Website Design

Shopify vs Webflow vs Squarespace: What's the Best Platform to Sell Products Online in 2025?

Click. Drag. Sell. Panic?
By
Desiree Team
July 9, 2025
If you're launching an online shop and asking “Shopify or Webflow?”, this detailed guide compares the top e-commerce platforms across ease of use, cost, SEO, design, and scalability—tailored for non-tech founders.

Choosing the right platform to sell physical products online is crucial, especially for non-technical business owners. This guide compares Shopify, Webflow, Squarespace, and WordPress (with WooCommerce) on the key factors that matter most: ease of use, built-in e-commerce features, design flexibility, cost, scalability, integrations & payments, SEO & blogging, and support/community. Each platform has its own strengths and limitations:

  • Shopify – A fully hosted e-commerce specialist known for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive online store tools. Ideal for entrepreneurs who want to “hit the ground running” with selling online.
  • Webflow – A design-focused website builder and CMS that offers total creative control. It includes e-commerce capabilities as a secondary feature, best suited for those who value custom design and are willing to tackle a steeper learning curve‍.
  • Squarespace – An all-in-one website builder emphasising beautiful templates and simplicity. Great for beginners or creatives who want an attractive site with minimal effort, though its e-commerce features are more basic than Shopify’s.
  • WordPress (WooCommerce) – A powerful open-source CMS with a plugin (WooCommerce) for full e-commerce functionality. Offers maximum flexibility and extensibility through thousands of themes/plugins, but requires more technical involvement for setup and maintenance.

Below is a breakdown of each platform with clear pros and cons, followed by a final recommendation for business owners focused on selling physical products online without deep tech skills.

‍

Shopify

Ease of Use and All-in-One Selling

Pros:

  • Beginner-Friendly: Renowned for its ease of use – you can set up a professional store without coding. Shopify’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor and onboarding “make it incredibly accessible for beginners”, a game-changer for non-technical users. All hosting, security, and updates are handled for you.
  • Built-In E-commerce Features: Shopify is built from the ground up for online stores. It includes robust inventory management, product catalogues, secure checkout, shipping and tax tools, and supports 100+ payment gateways (including its in-house Shopify Payments)‍. Multi-channel selling is seamless – you can easily sync your store with social media, marketplaces, and even in-person POS sales
  • Design & Themes: Offers a wide range of mobile-responsive themes (free and paid) which you can customise via a user-friendly editor. New AI features (Shopify Magic and the Horizon theme) let you auto-generate sections and edit design blocks with natural language, further simplifying design tweaks for novices‍.
  • Scalability: Extremely scalable for growing businesses. Shopify can handle small shops up to enterprise-level stores (Shopify Plus), with infrastructure that manages high traffic and large inventories. Upgrading plans unlocks advanced features as you grow. In short, “whether you’re starting small or scaling to high-volume, Shopify can handle it”.
  • App Integrations: Boasts an extensive app store (thousands of apps) for extending functionality – from marketing and dropshipping to accounting. This vast ecosystem means you can add features as needed. Integration with third-party services and payment systems is excellent, and many popular services have official Shopify apps.
  • SEO & Blogging: Provides solid basic SEO tools (editable meta tags, auto sitemaps, redirects) and a built-in blogging engine. While not as powerful as WordPress for content management, it covers essentials for most product-focused sites. You can improve SEO further with apps (e.g. SEO optimisation tools).
  • Support & Community: Shopify offers 24/7 support via live chat, email, and phone. There’s a large community of users and experts; plus extensive documentation and tutorials are available to help new store owners.

Cons:

  • Costs and Fees: Shopify has a monthly subscription (plans typically $29–$299 for Basic to Advanced) and transaction fees on each sale if you don’t use Shopify Payments (ranging 0.5%–2% per transaction). While the entry cost is low, “monthly fees, premium themes, and app costs can add up quickly”, making Shopify potentially more expensive than WooCommerce in the long run. Premium themes ($150–$350 one-off) and useful apps (often $5–$50/month each) can significantly increase your expenses as your needs grow‍.
  • Design Flexibility: Without coding, you are somewhat constrained to the structures of Shopify’s themes. You can customise colours, fonts, and layouts to a degree, but achieving a truly unique design may require working with Liquid code or hiring a developer‍. In other words, it’s less flexible for non-e-commerce or highly customised sites.
  • Basic Blogging/Content Features: Shopify’s blogging and content management are more limited compared to WordPress. It’s fine for simple news updates, but lacks advanced blogging tools and content categorisation that dedicated CMS platforms offer. If content marketing (e.g. a rich blog) is a major focus, this could be a drawback.
  • SEO Limitations: While Shopify’s SEO is decent, it has some rigid structures – for example, it forces certain URL formats (/collections/, /products/ in URLs. Advanced SEO tweaks might require additional apps or workarounds. Overall SEO capability is good for most users, but power users might find it less flexible than WordPress or Webflow for technical SEO.
  • Platform Lock-In: Migrating away from Shopify (should you ever outgrow it) can be challenging. Because it’s a proprietary platform, you can’t simply export your entire site easily to another system – you may need to rebuild elsewhere if you switch. This is a minor consideration, but worth noting for long-term planning.

Bottom Line: Shopify is often “the best for eCommerce” when your primary goal is selling products online. It excels in ease of use, has rich e-commerce features, and can grow with your business. The trade-offs are higher ongoing costs and slightly less design flexibility, but for most non-technical store owners, Shopify provides a fast, reliable path to get an online shop up and running.

‍

Webflow

Design Powerhouse with E-commerce Capabilities

Pros:

  • Unmatched Design Flexibility: Webflow is known as a “design powerhouse”. It offers a visual drag-and-drop editor that lets you control nearly every pixel of your site’s design without coding‍. You can start from beautifully designed templates or build completely custom layouts. This flexibility means your online store’s look can be truly unique and tailored to your brand – far beyond the constraints of typical templates. Webflow generates clean code in the background as you design giving the performance benefits of a hand-coded site with the convenience of a no-code tool.
  • Built-In CMS and E-commerce: Webflow includes a full CMS for creating pages, blogs, and product collections. It also has e-commerce functionality that supports product listings, shopping cart, checkout, and integrations with Stripe and PayPal for payments‍. All of this is managed in Webflow’s unified interface, which means you can design and manage products/content in one place. For content-driven stores or those that want a strong blend of marketing content and products, Webflow’s CMS is a strong advantage (e.g. it’s easy to design custom landing pages or lookbooks alongside your product catalogue).
  • Aesthetics and Animations: Webflow shines at enabling modern, visually engaging websites. You can incorporate animations and interactive effects easily, which can set your store apart (for example, subtle hover effects, dynamic product galleries, etc.). These rich design features can enhance user experience – something that’s harder to achieve on platforms like Shopify without custom code.
  • SEO Control: Webflow provides robust SEO tools – you can edit meta titles/descriptions, alt text, URL slugs, and even generate XML sitemaps. The code Webflow produces is semantic and clean, which is good for SEO. It allows custom schema markup and other advanced SEO tweaks that some simpler builders might not‍. Many users praise Webflow for being “well-optimised for SEO” out of the box. If organic search and site performance are priorities, Webflow gives you the control to fine-tune these.
  • Scalability for Site Needs: As a fully hosted solution, Webflow can handle small or large sites in terms of traffic (its hosting is on Amazon Web Services). It’s used for everything from small business sites to large marketing sites, and its e-commerce plans can support up to 15,000 items (on the highest tier). For most small-to-midsize retailers, this is plenty. You can start on a lower plan and upgrade as your product count or traffic grows.
  • Community & Resources: Webflow has a passionate community of designers and a rich resource called Webflow University with tutorials. There’s an official forum and many third-party Webflow communities where you can get help. While not as large as WordPress’s ecosystem, the community is very active, especially for design-related Q&A. Webflow also offers email support and has a decent help center.

Cons:

  • Steeper Learning Curve: Webflow is not as simple for absolute beginners as some competitors. Its interface, while user-friendly for designers, can feel complex if you have no design experience. It’s been likened to “sitting in a pilot’s seat with oh-so-many controls” compared to Squarespace’s easy ride. In short, “Webflow offers more customization, but Squarespace is easier to use”. Non-technical users may need to invest time learning Webflow’s concepts (like CSS boxes, classes, etc.). If you’re not comfortable with design principles, the initial setup can be challenging (though Webflow does provide templates to start).
  • E-commerce Limitations: Webflow’s e-commerce features, while solid for simple stores, aren’t as extensive as Shopify’s. It currently supports common needs (products, variants, basic inventory, discount codes, taxes, shipping options) but lacks some advanced features and the huge app marketplace that Shopify has. For example, multi-currency support, complex promotional campaigns, or integrated email marketing might require workarounds or Zapier integrations. Payment options are also fewer – essentially Stripe (which covers credit cards + Apple/Google Pay) and PayPal. If you need other payment gateways or POS integrations, Webflow could fall short.
  • Cost and Product Limits: Webflow’s pricing can be higher than other builders when using e-commerce. There’s no free plan for online stores (only a temporary free staging mode). Paid e-commerce plans start around $29/month (Standard) for up to 500 items and 2% Webflow transaction fees, or $74/month (Plus) for up to 5,000 items with no Webflow fees (Stripe/PayPal fees still apply)‍. High-volume stores (more items or features like unbranded email receipts) require the Advanced plan ($235/month). In addition, truly taking advantage of Webflow might involve hiring a designer/developer for initial setup if you want a custom design, which is an upfront cost not seen with DIY-focused platforms. All told, Webflow can be more expensive upfront, even if its monthly fees become more predictable later.
  • Dependence on Platform: Webflow is a closed platform for hosting – you must host the site with Webflow if you use their CMS and e-commerce. (You can export static site code, but not the CMS/e-commerce database). This means you don’t have server-level access. If Webflow has an outage or if you ever wanted to move to another host, it’s not trivial to migrate a dynamic Webflow site. This is similar to Shopify/Squarespace in that sense, but worth noting for those who prefer open systems.
  • Integration Ecosystem: While Webflow does integrate with many services (and you can use Zapier to connect to thousands more apps), it doesn’t have an app store like Shopify or the plugin repository of WordPress. Advanced functionality often requires custom code embeds or third-party services (for example, adding a complex booking system or multi-language support). This means extending Webflow might require more technical workarounds. Ensure any crucial third-party service you need (email marketing, CRM, etc.) can integrate via Zapier or API.
  • Support Limitations: Webflow’s support is primarily via email (and their response is typically within a business day). They do not offer 24/7 phone support. For most, this is not a major issue, but if you anticipate needing a lot of real-time help, keep in mind the support is not as immediate as Shopify’s. You will be leaning more on self-help (guides, community, learning resources) when troubleshooting.

