Do you have brilliant product ideas for selling online? Or perhaps you’re looking to create a stronger presence for your existing digital store; our Shopify vs Wix comparison will help you determine which website building solution is right for you.
Wix and Shopify are two widely used online business platforms that can provide high-quality marketing options for your eCommerce operations.
And while the reason for this article might almost seem absurd at first - especially since both website builders are undisputed industry leaders - the truth is using an eCommerce platform is the best way to test them.
Both tools may seem similar on the surface, but our in-depth Wix vs Shopify assessment will identify the pros and cons of using each platform.
So let’s dive in and see which website builder has a few surprises in store.
Wix Store Vs Shopify: An Overview
Wix is the preferred option if you are searching for a website builder that can help get your online business started in a hurry. Shopify on the other hand was built to handle full-scale online sales operations with its dropshipping features and social media integrations.
Wix Pricing vs Shopify Pricing
The Wix website builder comes with user-friendly ecommerce features that are ideal for beginners. Its features are best suited to small online businesses with an inventory of fewer than 300 products.
In contrast, Shopify is the perfect web building solution for larger online stores as it comes with features designed to help the user manage thousands of product items.
The most significant Wix vs Shopify pricing difference is the free plans you’ll find on Wix. Shopify only offers a 14-day free trial period that users can extend upon request.
You’ll soon discover that the zero Wix transaction fees plan comes with limited functionality as you cannot use it to connect to an online domain or sell products; not to mention the unwanted Wix advertising. Even so, the free plans are an excellent way to sample the platform.
Wix’s basic business plan starts from 23 USD per month while Shopify Basic costs about 26 USD monthly.
Wix vs Shopify Ease of Use
This next aspect of our Wix eCommerce vs Shopify comparison takes a closer look at the overall user experience that each platform provides. Things get interesting at this point because Wix’s uncluttered interface is ideal for people without coding knowledge.
The Wix Editor allows you to do everything in one convenient space; although the visual experience can sometimes be a bit overwhelming.
Wix also comes with useful plugins, extensions, template designs, and a straightforward drag-and-drop page editing approach to adding a professional touch without much web design experience.
Shopify is a great eCommerce platform for digital stores but its complexity can sometimes prove to be a disadvantage. Unlike Wix, Shopify users must switch between the back and frontend to make web page changes as the editor isn’t ultra-intuitive.
However, the overall Shopify user experience is so well-designed that you can create an online store with only a few clicks. Adding variants and products is also a breeze for beginners. Moreover, we were impressed by the useful tutorial links.
In general, you can get started easily with Wix or Shopify. You can even build your online store before committing as they don’t require upfront payments.
Shopify remains simplistic by offering quicker and less customizable results by default. Wix on the other hand features significantly advanced design flexibility options. That said; selling on Wix can take longer as you’ll likely require more time and effort to build your dream online storefront.
Wix vs Shopify Templates & Designs
Next, we compared the Shopify and Wix dropshipping solutions by checking out each platform’s design integration and template functionalities.
With over 60 available themes, Shopify certainly makes it easier for you to create your dream virtual storefront. You can pick any of them to serve as the foundation of your online store’s design by simply adding images and text.
Each template comes with a sleek, modern, and responsive design so they look great on mobile and desktop devices.
Moreover, if you’re familiar with HTML and CSS, the live editor can offer a fun approach to achieving the desired effect. You can use them to tweak the preset designs as you wish. Aside from their flexibility, the in-built Shopify themes are targeted towards eCommerce businesses.
The Wix builder also features multiple online store themes that are easy to use. But unlike Shopify’s superior quantity, it isn’t always sufficient for most businesses.
Furthermore, we discovered that Wix’s templates are not as responsive as those on Shopify, which means you’ll sometimes have to rearrange some page elements manually.
Wix vs Shopify Customer Support
It doesn't matter which one you choose, both web-building platforms generally offer similar customer support experiences.
Our Shopify vs Wix comparison tests showed that both website builders perform averagely during real-life situations.
Shopify stands out on the majority of our metrics due to its 24/7 support offerings via phone, email, or live chat. Their large online user community threads and helpful tutorials also increase the likelihood of finding relevant answers to most problems.
However, the Wix Help Center performs even better. You’ll find hundreds of tutorial videos and articles available to provide support. In contrast, the Shopify Help Center doesn’t include any videos.
Wix Editor vs Shopify Editor
The Wix Editor’s approach which enables you to select a suitable template for creating your preferred website structure, and then increasing the amount of relevant page content is probably the most ideal option for most beginners.
Also, Wix comes with an in-built Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) mode for a fully customizable eCommerce website building experience complete with videos, images, and text.
Shopify features a single interface that behaves consistently across board. The main reason you might want to consider adding Shopify to Wix is that you're working on a front-end interface. As such, Wix users can view their edits in real-time.
