Shopify vs. Wix: Which is better for your ecommerce business?

Shopify and Wix are both viable options for ecommerce retailers. But which one of these online stores is better for your business needs? These platforms each possess unique features that affect their suitability for your own business. You should compare these features against your business goals to determine which solution is best for you.

In this guide, we'll compare the key features that distinguish Wix and Shopify as ecommerce options. We'll cover everything from price and user-friendliness to third-party app integrations and customer support resources. We'll also address some of the most frequently asked questions about Shopify vs. Wix.

• Shopify is an ecommerce store platform, while Wix is a website builder that provides ecommerce features.

• Shopify offers more customization options, management tools, and scalability, making it a better choice for larger businesses or retailers who plan to scale up.

• Wix provides basic tools needed to get up and running quickly with minimal coding knowledge, making it suitable for small businesses without strong IT resources. Wix also gives you the ability to do content marketing for SEO.

• You can use both Shopify and Wix, and you can connect them together.

• Gelato's print on demand service integrates with both Shopify and Wix, so you can sell customized products such as t-shirts, mugs, and calendars.

What should you consider when comparing Shopify with Wix as an ecommerce option? Here we'll look at ten key items to compare Wix vs. Shopify:

• Pricing

• User-friendliness

• Customer base

• Customization options

• Ecommerce functionality

• Marketing features

• Payment processing capabilities

• Shipping options

• Integrations

• Customer support

As we review how Wix and Shopify stack up in these categories, consider your business goals, needs, and budget and what you require in each area.

Wix is less expensive than Shopify. Both platforms offer multiple pricing tiers with affordable entry-level packages, but Shopify's basic package is more expensive than the second-highest tier Wix offers.

Shopify offers three pricing tiers:

• Basic: $39 a month, with $1 for your first month.

• Shopify: $105 a month, with $1 for your first month.

• Advanced: $399 a month, with $1 for your first month.

All tiers feature free trials.

All pricing packages share certain common features. They all provide an online store platform, the ability to promote your site through multiple sales channels, an all-in-one point of sale (POS) system, and 24/7 support. They differ in that higher-priced tiers feature lower credit card rates, more advanced reporting options, higher shipping discounts, and more staff accounts.

In addition to these main pricing packages, Shopify offers several additional options:

• Starter: $5 a month to sell products through social and messaging apps.

• Shopify Plus: Starting at $2,000 a month for high-volume businesses.

• Modular pricing: Customized features and pricing, available by contacting Shopify's sales teams.

These additional options make Shopify adaptable to any price point.

Wix offers separate pricing for users who only wish to build websites, for business and ecommerce users, and for enterprise users. Business and ecommerce plans include:

• Business Basic: $27 a month.

• Business Unlimited: $32 a month.

• Business VIP: $59 a month.

All these plans include website-building features, the ability to accept payments, customer accounts, custom domains that are free the first year, removal of Wix branding, and Google Ads budgeting. The plans differ in that higher-priced tiers provide additional features such as:

• More storage space.

• More hours of video.

• Subscriptions.

• Multiple currency support.

• Automated sales tax for more transactions per month.

• Advanced shipping.

• Ability to sell on marketplaces.

• Dropshipping.

• Product reviews.

• Loyalty programs.

The Business VIP plan also offers customized reports and priority customer care.

Both Shopify and Wix are designed to be user-friendly, but in different ways. Shopify is an ecommerce store designed to make it easy to display products. Wix is a website builder designed to make it easy to display web pages and blog posts, but they've extended their functionality to include product page templates. Wix is easier to use if you want to build a website that includes product pages, but Shopify is easier if you want to build an ecommerce store you can scale.

Shopify's ecommerce platform includes basic features anyone can use as well as advanced options that require moderate coding skill. When you sign up for a Shopify site, the orientation guides you through a dashboard you can use to add products, see transactions, and manage your store. You can arrange your products by vendor, category, keyword tag, or collections of related products. You can add some basic pages, such as an About page. Customization options let you extend your store's design and functionality using templates, customized menus and shopping carts, and app integrations. You can do advanced configuration customizations if you learn Shopify's coding language, which is distinct from standard HTML code.

Wix helps you build an ecommerce store by providing templates you can customize without coding knowledge. You can select elements such as layout, colors, fonts, and photos. Once you've designed your store, you can upload products individually or in bulk. You can add reviews and a customer support chatbox. A wizard tool guides you through search engine optimization (SEO). A Wix Owner app lets you run your store from anywhere on your mobile device.

Both Shopify and Wix have customer bases in the millions. Shopify had 2.1 million daily active users as of April 2023, according to business intelligence provider Demand Sage. Wix has over 200 million users, according to their own data, although it's not specified how many of these are active users.

Shopify supports more advanced customization options than Wix. Shopify lets you integrate their platform with thousands of third-party apps or make customizations using coding language. Wix website customization options mainly allow you to adjust the appearance of existing templates.

Shopify supports customization through templates, customized navigation menus, customized checkout carts, and integrations with over 8,000 apps from the Shopify app store. Apps add functionality such as adding reviews, sourcing print on demand products, dropshipping, order fulfillment, inventory management, email marketing, and help centers. Users with coding knowledge can perform advanced customizations in Shopify's coding language.

The Wix Editor tool supports the customization of Wix templates. You can add images, texts, shapes, and strips. You can select different themes, backgrounds, and transitions between pages.

