Squarespace makes beautiful websites — but its Business plan charges a 3% transaction fee on top of your monthly subscription. To avoid that, you need Commerce Basic at a higher price. E2C starts free and charges just 1.99% when you sell. No monthly bill, no double-dipping on fees.
Squarespace is beautifully designed — but its pricing model can cost more than it looks for active sellers.
Squarespace requires a monthly plan before you can sell. Even on its lowest e-commerce plan, you pay $23–$33/month plus a 3% transaction fee. E2C has no monthly cost at all — you only pay 1.99% when you actually make a sale.
Squarespace charges a 3% transaction fee on its Business plan on top of your subscription. To remove that fee, you have to upgrade to Commerce Basic — which costs more. E2C has one simple fee: 1.99% per sale, no plan upgrade required to avoid penalty rates.
Squarespace's design flexibility is powerful but takes time to configure — especially for first-time sellers. E2C's store builder is focused and fast: set up your branding, add products, and you're live. No design decisions required before you can start selling.
A side-by-side look at what each platform includes for sellers.
| Feature |
E2C Store
$0/month
|
Squarespace
from $23/month
|
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | $0 | $23–$52/month (annual billing) |
| Platform transaction fee | 1.99% | 3% (Business) / 0% (Commerce plans) |
| Credit card required to start | Not required | Required after trial |
| Your own branded store | ||
| Unlimited products | ||
| Product variants (size, color, etc.) | ||
| Built-in analytics | ||
| Customer reviews (built-in, free) | Commerce plans only | |
| Email marketing tools (built-in, free) | Via Squarespace Email Campaigns (extra cost) | |
| Customer message inbox (built-in) | — | |
| QR code for store sharing | — | |
| Multi-currency support | 15+ currencies | Commerce plans (limited countries) |
| Premium design templates | Focused store builder | |
| Full website builder (blog, portfolio) | — | |
| Abandoned cart recovery | — | Commerce Advanced only |
| Start Free | squarespace.com |
Squarespace's 3% transaction fee applies on Business plans when not using Squarespace Payments. Commerce Basic and Advanced plans remove this fee. Monthly pricing shown for annual billing; monthly billing is higher. Pricing as of 2025.
Yes, on its Business plan. Squarespace charges a 3% transaction fee on each sale in addition to the monthly subscription cost. To remove this fee, you need to upgrade to Commerce Basic or Commerce Advanced, both of which cost more per month. E2C charges a flat 1.99% with no monthly fee at all.
At $500/month in sales on Squarespace Business, you'd pay approximately $23–$33/month subscription plus $15 in transaction fees (3%) — around $40–$50 total before payment processing. On E2C at the same volume, you'd pay $9.95 (1.99%) with zero monthly overhead. E2C's cost scales with revenue; Squarespace's starts before you've made a single sale.
Squarespace's design templates are widely considered among the best in the industry. E2C's store builder produces clean, professional storefronts focused on showcasing your products — customizable by colors, fonts, and hero layout without any code. If award-winning visual design is your top priority and you need a full website, Squarespace is hard to beat. If your priority is getting a great-looking store live for free, E2C delivers that quickly.
Yes. You can export your product catalog from Squarespace and re-add your listings on E2C. Our support team is happy to help you get set up. Since E2C is free to start, you can build your E2C store in parallel before cancelling your Squarespace subscription.
Yes. E2C includes verified buyer reviews on all product pages, built in and free on every plan. Squarespace's product review feature is available on Commerce plans only — not on the Business plan, where you also pay the 3% transaction fee.
E2C is built for sellers who want to get online affordably — artists, makers, small businesses, and side hustlers who want a store without monthly overhead. Squarespace is a better fit for creatives who need a full website with beautiful templates for portfolios, blogs, or service businesses that also happen to sell products.