Bottom Line: Webflow is ideal if you prioritise design and branding and want a truly custom-looking site without coding. It gives you creative freedom and solid site performance/SEO, making it popular among designers and agencies. For a non-technical founder, Webflow can be rewarding but also challenging – it may involve a learning curve or hiring a freelancer to set up. If you desire a unique, content-rich storefront and are willing to invest time or budget into design, Webflow is a powerful option. But if you just need to get selling quickly with out-of-the-box tools, a more straightforward e-commerce platform might serve you better.

Squarespace

Simple and Stylish for Small Stores

Pros:

  • Ease of Use: Squarespace is often praised as “super beginner-friendly”, with an intuitive drag-and-drop site editor. Everything is plug-and-play – you choose a template, then replace text and images on-page, without needing any technical skills. This makes it an attractive choice for founders who want to do it themselves easily. In fact, Squarespace is widely considered easier to use than both Webflow and WordPress, making it well-suited for non-tech individuals who might be intimidated by other systems.
  • Beautiful Design Templates: One of Squarespace’s biggest selling points is its collection of award-winning, modern templates. These designs are sleek, image-rich, and responsive (mobile-friendly). If visual appearance is a priority and you don’t want to hire a designer, Squarespace gives a very polished look out of the box. You can customise templates (colours, fonts, layouts to a degree) to match your brand. The overall aesthetic quality is high, which is why it’s popular with creatives, photographers, and boutique shops.
  • All-in-One Platform: With Squarespace, you get hosting, domain (free for first year), SSL, and maintenance all included. You don’t worry about updates or security – the platform takes care of it. It also has built-in features beyond e-commerce: blogging capability, form builder, basic email marketing tools, analytics, and more. This all-in-one approach means you have fewer moving parts to manage compared to WordPress (where you’d source hosting and plugins separately).
  • Basic E-commerce Features: Squarespace supports selling physical and digital products, with features like inventory tracking, product variants, discount codes, and abandoned cart recovery (on higher Commerce plans). For a small online store or a business selling a few product lines, these built-in tools are more than sufficient. Setup is straightforward — add products, set prices, connect a payment processor (Stripe/PayPal), and you’re ready to sell. It’s a good “cheaper alternative to Shopify” for those who don’t need advanced e-commerce power. (Squarespace Commerce plans start around $23/month, which is lower than Shopify’s standard plan.)
  • SEO & Blogging Capabilities: Squarespace has decent SEO features for a site builder: you can edit page titles, descriptions, and URLs; it auto-generates sitemaps and is generally structured in a search-friendly way (clean HTML, responsive, etc.). While not as customizable as WordPress, many small business users find it adequate to rank for local/search needs. Its blogging tool is also quite robust among site builders – you can schedule posts, enable comments, and it supports basic features like categories and tags. It’s not as flexible as WordPress’s blogging, but it outshines Shopify’s blogging in terms of ease for content creation.
  • Support & Community: Squarespace offers 24/7 email support and live chat support during certain hours. Their help center is extensive, with guides and videos. The community forum is smaller, but because Squarespace’s user base is large, you can often find solutions answered in their knowledge base. For most beginners, the official support channels are sufficient if you encounter issues.

Cons:

  • Limited Customisation & Flexibility: Squarespace’s philosophy is to maintain beautiful design standards, which means you’re somewhat constrained to the template’s structure. There is no official app store; only a handful of official extensions (around 40) are available for things like print-on-demand, shipping, or bookkeeping. If you have very specific functionality in mind that isn’t built-in, you might not find a solution on Squarespace (or you may need custom code injections). In terms of design, you can tweak the preset styles, but you cannot redesign the site layout entirely from scratch as you could with Webflow or WordPress. This “lack of depth in e-commerce functions” and “limited customization options” means Squarespace can be outgrown as business needs become more complex.
  • Scalability Constraints: Squarespace is perfect for small to medium businesses, but if your store grows significantly, you might feel some limitations. For example, while it can technically handle unlimited products, managing a very large catalogue might be cumbersome (the interface is not as geared towards bulk management as Shopify’s). Advanced commerce features (like multi-currency, native POS integration, complex product filtering, etc.) are not provided. If you plan to scale to thousands of products or need enterprise features, Squarespace may not be the best long-term fit. It’s best for relatively simple or boutique product ranges.
  • Transaction Fees on Lower Plan: If you use the Business plan (the cheaper plan that has e-commerce), Squarespace charges a 3% transaction fee on sales. This is on top of Stripe/PayPal fees. To avoid Squarespace’s own fee, you need to be on a Commerce plan (Basic or Advanced) which costs more per month. In essence, the advertised lower price plans are fine for trying out, but any serious store would need to upgrade to avoid the punitive transaction fees. This can make actual cost closer to Shopify’s entry cost.
  • Less Advanced Marketing Tools: While Squarespace has improved its marketing integrations (it now offers Email Campaigns, and extensions for social feed displays, etc.), it still isn’t as extensive as what you can achieve with WordPress plugins or Shopify apps. For example, if you want a very elaborate loyalty program or upsell system, you won’t easily find that on Squarespace. SEO-wise, it covers basics but you “lack advanced plugin support” for SEO enhancements like schema plugins or advanced analytics tracking. Users with strong SEO needs might find Squarespace limiting in fine-tuning things like site speed optimisation or structured data.
  • Export/Migration Limitations: Should you later decide to move off Squarespace, the export options are limited (you can export your content and products to some extent, but not a full replica of your site design). Similar to other hosted platforms, migrating will mean choosing a new system and rebuilding the design. This isn’t a problem if you plan to stick with it, but it’s a consideration if you think you might switch as you grow. Also, customer support, while good, is limited to text (email/chat) – there’s no phone support, and complex issues might require waiting for an email response.

Bottom Line: Squarespace is an excellent choice for non-technical owners who prioritise ease and design and have relatively simple e-commerce needs. For a boutique selling a curated set of physical products, or a creative business wanting a gorgeous website that also sells merchandise, Squarespace can be ideal. You get a professional-looking site with minimal effort. However, it’s “not a good fit for robust sales features” beyond the basics. If your aim is to grow a large online retail business, you might eventually find Squarespace lacking in power and would need to migrate to a more e-commerce-focused platform. As a starting point for small online shops, though, it’s hard to beat the simplicity and elegance Squarespace offers.

WordPress (WooCommerce)

Ultimate Flexibility, But Technical

Pros:

  • Total Flexibility and Customisation: WordPress is an open-source CMS that can create virtually any website. With over 60,000 plugins and 10,000+ themes available it offers “near-limitless flexibility”. For e-commerce, the WooCommerce plugin is the leading solution, effectively turning WordPress into a fully-featured online store platform. WooCommerce itself has its own extensions for everything from payment gateways to subscriptions. The result is you can build a store that does exactly what you want – you have fine control over design (themes can be heavily customised or even custom-made) and features (add any functionality via plugins or custom code). No other platform matches WordPress in extensibility.
  • Built-In Blogging and Content Management: Originally a blogging platform, WordPress excels at content. If content marketing and blogging are part of your strategy, WordPress is the gold standard. You have a full editor (Gutenberg block editor or use classic editor), media library, and robust organisation of posts with tags and categories. You can optimise each post for SEO, schedule posts, and install plugins for things like related posts or social sharing. This makes WordPress + WooCommerce attractive if you want your online store and a rich blog under one roof.
  • Strong E-commerce via WooCommerce: WooCommerce (which is free to install) provides all standard e-commerce capabilities: unlimited products, categories, variants, inventory management, order processing, multiple payment gateways (PayPal, Stripe, etc.), shipping calculations, taxes, and more. It’s highly extendable – for example, you can add plugins for advanced shipping rules, integrate with marketplaces, set up membership or wholesale pricing, etc. Because WooCommerce is so widely used, many third-party services (from email marketing to accounting) provide integrations or official plugins for it. It also has no additional transaction fees (you only pay the payment gateway fees). Essentially, you can achieve Shopify-like functionality without monthly software fees – assuming you’re comfortable configuring plugins.
  • Scalability & Ownership: With the right hosting, WordPress sites can scale to handle massive traffic and large product catalogs. Many large e-commerce sites (and 40%+ of all websites in general) run on WordPress. You can start small on an inexpensive host and later upgrade to more powerful hosting as you grow. Since you own the code and database, you’re not locked into a provider – you can move your site to another host if needed. This ownership and portability is a big plus for those who don’t want to be tied to a proprietary platform.
  • Cost-Effective (Potentially): The WordPress software is free. WooCommerce is free. You will need to pay for web hosting and a domain, but basic shared hosting can be as low as a few pounds a month. It’s possible to set up a functional small store on WordPress for a lower ongoing cost than Shopify or Webflow – hosting £5–£15/mo, domain ~£10/year, and perhaps some one-time theme/plugin purchases. For example, many small businesses use a free theme or a one-time ~$50 theme and mostly free plugins. This can be more budget-friendly in the long term if you don’t need extensive paid add-ons or developer help.
  • SEO Advantages: WordPress is often regarded as the most SEO-friendly platform due to the control it gives. You can use powerful SEO plugins like Yoast or Rank Math to fine-tune every aspect of on-page SEO. You have access to edit site code or add plugins for caching, image optimisation, schema markup, etc. WordPress doesn’t force any particular URL structure for your store (you can configure permalinks as you like), and you can optimise site speed with various tools. If being at the top of Google is critical, WordPress provides the tools – “WordPress is the strongest platform for SEO” according to experts.
  • Vast Community and Resources: WordPress has been around for a long time and has a huge global community. There are countless tutorials, forums (e.g., the WordPress support forums, StackExchange), Facebook groups, and meetups. Whatever issue you run into, chances are someone has documented a solution. You also have the option to hire from a large pool of WordPress developers for custom work, often at reasonable rates, given WordPress’s popularity. The community-driven nature means continuous improvements and a wealth of free knowledge.

