Squarespace vs Big Cartel: Design Platform vs Artist Store Builder
Table of Contents
- •Quick Verdict
- •Platform Overview
- •Pricing Comparison
- •Features Comparison
- •Design Capabilities
- •Who Should Choose Which
- •Frequently Asked Questions
Introduction
Both Squarespace and Big Cartel serve creative sellers, but with fundamentally different approaches.
Squarespace is a full website builder with e-commerce - portfolio, blog, scheduling, and store all rolled into one beautifully designed platform.
Big Cartel is a simple e-commerce platform built specifically for artists with small catalogs. It does one thing: lets you sell your work.
This comparison helps creative sellers choose the right platform. If you're also weighing whether to use a marketplace instead of your own store, see the Big Cartel vs Etsy comparison. For sellers coming from Etsy who want more control, our Etsy seller website guide covers the transition.
Quick Verdict
Choose Squarespace if:
- •You need a full website (portfolio + blog + store)
- •Design quality is your top priority
- •You have budget for monthly fees
- •You want professional, award-winning presentation
- •You sell services AND products
Choose Big Cartel if:
- •You just need a simple store
- •Budget is very tight (free tier available)
- •You have a small catalog (fewer than 50 products)
- •You want the simplest possible setup
- •You're a musician, artist, or maker testing whether selling works
Platform Overview
Squarespace
Type: Full website builder Focus: Design-forward websites with integrated e-commerce Best for: Creatives wanting a complete online presence Strength: Beautiful templates, portfolio features, service bookings
Big Cartel
Type: Simple e-commerce platform Focus: Artists and makers Best for: Small catalog, simple needs Strength: Simplicity, low cost, artist-focused UX
The Core Difference
| Aspect | Squarespace | Big Cartel |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Complete website | Store only |
| Design depth | Extensive | Basic |
| Features | Full website builder | E-commerce only |
| Complexity | More options to configure | Minimal |
| Cost | Higher | Lower/free |
Pricing Comparison
Squarespace Plans
| Plan | Monthly | E-commerce |
|---|---|---|
| Personal | $16 | No |
| Business | $27 | 3% transaction fee |
| Basic Commerce | $28 | Full, no extra fee |
| Advanced Commerce | $52 | Full, no extra fee |
Big Cartel Plans
| Plan | Monthly | Products |
|---|---|---|
| Gold (Free) | $0 | 5 |
| Platinum | $12 | 50 |
| Diamond | $20 | 500 |
Annual Cost Comparison
Artist with 20 products:
- •Squarespace Basic Commerce: $336/year
- •Big Cartel Platinum: $144/year
- •Savings with Big Cartel: $192/year
Artist with 5 products:
- •Squarespace Basic Commerce: $336/year
- •Big Cartel Gold (Free): $0/year
- •Savings with Big Cartel: $336/year
Pricing verified March 2026. Always verify current rates. Not financial advice.
Features Comparison
Feature Matrix
| Feature | Squarespace | Big Cartel |
|---|---|---|
| Products | Unlimited | 5–500 |
| Product variants | Yes | Limited |
| Digital products | Yes | Yes |
| Subscriptions | Yes | No |
| Abandoned cart | Commerce plans | No |
| Gift cards | Advanced plan | No |
| Blog | Yes | No |
| Portfolio | Yes | No |
| Scheduling | Yes | No |
| SEO tools | Good | Basic |
| Custom domain | Yes | Paid plans |
| Email campaigns | Yes | No |
Where Squarespace Excels
- •Full website: Not just a store - portfolio, about pages, blog
- •Portfolio: Showcase work beautifully with galleries and case studies
- •Blog: Content marketing built in - drive SEO traffic to your store
- •Scheduling: Book appointments or sessions for service businesses
- •Design: 150+ award-winning templates used by professional creatives
- •Marketing: Built-in email campaigns, SEO tools, social integrations
Where Big Cartel Excels
- •Price: Free tier with 5 products is genuinely useful
- •Simplicity: Less to configure means less time setting up
- •Artist-focused: Built specifically for creative sellers
- •Quick setup: Functional store in under an hour
- •Low overhead: Minimal monthly commitment to test the market
Design Capabilities
Squarespace Design
- •150+ award-winning templates designed for professional use
- •Extensive customization with a visual drag-and-drop editor
- •Portfolio-focused layouts built for photographers, designers, artists
- •Professional aesthetics out of the box
- •Fully mobile responsive on all templates
- •Design-forward platform recognized for best-in-class aesthetics
Big Cartel Design
- •18 free themes, all clean and minimal
- •Basic customization (colors, fonts, images)
- •Functional over fancy aesthetic
- •Limited layout options within each theme
- •Mobile responsive across all themes
- •Code editing available on Platinum/Diamond for deeper customization
Design Comparison
Squarespace: Your site will look like it was designed by a professional. The templates are genuinely impressive and the editor gives you real creative control.
