Etsy vs Squarespace 2024 : Which is Best for You ? Ultimate Comparisons | Which E-Commerce Platform To Choose?

Are you considering starting an online shop but not sure which platform to choose? Etsy or Squarespace?

Both platforms have their pros and cons, but in the end, one will be a better fit for your business.

In this post, we’ll break down the differences between Etsy and Squarespace so you can make an informed decision. Let’s get started!

Etsy vs Squarespace: Which is The Better Option?

Are you having difficulty deciding between Squarespace vs Etsy?

With this side-by-side comparison of Squarespace vs Etsy, you can choose which platform is right for you.

Compare each platform’s ease of use, design, support, and overall value for money.

Etsy vs Squarespace 2024: Overview

Allow the comparison to begin. Not to worry; we’ll assist you.

What is Squarespace?

Squarespace Commerce is an excellent option for merchants to build and manage a full shop.

At Big Cat Creative, we are Squarespace-obsessed. You’ve undoubtedly heard us rave about it a lot since we believe it’s the most pleasing overall platform for building a whole website for nearly any sort of company.

Squarespace is an excellent all-purpose website builder, and you can integrate it with a shopping cart called Squarespace Commerce. This offers up a plethora of customizing options.

The primary distinction between Squarespace and Etsy is that Squarespace is a platform for creating websites, not a marketplace.

As a result, Squarespace Commerce provides you with far more flexibility and creative freedom. However, this also implies that it might be more involved than just putting up a marketplace business.

Squarespace offers many additional options because it allows you to host a complete website alongside your shop. However, if you want to keep things simple and have a little business, you can do this; it is not complicated.

Unfortunately, since you lack Etsy’s built-in audience, you will need to generate traffic in other ways, rather than rely on marketplace consumers, using marketing tactics such as SEO, advertising, and social media.

Because Squarespace “hosts” rather than own your shop, there are no transaction fees if you utilize one of the Commerce options.

This is the most cost-effective choice if you sell a large volume of items since you pay a monthly price.

Squarespace is a fully-hosted solution, which means you can use it to build a beautiful website in addition to your e-commerce business.

Users have access to a robust feature set, including unlimited bandwidth and storage, analytics, marketing tools, and a point of sale system, in addition to a library of elegant, professional template designs!

What is Etsy?

Etsy is a well-known marketplace and e-commerce website for independent merchants selling hand-made and antique goods.

As well as digital and digital-only products and craft materials (technically, you can sell more anything on there, but Etsy is generally more for more miniature, hand-made goods).

It’s an easy and essential solution for small companies and individuals looking to quickly get their items recognized and sold.

Etsy is unique and straightforward to use since it is an established marketplace. You’re creating a store page on Etsy.com rather than making your website by joining Etsy. Consider a shopping center.

If the Etsy Marketplace is a shopping mall, your shop is a store. As a result, you have access to everyone who is currently exploring the mall in search of something to purchase, as well as to Etsy’s pre-established audience (31.7 million active buyers, in fact!)

By hosting your shop on Etsy, you’ll sidestep many of the difficulties associated with launching a business from scratch because it was designed specifically for creators like you to establish a shop effortlessly.

That is the only purpose of Etsy; there is no extraneous fluff or complicated features that you would encounter when starting a business from scratch. It’s easy and fast to get started.

It’s straightforward and fast, but only because you’re effectively piggybacking your business on another website. While this is an excellent starting point, it is preferable to have your brand and shop in the long run.

There are several restrictions associated with operating an Etsy business, but this is the price you pay for such a straightforward solution.

Retailers with a diversified inventory and a rapid turnover of products almost definitely want a more feature-rich platform like Squarespace or Shopify.

It’s worth noting that if you want to take things a step further, you can upgrade to Etsy’s independent solution, Pattern, which lets you design your shop with your domain and sell anything you want while still utilizing Etsy engine.

It’s the next step in transitioning your shop away from Etsy while maintaining the brand’s familiarity.

This is not what we’re discussing today since it isn’t the usual “Etsy,” but it’s worth mentioning in case you want to do some more study on it.

Etsy vs Squarespace: Customer Support

Even on its free plan, Etsy offers an excellent support package.

Along with one of the most significant seller communities on the web and comprehensive and in-depth training resources, members have access to live chat and phone support.

 

In particular, retailers who are new to the business will appreciate the detailed training and “seller manual.” The online forum, which allows users to form “teams” to discuss ideas and interact, is a beautiful tool for learning.

All support options are available through a tab on the seller dashboard, making it simple to locate help when you want it.

Squarespace’s service package is exceptional, and consumers frequently express high levels of customer satisfaction.

Customer service is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week by email and Twitter. On weekdays, between 4 a.m. and 8 p.m., live chat is accessible.

Additionally, since Squarespace is a well-known and popular site builder, a sizable community of users is active on the forums.

Etsy vs Squarespace: Ease of use

You will not find a more user-friendly site than Etsy. This is partially due to the lack of complicated features (which some may consider a disadvantage) and partly due to the seller dashboard’s basic, understandable design.

Etsy automates routine processes like listing creation and report generation.

While the site builder is quite simple to use, it does need some adjustment.

However, once you’ve mastered the fundamentals, you’ll have no issue modifying anything from your logo to your color palette.

The management dashboard, where users manage listings, orders, and data, is simple to access and straightforward.

Etsy vs Squarespace: E-Commerce Tools

Etsy has limited marketing tools, while Squarespace includes robust e-commerce capabilities.

