Shopify vs Wix vs Squarespace: Costs, Fees and Fit (2026)
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In this article
Shopify vs Wix vs Squarespace for an online store comes down to point of sale, fees and budget. Shopify’s plans start at $25 a month ($19 billed yearly). Wix takes payments from Core up, and Squarespace sells on every paid plan. Wix and Squarespace US dollar prices were not confirmed. Shopify vs Wix in depth covers those two alone.
Quick verdict
Choose Shopify if you want in-person sales through POS Pro ($89 a month per location), no third-party provider fee when you use Shopify Payments, or local-currency prices (which need Shopify Payments). From $25 a month, or $19 a month billed yearly (US pricing page).
Skip it if you only need a site that does not take payments yet. Wix lists a Free plan and its Help Center says the Light plan cannot accept payments, while Shopify’s pricing page lists four paid plans.
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Key takeaways
- Shopify US plans, per month: Basic $25 ($19 billed yearly), Grow $65 ($49), Advanced $399 ($299). Source: Shopify US pricing page.
- The Wix and Squarespace pricing pages showed no confirmed US dollar prices, so this page prints none for them. Read the figure for your country on each page.
- Squarespace Basic carries a 2% transaction fee on store sales; Core, Plus and Advanced carry 0%. Shopify charges 2% on Basic only with a payment provider other than Shopify Payments.
- Hypothetical year on Shopify Basic: 12 x $19 = $228 billed yearly, or 12 x $25 = $300 billed monthly.
How did we compare Shopify, Wix and Squarespace?
Public pages only, all checked 2026-10-22: the Shopify US pricing page and Help Center, plus the Wix and Squarespace plan pages and Help Centers. We did not open accounts or test any product. Not checked: Wix and Squarespace prices in US dollars, and Shopify card rates (the US page shows none).
Shopify figures are the US page in USD. Prices differ by country.
Which platform should you choose for your online store?
Choose by four questions: products, point of sale, design control and monthly budget.
- How many products? Shopify and Squarespace list unlimited products. The Wix pages do not state a product limit.
- Do you need a point of sale? Shopify POS Pro is $89 a month per location (US page). Wix sells a separate POS Premium plan; Squarespace uses its app with Square.
- How much design control? None of the vendor pages ranks design control. Browse each template gallery and our guide to Shopify themes to start from.
- What monthly budget? Add the plan price, transaction fee and card rate, listed below.
Squarespace also lists unlimited products, so catalog size alone does not decide it. If you want in-person sales on Shopify or card payments without a 2% platform fee, the plan price is the next thing to check.
How much do Shopify, Wix and Squarespace cost for an online store?
Wix vs Squarespace vs Shopify costs cannot be compared in one currency from the pages opened. Only Shopify’s price is confirmed in US dollars here: Basic is $25 a month, or $19 a month billed yearly (US page). Grow is $65 ($49 billed yearly) and Advanced is $399 ($299). Our guide to Shopify plan prices explained covers the tiers.
| Platform | Cheapest plan that can sell online | Price per month (monthly / billed yearly) | Where the page shows it | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Basic | $25 / $19 (US, USD) | Shopify US pricing page | 2026-10-22 |
| Wix | Core (Light cannot accept payments) | Not confirmed for the US; check Wix’s page for your country. | Wix plans page; Help Center “Choosing a Premium Plan” | 2026-10-22 |
| Squarespace | Basic (every billing plan can sell) | Not confirmed for the US; check Squarespace’s page for your country. | Squarespace pricing page; Help Center “Choose the right Squarespace plan” | 2026-10-22 |
Prices differ by country, and each vendor can change them. Wix says on its plans page that displayed prices are for yearly subscriptions paid in full at the time of purchase. Squarespace says every website plan is available on an annual or monthly cycle, and annual plans have a lower average monthly cost.
What does a first year cost on each cheapest selling plan?
Hypothetical store. It pays for 12 months on the cheapest plan that can sell online. The Shopify rows use the US prices above. For Wix and Squarespace, multiply the monthly price shown on their pages for your country by 12.
| Plan | Per month | 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify Basic, billed yearly | $19 | 12 x $19 = $228 |
| Shopify Basic, billed monthly | $25 | 12 x $25 = $300 |
| Wix Core, billed yearly | Price on Wix’s page for your country | 12 x that price |
| Squarespace Basic, billed yearly | Price on Squarespace’s page for your country | 12 x that price |
Domains differ. Wix lists a one-year free domain voucher on yearly plans, and Squarespace says annual plans include a free custom domain for one year. Shopify says domain renewals are charged separately from the plan, per its domain buying guide.
What transaction and card fees apply?
