Square Online review 2024: Top ecommerce platform pros, cons, and features tested
Square Online stands out as one of the best website builders, offering a hassle-free solution for setting up and managing an online store. Created from the fusion of Square point of sale (POS) software and Weebly in 2018, Square Online stands out as a rock-solid fit for small businesses seeking a powerful online presence without the headache of hefty monthly fees.
With its intuitive setup process and simple-to-use interface, even novices can navigate it without much effort. Whether you're a traditional retailer stepping into the digital world or a service-based business expanding your reach, Square Online can support you.
What makes Square Online stand out among many competitors is its ease of use. Seamlessly integrating with Square POS, it caters to businesses needing both an online store and a point-of-sale system. Plus, with its simple and functional store layout, you can start selling online in minutes - no coding skills needed. While it may lack some advanced features, Square storefront builder provides everything you need to launch your online store journey swiftly.
In our Square Online review, based on extensive research and hands-on experience, we'll delve into key features, including the setup process, interface, integration with Square POS, and overall usability. We'll explore its strengths and weaknesses to help you make the right choice for your business.
Square Online stores: Ecommerce tools
Square Online has become a popular choice among online sellers for its user-friendly interface and pocket-friendly plans, including the Square’s free online store option.
The platform's forever-free edition allows you to start selling online without upfront costs, although transaction fees apply. While there are no restrictions on the number of products you can sell, the free plan limits you to a Square-branded site or social media platforms. Plus, bandwidth and storage are capped at 500 MB, which will cripple the scale of your online operations sooner or later.
Square Online's seamless integration with Square payment processing is a standout feature, ensuring smooth transactions for sellers. However, it's important to note that, unlike many other of the best ecommerce platforms, that offer a whole variety of popular payment processing options, Square Online primarily relies on Square for payment processing.
So, while Square is a reliable choice for handling online transactions, the limited choice of payment processors may be a drawback for some users. Fortunately, Square Online users can integrate PayPal and Google Pay into their payment options if they have the “Plus” or “Premium” plan, providing a bit more flexibility in payment processing.
Square offers a complete set of features fit for small online stores, including unlimited item listings, multiple product types, age confirmation, password-protected pages, and item quick view. For those seeking more advanced features, such as product reviews and abandoned cart recovery, higher-tier plans are available.
Additionally, Square has recently introduced a new feature that allows customers to use Afterpay for their purchases. Now, customers can buy now and pay later in four interest-free installments, while sellers receive payment right away. It's a win-win situation that adds a new level of flexibility for both sellers and buyers.
Moreover, Square simplifies shipping management with customizable shipping rates, free shipping options, local delivery, and pickup services. The platform also provides reporting and analytics tools to track site performance and customer behavior, helping businesses make better decisions to boost their online presence. With Square's efficient shipping label printing capabilities, sellers can simplify their shipping processes and deliver products promptly to customers across the world.
Square also offers a set of convenient AI-powered tools within its online store features. These tools are made to simplify marketing tasks by automatically generating copy for various campaigns, such as emails, and even suggesting replies to customers via Square Messages. So, whether you need catchy email subject lines, engaging website content, or compelling product descriptions, Square's AI features have you covered.
Other ecommerce features locked behind Square Online's paid plans include customer accounts, password-protected pages, and custom site icons - all created to upgrade your online store's functionality. With customer accounts, your clientele is encouraged to sign in, access their order history, redeem loyalty rewards, and manage gift card balances seamlessly. Password-protected pages provide added security by concealing specific sections of your site from public view.
Additionally, the option to create a custom site icon ensures your online store remains easily accessible to customers, allowing them to place orders with just a couple of clicks from their smartphone screens.
Other Square Online features and tools
Beyond its ecommerce capabilities, Square Online offers a wide variety of features and tools to enhance your website-building experience. Let's explore some of these below:
Square Online themes
As we write, Square Online offers a range of 28 free themes to choose from, with three of them available on the free plan, while others are accessible through free trials. When you first start with Square Online, picking a theme is your first step in tailoring your website using the editor. While you can't switch themes once you've made your choice, you have the freedom to tweak any part of your site post-selection. To further simplify the customization after picking out a theme, you can explore selecting styles that suit your site.
Once you've settled on a theme, you can dive into customization. You can tweak colors, fonts, shapes, images, individual elements, and section and page layouts to your liking. While you can't change the theme of an existing site on Square Online, you still have the freedom to alter its overall appearance by updating multiple design elements simultaneously through site style updates.
While Square Online provides an alright selection of themes to choose from, we must note that there aren't a massive number of templates overall. Also, upon exploring the themes, you may notice that many of them share similar layouts, with variations primarily in color schemes and font styles.
