Wix vs Shopify: Which is The Best Option for eCommerce?

What are the Pros of Using Shopify?

• User-friendly – No coding required, and you get everything you need to start your first e-commerce business.
• 90-day free trial – Shopify recently extended its free trial from 14 to 90-days, to provide some relief to people who are now unemployed as a result of the impact on the economy due to COVID-19.
• Excellent add-ons and apps – The Shopify app store have thousands of beneficial apps for your e-commerce business. Many of them are free, but the best ones require a subscription or a one-off fee.
• Excellent customer support – Shopify go out of their way to ensure merchants get all the support they need to make their Shopify store a success.
• Scales with your business – As your business grows, you can migrate through the subscription levels, helping you scale your efforts without any hassle.

What are the Cons of Using Shopify?

• Limited free trial – While the free trial is a great way to test the water to see if e-commerce is for you, it lacks the features and tools in the full version.
• Monthly subscriptions – You’ll have to pay between $29 to $299 per month for a Shopify subscription, depending on the plan you choose to take.
• Limited blogging tools – Shopify offers you plenty of great marketing tools. However, the blogging module isn’t very attractive.

Visit Shopify

What are the Pros of Using Wix?

• Simple editor – The user-friendly interface on Wix includes drag-and-drop functionality. This tech allows you to drag-and-drop your images into your website design, without the need to know any code.
• Design functionality – The drag-and-drop interface is fantastic, and Wix has over 500-free templates to help you design your site.
• Affordable subscription – The Wix subscription plans are affordable, starting at $20 per month. There are no hidden fees, no add-ons, and you get everything you need to build your e-commerce business.
• Functional apps – Ecwid makes for a handy plug-in that gives your site additional e-commerce functionality. You also get apps for abandoned cart recovery and other essential e-commerce functions.

What are the Cons of Using Wix?

• Not the best solution for scaling – Wix is ideal for smaller websites that want to add a webstore or sales page to the site. However, it’s not scalable to a large e-commerce solution, and you’ll do better with a platform like Shopify.

Visit Wix

Wix vs. Shopify – Ease of Use

If you’re new to selling online, then the chances are you’re feeling both excited and nervous at the potential prospect of founding an e-commerce website. That’s okay. It’s normal for us to feel a sense of fear at things and situations we don’t understand. However, when we learn the information, we need to know about handling the situation, this fear subsides, and we find the task is not as intimidating as we expected.

It’s the same with selling online. E-commerce seems challenging if you know nothing about it, but once you have the right tools, you’ll start to thrive. Your e-commerce platform is the most important part of your business. The platform acts as the nerve center, processing all the aspects of e-commerce.

Therefore, newcomers and experts demand a user-friendly e-commerce platform that offers everything they need to succeed in selling online. The ease of use of your platform determines how long it takes to build your webstore, as well as how long it takes you to learn how to navigate and use it effectively.

Shopify is a very user-friendly system, with an easy-to-navigate platform. Shopify design the subscription plans to include everything you need to start your business online. You get your webstore, along with all the tools you need to build, launch, operate, and market your e-commerce store.

Shopify is super-easy to use, but Wix is on another level. We love the drag-and-drop interface in the web-builder that allows you to create your store design in minutes. Wix is possibly the most user-friendly web-builder platform out there, but it does require you to use plug-ins to enhance the functionality of the site.

Installing the plug-ins is easy, but in some cases might require some coding. Shopify comes with everything you need to build your business in one package.

In our use of the two platforms, we found Wix allows for more creative freedom during the design phase. However, it’s challenging to add products and sort them into categories compared to doing the same thing with Shopify.

Shopify keeps the dashboard and the editing interface separate. In the editor, you can manage sales, add products, and create email campaigns, and with easy functionality and straightforward navigation.

Wix vs. Shopify – Design

The design of your e-commerce store is a critical component of your e-commerce model. You could be selling the best product in the world, but if you don’t have the right presentation, no-one is going to buy it from you.

Both Wix and Shopify offer a range of free design templates you can load onto your store to attract customers. Think of your theme as your store window. You want to have the most attractive window possible to draw new customers to your offering.

Shopify’s ten free themes have a good selection of functional and attractive templates that are suitable for a wide variety of product categories. If you can’t find what you’re looking for in the free options, then check out the app store where you’ll find another 60 themes for sale, ranging from between $140 to $240 per template.

Shopify’s themes don’t require any coding to install on your site. It’s easy to set them up in minutes and start adding products to your store.

Wix offers you more than 500 templates, with 57 of them specially designed for e-commerce. Unlike Shopify’s themes, you can’t change your Wix theme after uploading it to your store. If you want to change the theme, you’ll need to format everything and start again, losing all your work.

