Weebly (Square Online) vs Shopify in 2025: Which Offers Better E‑Commerce Features for Small Businesses?

Small businesses choosing an e‑commerce platform in 2025 are often deciding between two distinct philosophies: Square’s POS‑first approach via Square Online (the modern path for Weebly e‑commerce) and Shopify’s extensible, app‑driven ecosystem built to scale DTC brands. This comparison unpacks where each shines, what it costs in the real world, and how to pick based on your business model.

Note on naming: Weebly’s e‑commerce capability now routes through Square Online. Community updates in 2024–2025 confirm that Square is encouraging migrations away from the legacy Weebly editor toward Square Online for new stores, with guidance flowing primarily through community posts rather than a single deprecation page (Square’s April 2025 community thread clarifies the context). See the Square community discussion in the April 2025 post, “Is Weebly closing down?” for more detail: Square Community, Apr 2025.

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At a glance: core differences

Key references: Square Online product page and fees (Square Online, updated 2025; Square fees, 2025), Shopify pricing overview (Shopify pricing, 2025), Shopify Payments and third‑party provider fees (Shopify Payments overview; third‑party provider fees), and Shopify Markets (Markets overview).

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Who is each platform best for?

• Best for omnichannel retailers with POS‑first workflows: Square Online. If you run a brick‑and‑mortar store and need unified inventory, in‑store pickup, curbside, and delivery that flow naturally through your register, Square’s ecosystem is hard to beat. Square’s Spring 2025 releases introduced a rugged handheld device with barcode scanning and improved retail inventory tools that strengthen day‑to‑day operations (Square Releases — Retail, May 2025).

• Best for brand‑builder DTCs and long‑term customization: Shopify. Shopify’s extensible app ecosystem, advanced themes, and deep integrations make it ideal for businesses that plan to scale into subscriptions, international selling, B2B, and more. Shopify’s cross‑border stack under Shopify Markets brings multi‑currency, multiple languages, and duties/taxes into one place (as of 2025).

• Best for a $0 launch to test demand: Square Online. You can start on a Free plan and validate your catalog and fulfillment workflows with minimal upfront cost, then upgrade as needed on the same stack. Review the current plan and fee structure on the Square Online product page (2025) and Square fee help page (2025).

• Best for international/multi‑currency ambitions: Shopify. Shopify provides native tooling for multi‑currency and localization through Shopify Markets (2025), and its app ecosystem fills gaps like advanced translation management and regional merchandising.

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1) Total cost of ownership (TCO)

For small businesses, real costs include plan fees, payment processing, potential transaction fees (Shopify only when not on Shopify Payments), and app add‑ons.

• Square Online: Plan grids often present Free, Plus, and Premium tiers; card‑present fees are typically 2.6% + $0.15, online 2.9% + $0.30 in the US (as of 2025). Confirm the latest on the Square fees help page and the Square Online product page.

• Shopify: Plans range from Starter/Basic through Advanced/Plus, with per‑plan processing rate improvements when using Shopify Payments. If you choose an external gateway, Shopify charges an additional transaction fee that varies by plan (e.g., Basic around 2%, lower on higher tiers). See the official docs: Shopify pricing (2025), Shopify Payments, and third‑party provider fees.

Illustrative example (as of Sept 2025; verify your exact rates before deciding): A micro‑retailer doing 200 online orders/month at a $40 AOV would expect processing fees near the published online rates on either platform. On Shopify, using an external gateway adds the platform’s extra fee; using Shopify Payments avoids that extra line item. On Square Online, fees are flat and integrated. Apps can change the TCO picture: Shopify’s marketplace offers powerful extensions, but costs can accumulate; Square often keeps key retail workflows native.

Takeaway: At very small scale or POS‑heavy operations, Square Online’s Free tier plus flat fees can deliver a low, predictable TCO. As you grow into complex merchandising and international selling, Shopify’s higher plan fees can be justified by features and ecosystem breadth.

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2) Omnichannel retail: POS, inventory, and fulfillment

• Square Online: Designed around Square POS with real‑time inventory sync, buy online/pick up in store (BOPIS), curbside pickup, and in‑house or on‑demand delivery options. Square’s Spring 2025 updates added a handheld POS device with barcode scanning, retail “modes,” and stronger inventory tools like transfer orders and aging inventory reporting (Square Releases — Retail, May 2025; see also the May 2025 community announcement). Pickup and delivery workflows are documented in Square’s delivery setup guide (2025).

• Shopify: Shopify POS unifies online and in‑person sales; native local pickup and local delivery are available and configurable in the admin, with more complex scheduling and delivery windows commonly handled by third‑party apps. Explore the retail stack at the official Shopify Retail portal and the Shopify POS overview. Help center entries for local pickup and local delivery detail setup in 2025.

If your day begins at the register, Square Online’s flows feel native. If your operations center on the online catalog and you extend retail as needed, Shopify POS ties in cleanly.

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3) Ease of launch and daily use

• Square Online: A straightforward builder geared for getting a storefront live quickly, especially if you’re already running Square POS. Many retailers can add online ordering, pickup, and delivery without installing extra apps. See the current features and setup path on the Square Online product page (2025).

• Shopify: A modern theme system and admin that can grow with your brand. The learning curve is slightly steeper if you plan heavy customization, but the benefit is long‑term flexibility via themes and apps. The Shopify pricing page (2025) outlines plan‑gated capabilities, and the app store (not linked here to avoid non‑canonical pages) fills nearly any niche.

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4) Catalog, merchandising, and inventory depth

• Square Online: Strong for retail inventory workflows and multi‑location stock when paired with Square POS; recent updates also improved bulk item tools and stock visibility (Square Releases — Retail, May 2025).