Cons:

  • Technical Skill Required: Unlike the other platforms here, WordPress is self-hosted – meaning you must arrange hosting and install WordPress (though many hosts offer one-click installs). It’s not as plug-and-play as Shopify or Squarespace. “WordPress requires some technical knowledge for setup and maintenance,” and has “the steepest learning curve” among these options. Non-technical users often need initial help to configure things (or use a managed host that pre-configures a lot). Even routine tasks like backups, theme/plugin updates, and ensuring security can be daunting if you’re not tech-savvy.
  • Maintenance & Security: With great flexibility comes responsibility – you (or your hired developer/host) are responsible for updating WordPress core, theme, and plugins regularly. If you don’t, your site can become vulnerable to security risks. You’ll also need to handle spam protection, backups, and performance optimization. This ongoing maintenance is critical and is something the other hosted platforms handle for you in the background. If you lack the time or knowledge, you might end up needing to pay for managed WordPress hosting or support services.
  • Setup Complexity: To get a WooCommerce store running, you must install the WooCommerce plugin and configure numerous settings (payments, shipping, tax, emails). There’s a setup wizard, but the overall process has more steps and moving parts than a Shopify onboarding, for example. Adding functionalities might mean searching for plugins, installing and configuring each. It’s not an “all-in-one” out of the box – you build your feature set as needed. The initial hurdle can be higher for a non-tech user to achieve a fully polished store.
  • Potential Costs for Premium Features: While WordPress and WooCommerce are free, not everything is. Premium themes can cost $50+, premium WooCommerce extensions or plugins can range from $30 to $200 each (often as annual licenses for support/updates). If your site needs several premium plugins (e.g., a better page builder, advanced SEO, subscription sales, etc.), the costs add up. Additionally, quality hosting for a busy WooCommerce site may cost more (a cheap host might be insufficient once you have many products and traffic). You can run a low-budget site, but for a thriving store, expect to invest in good hosting and possibly some paid plugins.
  • Performance Tuning: A WordPress/WooCommerce site’s speed and reliability depend a lot on your hosting and how well you optimise. By contrast, Shopify and others have their performance tuning done for you. With WordPress, you might need caching plugins, a CDN, image compression, and other tweaks to get very fast page loads. It’s absolutely achievable (and WordPress can be very fast), but it’s another aspect that requires knowledge or the help of your host.
  • Learning Curve for Admin UI: The WordPress admin dashboard, while fairly user-friendly for basic tasks, is more complex than Squarespace’s or Shopify’s, especially once you add many plugins (each adding their own menu items). Managing a WooCommerce store (orders, products) is not difficult per se, but the interface is less guided than Shopify’s. It might take time for a new user to understand all the menu options. For example, there are separate sections for plugins, settings, appearance (themes), etc., which can overwhelm someone expecting a simple all-in-one panel.
  • Support: There is no official dedicated support team for self-hosted WordPress. You rely on community forums, documentation, or your hosting provider for help. Some managed WordPress hosts do offer excellent support and will help with many WordPress issues – but that often comes at a higher price. Essentially, you don’t have a vendor like Shopify to contact for any site problem. This means troubleshooting is either DIY or hiring help. For some, this is a major drawback if they aren’t comfortable sorting out technical glitches.

Bottom Line: WordPress with WooCommerce is the most powerful and flexible solution of the four, but also the least turnkey. It’s best suited for those who want full control over their website or have unique requirements that other platforms can’t meet. If you have access to some technical help (or are willing to learn), WordPress can yield a tailor-made online shop with excellent scalability and SEO potential. However, if you’re a non-technical founder who doesn’t want to worry about the tech underpinnings, the DIY maintenance and setup might be more effort than you’re willing to invest. As one source succinctly puts it: “Wix and Squarespace are best for simple sites, WordPress offers the most flexibility, and Shopify is the best for eCommerce”. Use WordPress if that flexibility is your top priority and you’re prepared to handle the responsibilities that come with it.

Recommendation

‍Which Platform Should You Choose?

For a non-technical business owner focused on selling physical products, the consensus is that Shopify is the most straightforward and comprehensive solution. It strikes a balance between ease of use and powerful e-commerce features, allowing you to launch a professional online store quickly without needing technical expertise‍. Shopify’s all-in-one nature (hosting, security, checkout, etc. all handled) and its 24/7 support are big safety nets if you’re not tech-savvy. As one expert puts it, “if you’re an eCommerce business, Shopify is hard to beat”‍. It will scale with your business and has an enormous ecosystem of apps and experts to support any new needs as you grow.

That said, consider the following before finalising your choice:

  • Choose Shopify if you want a plug-and-play store with robust selling tools and minimal fuss. It’s ideal when your priority is selling products online and you don’t want to tinker with web design or backend setup. You’ll get going fastest on Shopify, and it can grow with you (from a small shop to large scale). The trade-off in cost is often worth the time saved and headaches avoided for non-technical users.
  • Choose Squarespace if you value simplicity and design and have a smaller catalog of products. It’s perfect for a stylish online presence with a bit of selling on the side – for example, an artist who primarily needs a portfolio site but also sells prints, or a boutique with a few dozen products. Squarespace’s ease of use is unmatched, but remember it’s not built for advanced e-commerce – so it fits best if your online store needs are modest.
  • Choose Webflow if you have a strong desire for a unique, highly customised website and are willing to either learn the tool or hire a designer. It’s suited for those who feel limited by templates and want their site to stand out visually. You’ll still be able to sell products effectively, but be prepared for more hands-on design work. In return, you get a store that can be a real showstopper in terms of design and interactivity For most typical product-focused businesses, this extra flexibility might not be necessary – it shines in more design-centric or content-and-commerce blended projects.
  • Choose WordPress (WooCommerce) only if you truly need maximum flexibility or autonomy. This could be the case if you foresee requiring custom integrations, or if owning your platform (with no ongoing software fees) is important. Also, if content (blogging/SEO) is a huge part of your strategy, WordPress is attractive. However, be realistic about the technical burden – many small business owners find it challenging to self-manage a WooCommerce site unless they have prior tech experience or are willing to hire support. If you do go this route, a managed WordPress host or a developer’s assistance will smooth out the process.

In conclusion, for most non-technical entrepreneurs whose main goal is selling physical products online, Shopify is the top recommendation due to its beginner-friendly setup and comprehensive e-commerce features. It lets you focus on your business (products, sales, marketing) rather than website technicalities. Squarespace comes in as a close alternative if your store is small and design/aesthetics are your focus – it’s the easiest by far, though less powerful for e-commerce. Webflow and WordPress are powerful in their own rights, but they cater to users with specific needs (design freedom or full control) and a higher tolerance for technical complexity. Assess your own priorities – ease vs. flexibility, upfront cost vs. long-term scalability – and you’ll be able to select the platform that fits your business best. Remember, the “right” choice is the one that empowers you to run your store effectively without overwhelming you. Good luck with your online store!

READ MORE

The Skims and Rhode Playbook Is Intentional and Always Sells Out

How the cool girls launch

July Editor’s Letter

Mid-year check-in

SUBSCRIBE

The ultimate guide for the modern brand owner, delivered straight to your inbox.
Thank you for subscribing!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Share button
linkedinpinterestmail
continue reading...
Lead Image
Marketing
The Skims and Rhode Playbook Is Intentional and Always Sells Out
Lead Image
News
Rhode’s Seriously Cool Peptide Lip Shape Has Arrived
Lead Image
Website Design
The Round-Up: 2024 Websites
Website Design

Shopify vs Webflow vs Squarespace: What's the Best Platform to Sell Products Online in 2025?

If you're launching an online shop and asking “Shopify or Webflow?”, this detailed guide compares the top e-commerce platforms across ease of use, cost, SEO, design, and scalability—tailored for non-tech founders.

By
Desiree Team
July 9, 2025

Choosing the right platform to sell physical products online is crucial, especially for non-technical business owners. This guide compares Shopify, Webflow, Squarespace, and WordPress (with WooCommerce) on the key factors that matter most: ease of use, built-in e-commerce features, design flexibility, cost, scalability, integrations & payments, SEO & blogging, and support/community. Each platform has its own strengths and limitations:

  • Shopify – A fully hosted e-commerce specialist known for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive online store tools. Ideal for entrepreneurs who want to “hit the ground running” with selling online.
  • Webflow – A design-focused website builder and CMS that offers total creative control. It includes e-commerce capabilities as a secondary feature, best suited for those who value custom design and are willing to tackle a steeper learning curve‍.
  • Squarespace – An all-in-one website builder emphasising beautiful templates and simplicity. Great for beginners or creatives who want an attractive site with minimal effort, though its e-commerce features are more basic than Shopify’s.
  • WordPress (WooCommerce) – A powerful open-source CMS with a plugin (WooCommerce) for full e-commerce functionality. Offers maximum flexibility and extensibility through thousands of themes/plugins, but requires more technical involvement for setup and maintenance.

Below is a breakdown of each platform with clear pros and cons, followed by a final recommendation for business owners focused on selling physical products online without deep tech skills.

‍

Shopify

Ease of Use and All-in-One Selling

Pros:

  • Beginner-Friendly: Renowned for its ease of use – you can set up a professional store without coding. Shopify’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor and onboarding “make it incredibly accessible for beginners”, a game-changer for non-technical users. All hosting, security, and updates are handled for you.
  • Built-In E-commerce Features: Shopify is built from the ground up for online stores. It includes robust inventory management, product catalogues, secure checkout, shipping and tax tools, and supports 100+ payment gateways (including its in-house Shopify Payments)‍. Multi-channel selling is seamless – you can easily sync your store with social media, marketplaces, and even in-person POS sales
  • Design & Themes: Offers a wide range of mobile-responsive themes (free and paid) which you can customise via a user-friendly editor. New AI features (Shopify Magic and the Horizon theme) let you auto-generate sections and edit design blocks with natural language, further simplifying design tweaks for novices‍.
  • Scalability: Extremely scalable for growing businesses. Shopify can handle small shops up to enterprise-level stores (Shopify Plus), with infrastructure that manages high traffic and large inventories. Upgrading plans unlocks advanced features as you grow. In short, “whether you’re starting small or scaling to high-volume, Shopify can handle it”.
  • App Integrations: Boasts an extensive app store (thousands of apps) for extending functionality – from marketing and dropshipping to accounting. This vast ecosystem means you can add features as needed. Integration with third-party services and payment systems is excellent, and many popular services have official Shopify apps.
  • SEO & Blogging: Provides solid basic SEO tools (editable meta tags, auto sitemaps, redirects) and a built-in blogging engine. While not as powerful as WordPress for content management, it covers essentials for most product-focused sites. You can improve SEO further with apps (e.g. SEO optimisation tools).
  • Support & Community: Shopify offers 24/7 support via live chat, email, and phone. There’s a large community of users and experts; plus extensive documentation and tutorials are available to help new store owners.

