Wix Vs Shopify: Which Suits Your Business The Best?

Are you dreaming of launching your own online store? Choosing the right platform is crucial for its success. Two big names dominate the eCommerce website builder scene: Wix vs Shopify.

With their distinct strengths, which one best suits your business? Let’s discuss this comprehensive comparison to discover the perfect fit for your business venture.

Key Takeaways

• Due to its drag-and-drop functionality, Wix is a versatile website builder for beginners. It’s perfect for users who need a simple, customizable website without extensive eCommerce needs.
  
  
• Shopify is a specialized eCommerce platform designed to streamline the process of building and managing online stores. It requires more setup and learning but excels in providing features critical for scaling an online store.
  
  
• Wix offers a more cost-effective solution with a free plan and lower-priced tiers that can be upgraded to include eCommerce functionalities. Shopify has no free plan and higher starting costs, but its pricing tiers are structured around essential eCommerce features.
  

What Is Wix

Wix is a website builder founded in 2006. It is a user-friendly drag-and-drop platform suitable to anyone without coding knowledge. It initially used Adobe Flash but switched to HTML5 in 2012. Since then, it’s grown into a leading website creation platform offering various features, such as:

• Designer templates
  
  
• SEO tools
  
  
• App integrations
  

Wix is great for building various websites, including blogs, portfolios, business websites, and even online stores.

What Is Shopify

Shopify is not a website builder. It is an eCommerce platform designed to build and manage online stores. Its story began in 2006 with a desire for better online selling tools. The founders, Tobias Lütke and Scott Lake experienced frustrations with existing eCommerce solutions. They built their platform while trying to launch their snowboarding equipment store, Snowdevil.

From there, Shopify offers features crucial for running eCommerce businesses, such as:

• Secure payments
  
  
• Inventory management
  
  
• Marketing tools
  

Since its launch, Shopify has added features and expanded its offering. This includes a mobile app, an app store, and point-of-sale (POS) systems for brick-and-mortar stores.

6 Key Website Builder Differences

When choosing between Shopify and Wix for building a website, it’s essential to understand their key differences. Here are six crucial distinctions:

1. Pricing

Both Wix and Shopify have their own distinct pricing schemes. Here’s a breakdown of the key pricing differences between Wix and Shopify:

Overall Cost

Wix is generally cheaper, with a free plan available. Paid plans start around USD 17 per month (billed annually) and go up to USD 159 monthly.

Meanwhile, Shopify is more expensive and does not offer a free plan. The basic plans start around USD 19 per month (billed annually) and can go up to USD 299 monthly for advanced features.

Pricing Structure

Wix pricing is based on overall website features and is not explicitly focused on eCommerce capabilities. You’ll need a business or higher plan to unlock Wix Business Elite functionalities.

On the other hand, Shopify pricing is tiered based on the features precisely needed to run an online store. While they don’t offer free plans, you can already sell products with their basic plans.

Transaction Fees

Wix itself doesn’t charge transaction fees if you use their Wix Payments solution. However, some payment processors might have their own fees.

Oppositely, Shopify charges transaction fees. Unless you use their Shopify Payments gateway, you must pay around 2.9% + USD 0.30 per transaction. Higher-tier Shopify plans reduce these fees.

The table below shows the comparison between the two prices:

2. Payment Gateways

Here’s a breakdown of the key differences in payment gateways between Wix and Shopify:

Wix Payments

Wix offers various payment processors through Wix Payments, but the selection is smaller than Shopify’s. You won’t find popular options like Apple Pay or Amazon Pay on Wix; availability can differ depending on the location. Some well-known payment gateways include:

• Paypal
  
  
• Square
  
  
• Stripe
  
  
• iDEAL (The Netherlands) and Afterpay (Australia)
  

Wix offers a convenient way to accept payments without setting up additional accounts. However, Wix Payments might have limitations for international transactions, such as currency conversion fees.

Shopify Payments

Shopify provides a broader range of payment gateways, including 100 options. This allows you to cater to a wider customer base with their preferred payment methods. It integrates seamlessly with your online store, simplifying checkout.

Additionally, the broader range of payment gateways provides a smoother experience for some customers. It offers features such as:

• Built-in currency conversion
  
  
• Accept payments from international credit cards
  

However, these options may incur a higher transaction fee.

Below are the comparisons for Wix and Shopify’s payment gateways.

3. Ease Of Use

When comparing the ease of use between Wix and Shopify, both platforms cater to different user needs. Each platform excels in its niche. Wix prioritizes design flexibility, and Shopify focuses on eCommerce features.