And although the drag-and-drop Wix web page builder offers increased flexibility when creating or editing your digital storefront, operating the tool can sometimes be tricky so you may eventually end working twice as hard to design page elements coherently.
Shopify lets you edit web page content on the backend using movable pre-defined blocks and sections. The rudimentary system helps to lock down elements in place more tightly. Afterward, you get to view your changes by previewing or publishing the page.
Overall, the Shopify editor is built for simplified online transactions, which makes it pretty hard to beat in terms of uploading products, user-friendliness, inventory management, and customer handling.
Wix eCommerce vs Shopify eCommerce
In this next aspect of our comparison, we attempted to provide answers to some frequently asked questions such as “Is Wix eCommerce free?”, and “Does Shopify or Wix take a percentage of sales?”
While trying to determine which web builder is better for selling products online, we discovered that Wix and Shopify each provide integrated payment gateway software for accepting payments via your website.
Note, however, that the inbuilt Wix Payment and Shopify Payment gateways are only supported in selected countries; which means, you may have to rely on third-party payment portals - depending on your geographic location.
Shopify users already rely heavily on third-party marketing apps which tends to provide online businesses with an increased level of digital campaign flexibility.
Shopify has the clear edge here especially when you consider all the extra marketing value the external apps can add to your business. It also lets you integrate over 100 payment gateways with your website compared to the 70 or so offered by Wix.
However, in response to the questions raised earlier, Wix offers a more economical option as the platform does not charge you for using its third-party payment gateways. The Shopify payment gateway service, on the other hand, attracts transaction fees that may vary based on the user’s subscription plan and location.
Apps and Widgets
Shopify and Wix come with in-built app stores with each one featuring extensive app and add-on collections for use on your website. These will enable you to effortlessly improve functionality on both platforms. With thousands of software tools available to choose from, Shopify’s app inventory is much larger than Wix’s thus, making it an excellent digital marketing resource for any online store.
Aside from growing your business, the Shopify app store lets you do various other things including converting currencies, setting up dropshipping, adding customer wishlists, and product reviews.
And while the Wix app store is also feature-laden with handy integrations, and extensions, it once again falls short of the quantity required to cater for full-scale online businesses, so you end up sifting through external Wix dropshipping software applications that are best suited to brick and mortar store operations.
We strongly recommend using Shopify if you're looking for more eCommerce-oriented apps.
Wix SEO vs Shopify SEO
Search Engine Optimization capabilities are essential for any website builder and as such, the key question here is “How effective are the Wix and Shopify SEO (Search Engine Optimization) features?”
Fortunately, Wix and Shopify will simplify your website’s SEO processes. And because they both feature functional SEO settings, it's quite difficult to distinguish a frontrunner. Both systems were built to auto-generate relevant metadata or you can input them manually. Wix and Shopify also let you use their SEO tools to edit or add different Meta descriptions and titles. You can even customize your URL tags for optimal ranking.
When your site creates new content, these in-built SEO systems will ping popular online search engines.
Both website builders were built to enable users to add alt text to web page images. This way, the search engine can better understand the message behind your branded images.
Wix Blogging vs Shopify Blogging
Unlike Wix, the Shopify editor’s blogging tool doesn’t have a chic interface but it comes with all the necessary web journal features. Shopify can also boast of a tidier blog content management section.
One significant advantage that Wix blogging has over Shopify is its drag-and-drop design approach which enables you to create beautiful blogs with minimal effort. Moreover, the absence of a search feature or in-built analytics on the Shopify blogging area is another massive downside.
Conclusion
Now that you’ve read through our in-depth comparison, we hope you are in a better position to determine whether selling on Wix or Shopify would be better for you.
Shopify could turn out to be the more worthwhile eCommerce option in the long term. And while Wix’s eCommerce plan is ideal for small business owners who’re looking for an affordable deal, we still won’t recommend using it over Shopify since their services are geared towards full-scale online store management. Moreover, Shopify is a more established web business brand.
Shopify users will need a larger budget to build and maintain their website thanks to its huge app store and impressive sales tools. But rest assured, the service is perfect for larger online businesses that require a robust eCommerce platform for supporting long-term growth.
Is Wix Worth Your Money?
Wix is a worthwhile investment for starting up your small online business. It offers increased creative control over a broad template selection and advanced blogging features.
Wix also has more affordable price plans for people who’re on a budget – which means you can get started with building your site for free.
Is Shopify Worth Your Money?
Shopify is for you if you’re running a full-scale online store. It provides the robust tools and features your business will need to thrive in a highly competitive digital market.
With Shopify, you can expect to experience using a world-renowned eCommerce website builder complete with an integrated suite of proven analytic tools plus multiple payment gateways.