The Best eCommerce Integrations That Work With Square Payments

Square has built an entire brand around making credit card payment processing accessible to anyone. And lately, it’s been focusing on growing that brand to encompass a full suite of merchant services — including a free online store that seems to get better and better.

We previously took an in-depth look at Square’s Online Store and the features it offers. The store is basic in that there are no fancy advanced features, like the ability to suggest related products and host customer reviews on the page. It has everything you need for selling (the ability to generate coupons, support for gift card transactions, inventory tracking), but not much else. However, I do believe there are two larger failings that could trouble some merchants:

1. You have very little control over how the store looks—it’s essentially a plug-and-play design. You don’t even have control over the colors or fonts used. Square lets you upload your product images, your logo, and other basic information, but that’s it.

2. Your options for shipping are free or flat-rate, with an add-on fee for items. That will work for some merchants, but not all. It would be nice to be able to set multiple shipping methods and calculate shipping according to weight or other factors.

Square for eCommerce at a glance

But again, the online store is completely free. You pay only the processing fees (which you’ll pay with any eCommerce setup) and the cost of whatever domain name you want (you can also use an existing domain).

If Square’s free online store isn’t for you, but you still want to process your online payments through Square, you still have other choices. Here are five options that Square lists in its app marketplace:

1. BigCommerce
2. Ecwid
3. Weebly
4. WooCommerce
5. Square eCommerce API

Each of these options will let you use Square as your gateway and payment processor on a website that isn’t hosted by Square. However, they all work a bit differently, and they come at a higher cost. Let’s take a look at five alternatives to Square Online Store and see how they stack up against one another.

A quick look at Square’s most popular products

Reader	eCommerce	Retail	Food Service
Free App & Reader	Square eCommerce	Square for Retail	Square for Restaurants
Get Started	Get Started	Get Started	Get Started
Free, general-purpose POS software and reader for iOS and Android	Easy integration with popular platforms plus API for customization	Specialized software for more complex retail stores	Specialized software for full-service restaurants
$0/month	$0/month	$60/month	$60/month
Always Free	Always Free	Free Trial	Free Trial

1. BigCommerce

BigCommerce (see our review) is a hugely popular online shopping cart with a full suite of robust features and plenty of integrations available.

BigCommerce’s pricing model works a bit differently than most SaaS options. Rather than paying a premium for a set of features or a number of products you can host in your store, you pay a monthly rate based on your annual sales volume. Here are those monthly rates:

• Standard: $29.95/month
  • For merchants with $50K or less in annual sales
• Plus: $79.95/month
  • For merchants with up to $150K in annual sales
• Pro: Starting at $249.95/month
  • For merchants with up to $400K in annual sales. Price increases $150/month for every additional $200K in sales up to $1M
• Enterprise
  • Custom tailored solution for high-volume needs. Pricing is negotiable.

If at the end of the year you find you’ve exceeded your plan’s limits, you’ll automatically be upgraded to the new plan. That could upset some merchants who perhaps weren’t expecting to do so well. I recommend keeping an eye on your sales and see how close you’re coming to the upper limit of your plan.

BigCommerce’s integration with Square is seamless. You can use Square simply to process your payments, or you can choose to use Square for more features. For example, you can sync inventory between your BigCommerce store and Square and use the free Square Register POS app to sell in person. Other key features include:

• Unlimited Products, Storage, & Bandwidth: BigCommerce does not place limits on how much you can store and sell.
• Sell On Facebook & Pinterest: Use buyable pins on Pinterest and set up a Facebook store.
• Marketplace Integrations: BigCommerce offers integrations with popular marketplaces. These include eBay, Google, and Amazon. You can use apps to sell on Etsy, Rakuten, and Jet.
• Support For Coupons, Discounts & Gift Certificates: Boost your marketing with discount codes and coupons for your customers.
• Product Variants: List products in multiple colors, sizes, and price points.
• Technical Support: BigCommerce offers email, chat, and phone support on all plans.
• Multiple Shipping Options: You can set up shipping zones (useful if you do international orders) and set multiple shipping options in each region. You can also set up an integration with your favorite shipping carriers to get real-time quotes.
• Responsive Store Designs: Choose from over 100 responsive themes.
• Powerful Customization Options: The theme editor will allow you to make changes to color palette and fonts. You can also make changes using CSS, giving you more advanced control.

If you’re okay with BigCommerce’s pricing model (for smaller merchants this really shouldn’t be an issue), this is a good option. BigCommerce is full-featured, boasting all the tools that Square’s online store offers and much more.

Want to know more? Check out our full review of BigCommerce for an in-depth look.

2. Ecwid

Ecwid’s name may be a bit perplexing, but it is an abbreviation of “eCommerce widgets,” which explains a bit of what Ecwid (see our review) does. Ecwid is not like most shopping cart software in that it was not originally intended to include a website building software. Rather, Ecwid was designed as an extension that added a shopping cart to a pre-built website. And while Ecwid now offers a basic website builder, it is still best used as a shopping cart widget for already existing sites.