Wix Strengths and Weaknesses

Wix’s user interface is popular for its intuitive drag-and-drop functionality. This makes it beginner-friendly, allowing anyone to create a website even if they don’t have any coding knowledge.

Wix offers Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) for those who want an even simpler approach. You answer a few questions about your website’s purpose and style. With your answers, Wix creates a customer starting point for your website.

Additionally, you can access many designer-made Wix templates for various industries in its library. These templates often require minimal modification to look professional.

Unfortunately, Wix also has limited design freedom after choosing a template. Once you select a Wix template, making significant structural changes to the layout can be challenging. Also, learning its advanced features can take time and effort.

While Wix is relatively easy to use for basic website creation, features like building an online store or customizing SEO settings might require some learning effort.

Shopify Strengths and Weaknesses

Shopify offers a structured approach and uses a section-based editor. This approach is still user-friendly but provides a more organized way to build your online store. You can add and rearrange sections to customize your layout. Additionally, it focuses on eCommerce workflow.

Shopify templates are specifically for managing online stores. Adding products, managing inventory, and setting up shipping are intuitive and streamlined.

Shopify has a steeper learning curve than Wix. While user-friendly, Shopify’s interface requires more initial setup than Wix’s drag-and-drop simplicity. It also has less flexibility for overall website design.

Shopify prioritized eCommerce functionality. Customizing elements outside the product and checkout process is less intuitive than Wix.

Below are the comparisons of how user-friendly Wix vs Shopify is:

4. Online Store Design Options

As mentioned, Wix offers a much larger selection of free templates, including designs for online stores. This allows for a wider variety of design aesthetics to suit your brand. Its drag-and-drop interface lets you customize almost any element on your store’s page.

You can do multiple things around it, including:

• move elements around
  
  
• change fonts and colours
  
  
• add custom code for more advanced control
  

Additionally, Wix templates are often very polished and visually appealing. You don’t have to change many elements because they only need minimal adjustments to look professional.

Meanwhile, Shopify prioritizes mobile responsiveness. The Shopify themes do not just look good but also function well on all devices. These factors are crucial for today’s mobile-dominant online shopping landscape. It offers a good degree of customization within its set layouts.

Like Wix, Shopify allows you to do many things in your Shopify store, such as:

• change colours and fonts
  
  
• add a logo to create a unique brand identity for the online business
  

In addition, Shopify’s app store offers additional themes and design elements, which you can purchase to personalize your store’s look and feel.

5. Integrations

Integrations in eCommerce connect different software systems so they can share information. For example, you linked your Shopify or Wix website to a payment system or a shipping service. This helps the store run smoothly by automatically managing orders, payments, and deliveries without manual updates.

Number of Integrations

Wix offers more than 500 integrations with various apps and services. Some of the famous apps you can connect with your Wix store are Google Analytics and Quickbooks.

Meanwhile, Shopify has a significantly larger app store with over 8,000+ integrations designed for online stores. Stripe, Facebook Shop, and Stallion are the apps and services you can use to connect with your Shopify site.

Focus of Integrations

Wix integrations cater to a broader range of website functionalities, including:

• marketing tools
  
  
• analytics
  
  
• email marketing
  
  
• social media
  

While it offers some eCommerce-specific integrations, Shopify’s options might be more comprehensive.

On the other hand, Shopify’s app store focuses on eCommerce functionalities. You’ll find integrations for everything, including:

• inventory management software
  
  
• shipping platforms
  
  
• marketing tools
  
  
• abandoned cart recovery
  
  
• loyalty programs
  

Using Zapier

Both Shopify and the Wix app store can connect with additional services through Zapier. Zapier is a third-party automation platform that allows you to connect your store with apps not directly integrated with either platform.

Wix App Market

The Wix App Market is like a digital store where you can find and add extra features to your Wix website. Think of it as an app store on your phone but for your website!

You can find tools to help you with different tasks, such as:

• online shopping
  
  
• booking appointments
  
  
• chatting with visitors
  
  
• showing your Instagram photos on your site
  

By adding these apps, your website can do more cool things and work better for you and your visitors. It’s a simple way to make your site more powerful and fun without knowing much about coding.

Shopify App Store

The Shopify App Store is the equivalent of the Wix Apps, where you can find many tools to add to your site. It has many apps to make your Shopify store better and easier to run. For example, you can find apps for various tasks, including

• marketing to help you reach more customers
  
  
• tools to manage shipping and deliveries
  
  
• apps to improve your website’s look
  
  
• features to track sales and inventory
  

These apps help you customize and enhance your store without knowing much about technology. It makes running an online store simpler and more effective.

