Is FastSpring or Squarespace Commerce better?

Neither clearly leads. FastSpring starts at On request and Squarespace Commerce at $14/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, FastSpring or Squarespace Commerce?

FastSpring starts at On request and Squarespace Commerce at $14/month.

Does FastSpring or Squarespace Commerce run on more platforms?

FastSpring runs on web, api. Squarespace Commerce runs on Web.

What is FastSpring best used for?

FastSpring is most often used for selling software or saas internationally without a local tax entity, b2b invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise saas deals, recurring subscription billing for digital products, reducing fraud and chargebacks on digital purchases. Of those, selling software or saas internationally without a local tax entity and b2b invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise saas deals are not what Squarespace Commerce is typically brought in for.

What can FastSpring do that Squarespace Commerce cannot?

FastSpring covers Global online payments, Subscription billing, Branded checkout, Tax compliance. Squarespace Commerce covers Website builder, Ecommerce platform, Mobile optimization, Email marketing.

E-commerce · head to head

FastSpring vs Squarespace Commerce

FastSpring

E-commerce

Merchant-of-record commerce platform for global payments, subscriptions, and tax compliance

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

Squarespace Commerce

E-commerce & Retail

All-in-one website builder and ecommerce platform

From: $14/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: FastSpring pricing is not published and requires contacting sales for a quote, making cost comparison difficult upfront.; Squarespace Commerce the entry plan charges a 2% transaction fee on online store sales on top of payment processing
They diverge on capability: FastSpring covers Global online payments, Squarespace Commerce covers Website builder.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FastSpring and Squarespace Commerce actually diverge.

Attributes where FastSpring and Squarespace Commerce differ
Attribute	FastSpring	Squarespace Commerce
Starting price	On request	$14/month
Pricing model	transaction	subscription
Platforms	web, api	Web
Category	E-commerce	E-commerce & Retail
Founded	2006	2003

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in FastSpring

Global online payments
Subscription billing
Branded checkout
Tax compliance
Fraud prevention
Digital invoicing and quotes

Only in Squarespace Commerce

Website builder
Ecommerce platform
Mobile optimization
Email marketing
Analytics
Domain registration
SSL certificate
Customer accounts

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

FastSpring

Selling software or SaaS internationally without a local tax entitynot Squarespace Commerce
B2B invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise SaaS dealsnot Squarespace Commerce
Recurring subscription billing for digital productsnot Squarespace Commerce
Reducing fraud and chargebacks on digital purchasesnot Squarespace Commerce

Squarespace Commerce

Running a store on a hosted website builder with managed hostingnot FastSpring
Selling products, services and memberships from one sitenot FastSpring

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

FastSpring

Pricing is not published and requires contacting sales for a quote, making cost comparison difficult upfront.
As a merchant-of-record, FastSpring takes on more control of the checkout and payment relationship than a pure payment gateway like Stripe.
Revenue share pricing can become more expensive than flat per-transaction gateway fees at very high volumes.
Primarily targeted at software/digital goods sellers, so it is less suited to physical product e-commerce.

Squarespace Commerce

The entry plan charges a 2% transaction fee on online store sales on top of payment processing
Digital content and membership sales carry their own fee, up to 7% on the lowest tier
The entry plan is limited to 2 contributors
Reaching a 0% transaction fee requires moving up from the entry plan

Pricing, plan by plan

FastSpring

On request

Custom$undefined/mo
- All-in-one transaction-based pricing based on sales volume
- No subscription fees or per-feature charges
- Discounted rates for ACH and wire transfers

Squarespace Commerce

$14/month

Personal$14/month
- Website builder
- Free domain
- Analytics
Business$23/month
- All Personal features
- Ecommerce functionality
- Inventory management

Which should you pick?

Choose FastSpring if

You need global online payments.
You work on web, api.
You also want subscription billing.

FastSpring review

Choose Squarespace Commerce if

You need website builder.
You also want ecommerce platform.

Squarespace Commerce review

Questions people ask

Is FastSpring or Squarespace Commerce better?: Neither clearly leads. FastSpring starts at On request and Squarespace Commerce at $14/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FastSpring or Squarespace Commerce?: FastSpring starts at On request and Squarespace Commerce at $14/month.
Does FastSpring or Squarespace Commerce run on more platforms?: FastSpring runs on web, api. Squarespace Commerce runs on Web.
What is FastSpring best used for?: FastSpring is most often used for selling software or saas internationally without a local tax entity, b2b invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise saas deals, recurring subscription billing for digital products, reducing fraud and chargebacks on digital purchases. Of those, selling software or saas internationally without a local tax entity and b2b invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise saas deals are not what Squarespace Commerce is typically brought in for.
What can FastSpring do that Squarespace Commerce cannot?: FastSpring covers Global online payments, Subscription billing, Branded checkout, Tax compliance. Squarespace Commerce covers Website builder, Ecommerce platform, Mobile optimization, Email marketing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

FastSpring: What does FastSpring cost?

FastSpring uses flat-rate, all-in-one pricing based on transaction volume, with fees withheld from payouts. There is no minimum volume or subscription fee, and pricing is typically quoted based on expected sales volume after contacting their sales team.

Source

FastSpring: Is there a free plan?

FastSpring does not offer a free plan; instead pricing is transaction-based with no upfront subscription cost, and merchants only pay a commission on completed sales.

Source

FastSpring: What does FastSpring integrate with or include compared to a payment gateway like Stripe?

FastSpring bundles international payments, subscription management, tax compliance, fraud prevention, reporting, and B2B invoicing into one price, whereas gateways like Stripe charge separately for many of these features.

Source

FastSpring vs Squarespace Commerce

FastSpring

Squarespace Commerce

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in FastSpring

Only in Squarespace Commerce

What people use each for

FastSpring

Squarespace Commerce

Where each one falls short

FastSpring

Squarespace Commerce

Pricing, plan by plan

FastSpring

Squarespace Commerce

Which should you pick?

Choose FastSpring if

Choose Squarespace Commerce if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on FastSpring

More on Squarespace Commerce

Keep looking

Other head to heads