Final verdict
Square Online and Strikingly offer distinct advantages, catering to different user needs and preferences.
-
Square Online (Overall Grade: 7.2/10)
excels in providing a seamless integration with Square’s payment processing and business management tools, making it an ideal choice for retailers, restaurants, and service businesses looking to transition online. Its strengths lie in ecommerce features, hosting quality, security, and AI capabilities, offering a robust platform for businesses aiming for growth and efficiency. -
Strikingly (Overall Grade: 6.6/10)
, with its user-friendly design and versatile platform, is better suited for individuals and small businesses seeking to create professional-looking websites without coding knowledge. It shines in website speed optimization, customer support, and user management, making it a great option for those prioritizing ease of use and quick setup.
|
|
|
---|---|---|
Design functionalities & templates |
7.4 |
7.2 |
Ease of use |
8.4 |
8.1 |
Ecommerce |
7.3 |
7.2 |
Website Editors |
6.6 |
7.5 |
Product testing options |
7.8 |
7.1 |
Price |
7.5 |
8.1 |
Hosting quality |
7.8 |
7.2 |
Website speed optimization |
6.2 |
7.9 |
Plugins and integrations |
7.6 |
5.1 |
Marketing features |
7.4 |
7.2 |
Customer support |
6.7 |
7.2 |
Security |
8.5 |
7.5 |
AI capabilities |
7.4 |
1.6 |
User Management |
5.2 |
7.3 |
Overall |
7.2 |
6.6 |
Best for ecommerce
Verdict
: With a narrow lead, Square Online slightly outperforms Strikingly in ecommerce, tailored specifically for retailers, restaurants, and service businesses seeking a seamless online transition.
-
Square Online
: Offers a robust set of ecommerce features, including advanced POS capabilities and a variety of payment processing options. It’s designed to cater to the needs of physical stores moving online, providing a comprehensive solution for managing both online and in-person sales. -
Strikingly
: While closely matched, Strikingly is more suited for simpler ecommerce needs. It provides a user-friendly platform with essential ecommerce features, making it ideal for small businesses and individuals looking to establish an online presence quickly.
Best for informational & business websites
Verdict
: With identical scores in the informational and business websites category, both Square Online and Strikingly offer compelling features for businesses looking to establish an online presence. However, their distinct strengths cater to different needs and preferences.
-
Square Online
: Square Online shines for businesses that require seamless integration with physical sales or services, offering a robust set of tools for managing both online and offline aspects of the business. Its comprehensive ecosystem, including payment processing and business management tools, makes it an attractive option for retailers, restaurants, and service businesses aiming for a unified operation. -
Strikingly
: Strikingly stands out for individuals and businesses prioritizing ease of use and quick setup without compromising on design quality. Its user-friendly interface, coupled with a variety of customizable templates, makes it ideal for creating professional-looking websites with minimal effort. Strikingly’s focus on mobile responsiveness and SEO optimization tools also ensures that websites built on its platform are not only visually appealing but perform well in search rankings.
Detailed comparison
Design functionalities & templates
Design FunctionalitiesRepresents how well each platform allows for creative design and customization of websites.Score Components:
- Template Variety (30%): Range and quality of design templates.
- Customization (30%): Flexibility and options for design alterations.
- User Interface (20%): Ease and intuitiveness of the design process.
- Responsiveness (10%): Adaptability to different devices and screen sizes.
- Innovation (10%): Unique design features and tools.
🏆
Winner: Square Online.
While both platforms offer a range of design functionalities and templates, Square Online slightly edges out Strikingly in this category.
Square Online offers a flexible website builder with a focus on e-commerce, providing a variety of design options through integration with platforms like Weebly. Users can customize their sites extensively, choosing from themes and preset styles to best represent their brand.
On the other hand, Strikingly offers a wide variety of templates and designs for its website builder. With over 60 unique templates to choose from, users can find a design that suits their needs and preferences. The templates are modern, visually appealing, and customizable, allowing users to personalize their websites.
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Ease of use
Ease of useReflects the platform’s overall user-friendliness.Score
Components:
- Learning curve (40%): Quickness and ease of getting started.
- Interface design (30%): Simplicity and intuitiveness of layout.
- User guidance (20%): Quality of tutorials and support.
