Shopify VS Wix: Which One is Better for Your Ecommerce Business

If you’ve ever wanted to build your own website, we bet you’ve stumbled across Shopify and Wix along the way. Not everyone knows how to code, so these website builder solutions are ideal for entrepreneurs. With their large price ranges and different features, it can be tough to choose which is the best for you and your needs. 

When choosing between Shopify vs Wix, there are lots of aspects to consider, including their usability, design capabilities, payment fees, pricing plans, etc. 

To help you make an easier choice, we’ve decided to put together a full-fledged Shopify vs Wix review that’ll include everything you need to know. We’ll also give you some guidance on which platforms work best for different types of websites so that you can make an informed decision.

Is Wix better than Shopify, or is Shopify better than Wix? What is Shopify used for, and what is Wix used for?

Let’s look at all critical aspects of these platforms and get ready to choose between Shopify vs Wix for your business.

Overview

If you’re trying to find the ultimately better platform between Shopify vs Wix, it’s going to be complex. Both of these platforms are powerful and equipped with top-notch features. So, your best choice is going to be the one that works best for you, fitting your business’s goals and needs. 

Here’s the gist – Wix has a free plan that allows you to create a website fast and easily. Shopify is a more complex platform, giving you more capabilities, but it costs a little more than Wix’s ecommerce solution.

What to do if you don’t have any specific preferences and want to understand the pros and cons of Shopify vs Wix? Let’s look at 11 different aspects, choose the winner in each category, and find the best overall platform.

Explaining the ecommerce builder solution

To put it short, an ecommerce builder solution like Shopify enables you to create your online shop faster and easier than with custom coding. Wix also allows you to sell products online and has lots of ecommerce functionality.

The ecommerce builder solution is not only equipped with general-purpose website builder features like themes, SEO tools, marketing tools, a blog, and much more. An ecommerce platform, namely Shopify, also has lots of sales features like inventory management, shipping, global selling, and more.

Describing each platform

Let’s get to the good stuff – what is Wix, and what is Shopify? Well, one of the key differences between these platforms comes from their core. Shopify is an ecommerce solution through which you can create a website, sell as many items as possible, and fulfill orders (as many as possible).) On the other hand, Wix is more of a website builder than an ecommerce solution.

Wix is often known as the website builder solution that lets you sell products. It best fits small business sites, portfolios, blogs, and small ecommerce shops.

Shopify, as the name suggests, is truly focused on creating online shops. With Shopify, you get a full-suite ecommerce platform to power your shop’s critical processes.

These platforms give users free and paid theme templates to use, include sales features such as dropshipping, add-on apps, give SEO capabilities, and much more.

Scalability 

If you’re looking to build a shop with more than 300 products in the future, Shopify is the best choice for you. It’s an amazing tool for business owners who are looking to scale. Shopify also allows you to easily switch between packages and upgrade to bigger plans.

For smaller shops with even just a couple of products, Wix is the obvious winner. As a general-purpose website builder, Wix also takes the cake. So, if you need an informative website and want to sell up to 300 products on there, we recommend you take advantage of the more affordable option.

Ease of use

The goal of a website builder is to help its user easily build a website. So, it’s one of the most important aspects to consider when choosing a platform. 

Both Shopify and Wix are amazing for first-time users. Their builders are intuitive and easy to grasp. Setting up everything else for your website and shop is also as easy as it gets.

Although Shopify is an amazing platform, it still doesn’t claim to be the easiest to use. Wix, on the other hand, states that ease of use is one of their main benefits. Shopify undoubtedly has more complex features than Wix, so it would make sense that it’s harder to use. Nevertheless, if it’s your first time building a website or an ecommerce store, you’ll have an easier time with Wix.

If you want to learn how to use certain features or how to start setting up your online shop, both Shopify and Wix have lots of how-to articles and guides.

Is Shopify worth it? Definitely! But at the end of the day, Wix is the easier platform to use.