Both Shopify and Wix support essential ecommerce functionality. Shopify supports more advanced ecommerce functions through both its own tools and its third-party integration options.

Shopify provides both basic and advanced ecommerce functionality. Shopify's native functionality lets you choose customized domains, select themes, add product pages, process payments, view orders, track inventory, integrate your store with marketing channels such as Google and Facebook, and manage shipping. You can extend Shopify store functionality through integration with third-party apps. Available apps perform functions such as enhancing site design, sourcing products, managing order fulfillment, online marketing, offering sales options, and providing customer service.

Wix core functionality lets you create your store, configure store design, add product pages, accept payments, and email order confirmations. Supporting tools allow you to optimize your site for SEO, cross-promote related products, display customer reviews, add an on-site chatbox, view store analytics, and manage your store from your smartphone.

Shopify offers a wider range of marketing features than Wix, although Wix may have an edge when it comes to SEO. Shopify's native tools and third-party app integrations allow you to tap into the full range of digital marketing tools. Wix provides a smaller range of third-party integrations, but as a website builder, it gives you greater freedom to do on-site SEO by adding website and blog content.

Shopify provides a strong set of native marketing features, including marketing analytics tools, integrations with popular social media platforms, a chat tool for engaging visitors, and a Shopify Email feature for email marketing. Shopify extends its native marketing functionality through integration with third-party marketing apps that perform functions such as content marketing, SEO, digital advertising, direct marketing, email marketing, shopping cart recovery, and cross-sell marketing.

Wix provides strong SEO marketing tools, including an SEO wizard and the ability to add blog content. You also claim your Google Business profile from within Wix. The Wix app market includes tools to analyze web traffic, add email marketing forms, and offer loyalty programs.

Shopify and Wix offer a comparable range of payment processing options. Both support major credit cards as well as other payment methods such as PayPal and Apple Pay. Both provide a native payment processing option.

Shopify supports a range of payment processing options:

• Credit cards, via Shopify Payments or third-party providers

• PayPal

• MetaPay

• Apple Pay

• Cryptocurrency

Shopify supports expedited payment options through the platform's Shop Pay tool or through accelerated checkout features from third-party payment processors, such as PayPal Express.

Shopify only supports debit cards that are co-branded with major credit cards.

Wix supports several payment processing options:

• Credit cards, via Wix Payments or third-party providers

• PayPal

• Apple Pay

• Klarna Online Bank Transfer

• iDEAL

• Giropay

• Cryptocurrency

• Point-of-sale (POS) in-store payments

Wix supports installment and recurring payments.

Shopify and Wix offer similar shipping options. Both support shipping through the mail, local delivery, and local pickup.

Shopify offers three major shipping options: shipping via mail services, local delivery, and local pickup. The Shopify Shipping service lets you buy and print Shopify shipping labels. Shopify provides an order fulfillment network.

Wix offers shipping via mail services, local delivery, and local pickup. You can offer additional options through third-party apps.

Shopify offers a wider range of integrations than Wix. Shopify's app store features over 8,000 apps performing a wide variety of business functions, while the Wix app store offers over 500 apps supporting a more limited range of functions.

Shopify's over 8,000 integrations offer support for many ecommerce functions, including customizing store design, sourcing products from print on demand suppliers and dropshippers, managing inventory and orders, marketing, offering sales options such as subscriptions, and providing customer support.

Wix offers over 500 integrations that support functions such as site design, sourcing products from dropshippers and print on demand suppliers, marketing, blogging, and adding customer support tools.

Shopify and Wix offer a comparable range of support tools. Wix's self-service tools provide more extensive documentation, while Shopify has an edge in phone support.

Shopify customer support options include:

• A community forum

• A help center

• 24/7 live chat support

• An email contact form

• 24/7 phone support

• Social media support

Wix customer support options include:

• A knowledge base

• 24/7 live chat support

• An email contact form

• Phone callback options

• Social media support

Business VIP customers receive priority support.

Both Shopify and Wix offer viable options for ecommerce retailers. Their suitability depends on your business goals and needs. Shopify gives you more ability to customize your ecommerce store and scale up. Wix makes it easier to create a basic website with ecommerce features and add blog functionality for SEO content marketing.

Gelato's print on demand service integrates with both Shopify and Wix, allowing you to quickly begin selling on either platform. Gelato provides you with the ability to offer customized apparel, mugs, wall art, and other items using your own designs or ones supplied by your customers. Gelato uses the world's largest POD network, with local sourcing in 32 countries, to cut down carbon emissions. Sign up for free to start selling products on Wix or Shopify today.

Shopify is better if you want to create a large ecommerce store with customized features. Wix is better if you want to get started quickly or emphasize on-site content marketing.

You can use a couple of methods to connect Wix to Shopify. One is to use the Wix Store app to add a Shopify buy button that lets you sell your Shopify products on Wix. Another is to add a Shopify embed code to your Wix site so you can sell Shopify products on Wix. A third method is to take a Wix domain you purchased from a domain registrar other than Wix and use your Shopify store's domain settings to transfer your Wix domain to Shopify. You can also use this feature to reverse this process and transfer a Shopify-managed domain to Wix. In this case, you will be able to start selling your Shopify products on Wix, but you will need to create a new website on Wix to display your products there.