- Flexibility (10%): Adaptability to various user skills.
🏆 Winner: Square Online
. With a score of 8.4, Square Online slightly edges out Strikingly, which scored 8.1. Square Online’s user-friendly interface and comprehensive set of tools make it a great choice for businesses looking to expand online.
Learning Resources
🏆 Winner: Strikingly
. Both platforms offer solid learning resources, but Strikingly goes a step further with its comprehensive support center, tutorials, guides, and direct customer support.
For ecommerce
EcommerceMeasures the platform’s effectiveness in supporting online business activities.Score Components:
- Ecommerce themes and templates (20%): Variety and design of templates.
- Product management (25%): Ease of managing and organizing products.
- Payment options (25%): Variety and convenience of payment methods.
- Ecommerce features (20%): Features for managing an ecommerce store.
- Integration (10%): Compatibility with external e-commerce tools and services.
Square Online and Strikingly both offer a range of ecommerce features, but they cater to different needs. Square Online is particularly tailored for retailers, restaurants, and service businesses, aiming to provide a seamless transition from brick-and-mortar operations to online sales. Strikingly, on the other hand, is a versatile platform for building and managing websites, including ecommerce integration.
|
|
|
---|---|---|
Ecommerce themes and templates |
6.8 |
6.5 |
Product page customization |
7.6 |
6.0 |
Payment processing and commissions |
7.9 |
6.8 |
POS capabilities |
9.0 |
5.0 |
Payment gateways |
7.5 |
7.0 |
Product numbers |
7.0 |
5.5 |
Additional ecommerce features |
7.2 |
6.5 |
Square Online ecommerce features:
- Product Listing and Inventory management
- Payment Processing and POS features
- Shipping and Fulfillment
- Marketing features
Strikingly ecommerce features:
- Product Listings
- Inventory Management
- Coupons and Discounts
- SEO tools
- Analytics
- Social Media Integration
Ecommerce themes & templates
Square Online offers a range of ecommerce templates designed to meet various business needs, enabling users to customize their sites to match their brand identity. It includes dynamic styling tools, personalized user experiences, and integrated payment solutions, including Square’s own payment gateway. While the platform emphasizes ease of use with drag-and-drop tools and pre-designed templates, it may offer limited design flexibility and payment processing options compared to other platforms.
Strikingly offers a variety of ecommerce website templates tailored to meet various website building needs. These templates are designed by a world-class team of website designers and developers, focusing on modern trends and best practices to ensure your ecommerce site stands out. Strikingly’s collection is continuously updated with new designs to match the dynamic nature of online commerce, ensuring your website can remain visually appealing and functionally efficient.
Product page customization
In Square Online, you can add up to 250 variations per item, like different sizes or versions, through “Selectable Options” in the item details section of your online store. Additionally, “Item Modifiers” allow for further customization by letting customers choose options or input custom text, such as engraving names on jewelry, without affecting inventory levels.
Customizing product pages on Strikingly involves showcasing your products with high-quality images in the “Portfolio” or “Product Catalog” section, emphasizing a premium feel to attract buyers. Adding products is streamlined through the “Simple Store” section, where you can detail product types, names, descriptions, and manage inventory and pricing. Enhancements include social media sharing, categorization for diverse product ranges, and customization options like unique product URLs and region-specific pricing for a tailored shopping experience.
Payment processing
Square’s website builder supports a variety of payment options including Square Pay, Apple Pay, Cash App Pay, Google Pay, and Afterpay, catering to diverse customer payment preferences. The platform charges a transaction fee of 2.9% + 30¢ per online transaction for its free plan, with a discounted fee available on the Premium plan. Additionally, Square offers comprehensive POS capabilities, with a range of hardware solutions that seamlessly integrate with its online store and point of sale systems, ensuring a unified management system for both online and in-person sales.
Strikingly supports secure payment processing through Stripe, Square, and other gateways like PayPal, offering a range of options for ecommerce sites. The transaction fees for using these services vary depending on the payment gateway and user location, with specific plans possibly incurring additional Strikingly fees, except for VIP users. The platform emphasizes the importance of selecting a payment gateway that aligns with your business needs, including consideration for international sales and multiple currencies to ensure a smooth checkout experience.