Below are the comparisons of the integration features of Wix and Shopify:

6. Customer Support

Here’s a breakdown of the key differences in customer support between Wix and the Shopify apps:

Support Channels

Wix offers support through various channels, including:

• a knowledge base with articles and tutorials
  
  
• community forum
  
  
• email support
  
  
• callback options (availability may vary by language)
  
  
• chat support for specific languages.
  

Meanwhile, the Shopify website provides support through various platforms, such as:

• comprehensive help center with articles
  
  
• video tutorials
  
  
• community forums
  
  
• 24/7 live chat and phone support for all plans
  

Focus of Support

Wix Support covers a broader range of website creation topics, including:

• design and free templates
  
  
• general website functionalities
  
  
• basic troubleshooting for online stores built on Wix
  

On the other hand, Shopify Support leans specifically towards eCommerce and managing your online store. They have specialists who can assist you with topics specific to the Shopify platform, like:

• product management
  
  
• payments
  
  
• shipping
  
  
• marketing
  

Availability

Wix Support availability varies depending on the chosen channel. Email and knowledge-based resources are always available. However, live chat and phone support might have limited hours or require waiting times.

On the contrary, Shopify offers 24/7 live chat and phone support on all pain plans. These resources ensure you can get help whenever needed, especially if you encounter urgent issues related to your online store.

Below is the comparison of Wix vs Shopify’s customer support:

So, How Do You Choose?

If you still find it challenging to choose, here are some additional considerations:

Choose Wix if:

• You’re a complete beginner. Wix’s user-friendly setup makes it easier to get started, even without prior website creation experience.
  
  
• Design flexibility is a priority. Wix offers a broader range of templates and more freedom to customize the overall design of your website, even for your online store.
  
  
• You only need a primary online store with a limited number of products. Wix’s eCommerce functionalities are sufficient for simple stores, and their pricing might be more attractive initially.
  
  
• You already use and love Wix integrations. If you’re comfortable with existing marketing, email, or social media integrations offered by Wix, you can leverage those within your online business.
  

Choose Shopify if:

• You prioritize features specifically for running an online store. Shopify offers many apps and functionalities to streamline your eCommerce business’s management of products, inventory, shipping, and marketing.
  
  
• You plan to scale your store significantly. Shopify is more scalable for businesses that expect high volumes of products or sales as their store grows.
  
  
• 24/7 customer support is crucial. Shopify offers readily available live chat and phone support for all paid plans, ensuring you can get help whenever you encounter issues with your store.
  
  
• You need a mobile-first approach. Shopify prioritizes mobile responsiveness, which is critical for today’s shopping trends.
  

How Can Stallion Help You

Shipping and delivery services are important elements of an online store. It’s a good thing you can easily integrate your Wix website or Shopify store with Stallion!

Stallion is Canada’s leading shipping provider. We help businesses of all sizes with various aspects depending on your specific offerings;

ECommerce Businesses:

• Delivery and Shipping. Stallion can be a shipping partner for your online store. We offer various shipping options and rates depending on your package’s size, weight, and destination.
  
  
• Competitive Rates. Stallion offers competitive rates, potentially helping you reduce shipping costs and overall expenses.
  
  
• Convenience. Stallion provides pick-up options or drop-off locations near you, streamlining the shipping process for your online store.
  

Other Businesses:

• Delivery Needs. If your business requires any delivery service, Stallion might be the perfect solution. We could help deliver brand products to clients or partners.
  
  
• Multiple Locations. We could be a good option for businesses that ship or deliver items across various locations. Stallion delivers within Canada, to the US, and internationally!
  

Here’s what you can do to learn more about how Stallion Express can help you:

• Visit our website. The website provides detailed information about our services, pricing, and coverage areas.
  
  
• Contact their sales team. Contact our sales team directly to discuss your specific needs and get a quote for their services.
  

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right platform to build your online store is a crucial first step. We’ve explored the strengths and weaknesses of Wix and Shopify in detail. Ultimately, the best choice depends on your specific goals and priorities.

If you still need to figure it out, consider starting with Wix’s free plan to explore its interface and see if it meets your basic needs. Shopify offers a 14-day free trial, allowing you to test its functionalities before committing.

No matter which platform you choose, your eCommerce store can thrive with dedication and the right tools! As your business flourishes, remember to consider Stallion, a potential partner for your delivery and shipping needs.

Jen Seran

Jen oversees the operations at Stallion Express. She has spent her entire career working in the eCommerce and logistics industry and loves sharing her experience with eCommerce brand owners to help them scale to the next level. Outside of work, she loves to travel, read, and cheer on her favourite Toronto sports teams.