Therefore, make sure you’re confident about the theme you choose before you install it on your site. Both Wix and Shopify have industry-specific templates for product categories, allowing for easy selection and setup of your store theme.

Both Wix and Shopify do allow for custom edits of templates. However, with Shopify, you’ll need to understand “Liquid,” the official coding language of the Shopify platform. Wix runs on CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), and HTML (Hypertext Markup Language).

Wix Vs. Shopify – Domain and URLs

Both Shopify and Wix come with free domains as part of the startup package. This strategy means that you don’t have to go to the expense of buying a domain and paying for hosting before you launch your site. We think that the Shopify hosting is better and offers a faster response time when opening pages on the site.

However, the Wix site isn’t far off on the same level of performance as Shopify. Both sites also offer you the option of installing a custom URL. However, newcomers need to remember that a custom =URL comes with hosting, and that can cost you a significant amount each month.

The Shopify domain is fast, and you’ll probably have to take dedicated or private hosting to compete with the loading times on offer with the standard Shopify domain.

Wix vs. Shopify – Features and E-Commerce Tools

Your e-commerce website is only as good as the platform you use to coordinate your business activities. Both Shopify and Wix have impressive functionality and features that make them suitable for different types of e-commerce.

Shopify and Wix both allow for the sale of digital and physical products. With Wix, you need a third-party application to sell service products, and Shopify requires an app to sell digital products.

Shopify supports your marketing activities and store promotions, allowing you to upload multiple images. With the installation of an app, you can enable a zoom function of your product images. Other apps allow you to create product videos, boosting your customer experience.

Wix also has some impressive features and functionality. The built-in video functionality for your products is fantastic, and a third-party app allows for the zoom functionality on product images.

The Shopify logistics service is excellent, guiding you with every step of the shipping process. The platform also gives you the option of offering free shipping or syncing with alternative logistics companies, such as 3PL solutions.

With Wix, you can set tax rules and track products, but there’s no functionality for shipping labels, and you need third-party apps for international shopping payments.

When it comes to managing your inventory, Shopify steals the show. You get access to a full inventory management system with your subscription, complete with stock management tools, revenue reporting, and easy navigation. With Shopify, you can control the most extensive online e-commerce stores easily.

Wix, on the other hand, is a better solution for smaller websites looking to add some e-commerce functionality. If you’re selling under 10-products in your webstore, then Wix is a more pragmatic solution.

With Wix, you’ll need to add third-party apps to your e-commerce store to increase its functionality. While there are plenty of suitable apps, many of them come with subscription fees. If you aren’t careful with your build, you could end up spending thousands of dollars on constructing your online store.

Shopify also includes a range of useful e-commerce tools as standard with its subscription package. One of our favorites is the abandoned cart recovery. With this tool, you have the option to retarget your customers and offer them the chance to make their purchase, perhaps by incentivizing them with a discount. This strategy has proven results in increasing conversion rates and boosting your sales figures.

Wix also offers abandoned cart recovery. However, you’ll need to install a third-party app to add this functionality to your e-commerce store. As a result, integrating this tech is easier with your Shopify store.

The Basic Shopify plan includes abandoned cart recovery, as well as a discount code creator, and multi-channel sales integration for your social media accounts. When you upgrade to the Shopify plan, you get access to additional features like gift cards, analytics, and detailed reports, as well as sophisticated third-party shipping calculators and rates.

Third-party apps can turn your webstore from a bare-bones framework into a highly functional and practical e-commerce platform. Integrating apps helps to bolster the performance of your store by adding more features that facilitate doing business.

Both Wix and Shopify have app stores that contain thousands of useful apps that are useful in some way to your e-commerce business. However, you can’t choose all of them, as the subscription fees alone would be hundreds of thousands of dollars a month. You need to select apps that are useful to your product offering and the way you want to do business online.

Review forums and review videos explaining the difference between apps you’re thinking about adding to your store.

We think that Shopify’s app store is far more e-commerce focused apps than the Wix version. With the Shopify apps, you can add customer Wishlist’s, set up your dropshipping details, add product review modules, and implement currency convertors. There are plenty of other useful apps in the store, but make sure that you don’t drive up your operating costs with too many apps you don’t need.

Wix does get most of its functionality from the Ecwid e-commerce app, which isn’t quite as powerful as Shopify. However, Ecwid can help add systems like abandoned cart recovery and global shipping payment options, like Shopify.

Wix vs. Shopify – Payment Solutions and Fees

Accepting payments is another critical component of your e-commerce website. Shopify supports over 100 payment gateways, including all the top customer choices, such as debit/credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, and Stripe. You even get apps to support payment in cryptocurrency.