Website Editors
Website EditorsEvaluates the platforms’ website building and editing capabilities.Score Components:
- Customization tools (40%): Range and power of editing features.
- Editor usability (30%): User experience within the editor.
- Design flexibility (20%): Freedom in layout and design changes.
- Update and maintenance ease (10%): Simplicity of updating and maintaining the site.
🏆
Winner: Strikingly
. Strikingly, with a score of 7.5, is a user-friendly website editor designed to help individuals and businesses create professional websites quickly and easily, without the need for coding knowledge. It features a drag-and-drop interface for easy customization of website elements, such as text, images, and videos. Users can choose from a variety of templates that can be personalized to fit their brand, making it possible to launch a unique online presence swiftly. Strikingly also emphasizes mobile responsiveness, ensuring websites look great on any device, and offers SEO tools and social media integration to enhance online visibility and engagement.
Square Online’s website builder, scoring 6.6, is designed for businesses looking to establish an online presence with ease, focusing on e-commerce functionality. It offers limited customization options, aiming to simplify the design process, yet includes essential e-commerce and marketing tools suitable for a variety of business needs. The platform supports an unlimited number of products and integrates with Square’s payment processing, albeit with limited external payment options. While Square Online is user-friendly and efficient for quickly setting up a website, it may not cater to those seeking extensive design flexibility or advanced e-commerce features.
Mobile editor/app
🏆
Winner: Square Online
. Both Square Online and Strikingly do not have a dedicated mobile editor app. However, they allow users to manage and edit their websites using a mobile browser. Despite this, both platforms come with certain limitations when it comes to editing on mobile.
Square Online, despite not having a dedicated mobile app, provides a better mobile editing experience than Strikingly. Users can manage and edit a website built with Square Online using a mobile browser, but it comes with certain limitations.
On the other hand, Strikingly also allows users to edit a website using a mobile browser, but the interface is very inconvenient. Therefore, Square Online wins this round due to its higher mobile editor score, indicating a better mobile editing experience.
Product testing options
Product Testing OptionsAssesses the options for trying out platform features before commitment.Score Components:
- Trial quality (40%): Extent and usefulness of the trial or free version.
- Feature accessibility (30%): How many features are available to test.
- Trial duration (20%): Length of the trial period.
- Ease of transition (10%): Smoothness of moving from trial to paid plans.
Overall Result
:
Square Online wins
. Square Online scores 7.8, slightly higher than Strikingly’s 7.1. Both platforms offer a free version and a trial version, but Square Online provides a longer trial period of 30 days compared to Strikingly’s 14 days. Additionally, Square Online allows users to test premium features during the trial period, although billing information is required. Strikingly also allows testing of all features during the trial period.
|
|
|
---|---|---|
Free Plan |
Yes | Yes |
Trial Duration |
30 days | 14 days |
Testing Premium Features |
Yes (Billing information required) | Yes |
Money Back Guarantee |
No | No |
Price
PriceLooks at the cost-effectiveness and value for money of each platform.Score Components:
- Plan value (40%): What each pricing tier offers.
- Transparency and clarity (30%): Clearness of pricing structures.
- Flexibility of plans (20%): Range of options to suit different budgets.
- Hidden costs (10%): Additional expenses not included in the plan.
Square Online and Strikingly both offer a range of pricing options, but Strikingly has a slightly higher price score.
Square Online offers a free plan for businesses starting to sell online, with more advanced features available in the Plus and Premium plans. The Premium plan is designed for larger businesses with specific needs and high volume, offering lower transaction fees and priority support.
Strikingly also offers a free plan, with more features available in the Limited, Pro, and VIP plans. The VIP plan includes priority customer service and allows selling unlimited products. However, Strikingly does not offer an Enterprise plan.
Both website builders offer discounts for annual billing, with Strikingly offering discounts ranging from 20% to 30% depending on the plan, while Square Online only offers annual billing.