Cons:

  • Costs and Fees: Shopify has a monthly subscription (plans typically $29–$299 for Basic to Advanced) and transaction fees on each sale if you don’t use Shopify Payments (ranging 0.5%–2% per transaction). While the entry cost is low, “monthly fees, premium themes, and app costs can add up quickly”, making Shopify potentially more expensive than WooCommerce in the long run. Premium themes ($150–$350 one-off) and useful apps (often $5–$50/month each) can significantly increase your expenses as your needs grow‍.
  • Design Flexibility: Without coding, you are somewhat constrained to the structures of Shopify’s themes. You can customise colours, fonts, and layouts to a degree, but achieving a truly unique design may require working with Liquid code or hiring a developer‍. In other words, it’s less flexible for non-e-commerce or highly customised sites.
  • Basic Blogging/Content Features: Shopify’s blogging and content management are more limited compared to WordPress. It’s fine for simple news updates, but lacks advanced blogging tools and content categorisation that dedicated CMS platforms offer. If content marketing (e.g. a rich blog) is a major focus, this could be a drawback.
  • SEO Limitations: While Shopify’s SEO is decent, it has some rigid structures – for example, it forces certain URL formats (/collections/, /products/ in URLs. Advanced SEO tweaks might require additional apps or workarounds. Overall SEO capability is good for most users, but power users might find it less flexible than WordPress or Webflow for technical SEO.
  • Platform Lock-In: Migrating away from Shopify (should you ever outgrow it) can be challenging. Because it’s a proprietary platform, you can’t simply export your entire site easily to another system – you may need to rebuild elsewhere if you switch. This is a minor consideration, but worth noting for long-term planning.

Bottom Line: Shopify is often “the best for eCommerce” when your primary goal is selling products online. It excels in ease of use, has rich e-commerce features, and can grow with your business. The trade-offs are higher ongoing costs and slightly less design flexibility, but for most non-technical store owners, Shopify provides a fast, reliable path to get an online shop up and running.

‍

Webflow

Design Powerhouse with E-commerce Capabilities

Pros:

  • Unmatched Design Flexibility: Webflow is known as a “design powerhouse”. It offers a visual drag-and-drop editor that lets you control nearly every pixel of your site’s design without coding‍. You can start from beautifully designed templates or build completely custom layouts. This flexibility means your online store’s look can be truly unique and tailored to your brand – far beyond the constraints of typical templates. Webflow generates clean code in the background as you design giving the performance benefits of a hand-coded site with the convenience of a no-code tool.
  • Built-In CMS and E-commerce: Webflow includes a full CMS for creating pages, blogs, and product collections. It also has e-commerce functionality that supports product listings, shopping cart, checkout, and integrations with Stripe and PayPal for payments‍. All of this is managed in Webflow’s unified interface, which means you can design and manage products/content in one place. For content-driven stores or those that want a strong blend of marketing content and products, Webflow’s CMS is a strong advantage (e.g. it’s easy to design custom landing pages or lookbooks alongside your product catalogue).
  • Aesthetics and Animations: Webflow shines at enabling modern, visually engaging websites. You can incorporate animations and interactive effects easily, which can set your store apart (for example, subtle hover effects, dynamic product galleries, etc.). These rich design features can enhance user experience – something that’s harder to achieve on platforms like Shopify without custom code.
  • SEO Control: Webflow provides robust SEO tools – you can edit meta titles/descriptions, alt text, URL slugs, and even generate XML sitemaps. The code Webflow produces is semantic and clean, which is good for SEO. It allows custom schema markup and other advanced SEO tweaks that some simpler builders might not‍. Many users praise Webflow for being “well-optimised for SEO” out of the box. If organic search and site performance are priorities, Webflow gives you the control to fine-tune these.
  • Scalability for Site Needs: As a fully hosted solution, Webflow can handle small or large sites in terms of traffic (its hosting is on Amazon Web Services). It’s used for everything from small business sites to large marketing sites, and its e-commerce plans can support up to 15,000 items (on the highest tier). For most small-to-midsize retailers, this is plenty. You can start on a lower plan and upgrade as your product count or traffic grows.
  • Community & Resources: Webflow has a passionate community of designers and a rich resource called Webflow University with tutorials. There’s an official forum and many third-party Webflow communities where you can get help. While not as large as WordPress’s ecosystem, the community is very active, especially for design-related Q&A. Webflow also offers email support and has a decent help center.

Cons:

  • Steeper Learning Curve: Webflow is not as simple for absolute beginners as some competitors. Its interface, while user-friendly for designers, can feel complex if you have no design experience. It’s been likened to “sitting in a pilot’s seat with oh-so-many controls” compared to Squarespace’s easy ride. In short, “Webflow offers more customization, but Squarespace is easier to use”. Non-technical users may need to invest time learning Webflow’s concepts (like CSS boxes, classes, etc.). If you’re not comfortable with design principles, the initial setup can be challenging (though Webflow does provide templates to start).
  • E-commerce Limitations: Webflow’s e-commerce features, while solid for simple stores, aren’t as extensive as Shopify’s. It currently supports common needs (products, variants, basic inventory, discount codes, taxes, shipping options) but lacks some advanced features and the huge app marketplace that Shopify has. For example, multi-currency support, complex promotional campaigns, or integrated email marketing might require workarounds or Zapier integrations. Payment options are also fewer – essentially Stripe (which covers credit cards + Apple/Google Pay) and PayPal. If you need other payment gateways or POS integrations, Webflow could fall short.
  • Cost and Product Limits: Webflow’s pricing can be higher than other builders when using e-commerce. There’s no free plan for online stores (only a temporary free staging mode). Paid e-commerce plans start around $29/month (Standard) for up to 500 items and 2% Webflow transaction fees, or $74/month (Plus) for up to 5,000 items with no Webflow fees (Stripe/PayPal fees still apply)‍. High-volume stores (more items or features like unbranded email receipts) require the Advanced plan ($235/month). In addition, truly taking advantage of Webflow might involve hiring a designer/developer for initial setup if you want a custom design, which is an upfront cost not seen with DIY-focused platforms. All told, Webflow can be more expensive upfront, even if its monthly fees become more predictable later.
  • Dependence on Platform: Webflow is a closed platform for hosting – you must host the site with Webflow if you use their CMS and e-commerce. (You can export static site code, but not the CMS/e-commerce database). This means you don’t have server-level access. If Webflow has an outage or if you ever wanted to move to another host, it’s not trivial to migrate a dynamic Webflow site. This is similar to Shopify/Squarespace in that sense, but worth noting for those who prefer open systems.
  • Integration Ecosystem: While Webflow does integrate with many services (and you can use Zapier to connect to thousands more apps), it doesn’t have an app store like Shopify or the plugin repository of WordPress. Advanced functionality often requires custom code embeds or third-party services (for example, adding a complex booking system or multi-language support). This means extending Webflow might require more technical workarounds. Ensure any crucial third-party service you need (email marketing, CRM, etc.) can integrate via Zapier or API.
  • Support Limitations: Webflow’s support is primarily via email (and their response is typically within a business day). They do not offer 24/7 phone support. For most, this is not a major issue, but if you anticipate needing a lot of real-time help, keep in mind the support is not as immediate as Shopify’s. You will be leaning more on self-help (guides, community, learning resources) when troubleshooting.

Bottom Line: Webflow is ideal if you prioritise design and branding and want a truly custom-looking site without coding. It gives you creative freedom and solid site performance/SEO, making it popular among designers and agencies. For a non-technical founder, Webflow can be rewarding but also challenging – it may involve a learning curve or hiring a freelancer to set up. If you desire a unique, content-rich storefront and are willing to invest time or budget into design, Webflow is a powerful option. But if you just need to get selling quickly with out-of-the-box tools, a more straightforward e-commerce platform might serve you better.

Squarespace

Simple and Stylish for Small Stores

Pros:

  • Ease of Use: Squarespace is often praised as “super beginner-friendly”, with an intuitive drag-and-drop site editor. Everything is plug-and-play – you choose a template, then replace text and images on-page, without needing any technical skills. This makes it an attractive choice for founders who want to do it themselves easily. In fact, Squarespace is widely considered easier to use than both Webflow and WordPress, making it well-suited for non-tech individuals who might be intimidated by other systems.
  • Beautiful Design Templates: One of Squarespace’s biggest selling points is its collection of award-winning, modern templates. These designs are sleek, image-rich, and responsive (mobile-friendly). If visual appearance is a priority and you don’t want to hire a designer, Squarespace gives a very polished look out of the box. You can customise templates (colours, fonts, layouts to a degree) to match your brand. The overall aesthetic quality is high, which is why it’s popular with creatives, photographers, and boutique shops.
  • All-in-One Platform: With Squarespace, you get hosting, domain (free for first year), SSL, and maintenance all included. You don’t worry about updates or security – the platform takes care of it. It also has built-in features beyond e-commerce: blogging capability, form builder, basic email marketing tools, analytics, and more. This all-in-one approach means you have fewer moving parts to manage compared to WordPress (where you’d source hosting and plugins separately).
  • Basic E-commerce Features: Squarespace supports selling physical and digital products, with features like inventory tracking, product variants, discount codes, and abandoned cart recovery (on higher Commerce plans). For a small online store or a business selling a few product lines, these built-in tools are more than sufficient. Setup is straightforward — add products, set prices, connect a payment processor (Stripe/PayPal), and you’re ready to sell. It’s a good “cheaper alternative to Shopify” for those who don’t need advanced e-commerce power. (Squarespace Commerce plans start around $23/month, which is lower than Shopify’s standard plan.)
  • SEO & Blogging Capabilities: Squarespace has decent SEO features for a site builder: you can edit page titles, descriptions, and URLs; it auto-generates sitemaps and is generally structured in a search-friendly way (clean HTML, responsive, etc.). While not as customizable as WordPress, many small business users find it adequate to rank for local/search needs. Its blogging tool is also quite robust among site builders – you can schedule posts, enable comments, and it supports basic features like categories and tags. It’s not as flexible as WordPress’s blogging, but it outshines Shopify’s blogging in terms of ease for content creation.
  • Support & Community: Squarespace offers 24/7 email support and live chat support during certain hours. Their help center is extensive, with guides and videos. The community forum is smaller, but because Squarespace’s user base is large, you can often find solutions answered in their knowledge base. For most beginners, the official support channels are sufficient if you encounter issues.

