⏳ In a hurry? Here’s your Square Online Store Review snapshot: 0.00
Summary
Square Online is a website builder and e-commerce platform provided by Square Inc. It allows businesses to create a website, manage and sell products, and accept payments all in one place. Square Online integrates with Square's payment processing and point-of-sale services, making it a convenient solution for businesses looking to streamline their operations.
Overall
-
Ease of Use - 85%
85%
-
Features and Flexibility - 80%
80%
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SEO & Mobility - 80%
80%
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eCommerce Tools - 85%
85%
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Support & Resources - 80%
80%
-
Pricing - 85%
85%
Pros
- Easy to use
- Has a Free Plan
- Zero coding required
- Ideal for low-volume sellers
Cons
- Limited themes and templates
- Limited features
- Not suited for large businesses
Introduction to our Square Online Store Review
Welcome to our Square Online Store Review, where I will give you a comprehensive analysis of what has become one of the top-rate eCommerce platforms right now.
Overview: From Payment Processing to Website Building
This platform merges the best of two worlds – payment processing and website building – to develop a winning online store builder. This all happened in 2018 when Square bought Weebly. As a result, Square Online was born, and frankly, if you look at Square Online vs Weebly, you’ll see that they share many similarities. However, the Square Build Website is peppered with fresh and neat features that are different – plus the very attractive free eCommerce plan. Today, Square Online can easily compete in head-to-head showdowns, as in Square Online Store versus Shopify – and this is why this eCommerce platform is turning heads.
The important question needs to be asked in this Square Online Store review: is this eCommerce platform good enough for you?
Ease of Use:
Upfront in this Square Online store review, using this builder is easy and painless. You can conveniently navigate through the interface. Also, creating an account is quick and a no-miss event. Signing up requires only answering a couple of queries regarding your business. Once you set up an account, the path towards creating a functional online store becomes easier.
Since there isn’t much difference between Square Online Store vs Weebly, the UI is flawless and very user-friendly in terms of software. It’s not a stretch to say that as far as ease of use goes, this online builder impresses. However, for this Square eCommerce review, customisation capability might be limited with the Square Build Website, if you compare Square Online store builder against alternatives.
Read more on customisation options under the Features section of this Square Online store review.
Square Online Features and Flexibility:
Out-of-the-box:
Without further ado, Square Build Website's out of the box feature is that it boasts a robust combination of eCommerce and web hosting. It marries Square and Weebly's best features – giving you an easy to use and reliable online store builder that places Square Online Store builder vs Weebly at par with one another. You get point of sale (POS) systems, great uptime, and an excellent app store for its price.
Square Online Themes and Templates:
To create a phenomenal website, you need a builder with beautiful themes and templates in its database. Under this criterion for our Square eCommerce review, Square Build Website can’t compete with top builders with a huge templates library. Nevertheless, for this Square Online reviews, I think there’s a plus side to this.
Having a library of templates could be suitable if you want a really artsy or aesthetic website. However, not all eCommerce websites need to have complex layouts or designs. In fact, I find that users prefer the no-frills eCommerce experience. A simple template lets users focus on the merits of your product and not the background. In the end, you’ll get a clean and sleek online store that users will like.
See the latest Square Online themes and templates
Customisation Tools:
For this Square Online store review, the platform is highly customisable, but probably without the varied options in other top website builders alternatives. You can modify your online presence simply by typing the required business information, select a URL, and choosing a theme. Afterwards, you can add pages, create categories, and other elements.
Editing elements in your online store is also straightforward. The only significant downside we're looking in this Square eCommerce review? You won’t find a true image editing tool with the platform. You can only crop an image, so that’s quite off-putting. However, to ensure high-quality photos for your online store, Square Build Website has a product shooting service.
3rd Party Integrations:
For this Square eCommerce review, the platform interfaces with more than 150 third-party apps and add-ons. This includes apps for invoicing, marketing, POS, loyalty, and more. In addition, the platform has integrations with other eCommerce platforms like WooCommerce, 3dcart, and BigCommerce. As a result, you can use a different website builder but use Square for payment processing. You also get seamless Square Online Google apps integration. Lastly, it has several APIs for higher-level customisation.
Hosting:
For this Square Online store review, you get free unlimited hosting on all paid plans. Should you be okay with a domain carrying the .square.site format, you can do that with a Free plan. If not, you can always buy a domain from Square or upgrade to a paid plan where the domain is free. However, suppose you own an existing domain – you can connect this to your Square account.
See more Square Build Website Features
SEO and Mobility:
For this Square Online store review, the platform has excellent SEO tools. You can configure keywords, meta tags, meta descriptions, and others on your product images. Square Build Website also features HTML and mobile-responsive designs.
See more Square Build Website SEO Features
eCommerce Tools:
For this Square Online reviews, its eCommerce functionality is powered by Weebly eCommerce, but accessible through the Square Dashboard. This fact immediately gives the platform an advantageous position. It’s convenient to use since there’s no need to set up a Weebly account separately. Square uses its own payment system that works immediately after you sign up with the platform. Square free online store owners can benefit greatly from the platform’s POS functionality, which includes among the following:
- Square Online ordering
- Square Online checkout
- Inventory management and tracking
- In-store pickup support
- Integrated and advanced reporting
- Seamless integration with the Square product universe
It must be pointed out in this Square eCommerce review, however, that the platform lacks a native Square Online blogging tool. To do this, you need to create an external blog and link it to your Square Online website.
See more Square Online eCommerce Features
Support and Resources:
For this Square online review, the platform provides excellent support and helpful resources. Their Square Online Store Help Center has a customer support squad that can only be reached at specific hours, not 24/7. However, if you subscribe to the highest-tier plan, you get priority phone support.