Price range |
|
|
---|---|---|
Free |
Free ($0/month): For businesses who want to start selling online fast. Online payments with 2.9% + 30¢, basic-site layouts and design controls, tax calculation, unlimited items, SEO tools, blog feature, Facebook ads. |
Free ($0/month): Includes Strikingly.com subdomain, unlimited free sites, 5 GB monthly bandwidth, 500 MB total storage per site, simple store with 1 product per site, and 5 pages per site and 24/7 support. |
$10-$20 |
No offering at this amount. |
Limited ($12/month): Allows connection to custom domain, includes 2 limited sites, unlimited free sites, 50 GB monthly bandwidth, 1 GB total storage per site, free domain with yearly plans, and allows selling a single product and 5 page per site. Value for Price: 6.5 |
$20-$30 |
Plus ($29/month): For businesses looking to drive online growth and streamline operations. Includes all the features of the free plan, plus, free custom domain for a year, professional branding, custom embed code, manage multiple sites, pre-orders, abandoned cart recovery, free shipping and delivery progress bar, product reviews, discounts, website statistics. Value for Price: 7.5 |
Pro ($20/month): Offers 3 pro sites, unlimited free sites, unlimited bandwidth, 3 GB total storage per site, simple store with 300 products per site and up to 100 pages per site, site membership, custom forms, multiple pages, and removal of Strikingly branding, among other advanced features. Value for Price: 8.5 |
$50+ |
No offering at this amount. |
VIP ($59/month): Includes all Pro features plus 5 pro sites, 10 GB total storage per site, priority customer service, English phone support, account management, and allows selling unlimited products. Value for Price: 9.0 |
location. As a result in rare cases the prices displayed here can differ from the ones you see on their
websites.
Hosting quality
Hosting
qualityExamines the reliability and performance of the hosting solutions.Score Components:
- Uptime (40%): Consistency and reliability of website availability.
- Speed (30%): Loading times and performance.
- Bandwidth and storage (20%): Sufficiency of resources provided.
- Data centers (10%): Quality and distribution of hosting infrastructure.
🏆
Winner: Square Online
Square Online and Strikingly both offer hosting services, but Square Online edges out with a slightly higher uptime of 99.96% compared to Strikingly’s 99.9%. While Strikingly offers an uptime guarantee, Square Online does not. However, the type of hosting and the location of data centers for both platforms are not explicitly specified, making a direct comparison challenging.
|
|
|
---|---|---|
Do they offer hosting? |
Yes, with unlimited bandwidth |
Yes, cloud-based hosting with plans varying in storage from 500 MB to 10 GB and bandwidth from 5 GB to unlimited |
Data Centers: |
Not disclosed |
Uses multiple data centers to guarantee a secure and highly available service at scale, but does not disclose detailed information about their data centers |
Type of hosting: |
Not specified |
Managed Hosting |
Uptime: |
99.96% |
99.9% |
Uptime Guarantee: |
No |
Yes, 99.9% |
Website Speed Optimization
Website Speed OptimizationEvaluates optimization of website loading timesScore Components:
- PageSpeed Score (30%): Google’s score indicating performance optimization.
- Loading Time (30%): The average time until a website is fully interactive.
- Mobile Optimization (15%): Optimization effectiveness for mobile devices.
- Resource Optimization (15%): Optimizing images, scripts, and other heavy resources.
- CDN Usage (10%): Use of CDN to enhance speed across geolocations.
🏆 Winner: Strikingly
Both Square Online and Strikingly prioritize website performance and page speed, but Strikingly has a slight edge due to its comprehensive speed optimization strategies and higher average PageSpeed scores.
|
|
|
---|---|---|
Focus |
Lazy Loading, Code Minification, Caching, Image optimization |
CDN, Code Minification, Caching, Optimized Server Response Time, Image Optimization and Compression, Responsive Design |
Performance Tools |
Not specified |
Not specified |
Key Strategies |
Lazy Loading, Code Minification, Caching, Image optimization |
CDN, Code Minification, Caching, Optimized Server Response Time, Image Optimization and Compression, Responsive Design |
Load Times |
Varies depending on optimization and website complexity |
Varies depending on different factors |
Page Speed Scores Range |
Not specified |
80-90/100 average |
Core Web Vitals Improvement |
Not specified |
Not specified |
Strikingly’s approach to website speed optimization includes a comprehensive set of strategies such as using a Content Delivery Network (CDN), code minification, caching, optimized server response time, image optimization and compression, and responsive design. These strategies help to improve the load times and PageSpeed scores of websites built with Strikingly. However, Strikingly does not disclose any specific information about their Core Web Vitals improvements.