The issue with using third-party processors on Shopify is that the platform charges you a 2% fee for processing the payment. If you want to avoid paying this fee, you must migrate up to a higher subscription, such as the advanced Shopify Plan. Advanced members get third-party transaction fees of 1.3%.

Another way to avoid the expense is to use the “Shopify Payments” gateway. If you use this gateway, then you don’t have to worry about any transaction fees on your sales.

Wix supports the traditional payment processors, such as debit/credit cards, PayPal, Square, and Stripe. However, it doesn’t have built-in functionality to deal with digital wallets like Apple and Amazon Pay. If you want to add those payments to your store, then you need third-party apps to facilitate the payments.

With Wix, you must pay the payment processors fees, but there are no transaction fees like the Shopify model.

Wix vs. Shopify – Attracting Customers

You can have a great looking website and sell the most exciting and exciting products – but if you don’t have a marketing strategy, you’ll never sell anything to anyone. Shopify requires you to use third-party apps for your marketing activities, and many of them are free.

With Wix, you get an all-in-one marketing solution called “Wix Ascend.” With Ascend, you get everything you need to launch a successful marketing campaign.

Shopify outshines Wix in the multi-channel selling category. Shopify has apps that integrate across all of your social platforms, allowing you to sell to your audience.

Wix doesn’t offer this functionality, and considering how important social is becoming to retail, it could mean that this lack of multi-channel functionality is a deal-breaker for using the platform.

Wix Ascend does include an email marketing module that allows you to send campaigns out to your list from within your dashboard.

Shopify does the same thing, but you don’t need a subscription. You can create your email campaigns from your admin page on your dashboard and monitor your analytics to measure your performance. Some of the better Shopify apps for marketing include the likes of Omnisend and Privy.

Blogging is better with Wix, and you can build and attractive blog quickly, with the only issues being problems with archiving. Shopify offers you a blog, but it’s useless compared to another blogging platform like WordPress.

SEO is the process of optimizing your site and presenting it to the search engines. When you comply with Google’s algorithm, then you can expect your search rankings to rise. Shopify provides you with tools you need to optimize your e-commerce site.

You also get fast page download speeds due to unlimited bandwidth on the Shopify platform. Search engines love recommending fast-loading sites, and you benefit from this advantage with your monthly subscription to the platform.

With both platforms, it’s easier to track the performance of your website. Both Shopify and Wix integrate with Google Analytics, allowing you to take a deep-dive into the performance of your e-commerce website. Understanding your analytics leads to uncovering how to improve your offering and boost conversion.

Shopify features built-in analytics features, while Wix requires the use of third-party apps to optimize. You’ll also need a paid plan to access Google

Analytics through Wix, as the free plan doesn’t cater to this function.

Wix vs. Shopify – Merchant Support and Helplines

If you’re starting an e-commerce venture, you’re going to make a few mistakes along the way. None of them are going to cost you huge amounts of money. However, what they will cost you is time. If you’re dealing with a breakdown on your site, you need to get it back online as soon as possible, or you’ll start losing out on potential income from lost sales.

Therefore, you need a support team you can rely on when things go wrong. Shopify has the best e-commerce service available. They offer phone and email support, along with a live chat. The live chat was fast, and we had a representative on the line with us in less than 45-seconds every time we tried to reach out for help.

Wix also offers dedicated support for its service, but there’s no chat option. You get a phone and email support team, as well as access to a help center and support forum. We would prefer to see a live chat available, but overall, the support systems on offer with Wix are adequate. Both platforms also offer assistance through social media accounts, which is somewhat helpful.

Wix vs. Shopify – Pricing Model

Which platform is the better deal – Wix or Shopify?

Wix Pricing

With the Wix pricing model, you get four options available.

• Business Basic – $23per month
• Business Unlimited – $27 per month
• Business VIP – $49 per month
• Enterprise – $500 per month

All the packages include the following.

• Unlimited bandwidth
• 20GB to 50GB of storage
• $300 in advert discount vouchers

If you upgrade to the Wix Business VIP plan, you get VIP support with priority response.

Shopify Pricing

Shopify also offers a tiered pricing model, with four plans available.

• Basic Shopify – $29 per month
• Shopify – $79 per month
• Advanced Shopify – $299 per month
• Shopify Plus – Available on request

Shopify also offers a free plan with a 90-day trial. The free plan has limited functionality, but it’s a great way to test the platform and see if you want to give e-commerce a try, without the need to spend any money upfront.

Shopify also offers you a discount for paying for extended subscriptions, such as six and 12-months. You can save up to 20% per year on your fees, or between $94 to $190 per year, depending on your subscription.

Both platforms offer you a cost-effective way to start selling online. The best comparison of offerings is between the Shopify Basic and Wix Business Unlimited plans, as they have similar pricing.