There are multiple pricing options available based on the number of products you want to sell. Each step up in pricing includes access to more features. Here’s a brief look at that pricing model:

• Free: $0/month
  • 10 Products
• Venture: $15/month
  • 100 Products
• Business: $35/month
  • 2,500 Products
• Unlimited: $99/month
  • Unlimited Products

Square is pretty easy to link with Ecwid. You can do it from within the Square Dashboard or from within your Ecwid account. You can use Square to process online payments, and you can choose to use Square Register to sell in person. You’ll get automatic inventory syncing between the two. However, there’s just one small catch.

To use the Square Register POS seamlessly, you need to have the Unlimited plan. That’s $100 a month just so you can use the inventory sync when you sell online and in person. That’s a big step up from the $35/month for 2,500 products (which is certainly enough for most small to mid-size businesses).

But enough about that. Let’s take a look at other features:

• Free Facebook Store: Available with any paid plan. Ecwid will even let you check out in Facebook so your customers never have to leave the site. Everything still syncs automatically.
• Marketplace Tools: If you have the Business or Unlimited plan you also get tools to help you sell on marketplaces as well as your own site.
• Create Discounts & Coupons: Available on all paid plans.
• Responsive Store Design: If you don’t already have a website set up, you can use Ecwid’s Starter Site to build a new, responsive store.
• Product Variants: Manage product options like sizes, colors, and prices.
• Shipping Methods: You can set up shipping regions, add flat-rate or free shipping, or price shipping according to item weight, parcel size or purchase amount. Integrate with popular shipping carriers for real-time shipping rates.
• Customizable Design: Ecwid supports CSS coding. You can even develop your own theme, or choose third-party options. There’s also a Starter Site available that you can use as a simple template for your site.
• Tiered Support: It’s not clear what kind of support you’ll get from Ecwid with the free plan. But you can only get chat support with the Venture plan or higher. Phone support is available with Business and Unlimited plans. If you want priority support, you’ll get it with the Unlimited plan.

Check out our full Ecwid review for a detailed breakdown of the features, advantages, and disadvantages.

3. Weebly

Note: Weebly has recently been acquired by Square. Square is currently running a promotion to celebrate the partnership. Get free processing on up to $1,000 in credit card transactions during your first 90 days with the integration. You’ll also receive 20% off your order when you sign up for Weebly.

Weebly (see our review) isn’t just shopping cart software—it’s more of a full-fledged website builder that also happens to have eCommerce support. Weebly lets you do a lot with its product.

There are four plans available:

• Starter: $8/month
  • 10 Products
  • 3% Transaction Fee
• Pro: $12/month
  • 25 Products
  • 3% Transaction Fee
• Business: $25/month
  • Unlimited Products
  • 0% Transaction Fee
• Performance: $38/month
  • Unlimited Products
  • 0% Transaction Fee

Weebly website builder also offers a free plan. That free plan doesn’t support eCommerce at all, so we won’t be discussing that option.

There are other catches to be aware of—namely, if you choose the Starter or Pro plans, you’ll be paying a 3% transaction fee on each purchase, and your checkout page won’t be hosted on your own domain. It’ll redirect to checkout.weebly.com instead.

That 3% transaction fee is definitely annoying. While it isn’t unheard of for an eCommerce platform to charge transaction fees, it is uncommon. Keep in mind that if you spring for the $25/month or $38/month plans, you won’t have to pay these fees.

I was curious as to what the break-even point was for the $8 and $12 monthly plans (the point at which sales justify the higher-priced plan), so here are the calculations:

• If you have more than $567 in monthly sales, the Business plan will cost less than the Starter plan.
• If you have more than $433 in monthly sales, the Business plan will cost less than the Pro plan.

With an average transaction size of $20, you’d need about 28 purchases monthly for the Starter Plan and just 22 for the Pro plan. For all but the smallest merchants, the Business or Performance plans will be the best options.

There’s something else we haven’t discussed, either: added value. Weebly’s Business plan gives you many more features—such as a tax and shipping calculator on your site—that are absolute necessities for serious online sellers.

An integration with Square lets you process your online payments and sell in person with Square Register. Fortunately, you can also now sync your inventory between the two programs.

But enough about that. Here are the main features of Weebly’s eCommerce store:

• $100 Google Advertising Credit: Included with all plans.
• Free Domain: One year of a free domain included with all plans.
• Responsive Web Design: Weebly’s templates adapt to all screen sizes. Weebly provides an easy to use theme editor, however, this editing tool is limited in its customization features.
• Shipping & Tax Calculation: Available only for Business plans and up.
• Inventory Management: Available only for Business plans and up.
• Coupon Support: Available only for Business plans and up.
• Tiered Support: Chat and email support is available for all plans. Phone support is also available for Pro plans and above.
• Shipping Options: You can use real-time shipping rates with connections to major shipping carriers. You can also set shipping options by weight, location, and purchase amount, which gives you a lot of control. In addition, you can offer flat-rate or free shipping.
• Customizable Design: Control how your site looks with CSS and HTML.

