Square Online syncs inventory with Square Registers and Readers in real time, so what you sell in-store updates online automatically. Square POS Inventory Sync Guide

The platform offers free and paid site plans, omnichannel social selling, plus built-in tools like Appointments and Loyalty that tie directly into its payment ecosystem. Square Appointments Features | Square Loyalty Features

2. Snapshot Comparison Table

Core AreaSquarespace 2025Square Online 2025
Website BuilderFluid Engine 2.0 visual blocksTemplate-based builder focused on commerce
Templates / Themes≈230 design-forward themes3 free + 24 paid themes ≈ 27 total Theme Comparison
POS HardwareNone native (works via extensions)Square Registers, Readers, KDS integrated
Inventory SyncManual or via third-partyReal-time POS ↔ Online sync Inventory Sync Details
Transaction Fees0 % on Commerce plans; 3 % on Business plan Squarespace Pricing2.9 % + 30¢ (Plus) / 2.6 % + 30¢ (Premium) Square Online Plans
SEO ToolsMeta, redirects, basic schemaPage-level SEO settings SEO Settings Guide
Subscriptions / BookingsMember Areas & Scheduling add-ons Scheduling | Member Areas GuideAppointments, Invoices, Loyalty built-in Appointments | Loyalty
Social / OmnichannelSell on Instagram, Amazon via extensionsTikTok, Facebook, Instagram shops native Social Commerce Tools
Pricing (2025)$25–99 / mo (Basic → Advanced) Pricing AnalysisFree tier, Plus $29 / mo, Premium $79 / mo Square Online Plans
Best ForBrand-driven sites + light storesOmnichannel retailers & cafés

3. Deep-Dive Comparisons

3.1 Website Builder UX & Design

Squarespace: Fluid Engine 2.0 adds section-level drag handles, smart grids, and breakpoint previews—ideal for marketers who want fine-grained layout control. Fluid Engine Video Guide | Fluid Engine Full Guide

Square: Setup is faster: choose a theme, connect your catalog, publish. The trade-off is less design flexibility.

3.2 POS & In-Person Sales Integration

Square shines here: inventory, prices, and customer profiles sync instantly between Square Online and physical registers, reducing oversells. POS Integration Guide

Squarespace has no native hardware; sellers rely on Stripe-enabled card readers or external POS systems.

3.3 Online Store & Inventory Management

Squarespace offers variants, low-stock alerts, and flexible shipping rules—but it lacks the granular location-level inventory Square provides out of the box.

Square Online inherits Square POS’s Item Library, letting you bulk edit SKUs across channels.

3.4 Payment Processing & Fees

Squarespace: No extra transaction fee on Commerce plans; Business plan charges 3 %. Payments are routed via Stripe, PayPal, and Apple Pay.

Square: Uses its own processor: 2.9 % + 30¢ (Plus) or 2.6 % + 30¢ (Premium). There’s also a $0 Free plan with higher rates.

3.5 SEO & Content Marketing

Squarespace lets you edit page titles, meta descriptions, and URL slugs; it auto-generates sitemaps and supports basic schema. Recent product-update email automations tighten marketing loops. Product Updates (June 2025)

Square Online offers an SEO panel inside its dashboard (title, description, robots settings) but lacks advanced schema or blog taxonomies.

3.6 Omnichannel & Social Selling

Square pushes inventory to Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok shops straight from the dashboard. Social Selling Tools

Squarespace connects to Instagram Shopping and Amazon via extensions, but deeper marketplace sync needs third-party apps.

3.7 Subscriptions, Bookings & Services

Squarespace: Member Areas start at $9 / mo, letting you gate courses or premium content. Scheduling embeds booking flows directly in your site.

Square: Appointments (free for solo users) integrates with POS for seamless checkout; Loyalty adds points-based rewards that appear at register and online.

3.8 Reporting & Analytics

Both platforms supply sales dashboards. Square’s reporting marries in-person and online data (top items, repeat buyers), while Squarespace focuses on traffic, conversions, and abandoned-cart recovery.

3.9 Security & Compliance

Squarespace includes SSL and PCI-compliant checkout; Square adds end-to-end encrypted payments and automatic PCI scope coverage for card-present transactions.

3.10 Pricing & Total Cost of Ownership

Squarespace’s new Basic → Advanced tiers cost $25–99 / mo (annual billing). Pricing Breakdown

Square’s Plus ($29) and Premium ($79) bundle POS sync and lower processing rates, but transaction costs can outweigh subscription savings at high volumes.

4. Pros & Cons

Squarespace ProsSquarespace Cons
Stunning templates & Fluid Engine controlNo native POS hardware
Member Areas, Scheduling, Email built-inTransaction fee on Business plan
0 % fees on Commerce plansInventory doesn’t sync with physical POS
Square Online ProsSquare Online Cons
Real-time POS ↔ Online inventoryFewer site-design options
Built-in CRM, Loyalty, AppointmentsHigher processing fees on Free/Plus plans
Omnichannel social-commerce toolsLimited blogging & advanced SEO

5. Final Verdict & Flowchart

Choose Squarespace if you…

  • Need a visually stunning brand site or portfolio with light-to-medium e-commerce.
  • Value built-in Scheduling or gated Member content.
  • Prefer predictable subscription pricing with no extra commerce fees.

Choose Square if you…

  • Run a brick-and-mortar store or café and want online & in-person inventory in sync.
  • Need native POS hardware, Loyalty, and text/email receipts in one ecosystem.
  • Accept slightly higher per-transaction fees for integrated convenience.

Flowchart:
Design-first site? → Squarespace
Omnichannel retail + POS? → Square Online

Still unsure which platform suits your business best? Take this quick quiz to find out!

6. Frequently Asked Questions

Can Squarespace connect to Square POS hardware? No, not natively. You would need third-party tools or manually manage separate inventories for in-person and online sales.

Which has lower overall fees? Squarespace Commerce plans have 0% additional transaction fees (though Stripe, PayPal, or Apple Pay processing fees still apply). Square Online includes its own payment processing with rates between 2.6% to 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction, which may be cheaper or more expensive depending on your sales volume.

Does Square Online support blogging? Square Online offers basic blog functionality, but it lacks categories, tags, and RSS feeds. Squarespace remains the stronger choice for blogging and content-heavy sites.

Can I migrate from Squarespace to Square Online? You can export product data via CSV and manually rebuild your pages. However, design elements, layouts, and blog content need to be recreated manually.

Which platform handles restaurant menus better? Square Online is better for restaurants. It includes Menu tools, Kitchen Display System (KDS) integrations, and online ordering features designed for food-service businesses.

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Zander Aycock

Written by Zander Aycock, Founder/Growth Marketer

Born and raised in the Charlotte, NC area (Rock Hill, SC), Zander Aycock is a digital marketer passionate about helping small businesses maximize their websites and marketing strategies. With extensive experience working with small shops, service businesses, and eCommerce sites, Zander leads Sharpen Marketing in driving growth through A/B testing, heat map analysis, marketing automation, subscriber marketing, consulting, and paid traffic campaigns. Our clients consistently expand their market share, grow their customer base, and boost revenue.

Feel free to send an email and say hello!

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