Squarespace Commerce

Squarespace Commerce is the online selling toolset built into the Squarespace website platform, giving users the ability to list products, accept payments, and manage orders directly from the same editor used to design and publish their site.

Squarespace was founded in 2003 by Anthony Casalena, who built the original version of the platform as a personal project while a student at the University of Maryland before launching it publicly as a website builder in 2004. For its first several years the company focused on design and content publishing rather than selling, with ecommerce functionality added later as the platform matured into a broader business tool.

Squarespace went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021 under the ticker SQSP. In early 2026 the company restructured its pricing into four simplified plans – Basic, Core, Plus, and Advanced – replacing its previous Personal, Business, and Commerce-branded tiers, with selling functionality now built into every paid plan rather than reserved for a separate “Commerce” tier.

As a hosted, all-in-one platform, Squarespace Commerce bundles hosting, templates, and selling tools into a single subscription, similar in concept to Shopify and BigCommerce, though Squarespace places particular emphasis on visual design and template quality.

Transaction fees vary by plan: lower tiers apply a percentage-based fee on top of standard payment processing, while the higher Plus and Advanced plans remove store transaction fees entirely, leaving only standard card processing rates through Squarespace Payments or a connected gateway such as payment gateway providers.

Example

A ceramics artist already using Squarespace to showcase a portfolio decides to start selling pieces online. Rather than moving to a separate ecommerce platform, they upgrade to a plan with full selling features, add a product catalogue using the existing site editor, and connect Squarespace Payments to accept cards. Inventory, order notifications, and shipping settings are then managed from the same dashboard used to update the rest of the site.

Key characteristics

• Integrated with the site editor: Product pages and storefronts are built using the same drag-and-drop tools as the rest of a Squarespace site, rather than a separate commerce-only interface.
• Tiered transaction fees: Lower-tier plans apply a percentage fee on each sale, while higher-tier plans remove store transaction fees and reduce digital product fees, leaving only standard payment processing rates.
• Design-forward templates: Storefronts are built from professionally designed templates, with Squarespace positioning visual presentation as a core differentiator against more feature-dense ecommerce platforms.
• Built-in marketing tools: Email campaigns, pop-ups, and basic SEO settings are included natively, reducing reliance on third-party marketing apps for early-stage stores.
• Advanced features at higher tiers: Functions such as abandoned cart recovery, subscription selling, and real-time carrier shipping rates are limited to the platform’s higher-tier plans.

Related terms

• Ecommerce – the broader category of online commercial transactions that Squarespace Commerce is designed to support within the wider Squarespace platform.
• WooCommerce – a self-hosted ecommerce plugin for WordPress, often compared against Squarespace Commerce by users weighing hosted versus self-hosted store options.
• Payment gateway – the service that authorises card transactions at checkout; Squarespace stores connect to Squarespace Payments or a third-party gateway as part of setup.
• Order fulfillment – the process of processing and shipping a customer order, which Squarespace Commerce supports through native shipping settings and third-party integrations.
• Dropship – a fulfillment model that can be connected to a Squarespace store through third-party extensions, allowing a supplier to ship orders directly to customers.

Frequently asked questions

Does Squarespace charge transaction fees on sales?

Transaction fees depend on the plan. Lower-tier plans apply a percentage-based fee on each sale in addition to standard payment processing charges, while higher-tier Plus and Advanced plans remove store transaction fees, leaving only standard processing rates through Squarespace Payments or a connected gateway.

Can I sell products on every Squarespace plan?

Following the 2026 pricing restructure, basic selling capability is included across Squarespace’s paid plans rather than reserved for a separate commerce-specific tier. More advanced features, including abandoned cart recovery, subscriptions, and real-time shipping calculations, remain limited to higher-tier plans.

How does Squarespace Commerce compare to Shopify?

Squarespace Commerce is generally considered stronger for visual design and template quality, with selling tools built directly into the same editor used for general site design. Shopify offers a larger app marketplace and more advanced, commerce-specific functionality, making it better suited to merchants focused primarily on scaling an online store rather than maintaining a design-led website with an attached shop.

Does Squarespace support dropshipping?

Squarespace does not include native dropshipping tools, but third-party extensions can connect a store to supplier catalogues for product sourcing and order automation. The available dropshipping integrations are more limited than on platforms built specifically around that model.

AliDropship: An all-in-one platform for starting dropshipping in 2026

AliDropship is a dropshipping platform that covers store creation, product imports, order automation, and marketing within a single system. It is designed for users with no prior ecommerce experience, though it also supports scaling for more established stores.

🛍️ Free turnkey store

New users receive a free pre-built store – set up, designed, and stocked with products. The store includes a ready-to-use product catalogue and a standard storefront design. It also comes with hosting, a domain, SSL, and payment systems already set up and included.

📦 Products

The platform provides access to a product catalogue covering both trending and niche items, with one-click import to your store. The catalogue is updated regularly to reflect current market availability. Products can be browsed, filtered, and added without leaving the platform.

🚚 Shipping & fulfillment

AliDropship provides access to a vast catalogue of products from global suppliers and handles order fulfillment automatically once a purchase is made. Customers receive tracking information directly, and orders are processed without manual intervention from the store owner.

📣 Marketing & promotion tools

The platform includes built-in marketing tools covering email campaigns, discount management, SEO settings, and social media integration. These are available within the dashboard and do not require third-party subscriptions for basic use.

👌 Ease of use

AliDropship requires no coding knowledge. The dashboard contains all the necessary tools for managing your store, products, and orders in one place. Additional features and products can be added as the store grows without rebuilding the existing setup.