And the winner in the ease of use category between Shopify vs Wix is… Wix.

Build time

Since both platforms come with amazing themes and templates, your build time is going to be significantly shorter than if you were building a custom-coded website. Still, we have a clear winner in this category for many reasons.

As we said above, Wix is easier to use and get the hang of. And accordingly, it takes less time to build your website on Wix. Plus, Wix has a clear advantage thanks to the Wix ADI that magically builds your website in seconds.

With the Wix ADI, all you have to do is answer some questions, and you’ll get a template fit for your needs. Update your logo, incorporate your brand elements, fill in the content, add the items for your shop, and you’ll be ready to launch.

All of this is not to say that Shopify is slow or takes too much longer. If you were building an extensive website with over 300 items, Shopify would be the way to go.

And the winner in the build time category between Shopify vs Wix is… Wix.

Design and themes

Your website is your brand’s storefront, and the design you give it will dictate how visitors feel about you. Both Wix and Shopify are equipped with fantastic design templates and themes, allowing you to give a sleek and modern look to your site. Let’s see how they compare in their flexibility, mobile responsiveness, and template availability.

Design Flexibility

Both Wix and Shopify give you great flexibility when building your site. You can always edit your website’s design with drag and drop elements, as well as HTML and CSS code. 

The upside with using Shopify Wix is that you have more editing capabilities, better control over store features and product pages, plus always responsive designs. Switching between themes is also easy with Shopify, while you’d have to create the website from scratch if you wanted to switch with Wix.

If you choose to design your website with Wix, you’ll be able to either choose a template and edit it yourself or use the Wix ADI, which builds a theme for you based on some info you give them. While this can be great for those who want a standard website or ecommerce store, you still may not get the ideal design for your site with Wix vs Shopify.

Mobile Responsive Designs

All Shopify designs are mobile responsive and look amazing on any device. Wix templates, on the other hand, are not always responsive and mobile-friendly. 

When it comes to ecommerce sites and product pages, Wix might let you down. You’ll have to fix elements manually, which can take some time.

Knowing how crucial it is to appeal to mobile users, especially bringing online shoppers into your ecommerce site, Shopify is the better choice between the two.

Template Availability

Shopify features 80 themes – 10 free and 70 paid ones. You can also create your own theme using Shopify’s template language called Liquid or purchase a Shopify theme from independent theme creators online.

Wix has over 800 free templates made by designers that you can use. They also feature over 118 online store templates waiting to become your shop’s face. You can also simply purchase Wix templates from independent Wix template designers or use HTML and CSS to customize your designs.

And the winner in the design and themes category between Shopify vs Wix is… Shopify.

Sales features

In the sales features aspect, you get a clear advantage by using Shopify vs Wix. Why? Because Shopify is a full-suite ecommerce solution, while Wix is a website builder that allows you to have an online store. 

If you find yourself wondering how to set up pre orders on Wix, you’ll be disappointed because they don’t have such advanced ecommerce features. Still, Wix has some powerful tools up its sleeve, so let’s take a look at the sales features these website-building giants offer.

Multichannel Selling

When building an ecommerce store, you have to take advantage of all possible sales channels. This means that you don’t simply build your website and call it a day. If you want your shop to be successful, you have to feature your products on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, plus other marketplace platforms like Amazon.

Shopify social media integration includes Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger, plus a marketplace integration for Amazon. It’s easy and free. You can also add other integrations through Shopify apps that can allow you to sell on Google, TikTok, Pinterest, eBay, Walmart Marketplace, LYST, Etsy, etc.

Wix social media integrations are only compatible with Facebook and Instagram. You can also integrate your shop with amazon.com, but it’ll require a costly subscription plan (Business Unlimited) to access. Sadly, we didn’t find any Wix apps that allow integrations with other channels.

Is Wix good for ecommerce? Yes. But… Shopify is better.

Shipping

Next, let’s discuss one of the core ecommerce functions – shipping. Both Shopify and Wix offer free shipping features, flat and weight-based rates, as well as custom shipping rules. 