Squarespace Basic charges a 2% transaction fee on store sales. Shopify charges 2% on Basic only when you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments. The Wix Payments service fees page lists no separate Wix fee, only processing rates.
| Platform | Platform transaction fee | Card processing rate (US cards) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Third-party payment provider fee: 2% Basic, 1% Grow, 0.6% Advanced, 0.2% Plus. | Not shown on the US pricing page, which says “These fees vary depending on the plan that you choose.” | Shopify US pricing page |
| Wix | No separate Wix fee is listed on the Wix Payments service fees page, which gives processing rates only. | Wix Payments service fees, US section: 2.9% + 0.30 USD for cards (excluding American Express) and 3.7% + 0.30 USD for American Express. Wix says fees depend on country. Its multi-currency article adds a 1% currency conversion fee and a 1.5% cross-border fee where they apply. | Wix Help Center: Wix Payments service fees; multi-currency overview |
| Squarespace | Basic 2%. Core, Plus, Advanced 0%. | Squarespace Payments, standard US cards: Basic and Core 2.9% + $0.30, Plus 2.7% + $0.30, Advanced 2.5% + $0.30. International cards add 1.5%. | Squarespace Help Center: transaction fees and payment processing rates (updated October 15, 2026) |
Squarespace says its Basic, Core, Plus and Advanced plans are rolling out in waves, and the Plus plan might not be available in your country. An older account can be on a Business or Commerce plan with different fees, which the same page lists. Check your plan name before you use the table.
Hypothetical: a store takes $1,000 a month through a third-party payment provider. The platform fee is $20 on Shopify Basic (2%), $10 on Grow (1%), $6 on Advanced (0.6%), $20 on Squarespace Basic (2%) and $0 on Squarespace Core. With Shopify Payments, Shopify charges no third-party provider fee. Card processing is charged on top.
Squarespace also lists a separate digital products fee of 7% on Basic, 5% on Core, 1% on Plus and 0% on Advanced. It applies to digital products such as courses, video pages and member sites.
What can each platform do for selling?
All three sell online and take card payments, but they differ on point of sale, currencies and how plans are named. For the Shopify and Wix detail, see Shopify vs Wix in depth.
| Feature | Shopify | Wix | Squarespace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans that sell online | All four plans are store plans (US pricing page). | Help Center: “consider the Core or Business plans”; Light “won’t be able to accept payments”. | Help Center: “With every Squarespace billing plan, you can sell products”. |
| Product limit | “Sell unlimited products” is listed on the plans. | The pages we read give no product limit. | Unlimited products on every plan (Help Center, updated April 3, 2026). |
| Point of sale | POS Pro add-on, $89 a month per location (US page). | Separate POS Premium plan (Help Center). | Squarespace app and Square; in person in the UK or US. The Square Reader integration is US only. |
| Multi-currency | “Show prices in local currencies”; requires Shopify Payments. | Available for eligible sites with Wix Payments, PayPal or Stripe; Wix Stores only. | On by default with Squarespace Payments or Stripe; one store currency; not available with PayPal alone. |
| Abandoned cart email | “Abandoned checkout recovery” is listed on every plan. | Automation email when the shopper’s email is known and the cart sat idle for an hour; no plan tier named. | “Abandoned checkout recovery” is listed on Basic; the article says higher plans include all Basic features. |
| Apps | “Integrate with 1000s of apps” (pricing page). | Wix App Market: “over 800 popular web apps” (undated Help Center page). | Squarespace Extensions: third-party tools, connectable on all plans. |
Who does each platform fit?
Who fits Shopify?
Shopify fits a seller who plans in-person sales with POS Pro, wants to use Shopify Payments to avoid the 2% third-party fee, or wants local-currency prices. Squarespace also lists unlimited products, so catalog size alone does not decide it. Its limits: the US pricing page shows no card rate, multi-currency needs Shopify Payments, and the Basic plan includes no additional staff accounts.
Who fits Wix?
Wix fits a seller who wants to build on the Free plan first and add payments on Core later; multi-currency needs Wix Payments, PayPal or Stripe. Its limits: the Wix Payments fees page lists no separate Wix fee, no product limit is stated on the pages we read, multi-currency covers Wix Stores only, and POS is a separate paid plan. If you already sell on Wix and want to move, see the steps to migrate from Wix to Shopify.
Who fits Squarespace?
Squarespace fits a seller who wants selling on every paid plan and in-person sales in the UK or US. Its limits: Basic carries a 2% transaction fee, a store sells in one currency, a Square Reader works in the US only, and cash sales need a Square account. Our Shopify vs Squarespace page compares those two directly.
For a self-hosted route, see Shopify vs WooCommerce, or other Shopify alternatives.
FAQs
Sources
- Shopify pricing, shopify.com/pricing (US page, USD, checked 2026-10-22)
- Wix plans, wix.com/plans (location not confirmed, checked 2026-10-22)
- Squarespace pricing, squarespace.com/pricing (location not confirmed, checked 2026-10-22)
- Wix Help Center: support.wix.com/en/article/choosing-a-premium-plan, accepting-payments-an-overview, multi-currency-overview, wix-payments-service-fees, wix-stores-setting-up-and-managing-abandoned-carts, wix-pos-register-about-the-pos-plan, about-the-wix-app-market (checked 2026-10-22)
- Squarespace Help Center: transaction fees and payment processing rates, selling on the Basic, Core, Plus and Advanced plans, choose the right Squarespace plan, selling in person, choose your store’s currency, Squarespace Extensions (checked 2026-10-22)
- Shopify Help Center: buying domains (checked 2026-10-22)
- WooCommerce, woocommerce.com (checked 2026-10-22)