On the other hand, Square Online also prioritizes website speed optimization and employs strategies such as lazy loading, code minification, caching, and image optimization. However, the load times and PageSpeed scores can vary depending on the level of optimization and the complexity of the website. Square Online does not provide any specific information on their Core Web Vitals improvements.
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Plugins and integrations
Plugins and integrationsMeasures the range and effectiveness of additional plugins and integrations.Score Components:
- Variety of options (40%): Range of available add-ons.
- Integration smoothness (30%): Ease of integrating plugins into the site.
- Quality of plugins (20%): Functionality and reliability of the options.
- Custom integration capabilities (10%): Support for custom or third-party integrations.
🏆 Winner: Square Online.
With a score of 7.6, Square Online offers a wide array of app integrations that facilitate various aspects of business operations, including eCommerce, accounting, marketing, and employee management. These integrations range from free options to premium services, allowing businesses to tailor their Square setup to their specific needs.
On the other hand, Strikingly, with a score of 5.1, offers over 20 plugins that enhance the functionality of your website, including social media sharing, contact forms, and live chat support. However, Square Online’s broader range of integrations and higher score give it the edge in this category.
Marketing Features
Design FunctionalitiesRepresents how well each platform allows for creative design and customization of websites.Score Components:
- Template Variety (30%): Range and quality of design templates.
- Customization (30%): Flexibility and options for design alterations.
- User Interface (20%): Ease and intuitiveness of the design process.
- Responsiveness (10%): Adaptability to different devices and screen sizes.
- Innovation (10%): Unique design features and tools.
🏆
Overall Winner: Square Online
. Square Online edges out Strikingly with a slightly higher score, offering a comprehensive suite of marketing tools, including SEO, email marketing, blogging, social media integration, analytics and reporting, and ads and promotions. Strikingly also offers a robust set of marketing features, making it a close competitor.
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---|---|---|
SEO Tools |
|
|
Email Marketing |
|
|
Blogging |
|
|
Social Media Integration |
|
|
Analytics and Reporting |
|
|
Ads and Promotions |
|
|
Customer Support
Customer supportEvaluates the quality and availability of support options.Score Components:
- Response time (40%): Speed of support responses.
- Support quality (30%): Effectiveness and helpfulness of the support.
- Availability (20%): Range of support channels (phone, chat, email).
- Resource richness (10%): Quality of self-help and educational materials.
🏆 Winner: Strikingly
. Strikingly takes the lead in this category with a customer support score of 7.2, compared to Square Online’s score of 6.7. Strikingly offers 24/7 customer support via email and live chat, ensuring assistance is available at any time for technical issues and questions. For VIP users, there is also phone support, enhancing the support experience with more direct communication.
On the other hand, Square Online provides customer support through phone, live chat, and email, with availability ranging from 6 AM to 6 PM Pacific Time on weekdays for general inquiries. The level of support varies by subscription tier, with more extensive support available for higher tiers. Premium plan users benefit from 24/7 phone support in English, alongside weekend support hours from 8 AM to 5 PM PST.
Security
SecurityLooks at the platforms’ security measures and data protection.Score Components:
- Data protection (40%): Safeguards for user and customer data.
- SSL and encryption (30%): Implementation of secure connections.
- Compliance (20%): Adherence to industry security standards.
- Regular updates (10%): Frequency of security updates and patches.
🏆
Winner: Square Online
. Square Online takes the lead in security with a score of 8.5 compared to Strikingly’s 7.5. Square Online prioritizes user privacy and data security through encryption, adherence to industry standards, and constant security monitoring. It provides free SSL security for every site, ensuring that personal and financial information remains confidential and protected.
Strikingly also prioritizes security and offers features like two-factor authentication and DDoS protection. However, it falls slightly short in comparison to Square Online’s comprehensive security measures.
AI Capabilities
AI capabilitiesMeasures the effectiveness of AI-driven features and tools.Score Components:
- Automation efficiency (40%): Impact of AI on streamlining processes.
- Personalization (30%): AI-driven customization for users or customers.
- AI-Assisted design (20%): Role of AI in website design and functionality.
