Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience real numbers from our own analytics — open to see them
–Visitors
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · counted by iTechGuides's own first-party analytics, bots removed, every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · Website Builders

Joomla vs Squarespace Commerce

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 1 check side by side
Higher score Joomla #7 in Website Builders 8.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 5 features Visit Joomla
Squarespace Commerce #8 in Website Builders 8.8/10 From $16/mo (annual) · 14-day trial Free trial✓ 0 of 5 features Visit Squarespace

Joomla leads on 1 check, Squarespace Commerce on 0, and 0 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 1 yes/no, price and count check where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreJoomla · 8.9/10
  • Free planonly Joomla
  • Free trialonly Squarespace Commerce

Joomla scores higher on our rubric for website builders: 8.9 against 8.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #7 and #8.

Joomla offers free plan; Squarespace Commerce doesn't.

Joomla is the better fit for open-source sites needing multilingual content control. Squarespace Commerce is the better fit for businesses selling products, services, or subscriptions.

  • Joomla fits best

    Open-source sites needing multilingual content control

  • Squarespace Commerce fits best

    Businesses selling products, services, or subscriptions

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Joomla 8.9/10 Visit ↗ Squarespace Commerce 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.9 8.8
Ranking #7 in Website Builders #8 in Website Builders
Best for Open-source sites needing multilingual content control Businesses selling products, services, or subscriptions
Pricing model Free Paid
Starting price Free plan $16/mo
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial — 14 days
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud, Mobile
Platforms Web Web, iOS, Android
Support Community, Docs Email, Live chat, Community, Docs · 24/7
Compliance 2FA GDPR
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features Joomla 0/5 · Squarespace Commerce 0/5
Custom domain on free Not checked yet Not checked yet
AI site builder Not checked yet Not checked yet
Blogging Not checked yet Not checked yet
Code export Not checked yet Not checked yet
Hosting included Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
E-commerce Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Manage multilingual content with language associations and SEO-friendly URLs.
  • Control access with ACLs and user-group permissions.
  • Extend sites with custom fields, templates and installable extensions.
  • Sell products, services, downloads, gift cards, and subscriptions
  • Inventory tools, stock alerts, and abandoned-cart recovery
  • Connect payment, shipping, social, and analytics integrations
Cons
  • Self-hosted use requires downloading and installing Joomla on a web server.
  • The hosted Launch service has renewal requirements.
  • Launch upgrades are provider-specific; support channels are community and documentation.
  • No free plan; Basic starts at $16 per month with annual billing
  • Basic charges a 2% online store transaction fee
  • Digital content fees apply on Basic, Core, and Plus
Our verdict

Joomla is a free, open-source content management system for creating and publishing websites and web applications. Its multilingual content management, language associations and access controls make it a fit for organisations that need…

Read the review →

Squarespace Commerce brings ecommerce into Squarespace websites for entrepreneurs, creators, service businesses, and growing brands that want their site and store in one hosted system. It supports physical goods, services, downloads, gift…

Read the review →
  1. JoomlaWebsite Builders 8.9Free plan
  2. Squarespace CommerceWebsite Builders 8.8From $16/mo (annual) · 14-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Joomla — where it wins

    • Manage multilingual content with language associations and SEO-friendly URLs.
    • Control access with ACLs and user-group permissions.
    • Extend sites with custom fields, templates and installable extensions.

    Where it doesn't

    • Self-hosted use requires downloading and installing Joomla on a web server.
    • The hosted Launch service has renewal requirements.
    • Launch upgrades are provider-specific; support channels are community and documentation.

  • Squarespace Commerce — where it wins

    • Sell products, services, downloads, gift cards, and subscriptions
    • Inventory tools, stock alerts, and abandoned-cart recovery
    • Connect payment, shipping, social, and analytics integrations

    Where it doesn't

    • No free plan; Basic starts at $16 per month with annual billing
    • Basic charges a 2% online store transaction fee
    • Digital content fees apply on Basic, Core, and Plus
  • Joomla8.9/10 · Free plan

    A free, extensible CMS for teams that need multilingual content and granular publishing control.

    Visit JoomlaFull verdict →
  • Squarespace Commerce8.8/10 · From $16/mo (annual) · 14-day trial

    A hosted Squarespace store with multichannel selling and tools for physical and digital goods.

    Visit SquarespaceFull verdict →

More comparisons

All website builders comparisons → · Full ranking →

Guides on website builders

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update