When starting an online business, selecting the best eCommerce platform is crucial. Two popular options are Shopify and Wix. Both offer website building and eCommerce capabilities. Shopify is known for its scalability, extensive features, and 24/7 support, making it a top choice.
In contrast, Wix is more user-friendly and better suited for content-rich websites with basic eCommerce functions. Forbes Advisor has compared the features of the eCommerce Wix or Shopify platforms, and the best choice ultimately depends on the specific requirements of the business.
This blog will discuss the similarities and differences between Shopify and Wix to help you make an informed decision.
But first, let’s discuss some terms!!
What is Shopify?
Shopify is a cloud-based eCommerce platform that serves as an all-in-one solution for businesses to start, run, and grow their online store. It provides a user-friendly interface that requires no technical skills and offers a range of eCommerce features, including order management, secure payments, mobile commerce, SEO tools, and analytics tools.
Shopify is a popular business choice, with almost 1 million live stores in over 175 countries. The platform also offers different pricing plans to meet various business needs and budgets, making it a reliable and ideal choice for setting up an online shop.
What is Wix?
Wix is a platform that enables users to create and customize websites without coding or web design skills. Wix provides a variety of templates and features, making it a popular choice for businesses. It is widely known for its user-friendliness and affordability. Wix also provides marketing and e-commerce tools.
6 Key Differences Between Shopify and Wix
1. Pricing
A comparison between eCommerce Wix and Shopify platforms without considering their prices would be incomplete.
To determine which platform offers better pricing, let’s take a closer look at Shopify’s plans.
Shopify pricing
Shopify’s pricing plans may seem expensive compared to some other platforms. However, they offer a variety of features.
- The Starter plan is the most suitable option for selling your products through social media, SMS, and email. It costs $5 per month. With this plan, you don’t need to build a full store and can manage your business performance through the Shopify dashboard.
- The Basic Shopify plan, which costs $39/month, provides all the basic eCommerce functions and is suitable for merchants who want to set up a Shopify store or have just started a business.
- The Shopify plan costs $105/month and includes everything in the Basic plan, professional sales report features, and global selling support.
- The Advanced Shopify plan, which costs $399/month, offers all the advanced features. It’s perfect for medium-to-large businesses that need to grow fast.
In addition to a 3-day free trial, Shopify is currently offering an exclusive, time-limited offer of “1$ for 3 months”.
Wix pricing
Wix eCommerce offers three different pricing plans for its users. These plans are priced between $27 and $59.
- The first plan is Business Basic, which costs $27 monthly. It provides a set of features to new business owners to help them start selling online. This plan includes unlimited bandwidth, a free domain for a year, sales analytics, and reports.
- The second plan is Business Unlimited, which costs $32 per month. The upgraded plan includes everything in the basic plan: additional storage, advanced eCommerce features, and a professional logo. Additionally, users receive extra deals such as tax calculators, drop shipping, and multiple currencies.
- The third plan is Business VIP, which costs $59 per month. It provides users with unlimited plan features and priority support. In addition, users can expect prompt responses to their questions and calls. Finally, this plan offers users valuable reports that provide insights and support data-driven decision-making for their business.
2. Easy of use
Let’s find out the Wix vs. Shopify comparison – which is easier to use here?
Shopify
Shopify has a separate dashboard and editing system. As a result, you will need to switch between the preview and back-end to review the outcome and front-end interface.
Setting up your site ideally may take some extra time with Shopify’s division. Fortunately, various pre-made templates allow you to create a professional and visually appealing storefront easily.
Once you’ve set up your storefront, you can easily add your products and start selling. These templates are particularly beneficial for medium-to-large businesses in the long run.
Wix
Discussing the ease of use of Wix’s business model is essential.
Once your store setup is complete, it’s time to build a successful eCommerce Wix store effortlessly.
Wix’s drag-and-drop creator simplifies content management for merchants. Without any technical expertise, users can easily click on the feature they want to manage (like a title, image, logo, etc.) and drag it anywhere on the front-end interface.
