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Squarespace vs Shopify for New Zealand online stores.
Both are good. Shopify is built for selling first, Squarespace for a good looking site that also sells. Which one suits you depends mostly on how many products you have and how much of your business happens online.
The short answer
Choose it when the store is part of the business, such as a maker, a studio, a cafe selling beans and gift cards, or a service business with a few products. Up to a few dozen products, it's simpler and cheaper.
Smaller storesChoose it when the store is the business: hundreds of products, variants, stock in more than one place, wholesale, or selling in a shop and online from the same stock.
Serious retailWhat they cost in New Zealand
Prices checked on 14 October 2026, yearly billing.
Billed in NZ dollars. Core NZ$31 a month has no store transaction fee. Plus NZ$49 and Advanced NZ$109 lower the card fees. The NZ$19 Basic plan adds a 2% fee on every sale. Card payments start at 2.7% + 30c.
From NZ$31 / monthBilled in US dollars. Basic US$29, Grow US$79 and Advanced US$299 a month. Card payments start at 2.65% + 30c through Shopify Payments. Using another payment provider adds a 2% fee.
From US$29 / monthThe subscription is rarely the real difference. Shopify stores usually add paid apps for reviews, product options, subscriptions or shipping, and those add up. Squarespace has fewer apps, but more is built in. Count the apps you'd need before comparing prices.
Where Shopify wins
- Large catalogues. Bulk editing, filtering and variants scale far better.
- Stock and point of sale. One stock count across a shop counter and the website, with Shopify's POS.
- Apps. Thousands, including NZ shipping tools like Starshipit that connect to NZ Post and local couriers.
- Selling overseas. Local currencies, translations and duties handled in one place.
Where Squarespace wins
- Design. The templates look better out of the box, especially for brands where photos and story sell the product.
- Everything in one place. Pages, blog, bookings, newsletters and the store in one account and one bill.
- Simplicity. Fewer settings and fewer apps means fewer things to break and an easier site to run yourself.
- Price in NZ dollars, so the bill doesn't move with the exchange rate.
GST and shipping
Both handle New Zealand GST. Set your prices to include it, the way NZ customers expect to see them. For shipping, both let you set flat rates or rates by weight and region, which covers most small NZ stores. If you need live courier quotes and printed labels from NZ Post or a local courier, Shopify's apps do that better.
Common questions
Is Squarespace or Shopify cheaper in NZ?
For a small store, Squarespace Core at NZ$31 a month usually works out cheaper than Shopify Basic at US$29, especially once Shopify apps are added. For a large store, Shopify's tools usually save enough time to justify the cost.
Can I move from Squarespace to Shopify later?
Yes. Products export as a spreadsheet and Shopify can import them. Pages are rebuilt and old addresses redirected. Starting on Squarespace and moving when you outgrow it is a reasonable plan.
Do you build Shopify stores?
Yes, when Shopify is the right fit. Most small NZ stores I'd put on Squarespace, and I'll tell you which suits yours at the quote stage.
How much does a Squarespace store cost to build?
From $5,600, fixed, with products, shipping, payments and tax set up. See what a Squarespace website costs.