Cons:

  • Limited Customisation & Flexibility: Squarespace’s philosophy is to maintain beautiful design standards, which means you’re somewhat constrained to the template’s structure. There is no official app store; only a handful of official extensions (around 40) are available for things like print-on-demand, shipping, or bookkeeping. If you have very specific functionality in mind that isn’t built-in, you might not find a solution on Squarespace (or you may need custom code injections). In terms of design, you can tweak the preset styles, but you cannot redesign the site layout entirely from scratch as you could with Webflow or WordPress. This “lack of depth in e-commerce functions” and “limited customization options” means Squarespace can be outgrown as business needs become more complex.
  • Scalability Constraints: Squarespace is perfect for small to medium businesses, but if your store grows significantly, you might feel some limitations. For example, while it can technically handle unlimited products, managing a very large catalogue might be cumbersome (the interface is not as geared towards bulk management as Shopify’s). Advanced commerce features (like multi-currency, native POS integration, complex product filtering, etc.) are not provided. If you plan to scale to thousands of products or need enterprise features, Squarespace may not be the best long-term fit. It’s best for relatively simple or boutique product ranges.
  • Transaction Fees on Lower Plan: If you use the Business plan (the cheaper plan that has e-commerce), Squarespace charges a 3% transaction fee on sales. This is on top of Stripe/PayPal fees. To avoid Squarespace’s own fee, you need to be on a Commerce plan (Basic or Advanced) which costs more per month. In essence, the advertised lower price plans are fine for trying out, but any serious store would need to upgrade to avoid the punitive transaction fees. This can make actual cost closer to Shopify’s entry cost.
  • Less Advanced Marketing Tools: While Squarespace has improved its marketing integrations (it now offers Email Campaigns, and extensions for social feed displays, etc.), it still isn’t as extensive as what you can achieve with WordPress plugins or Shopify apps. For example, if you want a very elaborate loyalty program or upsell system, you won’t easily find that on Squarespace. SEO-wise, it covers basics but you “lack advanced plugin support” for SEO enhancements like schema plugins or advanced analytics tracking. Users with strong SEO needs might find Squarespace limiting in fine-tuning things like site speed optimisation or structured data.
  • Export/Migration Limitations: Should you later decide to move off Squarespace, the export options are limited (you can export your content and products to some extent, but not a full replica of your site design). Similar to other hosted platforms, migrating will mean choosing a new system and rebuilding the design. This isn’t a problem if you plan to stick with it, but it’s a consideration if you think you might switch as you grow. Also, customer support, while good, is limited to text (email/chat) – there’s no phone support, and complex issues might require waiting for an email response.

Bottom Line: Squarespace is an excellent choice for non-technical owners who prioritise ease and design and have relatively simple e-commerce needs. For a boutique selling a curated set of physical products, or a creative business wanting a gorgeous website that also sells merchandise, Squarespace can be ideal. You get a professional-looking site with minimal effort. However, it’s “not a good fit for robust sales features” beyond the basics. If your aim is to grow a large online retail business, you might eventually find Squarespace lacking in power and would need to migrate to a more e-commerce-focused platform. As a starting point for small online shops, though, it’s hard to beat the simplicity and elegance Squarespace offers.

WordPress (WooCommerce)

Ultimate Flexibility, But Technical

Pros:

  • Total Flexibility and Customisation: WordPress is an open-source CMS that can create virtually any website. With over 60,000 plugins and 10,000+ themes available it offers “near-limitless flexibility”. For e-commerce, the WooCommerce plugin is the leading solution, effectively turning WordPress into a fully-featured online store platform. WooCommerce itself has its own extensions for everything from payment gateways to subscriptions. The result is you can build a store that does exactly what you want – you have fine control over design (themes can be heavily customised or even custom-made) and features (add any functionality via plugins or custom code). No other platform matches WordPress in extensibility.
  • Built-In Blogging and Content Management: Originally a blogging platform, WordPress excels at content. If content marketing and blogging are part of your strategy, WordPress is the gold standard. You have a full editor (Gutenberg block editor or use classic editor), media library, and robust organisation of posts with tags and categories. You can optimise each post for SEO, schedule posts, and install plugins for things like related posts or social sharing. This makes WordPress + WooCommerce attractive if you want your online store and a rich blog under one roof.
  • Strong E-commerce via WooCommerce: WooCommerce (which is free to install) provides all standard e-commerce capabilities: unlimited products, categories, variants, inventory management, order processing, multiple payment gateways (PayPal, Stripe, etc.), shipping calculations, taxes, and more. It’s highly extendable – for example, you can add plugins for advanced shipping rules, integrate with marketplaces, set up membership or wholesale pricing, etc. Because WooCommerce is so widely used, many third-party services (from email marketing to accounting) provide integrations or official plugins for it. It also has no additional transaction fees (you only pay the payment gateway fees). Essentially, you can achieve Shopify-like functionality without monthly software fees – assuming you’re comfortable configuring plugins.
  • Scalability & Ownership: With the right hosting, WordPress sites can scale to handle massive traffic and large product catalogs. Many large e-commerce sites (and 40%+ of all websites in general) run on WordPress. You can start small on an inexpensive host and later upgrade to more powerful hosting as you grow. Since you own the code and database, you’re not locked into a provider – you can move your site to another host if needed. This ownership and portability is a big plus for those who don’t want to be tied to a proprietary platform.
  • Cost-Effective (Potentially): The WordPress software is free. WooCommerce is free. You will need to pay for web hosting and a domain, but basic shared hosting can be as low as a few pounds a month. It’s possible to set up a functional small store on WordPress for a lower ongoing cost than Shopify or Webflow – hosting £5–£15/mo, domain ~£10/year, and perhaps some one-time theme/plugin purchases. For example, many small businesses use a free theme or a one-time ~$50 theme and mostly free plugins. This can be more budget-friendly in the long term if you don’t need extensive paid add-ons or developer help.
  • SEO Advantages: WordPress is often regarded as the most SEO-friendly platform due to the control it gives. You can use powerful SEO plugins like Yoast or Rank Math to fine-tune every aspect of on-page SEO. You have access to edit site code or add plugins for caching, image optimisation, schema markup, etc. WordPress doesn’t force any particular URL structure for your store (you can configure permalinks as you like), and you can optimise site speed with various tools. If being at the top of Google is critical, WordPress provides the tools – “WordPress is the strongest platform for SEO” according to experts.
  • Vast Community and Resources: WordPress has been around for a long time and has a huge global community. There are countless tutorials, forums (e.g., the WordPress support forums, StackExchange), Facebook groups, and meetups. Whatever issue you run into, chances are someone has documented a solution. You also have the option to hire from a large pool of WordPress developers for custom work, often at reasonable rates, given WordPress’s popularity. The community-driven nature means continuous improvements and a wealth of free knowledge.

Cons:

  • Technical Skill Required: Unlike the other platforms here, WordPress is self-hosted – meaning you must arrange hosting and install WordPress (though many hosts offer one-click installs). It’s not as plug-and-play as Shopify or Squarespace. “WordPress requires some technical knowledge for setup and maintenance,” and has “the steepest learning curve” among these options. Non-technical users often need initial help to configure things (or use a managed host that pre-configures a lot). Even routine tasks like backups, theme/plugin updates, and ensuring security can be daunting if you’re not tech-savvy.
  • Maintenance & Security: With great flexibility comes responsibility – you (or your hired developer/host) are responsible for updating WordPress core, theme, and plugins regularly. If you don’t, your site can become vulnerable to security risks. You’ll also need to handle spam protection, backups, and performance optimization. This ongoing maintenance is critical and is something the other hosted platforms handle for you in the background. If you lack the time or knowledge, you might end up needing to pay for managed WordPress hosting or support services.
  • Setup Complexity: To get a WooCommerce store running, you must install the WooCommerce plugin and configure numerous settings (payments, shipping, tax, emails). There’s a setup wizard, but the overall process has more steps and moving parts than a Shopify onboarding, for example. Adding functionalities might mean searching for plugins, installing and configuring each. It’s not an “all-in-one” out of the box – you build your feature set as needed. The initial hurdle can be higher for a non-tech user to achieve a fully polished store.
  • Potential Costs for Premium Features: While WordPress and WooCommerce are free, not everything is. Premium themes can cost $50+, premium WooCommerce extensions or plugins can range from $30 to $200 each (often as annual licenses for support/updates). If your site needs several premium plugins (e.g., a better page builder, advanced SEO, subscription sales, etc.), the costs add up. Additionally, quality hosting for a busy WooCommerce site may cost more (a cheap host might be insufficient once you have many products and traffic). You can run a low-budget site, but for a thriving store, expect to invest in good hosting and possibly some paid plugins.
  • Performance Tuning: A WordPress/WooCommerce site’s speed and reliability depend a lot on your hosting and how well you optimise. By contrast, Shopify and others have their performance tuning done for you. With WordPress, you might need caching plugins, a CDN, image compression, and other tweaks to get very fast page loads. It’s absolutely achievable (and WordPress can be very fast), but it’s another aspect that requires knowledge or the help of your host.
  • Learning Curve for Admin UI: The WordPress admin dashboard, while fairly user-friendly for basic tasks, is more complex than Squarespace’s or Shopify’s, especially once you add many plugins (each adding their own menu items). Managing a WooCommerce store (orders, products) is not difficult per se, but the interface is less guided than Shopify’s. It might take time for a new user to understand all the menu options. For example, there are separate sections for plugins, settings, appearance (themes), etc., which can overwhelm someone expecting a simple all-in-one panel.
  • Support: There is no official dedicated support team for self-hosted WordPress. You rely on community forums, documentation, or your hosting provider for help. Some managed WordPress hosts do offer excellent support and will help with many WordPress issues – but that often comes at a higher price. Essentially, you don’t have a vendor like Shopify to contact for any site problem. This means troubleshooting is either DIY or hiring help. For some, this is a major drawback if they aren’t comfortable sorting out technical glitches.

Bottom Line: WordPress with WooCommerce is the most powerful and flexible solution of the four, but also the least turnkey. It’s best suited for those who want full control over their website or have unique requirements that other platforms can’t meet. If you have access to some technical help (or are willing to learn), WordPress can yield a tailor-made online shop with excellent scalability and SEO potential. However, if you’re a non-technical founder who doesn’t want to worry about the tech underpinnings, the DIY maintenance and setup might be more effort than you’re willing to invest. As one source succinctly puts it: “Wix and Squarespace are best for simple sites, WordPress offers the most flexibility, and Shopify is the best for eCommerce”. Use WordPress if that flexibility is your top priority and you’re prepared to handle the responsibilities that come with it.

Recommendation

‍Which Platform Should You Choose?

For a non-technical business owner focused on selling physical products, the consensus is that Shopify is the most straightforward and comprehensive solution. It strikes a balance between ease of use and powerful e-commerce features, allowing you to launch a professional online store quickly without needing technical expertise‍. Shopify’s all-in-one nature (hosting, security, checkout, etc. all handled) and its 24/7 support are big safety nets if you’re not tech-savvy. As one expert puts it, “if you’re an eCommerce business, Shopify is hard to beat”‍. It will scale with your business and has an enormous ecosystem of apps and experts to support any new needs as you grow.