The Wix Business Unlimited option is more affordable at $25 per month, as opposed to the $29 per month for the Basic Shopify plan. However, choosing the right platform for you depends on your e-commerce plan, what you’re selling, and you’re ambition with your business.

The Wix platform offers you excellent value for your money. For the cost of a lunch or two per month, you get an entire e-commerce solution available at your fingertips, including the tools, hosting, storage, security, and bandwidth to grow your online business.

Wix vs. Shopify – The Final Verdict

Wix is the ideal choice for newcomers that want to start selling a few products online. The ease-of-use of the platform and range of design themes make it an attractive option when starting your e-commerce venture.

Wix is an excellent choice for existing websites looking to add a small online store, and it’s a good choice for strong branding and marketing opportunities.

Shopify has the tools and the power to turn any e-commerce website into a raging success. You might have to pay more for Shopify plans, but the extra money is worth it when you consider the value you get with your subscription.

Shopify has more in the way of tools and e-commerce features to help you sell without the need for any additional plug-ins or apps. As a rule of thumb, we think that if you’re opening an e-commerce store to sell less than 8 to 10 products, choose Wix.

If you want to sell more than ten products, and you intend to scale your store in the future, then start with Shopify.

Let’s look at our deciding categories to pick out the final winner in this head-to-head battle.

Ease-of-Use

• Verdict: Wix
• Editing the frontend of your e-commerce site is simple with Wix. However, you don’t get the same level of versatility in the backend of the website. Shopify excels in the features it offers you, but it takes some time to get used to the interface. However, it’s not challenging to launch either platform in 24-hours.

Platform Design

• Winner: Wix
• Wix has plenty of free templates with different designs and features. Shopify offers you fewer free template options, but 60 paid themes that you can use for your store. Both platforms provide easy-to-use themes and setups, but Wix gets the nod here for the drag-and-drop functionality on the site.

Domains and URLs

• Winner: Draw
• Both Shopify and Wix offer you free domains and hosting. Both platforms also permit the use of custom URLs.

E-Commerce Features and Tools

• Winner: Shopify
• Shopify comes with a full suite of SEO tools designed to help you optimize and promote your website. It offers multi-channel selling functionality across all social media accounts, built-in analytics, and inventory management solutions to help you succeed in managing your e-commerce business.
• Wix has some exciting built-in features, but you get most of your functionality from third-party apps or plug-ins, like Ecwid.

Payment Solutions and Fees

• Winner: Wix
• Shopify offers over 100 payment processor options and then penalizes you with a 2% transaction fee when you use them. If you want to limit your costs, you’ll have to use the “Shopify Payments” portal, and then they won’t charge you transaction fees on your sales.
• With Wix, there are no transaction fees, other than the standard merchant fees from your payment processor.

Attracting Customers

• Winner: Shopify
• Shopify offers you a “business-in-a-box” solution that includes all the tools you need to market your website. The blog module is a nice touch, but we think it’s not as functional as a WordPress blog. However, there are other optimization and marketing tools available as standard features, and plenty of apps available in the app store for further functionality on your site.
• Wix doesn’t have any standard marketing tools, but there are plenty of third-party plug-ins available to assist you with your marketing and optimization tasks.

Merchant Support and Helplines

• Winner: Draw
• Both Shopify and Wix have robust merchant support hotlines and support platforms. Shopify’s live chat is a standout feature, and we found it helpful in resolving our queries.
• Wix also comes with email and phone support, as well as a helpful forum to ask questions.

Pricing Models

• Winner: Shopify
• Wix allows you to build your e-commerce store for free. However, to gain full e-commerce functionality, you’ll need to upgrade to one of the three plans. Plug-ins for Wix can also get expensive, raising your costs.
• Shopify comes with everything you need to launch and grow your business online. Shopify charges you a set fixed subscription fee every month, ranging from $29 to $299, depending on the size and demands of your business. It’s easy to scale your e-commerce site by migrating through the plans, and the 90-day free trial is appealing for newcomers.

The Verdict

Why Should You Use Shopify?

• The better choice for more significant e-commerce sites
• Multi-channel selling across all social media accounts
• Best marketing and e-commerce tools
• Analytics
• More payment gateways

Why Should You Use Wix?

• Best choice for selling less than 10-products online
• Plenty of creative design control
• Loads of templates and better blogging
• Build a basic store for free

Shopify is the better e-commerce platform, but you need the Shopify plan to unlock the power and versatility of this platform. It’s available as a plug-in for WordPress, and a great way to start selling online, whether you’re a newcomer or an expert.

Wix is a great way to start selling a few products online, and it integrates with many plug-ins to increase its functionality. Still, if you want a purpose-built e-commerce solution with a proven track record, Shopify is your best option.

Visit Shopify  Visit Wix