Big Cartel: Your site will be clean and functional. It won't look amateur, but it also won't be a design showcase. Adequate for selling; not ideal for showcasing a creative portfolio.
Who Should Choose Which
Choose Squarespace If:
- •Need full website - Portfolio, about page, blog, AND store in one place
- •Design priority - Want genuinely impressive, professional aesthetics
- •Professional presence - Brand image and first impression are critical
- •Services + products - Sell both physical/digital products and book sessions
- •Content marketing - Want blog capability to drive organic traffic
- •Budget available - $28+/month is acceptable for what you get
Choose Big Cartel If:
- •Store only - Don't need portfolio, blog, or scheduling
- •Small catalog - Fewer than 50 products (ideally fewer than 20)
- •Tight budget - Free or $12/month is meaningfully different
- •Simplicity first - Want minimum complexity and setup time
- •Starting out - Testing whether selling your work is viable
- •Just products - No services to book, no blog to maintain
Specific Scenarios
| Scenario | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Photographer with prints | Squarespace |
| Band selling merch (10 items) | Big Cartel |
| Designer with portfolio + shop | Squarespace |
| Artist testing sales (5 prints) | Big Cartel |
| Creative agency | Squarespace |
| Musician on tour | Big Cartel |
| Illustrator building brand | Squarespace |
| Hobbyist selling crafts | Big Cartel |
Key Takeaways
- •Squarespace is a full website builder that includes e-commerce; Big Cartel is purely an e-commerce tool for small creative catalogs.
- •Big Cartel's free tier (5 products, no monthly fee) makes it accessible for testing with zero financial commitment.
- •Squarespace's $28–52/month cost is justified if you need a portfolio, blog, scheduling, and store in one cohesive experience. (Squarespace pricing)
- •For most artists with under 20 products and no need for a blog or scheduling, Big Cartel's Platinum plan at $12/month beats Squarespace on cost-efficiency. (Big Cartel pricing)
- •The design gap is real: Squarespace templates are visually superior and better suited to showcasing creative work as a portfolio alongside a store.
Deciding between Squarespace and Big Cartel comes down to scope. If you need a professional web presence that covers your entire brand - portfolio to showcase your work, a blog to build SEO presence, an integrated store to sell, and possibly a scheduling tool to book clients - Squarespace delivers all of this in one coherent package. However, if you are an artist or maker who simply wants the cleanest, lowest-cost way to sell your work online without the overhead of a full website builder, Big Cartel's simplicity and pricing are hard to beat. The free tier in particular is excellent for testing whether selling your creative work online is viable before committing to ongoing monthly fees.
Also Consider: If you're a marketplace seller (Etsy, Amazon, eBay) wanting your own store without technical complexity, StableCommerce is built specifically for that use case - with AI that handles store operations for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Big Cartel do portfolios?
Not really. Big Cartel is e-commerce only - it's designed for product listings, not showcasing creative work in a portfolio format. You would need a separate portfolio website (or use Squarespace for both).
Is Squarespace too expensive for beginners?
At $28/month for the Basic Commerce plan, the cost adds up ($336/year). For someone just testing whether selling works, Big Cartel's free tier is a smarter starting point. Once you're generating consistent revenue, Squarespace becomes much easier to justify.
Which is easier to use?
Big Cartel is simpler because it does less. Squarespace has more features to configure but is still considered user-friendly among website builders. Most non-technical users find Squarespace's drag-and-drop editor intuitive within a few hours.