Shopify partners with all the major delivery services, plus gives access to the Shopify Fulfillment Network, enabling shops to offer features like same-day delivery. Shopify gives flexible shipping methods like contact-less deliveries (curbside pickups, local deliveries, and Shopify international shipping). Shopify also gives discounted shipping labels, which is a major advantage.

As for Wix shipping options, you’ll still be able to allow shipment tracking and provide real-time shipping through USPS and Correios (Brazil). If you’re willing to pay for apps or 3rd party partners, you can get more flexible with it. For example, you can only get Wix shipping labels through USPS, Shippo, or other independent providers.

Dropshipping

If you’re new to dropshipping, here’s a little definition – dropshipping is a business model whereby the seller is selling products without storing them in their warehouse and ships them directly from the manufacturer to the end-user instead. 

If you want to run a dropshipping business with Shopify, you’ll have no problems. They offer native integrations with Amazon, Shipwire, and Rakuten. Plus, you can integrate the Oberlo app and browse a giant collection of items to feature in your store.

As for Wix, you can use Wix dropshipping apps like Modalyst, Spocket, and 365 Dropship. 

At the end of the day, since Wix isn’t exactly an ecommerce solution, you’ll have to rely on apps to give your shop specific functions you need.

Tax Settings

On account of tax settings, there are no significant differences between Shopify vs Wix. Both of the platforms allow you to enable and disable taxes as you please. Both of them also feature automatic and registration-based tax rates. 

If you want to set a region-based tax on Wix, it won’t be hard either. To set up Wix automated sales tax, you’ll need to use the Avalara app, which is available only in their Business Unlimited plan. 

For this section, it’s a tie between Wix taxes and Shopify taxes.

Multilingual Capabilities

Both Shopify and Wix feature multilingual capabilities, but Shopify does it much better. Although you’ll need a $20 third-party app to use those “up to 20” languages you get with all Shopify packages, you can be confident you’re doing it right. 

The main advantage of Shopify’s multilingual capabilities is that they do it in an SEO-friendly way. This means that you’ll get a new subfolder in your URL with “/es” for Spanish, “/it” for Italian, and so on.

Wix allows you to use Google translate and rewrite your website in another language, but it doesn’t modify the URLs, so it’s not optimal for SEO purposes.

Inventory Management

Wix inventory management features are accessible through apps, allowing you to get revenue and visitor reports. Wix multiple product pages are available, so for smaller shops that don’t need many features, Wix can be the way to go.

Shopify is a killer at the ecommerce game. You can manage your stock, receive all kinds of reports and analytics, and register products in single or multiple formats. Since Shopify also integrates a Point-of-Sale system, you can manage your inventory over multiple locations.

And the winner in the sales features category between Shopify vs Wix is… obviously, Shopify.

Apps and Plugins

Just like other website builders and ecommerce solutions, Shopify and Wix also feature an app store where you can find extra features provided by third parties. These apps and plugins enable you to build an ecommerce store with near-infinite capabilities.

The Shopify App Store gives you access to over 5,760 free and paid ecommerce apps. On the flip side, the Wix App Market features over 250 apps, only 54 of which are dedicated to ecommerce. 

Shopify App Store fees and app prices are usually in the $5-$250 price range. As for Wix, this number ranges from $10-$100.

Shopify’s App Store is full of fantastic apps like Shopify Product Add Ons, which can bring your site’s whole ecommerce shopping experience together. Wix’s App Market features more essential features that aren’t included in your package.

If there are specific capabilities that your business needs, please check each platform’s app store for them. The last thing you want is to build your site almost all the way, only to find out that you can’t set up pre orders.

And the winner in the apps and plugins category between Shopify vs Wix is… Shopify.

Marketing Tools

Having integrated marketing tools can be game-changing for your ecommerce store or business website. After all, marketing is how you’re going to bring in your visitors and possibly convert them into buyers or even loyal customers.