That said, consider the following before finalising your choice:

  • Choose Shopify if you want a plug-and-play store with robust selling tools and minimal fuss. It’s ideal when your priority is selling products online and you don’t want to tinker with web design or backend setup. You’ll get going fastest on Shopify, and it can grow with you (from a small shop to large scale). The trade-off in cost is often worth the time saved and headaches avoided for non-technical users.
  • Choose Squarespace if you value simplicity and design and have a smaller catalog of products. It’s perfect for a stylish online presence with a bit of selling on the side – for example, an artist who primarily needs a portfolio site but also sells prints, or a boutique with a few dozen products. Squarespace’s ease of use is unmatched, but remember it’s not built for advanced e-commerce – so it fits best if your online store needs are modest.
  • Choose Webflow if you have a strong desire for a unique, highly customised website and are willing to either learn the tool or hire a designer. It’s suited for those who feel limited by templates and want their site to stand out visually. You’ll still be able to sell products effectively, but be prepared for more hands-on design work. In return, you get a store that can be a real showstopper in terms of design and interactivity For most typical product-focused businesses, this extra flexibility might not be necessary – it shines in more design-centric or content-and-commerce blended projects.
  • Choose WordPress (WooCommerce) only if you truly need maximum flexibility or autonomy. This could be the case if you foresee requiring custom integrations, or if owning your platform (with no ongoing software fees) is important. Also, if content (blogging/SEO) is a huge part of your strategy, WordPress is attractive. However, be realistic about the technical burden – many small business owners find it challenging to self-manage a WooCommerce site unless they have prior tech experience or are willing to hire support. If you do go this route, a managed WordPress host or a developer’s assistance will smooth out the process.

In conclusion, for most non-technical entrepreneurs whose main goal is selling physical products online, Shopify is the top recommendation due to its beginner-friendly setup and comprehensive e-commerce features. It lets you focus on your business (products, sales, marketing) rather than website technicalities. Squarespace comes in as a close alternative if your store is small and design/aesthetics are your focus – it’s the easiest by far, though less powerful for e-commerce. Webflow and WordPress are powerful in their own rights, but they cater to users with specific needs (design freedom or full control) and a higher tolerance for technical complexity. Assess your own priorities – ease vs. flexibility, upfront cost vs. long-term scalability – and you’ll be able to select the platform that fits your business best. Remember, the “right” choice is the one that empowers you to run your store effectively without overwhelming you. Good luck with your online store!

Sign up for our newsletter to receive weekly case studies and insights from Brand Insider.

Editor’s Top Case Studies

Share button
linkedinpinterestmail
continue reading...
Lead Image
Marketing
The Skims and Rhode Playbook Is Intentional and Always Sells Out
Lead Image
News
Rhode’s Seriously Cool Peptide Lip Shape Has Arrived
Lead Image
Website Design
The Round-Up: 2024 Websites
Website Design

Shopify vs Webflow vs Squarespace: What's the Best Platform to Sell Products Online in 2025?

If you're launching an online shop and asking “Shopify or Webflow?”, this detailed guide compares the top e-commerce platforms across ease of use, cost, SEO, design, and scalability—tailored for non-tech founders.

By
Desiree Team
July 9, 2025

Choosing the right platform to sell physical products online is crucial, especially for non-technical business owners. This guide compares Shopify, Webflow, Squarespace, and WordPress (with WooCommerce) on the key factors that matter most: ease of use, built-in e-commerce features, design flexibility, cost, scalability, integrations & payments, SEO & blogging, and support/community. Each platform has its own strengths and limitations:

  • Shopify – A fully hosted e-commerce specialist known for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive online store tools. Ideal for entrepreneurs who want to “hit the ground running” with selling online.
  • Webflow – A design-focused website builder and CMS that offers total creative control. It includes e-commerce capabilities as a secondary feature, best suited for those who value custom design and are willing to tackle a steeper learning curve‍.
  • Squarespace – An all-in-one website builder emphasising beautiful templates and simplicity. Great for beginners or creatives who want an attractive site with minimal effort, though its e-commerce features are more basic than Shopify’s.
  • WordPress (WooCommerce) – A powerful open-source CMS with a plugin (WooCommerce) for full e-commerce functionality. Offers maximum flexibility and extensibility through thousands of themes/plugins, but requires more technical involvement for setup and maintenance.

Below is a breakdown of each platform with clear pros and cons, followed by a final recommendation for business owners focused on selling physical products online without deep tech skills.

‍

Shopify

Ease of Use and All-in-One Selling

Pros:

  • Beginner-Friendly: Renowned for its ease of use – you can set up a professional store without coding. Shopify’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor and onboarding “make it incredibly accessible for beginners”, a game-changer for non-technical users. All hosting, security, and updates are handled for you.
  • Built-In E-commerce Features: Shopify is built from the ground up for online stores. It includes robust inventory management, product catalogues, secure checkout, shipping and tax tools, and supports 100+ payment gateways (including its in-house Shopify Payments)‍. Multi-channel selling is seamless – you can easily sync your store with social media, marketplaces, and even in-person POS sales
  • Design & Themes: Offers a wide range of mobile-responsive themes (free and paid) which you can customise via a user-friendly editor. New AI features (Shopify Magic and the Horizon theme) let you auto-generate sections and edit design blocks with natural language, further simplifying design tweaks for novices‍.
  • Scalability: Extremely scalable for growing businesses. Shopify can handle small shops up to enterprise-level stores (Shopify Plus), with infrastructure that manages high traffic and large inventories. Upgrading plans unlocks advanced features as you grow. In short, “whether you’re starting small or scaling to high-volume, Shopify can handle it”.
  • App Integrations: Boasts an extensive app store (thousands of apps) for extending functionality – from marketing and dropshipping to accounting. This vast ecosystem means you can add features as needed. Integration with third-party services and payment systems is excellent, and many popular services have official Shopify apps.
  • SEO & Blogging: Provides solid basic SEO tools (editable meta tags, auto sitemaps, redirects) and a built-in blogging engine. While not as powerful as WordPress for content management, it covers essentials for most product-focused sites. You can improve SEO further with apps (e.g. SEO optimisation tools).
  • Support & Community: Shopify offers 24/7 support via live chat, email, and phone. There’s a large community of users and experts; plus extensive documentation and tutorials are available to help new store owners.

Cons:

  • Costs and Fees: Shopify has a monthly subscription (plans typically $29–$299 for Basic to Advanced) and transaction fees on each sale if you don’t use Shopify Payments (ranging 0.5%–2% per transaction). While the entry cost is low, “monthly fees, premium themes, and app costs can add up quickly”, making Shopify potentially more expensive than WooCommerce in the long run. Premium themes ($150–$350 one-off) and useful apps (often $5–$50/month each) can significantly increase your expenses as your needs grow‍.
  • Design Flexibility: Without coding, you are somewhat constrained to the structures of Shopify’s themes. You can customise colours, fonts, and layouts to a degree, but achieving a truly unique design may require working with Liquid code or hiring a developer‍. In other words, it’s less flexible for non-e-commerce or highly customised sites.
  • Basic Blogging/Content Features: Shopify’s blogging and content management are more limited compared to WordPress. It’s fine for simple news updates, but lacks advanced blogging tools and content categorisation that dedicated CMS platforms offer. If content marketing (e.g. a rich blog) is a major focus, this could be a drawback.
  • SEO Limitations: While Shopify’s SEO is decent, it has some rigid structures – for example, it forces certain URL formats (/collections/, /products/ in URLs. Advanced SEO tweaks might require additional apps or workarounds. Overall SEO capability is good for most users, but power users might find it less flexible than WordPress or Webflow for technical SEO.
  • Platform Lock-In: Migrating away from Shopify (should you ever outgrow it) can be challenging. Because it’s a proprietary platform, you can’t simply export your entire site easily to another system – you may need to rebuild elsewhere if you switch. This is a minor consideration, but worth noting for long-term planning.

Bottom Line: Shopify is often “the best for eCommerce” when your primary goal is selling products online. It excels in ease of use, has rich e-commerce features, and can grow with your business. The trade-offs are higher ongoing costs and slightly less design flexibility, but for most non-technical store owners, Shopify provides a fast, reliable path to get an online shop up and running.

‍

Webflow

Design Powerhouse with E-commerce Capabilities

Pros:

  • Unmatched Design Flexibility: Webflow is known as a “design powerhouse”. It offers a visual drag-and-drop editor that lets you control nearly every pixel of your site’s design without coding‍. You can start from beautifully designed templates or build completely custom layouts. This flexibility means your online store’s look can be truly unique and tailored to your brand – far beyond the constraints of typical templates. Webflow generates clean code in the background as you design giving the performance benefits of a hand-coded site with the convenience of a no-code tool.
  • Built-In CMS and E-commerce: Webflow includes a full CMS for creating pages, blogs, and product collections. It also has e-commerce functionality that supports product listings, shopping cart, checkout, and integrations with Stripe and PayPal for payments‍. All of this is managed in Webflow’s unified interface, which means you can design and manage products/content in one place. For content-driven stores or those that want a strong blend of marketing content and products, Webflow’s CMS is a strong advantage (e.g. it’s easy to design custom landing pages or lookbooks alongside your product catalogue).
  • Aesthetics and Animations: Webflow shines at enabling modern, visually engaging websites. You can incorporate animations and interactive effects easily, which can set your store apart (for example, subtle hover effects, dynamic product galleries, etc.). These rich design features can enhance user experience – something that’s harder to achieve on platforms like Shopify without custom code.
  • SEO Control: Webflow provides robust SEO tools – you can edit meta titles/descriptions, alt text, URL slugs, and even generate XML sitemaps. The code Webflow produces is semantic and clean, which is good for SEO. It allows custom schema markup and other advanced SEO tweaks that some simpler builders might not‍. Many users praise Webflow for being “well-optimised for SEO” out of the box. If organic search and site performance are priorities, Webflow gives you the control to fine-tune these.
  • Scalability for Site Needs: As a fully hosted solution, Webflow can handle small or large sites in terms of traffic (its hosting is on Amazon Web Services). It’s used for everything from small business sites to large marketing sites, and its e-commerce plans can support up to 15,000 items (on the highest tier). For most small-to-midsize retailers, this is plenty. You can start on a lower plan and upgrade as your product count or traffic grows.
  • Community & Resources: Webflow has a passionate community of designers and a rich resource called Webflow University with tutorials. There’s an official forum and many third-party Webflow communities where you can get help. While not as large as WordPress’s ecosystem, the community is very active, especially for design-related Q&A. Webflow also offers email support and has a decent help center.

