Overview: Shopify vs Weebly (Square Online)
Weebly was acquired by Square in 2018, and the platform has gradually been absorbed into Square Online. If you are considering Weebly in 2026, you are effectively evaluating Square Online, which is Square's ecommerce solution that integrates tightly with Square's payment processing and point-of-sale ecosystem.
Shopify powers over 4.6 million active stores, processes $235+ billion in annual GMV, and is the leading dedicated ecommerce platform. Its ecosystem includes 8,000+ apps, 180+ themes, Shopify Payments, Shopify Markets for international selling, and Shopify POS for omnichannel retail.
Square Online serves businesses that are primarily offline or POS-focused and want to add online selling. It offers a free tier with basic ecommerce and syncs seamlessly with Square's POS hardware and payment processing. Square processes payments for millions of businesses, giving it significant reach in the small business market.
The choice depends on your primary selling channel. If you are primarily an online seller or want a comprehensive ecommerce experience, Shopify is the clear winner. If you already use Square POS for in-person sales and want to add a simple online store, Square Online offers convenient integration.
Pricing Comparison
| Plan | Shopify | Square Online |
|---|---|---|
| Free | No free plan | $0/mo (basic features, Square branding) |
| Basic | $39/mo | $29/mo (Plus) |
| Mid-tier | $105/mo | $79/mo (Premium) |
| Advanced | $399/mo | No equivalent |
| Enterprise | $2,300+/mo (Plus) | No equivalent |
| Processing | 2.9%+30c (Shopify Payments) | 2.9%+30c (Square) |
Square Online's free plan is appealing but comes with Square branding on your site, limited customization, and basic features. To remove branding and access features like abandoned cart emails and advanced analytics, you need the Plus plan at $29/month. Shopify's Basic plan at $39/month includes comprehensive features from the start.
Feature Comparison Table
| Feature | Shopify | Square Online |
|---|---|---|
| Products | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Themes/Templates | 180+ ecommerce themes | ~15 templates |
| Apps | 8,000+ | ~50 integrations |
| Abandoned cart | All plans | Plus plan ($29/mo) and above |
| Custom domain | All plans | Plus plan and above |
| Remove branding | Always | Plus plan and above |
| Multi-currency | 133 currencies | Limited |
| International selling | Shopify Markets | Limited |
| POS | Shopify POS | Square POS (native) |
| Payment gateways | 100+ | Square only |
| Shipping | Discounted rates, label printing | Basic shipping |
| Support | 24/7 chat, email, phone | Phone, email, chat |
Ease of Use
Both platforms are designed for non-technical users. Square Online is extremely simple to set up, especially if you already have a Square account. It syncs your existing product catalog, and you can have a basic online store running in minutes. The editor is straightforward but offers limited customization.
Shopify provides a more comprehensive onboarding experience with a guided setup, drag-and-drop theme editor, and intuitive admin dashboard. While there is more to learn due to Shopify's wider feature set, each feature is well-designed and documented. Shopify strikes a balance between ease of use and feature depth that Square Online cannot match.
Design and Templates
Square Online offers approximately 15 templates, all clean and mobile-responsive but limited in variety and customization. The editor allows basic modifications but does not approach the flexibility of Shopify's theme editor. Design options feel constrained compared to dedicated ecommerce platforms.
Shopify offers 180+ themes, including 12 free options, all purpose-built for ecommerce with Online Store 2.0 section-based editing. Premium themes cost $180-$380 one-time. The visual quality, variety, and customization depth of Shopify themes far surpasses Square Online.
Ecommerce Features
Shopify includes comprehensive ecommerce on all plans: unlimited products, multi-location inventory, abandoned cart recovery, discount codes, gift cards, customer accounts, automatic tax calculation, shipping label printing with discounted rates, and detailed analytics.
Square Online's free tier offers basic product listings, checkout, and inventory sync with Square POS. Advanced features like abandoned cart emails, custom domains without Square branding, and enhanced analytics require paid plans. Features like advanced upselling, multi-currency selling, and complex shipping rules are limited or unavailable.
Shopify's ecommerce depth is simply in a different league. Free apps from EasyApps Ecommerce further extend Shopify with EA Sticky Add to Cart, EA Free Shipping Bar, EA Upsell & Cross-Sell, EA Email Popup & Spin Wheel, and EA Countdown Timer.