The platform offers both desktop and smartphone previews for themes, giving you the ability to visualize your website across different devices and ensure an enjoyable browsing experience for your visitors.
Square Online website editor
Square Online's block-based editor, powered by its acquisition of Weebly, offers a hassle-free setup process with helpful video tutorials and step-by-step guides. While the drag-and-drop functionality is extremely limited, it's super easy for beginners to dive in and start building. However, if you're aiming for complete customization, you'll likely find the options rather restrictive.
Unsurprisingly, tinkering with the code is mostly off-limits, which means you can't make any complex custom changes. Still, Square's editor provides a sufficient range of pre-made content blocks that you can easily plop onto your pages, from images and text to galleries and forms. Plus, integrating social media feeds and Google Maps is only a few clicks away.
Although Square's selection of themes is a bit on the slim side, the theme customizer packs a solid punch, giving you plenty of control over your site's look and feel. You can play around with colors, fonts, headers, footers, and more to make it look truly yours. Plus, you can create custom pages using the available sections to add that personal touch.
Let's not forget about the blog feature, or as Square likes to call it, "stories." It's surprisingly easy to add and customize your posts right within the site editor. Plus, there are built-in SEO tools to help boost your site's visibility across search engines.
While Square's design palette might feel a bit constrained, its website editor is equipped with practical features that can swiftly spruce up your site's appearance.
Domains
With Square Online's forever-free plan, you're stuck with Square Online advertising on your site's footer and a domain ending in “.square.site“. So, if you're eyeing a custom domain and advanced features, you'll want to consider upgrading to one of Square Online's paid plans.
Registering a new domain on Square Online happens on a yearly basis, with no monthly options available. To purchase your perfect domain, navigate from your Square Online Overview page to “Website“ and then to “Domains“. Next, select “Connect“ domain and then “Find a custom domain”. Enter the domain name you want into the search box to kick off the purchase process.
Custom domains start at $19.95 annually, and with annual plans, you even get a free domain for the first year. But if you're aiming for a fully-branded online store free from Square branding, you'll need to opt for the “Plus“ or “Premium“ plan. Considering this step is essential for driving sustained business growth and building a recognizable online brand.
Square Online app marketplace
Square Online offers an extensive App Marketplace, where you can choose from over 200 third-party apps to add some serious power to your website. These apps cover everything from keeping your books to running marketing campaigns and managing your schedule.
Now, while some of these apps are built to supercharge your online store, others are designed to work seamlessly with the POS system. You'll find a whole lot of options in there, from apps that pep up Square's core features (such as Mailchimp's marketing automation) to ones that connect you with external platforms and services (like Shippo for easy end-to-end shipping).
Adding apps to your website is as easy as it gets. Just browse through the marketplace, find the ones you like, and with a few clicks, you're good to go. However, keep in mind that some apps might ask you to upgrade to a paid plan before you can unlock all their features. Also, since Square's central feature is handling payments, you might not find every payment gateway under the sun in the app marketplace.
Website security
Square Online has your back with security measures like Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates, ensuring that your data transfers are encrypted and safe from prying eyes. Additionally, when you use Square Online, your credit card payments are encrypted too, providing an extra layer of protection. As expected, Square meets Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance standards across the board, ensuring secure handling of your payment information.
Square Online provides free SSL certificates for all the domains you add to your site. Whether you're on their free plan or a paid subscription, your payments are kept secure. For added peace of mind, you can set up two-step verification for an extra layer of security, control who has access to your account, and receive tips on creating a strong password.
All in all, you can trust that your online store and transactions are in good hands, allowing you to focus on growing your business.
Square Online pricing and plans: Is Square Online good value for money?
Square Online’s pricing structure is simple to understand with options to suit different business needs and budgets. Whether you're just starting out or looking to scale up, Square has you covered with a forever-free plan that includes essential features like site-building tools and integration with Square POS. To get the best deal, go with annual billing, which includes perks like a free domain.
As shown above, there are three main Square Online pricing tiers: “Free“, “Plus“, and “Premium“, each tailored to different business needs. The “Free“ plan is a solid choice for those starting out, but keep in mind it comes with transaction fees and severely limited customization.
If you're eyeing an introductory rate, remember it may only last for a limited time.
Free plan
Perfect for getting started without breaking the bank, the “Free“ plan provides essential website-building tools, integration with Square POS, and options for pickup, local delivery, and shipping. However, customization options are seriously limited, and standard transaction fees apply.
Plus plan
The next in line is the “Plus“ plan. Designed to drive online growth and streamline operations, it provides expanded site customization, self-serve ordering, customer accounts, personalized ordering experiences, and much more.
Premium plan
Tailored for high-volume businesses, the “Premium“ plan includes somewhat lower processing rates, real-time shipping rates, premium customer support, and waived in-house delivery fees.