The platform offers a Blog and a Seller Community page that features how-to articles, discussions, and product updates for its online resources.
See more Square Online Store Help Features
Square Online Pricing:
In this Square Online reviews, the platform has four price options including a free plan.
For eCommerce plans, the platform charges Square Online store fees amounting to 2.9% plus 30cents per transaction for Free, Professional, and Performance plans, and 2.6% + 30cents for the Premium plan.
Square Online Free trial/refund policy/money-back guarantee:
There's a free plan, but with limited eCommerce features than the paid plans. Their terms of service page states that if you cancel a Subscription Service, you will continue to have access to that Subscription Service through the end of your then current billing period, but you will not be entitled to a refund or credit for any Subscription Fee already due or paid.
>> Check out the latest Square Online Store pricing and discounts <<
Conclusion and Recommendation to our Square Online Store Review:
Overall, in this Square Online reviews, does Square Online deserve your attention?
Who is this best for?
This platform works best for small business owners who are just beginning to set up their online store. You can launch your online store with zero technical knowledge or background in coding. However, if you start to scale, the eCommerce features may require you to subscribe to the higher-priced tiers.
Who is this not best for?
If you want better customisation, design, and templates, it's time to consider alternatives.
Square Online Alternatives:
In this Square online reviews, how does it fare compared with rivals?
| Rank | Key Features | Price (Basic Paid Plan) | Transaction Fee | My View | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Shopify | Comprehensive e-commerce features, large app store, excellent SEO tools | $29/month Check Pricing | 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction (for online credit card rates) | Ideal for most online stores due to its comprehensive features | Try For Free |
| 2. Squarespace | Beautiful templates, great for small to medium-sized stores, powerful marketing tools | $12/month Check Pricing | None (but payment processor fees apply) | Great for creatives and those who need a visually stunning online store | Try For Free |
| 3. Webflow | Deep customization options, good for web designers, CMS features | $12/month Check Pricing | 2% on customer's checkout total | Best for designers needing high degree of customization | Try For Free |
| 4. Square Online | Syncs with Square POS, good for small to medium-sized stores, unlimited products | Free to start, e-commerce from $12/month Check Pricing | Yes, 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction | Great for existing Square POS users | Try For Free |
| 5. WooCommerce | Open-source, highly customizable, requires WordPress | Free Check Hosting Pricing | Depends on payment gateway used | Best for WordPress users and those who want total control | Try For Free (with Nexcess Hosting) |
| 6. Wix | User-friendly, great for small stores, wide range of templates | $14/month Check Pricing | None (but payment processor fees apply) | Great for small businesses or beginners | Try For Free |
| 7. Big Cartel | Designed for creators and artists, easy to use, limited features | Free for up to 5 products, plans from $9.99/month Check Pricing | None (but payment processor fees apply) | Ideal for artists and creators with smaller product lines | Try For Free |
| 8. Ecwid | Can be integrated into any website, good for small to medium-sized stores | Free for up to 10 products, plans from $15/month Check Pricing | Depends on payment gateway used | Good for those who want to add a store to an existing site | Try For Free |
| 9. Volusion | Good inventory system, comprehensive e-commerce features | $29/month Check Pricing | None (but payment processor fees apply) | Good for medium-sized businesses | Try For Free |
| 10. Weebly | Easy to use, good for small stores, powered by Square | Free to start, paid plans from $6/month Check Pricing | 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction | Good for small businesses or beginners | Try For Free |
- Square Online Store vs Shopify: Shopify has a larger library of themes and a broader number of apps integrations. It offers 9 eCommerce templates and two or three variants for each free of charge. If that doesn’t suffice, you can opt for at least 64 paid premium themes. Shopify also has the largest apps arsenal – with more than 3,000 apps both from Shopify and third parties! If you compare pricing, Square Online is more affordable, making it a better choice for small business owners. The former doesn’t have a true image-editing tool while Shopify has a native editing app. In terms of hosting, Shopify is full hosting – meaning all websites run on Shopify servers. The downside is you don’t own any of the products but need to pay monthly to use them. Shopify rates well on SEO, with standard SEO features found on Square Online plus CDO to speed up content delivery and 301 redirects. It also has the Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) feature to let your site rank higher on mobile searches.
- Square Online Store vs Weebly: Both platforms aren’t all that different, design-wise. However, Weebly has more to offer in the way of themes – more than 50 of which you can choose from for your online store. Weebly also has more paid and free apps – 300 and counting – for various categories. One great thing about Weebly that other builders don’t have is that they let you edit a template’s source code. You can customise to your heart’s content. Weebly’s hosting terms are similar to Square’s except that the free plan only has 500 MB storage capacity. Weebly is capable of SEO tweaks to get your site to rank. It has an image optimisation feature and control for 301 redirects.
Square Online Store Review Final Word
Yet, don't miss out on the opportunity to set up an online store with a robust and affordable builder. I recommend that you test-drive Square Online with a free plan.
FAQ:
Is there really a free plan?
Yes - the free plan is genuinely free. However, when you sell something, the site charges a modest transaction fee - 2.9% plus 30¢ per transaction.
Does it let me sell on social media?
Yes, Square Online does via its integration with Shopping on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
What payments will my online store accept?
For this Square eCommerce review, all major credit cards, Square Pay, Google Pay, and Apple Pay are accepted.
That's all for now:
Thank you for reading our Square Online store review! Don’t forget to keep an eye out for our ever-growing blog of review and comparison articles of eCommerce platforms, SEO software, screen capture tools, webinar and conferencing software, education platforms, website builders, and more such as;