Both Shopify and Wix offer great marketing tools for you to promote your brand. From email marketing to social media integrations and blogging features, let’s compare Shopify vs Wix marketing tools.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is one of the highest marketing tactics you can use. 

With Wix, you can send up to 3 newsletters per month to an audience of 5,000 members (that’s 15,000 emails in total). If you’d like to increase the number, you’ll need to upgrade your plan.

With Shopify, you’ll have to rely on apps like Shopify Email, but it’ll let you send up to 2,500 emails per month to your audience. For every 1,000 more messages you send, you’ll be charged $1.

As you’d expect, these email marketing tools aren’t as powerful as dedicated email marketing solutions like ActiveCampaign or MailChimp. If you’re looking for automation features, Wix is definitely the winner in that category.

In general, both Shopify and Wix provide standard functionality, but Wix does it better and for cheaper.

Social media integrations

Since both platforms enable social media shop integrations, as well as social linking on sites, it’s a tie in this category between Shopify vs Wix. In general, Shopify social media integration is a fan favorite.

Blogging

Let’s not forget that Wix is a website builder before anything else. They provide amazing blogging features and effective SEO tools for you to use. 

Shopify, on the other hand, is more focused on the “shop” part of it all, so it doesn’t have too many blog-specific features. It still gives you a dedicated blog page, but in terms of effectiveness and usability, Wix takes the cake.

And the winner in the marketing tools category between Shopify vs Wix is… Wix!

Payment Options and Transaction Fees

One of the biggest factors that can shift your decision either way is payment options and transaction fees. What percentage does Shopify take on payments vs Wix? Let’s look at Wix fees and Shopify fees to see how they compare.

Both Wix and Shopify support PayPal and credit card payments, with fees varying from 2.4-2.9% + 30 cents. With Wix, you can use Wix Payments, Stripe, and other third-party payment processing apps. Shopify, however, charges an extra 0.5-2% in fees unless you’re using Shopify Payments. 

Between Shopify vs Wix, Wix doesn’t support Apple Pay or Google Pay, which can be a major disadvantage for some. Selling in multiple currencies can also become an issue.

The good news is that both platforms support POS (Point-of-Sales) transactions and selling through social media channels.

And the winner in the payment options and transaction fees category between Shopify vs Wix is… Shopify.

SEO

Without Search Engine Optimization (SEO), your website will be extremely hard to find. If you’re running an ecommerce store, you’re definitely going to need all the organic traffic you can get. And that’s where SEO features come in.

One main difference between Shopify vs Wix SEO tools is that Wix provides keyword research support, while Shopify doesn’t have such a feature.

Of course, Shopify and Wix have been doing it for very long, so let’s see what SEO tricks they have up their sleeves and look at how Shopify vs Wix SEO features compare.

Availability to edit meta tags, such as meta titles, descriptions

Having optimized meta tags can be a game-changer for your rankings. For those who don’t know, the meta title is the heading that comes up in search results, and the description goes right below it. Especially if you’re running an online shop, you’re going to need to edit and optimize your product pages as well.

Luckily, both Shopify and Wix enable you to edit your web pages’ meta titles and descriptions as you please.

Editing URLs

Both Shopify and Wix have some flaws when it comes to editing URLs. Although you can edit some parts of URLs, Shopify adds categories like “/products/” to your URLs, while Wix product pages get a “/product-page/” tag. 

If you decide to edit a URL, Shopify will automatically create a redirect from the previous page to the new one. Wix doesn’t do it automatically but still reminds you about doing it.

Availability to hide pages from search results on demand (no-index)

You can hide a Wix site page from search results by simply changing a setting. For Shopify, you’ll have to edit the theme’s code,

Availability to edit the robots.txt file

If you want to disallow crawlers from crawling certain pages in your site, you can edit your robots.txt file through robots.txt.liquid templates. As for Wix, you can edit your site’s robots.txt file through SEO tools on your dashboard.