Restaurant Essentials Bundle
In addition to these three plans, Square offers a so-called “Square Restaurant Essentials Bundle“. This comprehensive, cloud-based solution is designed to streamline operations and enhance customer experience for restaurant businesses. With tools like Square Payroll, Square for Restaurants Plus, and Square Online Ordering Premium, you can efficiently manage payroll, streamline in-person and online ordering, and optimize scheduling for your team. Also, you can currently take advantage of this special offer and save 20% as a new Square customer.
Square Online: Help and support
Square Online has your back with a solid support system in place to help you tackle any technical issues or questions you may encounter along the way. Whether you're a well-versed user or just getting started, Square has enough self-service resources to guide you through troubleshooting and problem-solving.
You can reach out to Square's support team via phone, email, or live chat during specific hours on weekdays. However, response times for email inquiries may take up to 48 hours. Additionally, there's an active community forum where you can seek advice from fellow sellers.
During our experience with Square's live chat support, we found the process to be pretty smooth. After a quick chat with a helpful chatbot, we were connected with a support expert in about five minutes, and they took the time to address our questions and even threw in some handy resources for good measure.
Before signing in, however, don't expect expedited support. All in all, while there are some limitations to Square's customer support options, the help we received was pretty satisfactory.
Square Online: What’s not included? What could be better?
Despite its user-friendly design, Square Online still has room for improvement in certain aspects.
First, users could find themselves unable to access code for custom changes on Square Online. While some customization is possible with paid plans, editing template code to modify CSS is off-limits. Design flexibility is also severely limited compared to platforms like Shopify, and Square branding is unavoidable on the site footer for those on the free edition.
You can read our full Shopify review here.
Another notable drawback lies in its selection of themes, which, while functional, may lack the visual flair and diversity found in other platforms. While this may not be a deal-breaker for some, businesses seeking a unique, eye-catching design may find themselves wanting more.
Additionally, the transaction fees associated with Square Online can quickly accumulate, especially for businesses with high sales volumes. While the platform offers convenience and ease of use, the cost-effectiveness of Square Online may decline over time as these fees begin to take a toll on profitability.
If these limitations are a deal-breaker for you, consider Shopify, which offers a free three-day trial and is ideal for businesses seeking an all-in-one solution with POS, social selling, and inventory management. Still, some will prefer Square Online due to its ease of setup compared to Shopify's more complex customization process. BigCommerce, another alternative, lacks a point-of-sale system but offers powerful analytics, terrific marketing tools, and interconnected sales channels.
You can read our full BigCommerce review here.
In short, while Square Online is a solid choice for businesses needing a simple payment solution without long-term contracts, users seeking more comprehensive features and customization options may want to check alternatives like Shopify and BigCommerce.
Square Online review: Final thoughts
After conducting an in-depth Square Online review, it's clear that this platform is designed for beginners and small businesses venturing into the online world. Its simplicity and budget-friendly plans make it a solid choice, but there's still room for improvement.
While it stands out with seamless payment processing integration and multichannel tools, its scanty customization options and transaction fees may give some users pause. However, if you give priority to ease of use and straightforward payment solutions, Square Online could be the full-on fit.
For those ready to get started, the next step is to sign up and explore Square Online's features firsthand. Take advantage of the free plan to get a feel for the platform and see if it lives up to your expectations. If you require more advanced features and a bit higher level of customization, consider upgrading to one of Square Online's paid plans or exploring alternatives like Shopify or BigCommerce.
Ultimately, it all boils down to what suits your business best.
Square Online review: FAQs
What is the difference between Weebly and Square Online?
Weebly and Square Online are both excellent website builders, but they each have their strengths and weaknesses. Weebly, acquired by Square in 2018, focuses on site creation first, with ecommerce features coming as an add-on. In contrast, Square Online, built using Weebly technology, focuses on ecommerce functionality, smoothly integrating with Square's payment processing for an easy-going online selling experience.
In short, while Weebly is excellent for building websites with optional ecommerce capabilities, Square Online is better for businesses primarily focused on online sales.
Is Square Online good for selling online?
Yes, Square Online is highly recommended for online sales, particularly for small brick-and-mortar businesses. Its integration with Square's POS system makes setup easily done. However, for larger stores with more complex demands, exploring popular platforms like Shopify or BigCommerce might be a smarter choice.
What can you sell on Square Online?
In short, you can sell almost anything you can think of. With Square Online, you can sell physical products, digital goodies, online services, and even accept donations. It's a fairly flexible platform that's perfect for expanding your business online, whether you're selling clothes, ebooks, or homemade treats. It also supports multiple payment methods to ensure smooth transactions for both sellers and customers.
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