Can I migrate from Big Cartel to Squarespace?
Yes. Export your product data from Big Cartel, then import it into Squarespace using a CSV or third-party migration tool. Your design starts fresh - you'll rebuild the look of your store in Squarespace.
Which is better for SEO?
Squarespace has significantly better SEO tools: customizable meta titles and descriptions, structured data, blog capability for content marketing, and cleaner URL structures. Big Cartel is more limited and doesn't have blog functionality to generate organic content.
Which supports digital downloads better?
Squarespace has more robust digital product features, including file size limits, download controls, and integration with email marketing for follow-up. Big Cartel supports digital products but with fewer configuration options.
Does Big Cartel allow custom CSS?
Yes, on Platinum and Diamond plans, Big Cartel allows custom CSS editing for users who want more design control than the theme settings provide. Squarespace also supports custom CSS injection.
Which is better for selling music?
Big Cartel is popular with musicians for merch (t-shirts, posters, physical albums) due to low cost and simplicity. Squarespace is better if you want to combine a music portfolio, press kit, blog, and store in one site.
Can I sell subscriptions or memberships?
Squarespace supports subscriptions on its Advanced Commerce plan. Big Cartel does not offer subscription or membership selling - it's limited to one-time product purchases.
Which has better analytics?
Squarespace has more detailed built-in analytics covering traffic sources, popular content, and store performance. Big Cartel provides basic sales statistics. For either platform, connecting Google Analytics gives you more detailed data.
The Bottom Line
Squarespace: Full website builder for creatives who want portfolio, blog, and store beautifully integrated.
Big Cartel: Simple, affordable e-commerce for artists with small catalogs and minimal overhead requirements.
The deciding factor: Do you need a full website or just a store?
- •Full website → Squarespace
- •Store only + small catalog → Big Cartel
Try Squarespace Free | Try Big Cartel Free
Who Should Choose Which: Full Decision Table
| Your Situation | Recommended Platform | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Need portfolio + blog + store in one | Squarespace | Purpose-built for this combination |
| Artist testing market with under 5 products | Big Cartel | Free tier, zero financial risk |
| Photographer selling prints | Squarespace | Superior image galleries, portfolio layouts |
| Musician selling merch (under 20 items) | Big Cartel | Low cost, artist-focused, simple |
| Budget under $15/month | Big Cartel | Platinum plan at $12 beats Squarespace |
| Want to book client sessions + sell products | Squarespace | Built-in scheduling feature |
| Building long-term brand presence | Squarespace | Better SEO tools, blog capability |
| Just need a clean storefront fast | Big Cartel | Operational in under an hour |
| Selling subscriptions or memberships | Squarespace | Big Cartel doesn't support subscriptions |
| Expanding from Etsy to own store | Either | Squarespace for branding; Big Cartel for cost |
Bottom line on the decision: Squarespace wins when your online presence needs to be more than a store. Big Cartel wins when low cost and simplicity are the actual priorities.
Migration Guide: Moving Between These Platforms
From Big Cartel to Squarespace
This is the most common migration path - creators who started on Big Cartel's free tier and outgrew it, or who now need a portfolio or blog alongside their store.
What migrates:
- •Product data (names, prices, descriptions) via CSV export from Big Cartel
- •Product images (download and re-upload)
What doesn't migrate automatically:
- •Store design - you start fresh with a Squarespace template
- •Customer order history - Squarespace starts with a clean slate
- •Any custom CSS you added in Big Cartel
Timeline: Plan for a weekend of work for a catalog under 50 products. Use Big Cartel's data export under Account → Export to get your product CSV.
From Squarespace to Big Cartel
Less common, but happens when creators want to reduce costs after scaling back. Export product data from Squarespace (Commerce → Inventory → Export), re-enter it into Big Cartel, and set up your Big Cartel theme from scratch.
The Better Option: Run Both Short-Term
For creators on the fence, running both simultaneously for 1-2 months before committing is a low-risk approach. Keep Big Cartel active while building your Squarespace presence. When you're satisfied with Squarespace, redirect traffic and wind down Big Cartel. This avoids any disruption to existing customers.
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