Cons:

  • Steeper Learning Curve: Webflow is not as simple for absolute beginners as some competitors. Its interface, while user-friendly for designers, can feel complex if you have no design experience. It’s been likened to “sitting in a pilot’s seat with oh-so-many controls” compared to Squarespace’s easy ride. In short, “Webflow offers more customization, but Squarespace is easier to use”. Non-technical users may need to invest time learning Webflow’s concepts (like CSS boxes, classes, etc.). If you’re not comfortable with design principles, the initial setup can be challenging (though Webflow does provide templates to start).
  • E-commerce Limitations: Webflow’s e-commerce features, while solid for simple stores, aren’t as extensive as Shopify’s. It currently supports common needs (products, variants, basic inventory, discount codes, taxes, shipping options) but lacks some advanced features and the huge app marketplace that Shopify has. For example, multi-currency support, complex promotional campaigns, or integrated email marketing might require workarounds or Zapier integrations. Payment options are also fewer – essentially Stripe (which covers credit cards + Apple/Google Pay) and PayPal. If you need other payment gateways or POS integrations, Webflow could fall short.
  • Cost and Product Limits: Webflow’s pricing can be higher than other builders when using e-commerce. There’s no free plan for online stores (only a temporary free staging mode). Paid e-commerce plans start around $29/month (Standard) for up to 500 items and 2% Webflow transaction fees, or $74/month (Plus) for up to 5,000 items with no Webflow fees (Stripe/PayPal fees still apply)‍. High-volume stores (more items or features like unbranded email receipts) require the Advanced plan ($235/month). In addition, truly taking advantage of Webflow might involve hiring a designer/developer for initial setup if you want a custom design, which is an upfront cost not seen with DIY-focused platforms. All told, Webflow can be more expensive upfront, even if its monthly fees become more predictable later.
  • Dependence on Platform: Webflow is a closed platform for hosting – you must host the site with Webflow if you use their CMS and e-commerce. (You can export static site code, but not the CMS/e-commerce database). This means you don’t have server-level access. If Webflow has an outage or if you ever wanted to move to another host, it’s not trivial to migrate a dynamic Webflow site. This is similar to Shopify/Squarespace in that sense, but worth noting for those who prefer open systems.
  • Integration Ecosystem: While Webflow does integrate with many services (and you can use Zapier to connect to thousands more apps), it doesn’t have an app store like Shopify or the plugin repository of WordPress. Advanced functionality often requires custom code embeds or third-party services (for example, adding a complex booking system or multi-language support). This means extending Webflow might require more technical workarounds. Ensure any crucial third-party service you need (email marketing, CRM, etc.) can integrate via Zapier or API.
  • Support Limitations: Webflow’s support is primarily via email (and their response is typically within a business day). They do not offer 24/7 phone support. For most, this is not a major issue, but if you anticipate needing a lot of real-time help, keep in mind the support is not as immediate as Shopify’s. You will be leaning more on self-help (guides, community, learning resources) when troubleshooting.

Bottom Line: Webflow is ideal if you prioritise design and branding and want a truly custom-looking site without coding. It gives you creative freedom and solid site performance/SEO, making it popular among designers and agencies. For a non-technical founder, Webflow can be rewarding but also challenging – it may involve a learning curve or hiring a freelancer to set up. If you desire a unique, content-rich storefront and are willing to invest time or budget into design, Webflow is a powerful option. But if you just need to get selling quickly with out-of-the-box tools, a more straightforward e-commerce platform might serve you better.

Squarespace

Simple and Stylish for Small Stores

Pros:

  • Ease of Use: Squarespace is often praised as “super beginner-friendly”, with an intuitive drag-and-drop site editor. Everything is plug-and-play – you choose a template, then replace text and images on-page, without needing any technical skills. This makes it an attractive choice for founders who want to do it themselves easily. In fact, Squarespace is widely considered easier to use than both Webflow and WordPress, making it well-suited for non-tech individuals who might be intimidated by other systems.
  • Beautiful Design Templates: One of Squarespace’s biggest selling points is its collection of award-winning, modern templates. These designs are sleek, image-rich, and responsive (mobile-friendly). If visual appearance is a priority and you don’t want to hire a designer, Squarespace gives a very polished look out of the box. You can customise templates (colours, fonts, layouts to a degree) to match your brand. The overall aesthetic quality is high, which is why it’s popular with creatives, photographers, and boutique shops.
  • All-in-One Platform: With Squarespace, you get hosting, domain (free for first year), SSL, and maintenance all included. You don’t worry about updates or security – the platform takes care of it. It also has built-in features beyond e-commerce: blogging capability, form builder, basic email marketing tools, analytics, and more. This all-in-one approach means you have fewer moving parts to manage compared to WordPress (where you’d source hosting and plugins separately).
  • Basic E-commerce Features: Squarespace supports selling physical and digital products, with features like inventory tracking, product variants, discount codes, and abandoned cart recovery (on higher Commerce plans). For a small online store or a business selling a few product lines, these built-in tools are more than sufficient. Setup is straightforward — add products, set prices, connect a payment processor (Stripe/PayPal), and you’re ready to sell. It’s a good “cheaper alternative to Shopify” for those who don’t need advanced e-commerce power. (Squarespace Commerce plans start around $23/month, which is lower than Shopify’s standard plan.)
  • SEO & Blogging Capabilities: Squarespace has decent SEO features for a site builder: you can edit page titles, descriptions, and URLs; it auto-generates sitemaps and is generally structured in a search-friendly way (clean HTML, responsive, etc.). While not as customizable as WordPress, many small business users find it adequate to rank for local/search needs. Its blogging tool is also quite robust among site builders – you can schedule posts, enable comments, and it supports basic features like categories and tags. It’s not as flexible as WordPress’s blogging, but it outshines Shopify’s blogging in terms of ease for content creation.
  • Support & Community: Squarespace offers 24/7 email support and live chat support during certain hours. Their help center is extensive, with guides and videos. The community forum is smaller, but because Squarespace’s user base is large, you can often find solutions answered in their knowledge base. For most beginners, the official support channels are sufficient if you encounter issues.

Cons:

  • Limited Customisation & Flexibility: Squarespace’s philosophy is to maintain beautiful design standards, which means you’re somewhat constrained to the template’s structure. There is no official app store; only a handful of official extensions (around 40) are available for things like print-on-demand, shipping, or bookkeeping. If you have very specific functionality in mind that isn’t built-in, you might not find a solution on Squarespace (or you may need custom code injections). In terms of design, you can tweak the preset styles, but you cannot redesign the site layout entirely from scratch as you could with Webflow or WordPress. This “lack of depth in e-commerce functions” and “limited customization options” means Squarespace can be outgrown as business needs become more complex.
  • Scalability Constraints: Squarespace is perfect for small to medium businesses, but if your store grows significantly, you might feel some limitations. For example, while it can technically handle unlimited products, managing a very large catalogue might be cumbersome (the interface is not as geared towards bulk management as Shopify’s). Advanced commerce features (like multi-currency, native POS integration, complex product filtering, etc.) are not provided. If you plan to scale to thousands of products or need enterprise features, Squarespace may not be the best long-term fit. It’s best for relatively simple or boutique product ranges.
  • Transaction Fees on Lower Plan: If you use the Business plan (the cheaper plan that has e-commerce), Squarespace charges a 3% transaction fee on sales. This is on top of Stripe/PayPal fees. To avoid Squarespace’s own fee, you need to be on a Commerce plan (Basic or Advanced) which costs more per month. In essence, the advertised lower price plans are fine for trying out, but any serious store would need to upgrade to avoid the punitive transaction fees. This can make actual cost closer to Shopify’s entry cost.
  • Less Advanced Marketing Tools: While Squarespace has improved its marketing integrations (it now offers Email Campaigns, and extensions for social feed displays, etc.), it still isn’t as extensive as what you can achieve with WordPress plugins or Shopify apps. For example, if you want a very elaborate loyalty program or upsell system, you won’t easily find that on Squarespace. SEO-wise, it covers basics but you “lack advanced plugin support” for SEO enhancements like schema plugins or advanced analytics tracking. Users with strong SEO needs might find Squarespace limiting in fine-tuning things like site speed optimisation or structured data.
  • Export/Migration Limitations: Should you later decide to move off Squarespace, the export options are limited (you can export your content and products to some extent, but not a full replica of your site design). Similar to other hosted platforms, migrating will mean choosing a new system and rebuilding the design. This isn’t a problem if you plan to stick with it, but it’s a consideration if you think you might switch as you grow. Also, customer support, while good, is limited to text (email/chat) – there’s no phone support, and complex issues might require waiting for an email response.

Bottom Line: Squarespace is an excellent choice for non-technical owners who prioritise ease and design and have relatively simple e-commerce needs. For a boutique selling a curated set of physical products, or a creative business wanting a gorgeous website that also sells merchandise, Squarespace can be ideal. You get a professional-looking site with minimal effort. However, it’s “not a good fit for robust sales features” beyond the basics. If your aim is to grow a large online retail business, you might eventually find Squarespace lacking in power and would need to migrate to a more e-commerce-focused platform. As a starting point for small online shops, though, it’s hard to beat the simplicity and elegance Squarespace offers.