No matter how aesthetically appealing your website is, you will not sell unless you have robust e-commerce solutions. And Squarespace is unquestionably feature-rich in this regard.

Naturally, you’ll get the fundamentals: social network integrations, detailed product descriptions, numerous payment options, order management, and calculated shipping prices.

However, you also receive more complex features with Squarespace Email Campaigns, such as tax rate control, multi-currency compatibility, and your email marketing platform.

Etsy’s array of tools is optimized for small-scale retailing. For example, a typical Etsy account will provide you with essential marketing and promotional options to help you increase your consumer base.

This includes incentives to entice new buyers, the opportunity to post your listing on social networking sites, and the chance to increase your exposure via Etsy’s in-house advertising.

You’ll need to upgrade to Etsy Plus if you want advertising credits or email notifications when your goods are in stock.

Meanwhile, Pattern by Etsy provides the conventional capabilities seen on most website builders. After all, it is a distinct entity from your Etsy store, and as such, you are responsible for bringing traffic to it.

As with Squarespace, you’ll have essential marketing and promotional options at your disposal. This includes online analytics, social media sharing, and MailChimp-powered email marketing campaigns.

Squarespace vs Etsy: Themes

Squarespace provides a greater degree of customization than Etsy and Pattern by Etsy.

Squarespace has a definite edge over Etsy when it comes to themes. Its more than 60 templates are among the most attractive on the market today. They’re also mobile-friendly.

Squarespace has even classified its designs according to your business’s requirements.

Among other things, you’ll discover templates for online businesses, restaurants, and even professional services. All of them allow you extensive customization of colors, fonts, and page layouts.

Fonts, in particular, are a straightforward and practical approach to customize a template to match your brand identity completely.

Squarespace has teamed with TypeKit to provide a complimentary selection of online fonts.

Additionally, content is configurable, allowing you to include a variety of media into your website, including video backdrops, picture headers, and even chart blocks. Best of all, you may change templates at any moment.

Etsy’s marketplace falls short of Squarespace’s adaptability. However, since your listings will adhere to Etsy’s design guidelines, you can be confident that everything will appear excellent.

As such, it’s a benefit if you’re not the creative kind but a curse if you want your brand to stand out.

How to Make the Most of Squarespace and Etsy?

If you’re just getting started with your online store, I suggest using both platforms!

When you’re just starting, it’s beneficial to use the audience that Etsy can provide since your Squarespace site is unlikely to get much traffic.

By maintaining both an Etsy and a Squarespace shop, you can use Etsy’s built-in marketplace audience to generate early purchases and expand your following, and then direct additional visitors to your Squarespace store for longer-term success.

It is preferable to have a self-contained website that you manage rather than depending on Etsy for sales in the long run. It is never a brilliant idea to build your whole company strategy on a market that may vanish tomorrow.

Additionally, having your website demonstrates to clients that you take your brand and company seriously.

Therefore, whether you start on Etsy and then migrate to Squarespace or start on Etsy and then add a Squarespace website and continue operating both stores, I believe an excellent long-term aim is to transition to a stand-alone business.

Hence, you aren’t entirely reliant on Etsy. Eventually, you’d want to reach a point when your Squarespace shop becomes your primary focus.

FAQs on Etsy vs Squarespace :

Does Squarespace take a percentage of sales?

Squarespace Commerce plans do not include transaction fees (Basic and Advanced). The business plan charges a 3 % transaction fee on all sales.

Can you do dropshipping on Squarespace?

You certainly can. Squarespace provides two dropshipping options: Printful and Spocket. Although Printful is ideal for novices due to its simplicity of use, they prefer Spocket if you want to develop your dropshipping company in the future.

Does Squarespace use Shopify?

You can combine an existing Shopify shop with your Squarespace site or domain if you have one. This way, you can sell your items across several platforms and drive traffic to your Shopify shop directly from your Squarespace website.

What kind of products are sold on Etsy?

Multiple products like paper, accessories, hand-made items, jewelry, clothing, vintage items, and a lot more can be sold on Etsy.

Is Etsy worth it in 2021?

Yes. To begin, making conclusions based on a small, skewed sample size may not be prudent. And in the second, the two main reasons to use Etsy in 2021 are that it's simple and inexpensive. Indeed, until Etsy begins charging a monthly fee, it's worth listing if only to take advantage of the marketplace's position.

Who makes the most money of Etsy?

Alicia Shaffer is the wealthiest seller on Etsy. Follow her on Instagram at @threebirdnest. On Etsy, Alicia Shaffer is the most successful seller. In November 2011, the mother of three began selling boho-inspired hats and scarves via her internet business, Three Bird Nest.

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Conclusion: Etsy vs Squarespace 2024

Hopefully, now you realize exactly how different Squarespace and Etsy are.

Squarespace is a strong website builder with an e-commerce option. It’s quite straightforward to use when you’re contemplating developing an entire website, and it is far more extensive and powerful than Etsy.

No question, building your shop on Squarespace is the more involved alternative.

Etsy is straightforward and quick to use, plus it has an audience built-in. It’s a terrific method to start your online shop, but as your company expands, it may become quite confining.

I feel whether you should use Squarespace or Etsy for your online shop depends on what stage of company you are in.

Etsy is a terrific way to get your feet wet, generate some sales, and develop a following.

Squarespace is a terrific alternative if you are ready to take your business to the next level and grow your sales beyond what Etsy can provide.

But ideally, I believe you should employ to Squarespace for your sales and enhance your brand exposure!