Shopify vs Wix vs Squarespace

When it comes to eCommerce, choosing the right platform is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. Wix and Squarespace offer attractive design tools and are great for beginners, but for businesses serious about online selling, Shopify stands in a category of its own.

Whether you’re starting a small brand or scaling up a high-volume store, Shopify delivers the performance, flexibility, and tools you need to grow in today’s competitive market.

Why Switch to Shopify?

If you’re currently on Wix or Squarespace, migrating to Shopify could be the smartest long-term move for your business. Shopify is purpose-built for eCommerce and gives you:

• More selling power
  
• Better integrations
  
• Faster site performance
  
• Improved SEO results

In this guide, we’ll compare Shopify, Wix, and Squarespace to help you understand the strengths of each platform for different types of online businesses.

Shopify Is Built for eCommerce

Unlike Wix and Squarespace, which started as website builders and later added eCommerce features, Shopify was designed from the ground up for online selling.

Shopify benefits include:

• Advanced inventory management
  

• Streamlined order fulfilment
  

• Multi-channel selling (Amazon, TikTok, Instagram and more)

• Abandoned cart recovery included

• Flexible checkout and payment options
  
  

Each platform has its own benefits:

Shopify: Purpose-built for eCommerce, ideal for growing and scaling online stores
Wix: Drag-and-drop builder, highly flexible, budget-friendly for small businesses and personal sites.
Squarespace: Strong visual design and content features, ideal for creatives, bloggers, and design-first brands

Features That Scale With Your Business

Many businesses begin on Wix or Squarespace but soon run into limitations. Shopify is built to scale - whether you’re adding more products, entering new markets, or handling higher traffic volumes.

Key features for scaling include:

• Tiered pricing and discount rules
  

• Subscription and recurring billing options
  

• Customisable checkout with Shopify Plus
  

• Advanced reporting and analytics
  

• Support for 100+ payment gateways
  
  

How Each Platform’s App Store Stacks Up

Shopify’s App Store offers over 8,000 integrations, covering everything from marketing automation and SEO to shipping, loyalty programs and accounting.

By comparison, Wix and Squarespace offer far fewer integrations, limiting what you can achieve without custom development.

Shopify Delivers Improved SEO and Site Performance

For Australian businesses competing online, SEO and site speed are critical. Shopify gives you both:

• Mobile-optimised, fast-loading themes
  

• Built-in structured data for Google rich snippets

• Clean URLs and editable metadata
  

• Global CDN and image optimisation
  
  

Wix and Squarespace, on the other hand, are often criticised for SEO limitations and slower performance as stores expand, another reason many businesses migrate to Shopify.

Detailed Comparisons

Ease of Use

• Wix: Most beginner-friendly with drag-and-drop editor

• Squarespace: Clean UI but more structured, slightly steeper learning curve

• Shopify: Built for eCommerce, easy to use but more robust for product management

Design & Customisation

• Wix: Highly flexible, total creative freedom

• Squarespace: Best for visually stunning templates

• Shopify: Professional themes with commerce focus, moderate design flexibility, although can be customised

eCommerce Features

• Shopify: Full-featured with advanced inventory, shipping, POS, and multi-channel selling

• Wix: Suitable for basic stores, limited advanced features

• Squarespace: Strong for content-driven sites with light commerce

SEO Capabilities

• Shopify: SEO-friendly URLs, metadata, rich snippets, schema markup

• Wix: Improved over the years, but still limited in technical SEO

• Squarespace: Decent for content SEO, but limited URL structure and technical depth

Pricing Breakdown

• Shopify: $29 to $399+/mo depending on features

• Wix: Starts lower, $17 to $59+/mo for business plans

• Squarespace: $23 to $65+/mo with commerce support

Scalability

• Shopify: Designed to grow with your business

• Wix: Limited beyond a certain product/catalogue size

• Squarespace: Best for small to mid-size stores with aesthetic focus

Shopify vs Wix vs Squarespace: Side-by-Side Comparison

 

How to Migrate From Wix or Squarespace to Shopify

Moving your store doesn’t have to be difficult. Here’s a simple migration checklist:

1. Export your data (products, customers, orders) from Wix or Squarespace

2. Import the data into Shopify via CSV or migration apps
   

3. Choose a Shopify theme that reflects your brand

4. Install key apps (SEO, reviews, email marketing, shipping)

5. Set up 301 redirects to keep your SEO rankings intact

6. Test your store before going live
   
   

Use Cases

Choose Shopify if:
You plan to grow your store, need robust selling tools, or want long-term scalability and multi-channel selling.

Choose Wix if:
You’re just starting out, want full creative control, and have a limited budget.

Choose Squarespace if:
You’re a designer, blogger, or creative professional looking to blend visual content with light eCommerce.

 

Final Thoughts: Shopify Is the Best eCommerce Platform

If you’re serious about selling online, Shopify is the clear winner. It’s built specifically for eCommerce, scalable as your business grows, and offers far superior tools, integrations, and SEO performance compared to Wix or Squarespace.

While all three platforms have their strengths, your choice should align with your goals:

• Shopify is best for serious eCommerce, offering the flexibility and features needed for growth and multi-channel selling.
• Squarespace is best for design-focused brands that prioritise aesthetics and content with light commerce needs.
• Wix is best for beginners on a budget, offering an easy entry point with creative control for smaller, simpler websites.

Ultimately, choosing the right platform depends on where your business is now and where you want it to go.

 

Ready to Migrate to Shopify?

Need expert help migrating from Wix or Squarespace to Shopify? Get in touch with us, we’ll handle the hard work so you can focus on growing your business.