Shopify alternatives for small businesses

JUST BECAUSE IT’S THE

BIGGEST NAME DOESN’T

MEAN IT’S THE BEST

Do I really need a Shopify?

Shopify is often the default recommendation when it comes to building an online store. It’s positioned as the gold standard in eCommerce—powerful, polished, and purpose-built for selling.

But here’s the thing: just because it’s the biggest name doesn’t mean it’s the best fit for your business. Especially if you’re a small team, selling a tight product range, and want something that looks good and feels easy to manage.

There are alternatives—and they might just be a better fit.

Let’s talk about what small businesses really need, and why Squarespace is worth a serious look.

1. Start with what your business actually needs

You don’t need the biggest toolbox—you need the right one. Most small businesses don’t need custom-coded product pages or a plugin for every single task. What they do need is a clean, easy-to-manage site that helps them sell confidently online.

Here’s what usually matters most:

• A site that reflects your brand without needing a designer every step of the way

• Clear, simple tools to sell physical or digital products

• An intuitive dashboard for managing orders and inventory

• Affordable pricing with minimal extra fees

• A checkout experience that doesn’t feel clunky or off-brand

Studio note: Just because a platform can do everything doesn’t mean you need it to. Choose based on your business now—not an imagined version five years from now.

2. Shopify is powerful—but not always practical

There’s no doubt Shopify is feature-rich. It’s designed for serious scale—big inventories, multiple fulfilment options, international sales. That’s great if you’re running a warehouse. But for smaller businesses? It can feel like renting a factory to run a market stall.

Some common friction points with Shopify:

• You’ll likely need paid apps to access basic features like product reviews or subscriptions

• Customising the site often requires developer support (or expensive themes)

• You’ll pay extra transaction fees if you use third-party payment gateways

• The checkout process is harder to brand and control

It’s a solid option for high-volume shops. But for brand-led, design-conscious small businesses, it can feel clunky and restrictive.

3. Why Squarespace is a smart Shopify alternative

Squarespace tends to fly under the radar in eCommerce conversations, which is a shame—because it offers a lot of what small businesses need, in a much simpler package.

With Squarespace, you can:

• Sell physical and digital products, services, online workshops, or subscriptions

• Offer discounts, manage inventory, and track orders from a clean dashboard

• Accept payments via Stripe, PayPal, Afterpay, Apple Pay and more

• Send automated emails (like abandoned cart reminders) without extra apps

• Choose from clean, responsive templates that are easy to customise

• Update your site yourself—no code required

It’s streamlined, it’s affordable, and it puts design and usability on equal footing.

Studio note: We use Squarespace for a reason. It’s not about being anti-Shopify—it’s about being pro-simplicity, especially when simplicity works better.

4. Who is Squarespace best suited to?

If any of these apply to your business, Squarespace is well worth considering:

• You sell a curated range of products or services (not hundreds of SKUs)

• You want your website to reflect your brand aesthetic without a huge build

• You’re the one managing the site and want it to be straightforward

• You don’t want to spend money on third-party plugins to do basic things

• You care about clean design, smooth functionality, and affordability

Squarespace doesn’t try to be everything—it focuses on doing a few things really well. For many small businesses, that’s exactly what’s needed.

5. When Shopify does make more sense

Let’s be fair: Shopify has its place.

It’s probably a better fit if:

• You’re selling thousands of products and need advanced stock management

• You plan to scale aggressively with warehousing, fulfilment partners, and international logistics

• You need deep integrations with CRMs, ERPs, or custom systems

• Your business depends on high-volume sales and complex backend automations

In those cases, the cost and complexity are part of a bigger system—and Shopify handles that scale well.

Studio note: The right tool depends on the task. We’re not here to sell you on what’s trendy. We’re here to recommend what makes sense.

Final thoughts

Shopify might be the loudest name in eCommerce—but it’s not the only one. And for many small businesses, it’s not even the best option.

Squarespace offers a beautifully balanced alternative: one that’s easier to manage, more affordable, and just as capable for most product-based businesses.

At Some Shape Studio, we build Squarespace sites that don’t just look good—they work well. If you’re weighing up your options or feeling overwhelmed by the platform chatter, let’s simplify it.

→ Get in touch and we’ll help you figure out what fits your brand best—no jargon, no pressure.