- Data analysis (10%): Use of AI in interpreting user data and analytics.
|
|
|
---|---|---|
Personalized Design |
|
Strikingly offers layout suggestions and automatic image resizing |
SEO Optimization |
|
|
Customer Behavior Analysis |
Personalized product recommendations based on customer behavior |
|
Sales Predictions |
|
|
Inventory Management |
|
|
Content Generation |
AI-generated photo environments, personalized email copy, website content, and menu generation |
|
🏆 Winner: Square Online
. Square Online, with a score of 7.4, utilizes AI mainly to enhance the ecommerce experience and streamline operations for businesses. Its AI features focus on customer behavior analysis, personalized shopping experiences, and content generation.
Strikingly, with a score of 1.6, lacks a full AI website builder and does not have AI ecommerce features, AI content generation tools, or any built-in AI features. Its AI capabilities are limited to layout suggestions and automatic image resizing.
User Management
User ManagementAssesses the platforms’ capabilities in managing user roles, permissions, and accessibility.Score Components:
- Role Customization (40%): Flexibility in creating and defining user roles and
permissions. - Ease of Management (30%): User interface and tools for managing users.
- Access Control (20%): Effectiveness of access control measures for different user
levels. - Scalability (10%): Ability to manage a growing number of users efficiently.
🏆 Winner: Strikingly
. Both Square Online and Strikingly offer multiple staff accounts, but Strikingly provides more detailed user roles and permissions.
- Square Online allows multiple staff accounts, however the platform does not specify how many accounts are supported.
- On a Strikingly website, you can invite up to 10 teammates to edit and manage your site. You can assign different roles to these teammates, such as Admin, Editor, Store Manager, Blogger, and Agent, each with specific levels of access and permissions.
Strikingly User Roles and Access Levels:
Role | Description | Access Highlights |
---|---|---|
Admin | Has access similar to the site owner but with specific limitations. | Can edit content, manage store and events, and view analytics, but cannot add/remove teammates. |
Editor | Can make changes to the site with some restrictions. | Edits site content but lacks access to store management, settings panel, or analytics. |
Store Manager | Primarily focused on e-commerce functionalities of the site. | Manages products, orders, and store settings, with no capabilities to edit non-store content. |
Blogger | Specialized in writing and managing blog posts. | Can write and manage blog posts, with optional publishing rights. |
Agent | Dedicated to managing audience interactions, primarily through live chat. | Has access to audience data, can respond to live chats, and send individual messages, with no site editing access. |
Additional Features
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---|---|---|
SSL Certificate |
|
|
Custom Domain |
|
|
Free Custom Domain Included |
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International Domains |
|
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Mobile Responsive |
|
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Page Speed |
|
|
Website Builder Mobile App |
|
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Convert a Website To An App |
|
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Website Analytics |
|
|
Multilingual Sites |
|
|
Multiple Users |
|
|
User Feedback
Users appreciate Square Online for its ease of setup, no initial payment requirement for registration, and dependable payment processing. The platform is lauded for its simple user interface, which allows for quick product sales and efficient inventory management. However, some users express dissatisfaction with the limited design customization options and the simplicity of the store layouts, noting that they do not match the design quality of competitors like Wix, Squarespace, or Shopify. Additionally, limitations in scheduled order processing and a desire for more advanced features and better support for custom HTML and SEO were highlighted.
On the other hand, Strikingly users appreciate features like the ability to import data from LinkedIn, a variety of attractive templates, and responsive customer service. However, there are some reported issues, such as unexpected subscription renewals and limitations in customization options. Despite these drawbacks, Strikingly is valued for its ability to quickly create professional-looking websites, making it suitable for personal projects, startups, and small businesses. While pricing and customer service options may not appeal to everyone, those seeking an uncomplicated website building experience with diverse design choices may find Strikingly to be a suitable solution for their needs.
The making of this blog
We followed a clear, step-by-step process to write and research this article.
FAQ
Which platform is better for ecommerce, Square Online or Strikingly?
Can I use Square Online and Strikingly for creating informational business websites?
How do Square Online and Strikingly compare in terms of design functionalities and templates?
Which platform offers better customer support, Square Online or Strikingly?
Are there any significant differences in the pricing plans of Square Online and Strikingly?
Which platform is more user-friendly for beginners?