Point of Sale Comparison
This is where Square has a legitimate strength. Square POS is one of the most popular point-of-sale systems for small businesses, with a robust hardware lineup, simple setup, and competitive processing rates. Square Online syncs seamlessly with Square POS, giving you a unified view of online and in-person inventory, orders, and customers.
Shopify POS is also excellent, offering hardware options, staff management, customer profiles, and inventory sync across online and physical locations. Shopify POS integrates natively with your Shopify store, providing a comprehensive omnichannel experience. Shopify POS Pro ($89/month per location) adds advanced features like staff permissions and custom receipts.
For businesses that already use Square POS heavily, Square Online provides the simplest integration. For businesses building omnichannel from scratch, Shopify POS offers comparable or superior capabilities with the advantage of Shopify's much stronger online platform.
Apps and Integrations
Shopify has 8,000+ apps covering every ecommerce need. Square Online has approximately 50 integrations, mostly covering basics like social media, marketing, and accounting. The difference is enormous and impacts your ability to add functionality as your business grows.
Shopify: Pros and Cons
Pros
- Most comprehensive ecommerce feature set available
- 8,000+ apps for unlimited extensibility
- 180+ professional ecommerce themes
- 100+ payment gateways
- Shopify Markets for international selling
- Shopify POS for omnichannel retail
- 99.99% uptime with auto-scaling
- Scales from startup to enterprise
Cons
- No free plan
- Starting price higher than Square Online's free tier
- Requires Shopify Payments to avoid transaction fees
Square Online (Weebly): Pros and Cons
Pros
- Free plan available for basic selling
- Seamless integration with Square POS
- Simple setup, especially for existing Square users
- Competitive payment processing rates
- Good for restaurants and service businesses using Square
Cons
- Only ~15 templates with limited customization
- Only ~50 integrations (vs 8,000+ on Shopify)
- Square branding on free plan
- Locked into Square for payment processing
- Limited international selling capabilities
- Advanced features require paid plans
- Not built for scaling beyond small-to-medium ecommerce
Who Should Choose Which
Choose Shopify if:
- Online selling is your primary or equal channel
- You need a comprehensive ecommerce platform
- You want 8,000+ apps for extensibility
- You sell internationally
- You plan to scale significantly
- You want choice of payment gateways
Choose Square Online if:
- You already use Square POS and want to add online selling
- You want a free online store with basic features
- You run a restaurant, salon, or service business on Square
- Simplicity matters more than feature depth
- You are comfortable with Square as your only payment processor
Migration Tips: Square Online to Shopify
Migrating from Square Online or Weebly to Shopify involves exporting your product catalog, customer data, and order history from Square's dashboard. Products can be exported as CSV and imported into Shopify. For small catalogs, manual setup may be faster.
Set up 301 redirects for your important URLs. If using a custom domain with Square, update your DNS to point to Shopify. Plan for about one week for migration and testing.
After migrating, add free EasyApps Ecommerce apps to enhance your store: EA Sticky Add to Cart, EA Free Shipping Bar, EA Email Popup & Spin Wheel, and EA Upsell & Cross-Sell.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Weebly the same as Square Online?
Essentially yes. Square acquired Weebly in 2018 and has been transitioning the platform to Square Online. New users are directed to Square Online, which offers ecommerce with deep Square POS integration.
Is Square Online free?
Square Online offers a free plan with basic ecommerce features, but it includes Square branding, limited customization, and no custom domain. Paid plans start at $29/month for Plus, which removes branding and adds features like abandoned cart emails.
Which has better POS?
Both have strong POS offerings. Square POS is excellent for small businesses and integrates seamlessly with Square Online. Shopify POS is equally capable and integrates with Shopify's much stronger online platform. For POS-first businesses already on Square, sticking with Square makes sense. For new businesses, Shopify POS offers a better total package.
Can I use Square POS with Shopify?
Not directly. Shopify has its own POS system. However, you can process Square payments in-person and manage your online store on Shopify separately. For a unified experience, choose either Shopify POS or Square POS/Square Online.
Which platform is better for scaling?
Shopify, by a wide margin. It scales from startup to enterprise with Shopify Plus, offering 8,000+ apps, international selling via Shopify Markets, and auto-scaling infrastructure. Square Online is designed for small-to-medium businesses and lacks the features and scalability path of Shopify.
Can I migrate from Square Online to Shopify?
Yes. Export your products and customers from Square as CSV files and import them into Shopify. Set up 301 redirects and point your domain to Shopify.