Overall, I find the lower-tiered plans to be pretty basic. They only allow a limited number of products, and you’ll have to pay a 3% transaction fee. You’re better off springing for the Business or Performance plans or just sticking with the Square online store.

For more information, check out our full Weebly review.

4. WooCommerce

WooCommerce (see our review) is an open-source eCommerce solution that works as a WordPress plugin. With WooCommerce, you can add a shopping cart to any WordPress.org site.

Installing WooCommerce is completely free. However, the core WooCommerce offering is very basic. If you want more complex features, you’ll need to purchase add-ons. Some are free, but quite a few aren’t. You’ll pay either a one-time fee or a yearly subscription. In addition, you’ll need to pay for your WordPress hosting and security. Beware: Add-ons and hosting expenses can quickly add up.

WooCommerce’s extension for Square is available for free and lets you accept payments online and in person. An inventory sync between the two platforms ensures that when you add new products to WooCommerce, they will be updated in Square.

Here are a few of the features you can find with WooCommerce:

• Sell Digital & Physical Products: Let customers download products directly from your site.
• Organize Products: Group products by category, add variations, and sell affiliate products.
• Inventory Management: Track your stock level, hold stock, and hide out-of-stock items.
• Shipping Options: Provide a shipping calculator to minimize abandoned carts.
• Create Coupons & Discounts: Make your discounts apply to specific items or order totals.
• Analytics: Use WooCommerce reports to track profits, orders, traffic, and growth. You can also integrate with Google Analytics for more advanced features.
• Customizable Design: You can purchase design templates from WooThemes, a third-party designer, or create your own. We recommend you either stick with WooTheme’s free Storefront theme or purchase one of their 14 child themes priced at $39. WooThemes work best with WooCommerce updates, and WooCommerce will only provide support for these themes.

WooCommerce is a great solution for many merchants. In fact, they host over 40% of all online stores according to stats from BuiltWith. Keep in mind, however, that because WooCommerce follows a Core+Extensions model, you’ll likely have to spend to add advanced features to your platform.

Check out the full WooCommerce review for more information.

5. Square eCommerce API

The last option on the list here is Square’s own API (application programming interface).

Square’s API allows Square to serve as both your gateway and your payments processor. Use the Square API to create a custom connection between Square and your online store (if your platform is not already supported).

You’re going to need programming and coding skills to make this work for you. Or, more likely, you’ll have to find a developer to do the work for you. (Good news, you can find them on freelance platforms like Upwork. Bad news, it could cost you a pretty penny depending on your needs.)

Square’s API is a great option if you have a solid grounding in web technology and how programming works (even if you’re not a developer yourself). But if you don’t know your way around the eCommerce space already, I suggest sticking to a pre-built solution until you get some knowledge.

What Is The Best Alternative to Square’s Online Store?

Now that we’ve explored each of the alternatives to Square’s Online Store, it’s time to make a judgment call: Which is the best option?

I think it’s important to look at the differences between these online shopping carts and the features they offer first. Check out the table below for a quick comparison:

Cost	$30 – $250 (Monthly)	$0 – $99 (Monthly)	$8 – $38 (Monthly)	$0 + Add-Ons	Varies
Inventory Sync	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Customizable Design	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Limited
Customer Support	Email, chat, phone for all plans	Tiered support	Tiered support	Helpdesk tickets, Limited support for WooThemes	Phone, knowledge base, email

Any of the supported shopping cart integrations — BigCommerce, Ecwid, Weebly, WooCommerce — would be far more advanced than Square’s Online Store. In fact, we’ve barely scratched the surface of what they’re capable of. However, they’re not without their own limitations.

Different merchants have different needs. So, what’s right for one online store will not necessarily be right for the next.

Square’s API will give you the most freedom, but you’ll have to have some technical knowledge, and you might need to hire a developer. If you really need something special and unique, the API is a good option. But it could be time-consuming or costly to implement.

We recommend WooCommerce to merchants who feel comfortable with code, but don’t want to build a site completely from scratch. Ecwid is a great option for merchants who want ease of use at a low cost, and BigCommerce works well for merchants who want an all-inclusive option so they can better focus on their businesses. Weebly, on the other hand, may be a good option for merchants who plan on listing just a few products on their site.

As always, you know your business best, and so you know what solution will fit. But compare the options, be aware of shortcomings, and know that there are always multiple options out there.

Good luck!

A last look at Square for eCommerce…

Do you have experience using Square with any of these eCommerce options? Leave a comment! We’d love to hear from you!