• Shopify: Rich merchandising options and collections logic at the core; advanced automation with Shopify Flow on Plus and a large selection of apps for bundles, subscriptions, recommendations, and more. Shopify’s retail content hubs provide a good overview: Shopify Retail.

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5) Payments and checkout

• Square Online: Uses Square Payments across channels with transparent flat rates and centralized reporting. Review the current US fees on the Square fees help page (2025).

• Shopify: Uses Shopify Payments by default and supports Shop Pay, which can boost conversion; if you opt for an external gateway, Shopify charges an additional transaction fee that depends on plan. See Shopify Payments and third‑party provider fees. For a 2025 explainer on card fees by plan, see Shopify’s overview of rates in the 2025 blog guide: Shopify’s credit card processing fees (Aug 2025).

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6) Shipping, pickup, and local delivery

• Square Online: Built‑in flows for in‑store pickup, curbside pickup, and both in‑house and on‑demand delivery are documented in Square’s help center, with orders feeding into your POS and dashboard (Square delivery setup, 2025).

• Shopify: Local pickup and local delivery are native features configured per location with radius/ZIP rules, and you can extend with apps for time slots or complex limits. Help center entries for local pickup and local delivery provide step‑by‑step setup guidance (as of 2025).

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7) Marketing and growth ecosystem

• Square Online: Offers core marketing tools and integrates cleanly within the Square stack (email, loyalty in Square ecosystem). App depth is improving but remains smaller than Shopify’s marketplace.

• Shopify: Enormous app ecosystem for SEO, email/SMS, reviews, subscriptions, loyalty, personalization, and more. With greater choice comes the need for app vetting and TCO awareness.

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8) Analytics and reporting

• Square Online: Core reports (sales summaries, item sales) are available in Square Dashboard, including mobile access. See the help doc for in‑app summaries and reports: Square help on reports (2025).

• Shopify: Reporting depth is plan‑based. Basic offers standard reports, Grow adds professional reports, Advanced unlocks advanced reports and a custom report builder, and Plus adds enterprise analytics. Review the canonical matrix at Shopify reports (help center, 2025).

Practical note: Shopify’s higher‑tier reporting and the broader analytics app ecosystem are advantages for data‑driven DTC brands. Square’s reports are streamlined and retail‑oriented, which suits POS‑heavy shops.

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9) International selling

• Shopify: Through Shopify Markets, sellers can manage multi‑currency pricing, local languages, and duties/taxes for cross‑border sales in one place (as of 2025). This consolidation simplifies the operational overhead of international expansion.

• Square Online: Square focuses on a defined set of supported countries and emphasizes domestic omnichannel retail. For cross‑border scenarios, verify your country/region eligibility and currency options directly in your Square account. If multi‑currency storefronts and complex duties/taxes are central to your strategy, Shopify’s native Markets tooling is typically a better fit.

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10) Migration and longevity

• Weebly → Square Online: There’s no one‑click, full‑design migration between the legacy Weebly editor and Square Online. The common path is to export/import products, rebuild the storefront using Square Online’s editor, and cut over your domain when ready. Keep your Weebly site live during the rebuild to avoid downtime. See context and guidance in the April 2025 community thread: Square Community on Weebly status and the Square Online product page.

• Into Shopify: Shopify provides mature importers and integrations for products, customers, and orders, and a large partner ecosystem for complex migrations. Pricing and plan differences are listed on the Shopify pricing page (2025); verify features that matter (e.g., reports, staff seats, B2B) before migrating.

Longevity note: Square Online benefits from tight coupling with the broader Square/Block ecosystem, which continues to ship retail‑focused updates (e.g., Spring 2025 Square Releases — Retail). Shopify continues to invest in checkout, cross‑border, and developer extensibility, reflected in evolving plan features and Markets capabilities.

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Mobile admin and operations

• Square: Manage your business on the go with the Square Dashboard app and Square POS; Spring 2025 introduced a compact handheld device with integrated scanning for mobility (Square Releases — Retail, May 2025).

• Shopify: The Shopify mobile app handles store management, and the Shopify POS app supports in‑person sales with unified inventory. Explore hardware and retail operations at the Shopify Retail portal and mobile POS overview.

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How to choose: a simple rubric

Answer these before deciding:

1. Where do most transactions happen today and in the next 12 months?

   • Mostly in‑store with online as an add‑on → Square Online
   • Mostly online with aspirational DTC growth and apps → Shopify

2. What’s your cross‑border plan?

   • Domestic focus for now → Both can work; Square Online is simpler for POS‑centric retailers
   • Multi‑currency and multiple languages soon → Shopify (via Markets)

3. What’s your appetite for apps and customization?

   • Prefer built‑ins and a predictable stack → Square Online
   • Want advanced merchandising, subscriptions, personalization → Shopify

4. Budget and TCO discipline?

   • Need to start free and validate demand → Square Online Free, then upgrade
   • Ready to invest for growth and specialized apps → Shopify Basic/Grow and up

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Bottom line

There isn’t a universal winner—only a better fit for your stage and strategy.

• Choose Square Online if your operation revolves around the register and inventory, and you value tight POS integration, simple fulfillment options (pickup, curbside, delivery), and a low barrier to entry. Start with the Square Online product overview (2025) and confirm current Square fees.

• Choose Shopify if you’re building a brand for the long haul with plans for rich merchandising, international markets, and specialized workflows. Begin with Shopify pricing (2025), learn about Shopify Payments and third‑party fees, and consider your reporting needs via Shopify reports by plan (2025).

As of September 2025, both platforms are safe, well‑supported bets—Square Online for POS‑centric, omnichannel simplicity; Shopify for extensibility and cross‑border ambitions. Map your next 12–24 months of growth to the strengths above, and you’ll land on the right platform with fewer surprises.