WordPress (WooCommerce)

Ultimate Flexibility, But Technical

Pros:

  • Total Flexibility and Customisation: WordPress is an open-source CMS that can create virtually any website. With over 60,000 plugins and 10,000+ themes available it offers “near-limitless flexibility”. For e-commerce, the WooCommerce plugin is the leading solution, effectively turning WordPress into a fully-featured online store platform. WooCommerce itself has its own extensions for everything from payment gateways to subscriptions. The result is you can build a store that does exactly what you want – you have fine control over design (themes can be heavily customised or even custom-made) and features (add any functionality via plugins or custom code). No other platform matches WordPress in extensibility.
  • Built-In Blogging and Content Management: Originally a blogging platform, WordPress excels at content. If content marketing and blogging are part of your strategy, WordPress is the gold standard. You have a full editor (Gutenberg block editor or use classic editor), media library, and robust organisation of posts with tags and categories. You can optimise each post for SEO, schedule posts, and install plugins for things like related posts or social sharing. This makes WordPress + WooCommerce attractive if you want your online store and a rich blog under one roof.
  • Strong E-commerce via WooCommerce: WooCommerce (which is free to install) provides all standard e-commerce capabilities: unlimited products, categories, variants, inventory management, order processing, multiple payment gateways (PayPal, Stripe, etc.), shipping calculations, taxes, and more. It’s highly extendable – for example, you can add plugins for advanced shipping rules, integrate with marketplaces, set up membership or wholesale pricing, etc. Because WooCommerce is so widely used, many third-party services (from email marketing to accounting) provide integrations or official plugins for it. It also has no additional transaction fees (you only pay the payment gateway fees). Essentially, you can achieve Shopify-like functionality without monthly software fees – assuming you’re comfortable configuring plugins.
  • Scalability & Ownership: With the right hosting, WordPress sites can scale to handle massive traffic and large product catalogs. Many large e-commerce sites (and 40%+ of all websites in general) run on WordPress. You can start small on an inexpensive host and later upgrade to more powerful hosting as you grow. Since you own the code and database, you’re not locked into a provider – you can move your site to another host if needed. This ownership and portability is a big plus for those who don’t want to be tied to a proprietary platform.
  • Cost-Effective (Potentially): The WordPress software is free. WooCommerce is free. You will need to pay for web hosting and a domain, but basic shared hosting can be as low as a few pounds a month. It’s possible to set up a functional small store on WordPress for a lower ongoing cost than Shopify or Webflow – hosting £5–£15/mo, domain ~£10/year, and perhaps some one-time theme/plugin purchases. For example, many small businesses use a free theme or a one-time ~$50 theme and mostly free plugins. This can be more budget-friendly in the long term if you don’t need extensive paid add-ons or developer help.
  • SEO Advantages: WordPress is often regarded as the most SEO-friendly platform due to the control it gives. You can use powerful SEO plugins like Yoast or Rank Math to fine-tune every aspect of on-page SEO. You have access to edit site code or add plugins for caching, image optimisation, schema markup, etc. WordPress doesn’t force any particular URL structure for your store (you can configure permalinks as you like), and you can optimise site speed with various tools. If being at the top of Google is critical, WordPress provides the tools – “WordPress is the strongest platform for SEO” according to experts.
  • Vast Community and Resources: WordPress has been around for a long time and has a huge global community. There are countless tutorials, forums (e.g., the WordPress support forums, StackExchange), Facebook groups, and meetups. Whatever issue you run into, chances are someone has documented a solution. You also have the option to hire from a large pool of WordPress developers for custom work, often at reasonable rates, given WordPress’s popularity. The community-driven nature means continuous improvements and a wealth of free knowledge.

Cons:

  • Technical Skill Required: Unlike the other platforms here, WordPress is self-hosted – meaning you must arrange hosting and install WordPress (though many hosts offer one-click installs). It’s not as plug-and-play as Shopify or Squarespace. “WordPress requires some technical knowledge for setup and maintenance,” and has “the steepest learning curve” among these options. Non-technical users often need initial help to configure things (or use a managed host that pre-configures a lot). Even routine tasks like backups, theme/plugin updates, and ensuring security can be daunting if you’re not tech-savvy.
  • Maintenance & Security: With great flexibility comes responsibility – you (or your hired developer/host) are responsible for updating WordPress core, theme, and plugins regularly. If you don’t, your site can become vulnerable to security risks. You’ll also need to handle spam protection, backups, and performance optimization. This ongoing maintenance is critical and is something the other hosted platforms handle for you in the background. If you lack the time or knowledge, you might end up needing to pay for managed WordPress hosting or support services.
  • Setup Complexity: To get a WooCommerce store running, you must install the WooCommerce plugin and configure numerous settings (payments, shipping, tax, emails). There’s a setup wizard, but the overall process has more steps and moving parts than a Shopify onboarding, for example. Adding functionalities might mean searching for plugins, installing and configuring each. It’s not an “all-in-one” out of the box – you build your feature set as needed. The initial hurdle can be higher for a non-tech user to achieve a fully polished store.
  • Potential Costs for Premium Features: While WordPress and WooCommerce are free, not everything is. Premium themes can cost $50+, premium WooCommerce extensions or plugins can range from $30 to $200 each (often as annual licenses for support/updates). If your site needs several premium plugins (e.g., a better page builder, advanced SEO, subscription sales, etc.), the costs add up. Additionally, quality hosting for a busy WooCommerce site may cost more (a cheap host might be insufficient once you have many products and traffic). You can run a low-budget site, but for a thriving store, expect to invest in good hosting and possibly some paid plugins.
  • Performance Tuning: A WordPress/WooCommerce site’s speed and reliability depend a lot on your hosting and how well you optimise. By contrast, Shopify and others have their performance tuning done for you. With WordPress, you might need caching plugins, a CDN, image compression, and other tweaks to get very fast page loads. It’s absolutely achievable (and WordPress can be very fast), but it’s another aspect that requires knowledge or the help of your host.
  • Learning Curve for Admin UI: The WordPress admin dashboard, while fairly user-friendly for basic tasks, is more complex than Squarespace’s or Shopify’s, especially once you add many plugins (each adding their own menu items). Managing a WooCommerce store (orders, products) is not difficult per se, but the interface is less guided than Shopify’s. It might take time for a new user to understand all the menu options. For example, there are separate sections for plugins, settings, appearance (themes), etc., which can overwhelm someone expecting a simple all-in-one panel.
  • Support: There is no official dedicated support team for self-hosted WordPress. You rely on community forums, documentation, or your hosting provider for help. Some managed WordPress hosts do offer excellent support and will help with many WordPress issues – but that often comes at a higher price. Essentially, you don’t have a vendor like Shopify to contact for any site problem. This means troubleshooting is either DIY or hiring help. For some, this is a major drawback if they aren’t comfortable sorting out technical glitches.

Bottom Line: WordPress with WooCommerce is the most powerful and flexible solution of the four, but also the least turnkey. It’s best suited for those who want full control over their website or have unique requirements that other platforms can’t meet. If you have access to some technical help (or are willing to learn), WordPress can yield a tailor-made online shop with excellent scalability and SEO potential. However, if you’re a non-technical founder who doesn’t want to worry about the tech underpinnings, the DIY maintenance and setup might be more effort than you’re willing to invest. As one source succinctly puts it: “Wix and Squarespace are best for simple sites, WordPress offers the most flexibility, and Shopify is the best for eCommerce”. Use WordPress if that flexibility is your top priority and you’re prepared to handle the responsibilities that come with it.

Recommendation

‍Which Platform Should You Choose?

For a non-technical business owner focused on selling physical products, the consensus is that Shopify is the most straightforward and comprehensive solution. It strikes a balance between ease of use and powerful e-commerce features, allowing you to launch a professional online store quickly without needing technical expertise‍. Shopify’s all-in-one nature (hosting, security, checkout, etc. all handled) and its 24/7 support are big safety nets if you’re not tech-savvy. As one expert puts it, “if you’re an eCommerce business, Shopify is hard to beat”‍. It will scale with your business and has an enormous ecosystem of apps and experts to support any new needs as you grow.

That said, consider the following before finalising your choice:

  • Choose Shopify if you want a plug-and-play store with robust selling tools and minimal fuss. It’s ideal when your priority is selling products online and you don’t want to tinker with web design or backend setup. You’ll get going fastest on Shopify, and it can grow with you (from a small shop to large scale). The trade-off in cost is often worth the time saved and headaches avoided for non-technical users.
  • Choose Squarespace if you value simplicity and design and have a smaller catalog of products. It’s perfect for a stylish online presence with a bit of selling on the side – for example, an artist who primarily needs a portfolio site but also sells prints, or a boutique with a few dozen products. Squarespace’s ease of use is unmatched, but remember it’s not built for advanced e-commerce – so it fits best if your online store needs are modest.
  • Choose Webflow if you have a strong desire for a unique, highly customised website and are willing to either learn the tool or hire a designer. It’s suited for those who feel limited by templates and want their site to stand out visually. You’ll still be able to sell products effectively, but be prepared for more hands-on design work. In return, you get a store that can be a real showstopper in terms of design and interactivity For most typical product-focused businesses, this extra flexibility might not be necessary – it shines in more design-centric or content-and-commerce blended projects.
  • Choose WordPress (WooCommerce) only if you truly need maximum flexibility or autonomy. This could be the case if you foresee requiring custom integrations, or if owning your platform (with no ongoing software fees) is important. Also, if content (blogging/SEO) is a huge part of your strategy, WordPress is attractive. However, be realistic about the technical burden – many small business owners find it challenging to self-manage a WooCommerce site unless they have prior tech experience or are willing to hire support. If you do go this route, a managed WordPress host or a developer’s assistance will smooth out the process.

In conclusion, for most non-technical entrepreneurs whose main goal is selling physical products online, Shopify is the top recommendation due to its beginner-friendly setup and comprehensive e-commerce features. It lets you focus on your business (products, sales, marketing) rather than website technicalities. Squarespace comes in as a close alternative if your store is small and design/aesthetics are your focus – it’s the easiest by far, though less powerful for e-commerce. Webflow and WordPress are powerful in their own rights, but they cater to users with specific needs (design freedom or full control) and a higher tolerance for technical complexity. Assess your own priorities – ease vs. flexibility, upfront cost vs. long-term scalability – and you’ll be able to select the platform that fits your business best. Remember, the “right” choice is the one that empowers you to run your store effectively without overwhelming you. Good luck with your online store!

Sign up for our newsletter to receive weekly case studies and insights from Brand Insider.

Editor’s Top Case Studies

Share button
linkedinpinterestmail
continue reading...
Lead Image
Marketing
The Skims and Rhode Playbook Is Intentional and Always Sells Out
Lead Image
News
Rhode’s Seriously Cool Peptide Lip Shape Has Arrived
Lead Image
Website Design
The Round-Up: 2024 Websites
Website Design

Shopify vs Webflow vs Squarespace: What's the Best Platform to Sell Products Online in 2025?

Click. Drag. Sell. Panic?
By
Desiree Team
July 9, 2025
If you're launching an online shop and asking “Shopify or Webflow?”, this detailed guide compares the top e-commerce platforms across ease of use, cost, SEO, design, and scalability—tailored for non-tech founders.

While the brands mentioned are not sponsored or paid advertisements, some of the products highlighted may earn us a commission.

Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest brand news and insights from Brand Insider.

Share button
linkedinpinterestmail
continue reading...
Lead Image
Marketing
The Skims and Rhode Playbook Is Intentional and Always Sells Out
Lead Image
News
Rhode’s Seriously Cool Peptide Lip Shape Has Arrived
Lead Image
Website Design
The Round-Up: 2024 Websites
⌃