SEO plugins diversity

Since both Shopify and Wix come with powerful built-in SEO tools like 301 redirects and auto image compression, you won’t need apps to get basic SEO functions. If you want additional features like analytics, both builders have great apps in their stores.

Page Speed

Sites made with Shopify are definitely faster than with Wix. Especially for an ecommerce site, loading speed is crucial.

And the winner in the SEO category between Shopify vs Wix is… Wix.

Security

Shopify and Wix try to make your job as easy as possible. If you were building a website or ecommerce store with custom code or other solutions, you’d need to pay for a hosting service and other security measures. Luckily, Shopify and Wix are both hosted solutions, so you don’t need to get it separately.

SSL Certificate and PCI-DSS Compliance

Both Shopify and Wix come with an SSL Certificate, so your domain will showcase “https” instead of “http,” verifying that the website is secure. 

All ecommerce sites that sell products online, accept credit and debit card payments, and deal with sensitive data need to have PCI-DSS Compliance. Shopify and Wix are both Level 1 PCI-DSS Compliant.

Regarding security, both Wix and Shopify have great features.

And the winner in the security category between Shopify vs Wix is… it’s a tie. Both platforms get a point.

Customer support

For a first-timer, the website builder and ecommerce solution can be extremely complicated. You’ll probably need some help along the way. How fast and how relevant are the replies of customer support inquiries at Shopify vs Wix? Let’s discuss their live support quality, as well as available materials, FAQs, and Guides.

Live support

Imagine that you’re in the process of building your website, and you need some guidance on an issue that’s stopping you in your tracks. If you didn’t get live support, you could lose some 24-48 hours. Luckily, both Shopify and Wix are ready to settle all your questions through live support.

Shopify offers 24/7 support through phone, email, and live chat, while Wix offers a live chat, but phone support is limited to working hours. Still, don’t worry about not getting an answer because they have a callback service.

Materials, FAQs, and Guides quality

Aside from live support, both Shopify and Wix have help centers full of articles, FAQs, and guides for almost all your questions. Aside from their own library of helping documents, there are also forums where users discuss and help each other with questions. Since there are more users of Shopify vs Wix, there is also a larger community that can support you.

And the winner in the customer support category between Shopify vs Wix is… Shopify.

Pricing

As we approach the end of this Shopify vs Wix guide, let’s look at the bottom line – pricing plans. First things first, Wix offers a free plan, so you can have a website (without online selling capabilities) with some Wix branding and work on it until you upgrade.

If you’re looking to build a properly functioning ecommerce site, you’re looking at starting prices of $17 for Wix and $29 for Shopify. 

Wix plans go all the way up to $35/month for their Business VIP plan that includes almost anything you could want for a website with less than 300 products. Shopify prices go up to $299 and even higher if you want to try Shopify Plus for advanced shops.

Don’t forget that you’ll also need to pay for a domain, as well as any additional apps you want to implement. 

For most users, Wix is going to be the ultimate winner in this numbers game.

And the winner in the pricing category between Shopify vs Wix is… Wix.

Final Scoring

The final score is 6-5, and Shopify is our ultimate winner. The sheer amount of different functionality that Shopify offers to shops is tough to beat. Nonetheless, don’t forget to consider your needs. This was almost a tie, and that’s for a good reason. 

Wix is the better platform in terms of ease of use, build time, marketing tools, SEO, and pricing. As for Shopify, it’s better in terms of its design and themes, sales features, apps and plugins, payment options and transaction fees, and customer support.

If you’re still struggling to choose, here are some scenarios that each platform works best for:

• If you’re building a small online store with less than 300 products, Wix is your best option.
• If you need a comprehensive ecommerce store with powerful sales features like worldwide shipping, labels, and marketplace integrations, you should go with Shopify.
• If you don’t need to sell anything online yet, or you just need an informational site, definitely choose Wix.
• If you want to build a business and scale fast, Shopify is your best friend.