Additionally, Wix provides two artificial intelligence technologies – Wix ADI and Wix Editor – to assist you in creating your online store from the beginning.
3. Templates and customizability
It is clear that an attractive storefront can attract customers and increase sales. Luckily, both Shopify and Wix offer a wide range of professionally designed and responsive templates that can meet the needs of any store owner. Moreover, these platforms allow you to make custom changes to your website using coding languages.
Let’s now compare Shopify and Wix’s templates and customization options in detail:
Shopify themes
Wix provides free templates, but Shopify offers 110+ themes specifically designed for online stores at $140 to $350. Although the cost may appear high, each paid theme is a worthy investment in terms of both aesthetics and functionality.
Furthermore, if you wish to add new elements or features to enhance the appearance of your website, Shopify Liquid offers a reliable method to modify the underlying code. This feature enables you to browse through various designs that can be personalized to suit your needs.
Wix themes
Several free Wix website design templates are available that can be customized for sales purposes.
Wix provides three built-in design tools, including Wix Editor X, Wix ADI, and Editor, to help you quickly design your storefront.
4. Loading speed
The ideal loading speed of your site must be under 3 seconds to avoid website abandonment.
So, let’s keep an eye on the Wix vs. Shopify loading speed comparison and find which one is best.
Shopify
Shopify is considered one of the top alternatives to Wix when it comes to performance. It has been tested to be the second-fastest platform, especially on mobile devices. This feature helps in retaining customers’ attention on your website.
Wix
However, Wix also offers specific guidelines to optimize website structure and performance. For example, you can improve your site’s loading time by following Wix’s suggestions, which can maintain a speed between 85% and 90%. Moreover, you can also check out Wix’s best practices to enhance your site’s overall performance.
5. Apps store
By integrating apps, you can enhance your online store’s performance and access a wider range of resources and features. This will strengthen your store’s capabilities and improve its overall functionality. Both Wix and Shopify offer app stores that provide various free and paid apps to support eCommerce across all regions. Now, let’s compare these two eCommerce platforms.
Shopify
The Shopify App Store offers many functions to help you expand your store. It has over 8000 apps, including third-party applications, that can assist merchants with everything from uploading files without coding to sending customized push notifications.
Wix
Compared to Shopify, Wix has over 200 apps and add-ons divided into six main categories:
- Marketing
- Selling online
- Services and events
- Media and content
- Design elements
- Communication.
However, Shopify has more options than Wix. Wix offers both free and paid apps, with prices ranging from $5 to $30 for the paid ones, making them quite affordable.
6. eCommerce features
When comparing Wix and Shopify, it’s essential to consider the eCommerce features that can improve your business performance. Below are some features:
- Inventory Management
- Shipping Options
- POS
7. Inventory management
Shopify
When comparing inventory management options, Shopify and Wix both offer features to help you keep track of your stock. Shopify provides automated purchase orders, year-end inventory reporting, and user permissions, among other benefits. You can install Stocky for advanced inventory management that syncs in real time through the Shopify POS.
Wix
Meanwhile, Wix’s open APIs enable you to connect your inventory methods to your store for constant syncing. With Wix, you can manually set inventory status or track inventory amounts automatically. Overall, both platforms offer tools to optimize your inventory management.
8. POS
Shopify
Shopify is known for its exceptional Point of Sale (POS) solution. With Shopify, you can enjoy seamless in-person transactions using Shopify POS Lite (included in your Shopify plan) or Shopify POS Pro ($89/month). In addition, their POS system offers numerous benefits, including detailed reporting and analytics.
Wix
Wix has its own POS system, but it doesn’t seem to be their strong suit. In addition, Wix POS is only available for a limited number of US-based merchants. Therefore, most Wix users must opt for POS integration through another service provider.
9. Shipping options
Shipping is one of the essential processes by which the products and items are delivered to your consumers. So let’s check out Wix and Shopify shipping options:
Shopify
Shopify offers comprehensive support for all aspects of the shipping process, including free shipping and coordination with alternative providers. In addition, you have the flexibility to set up shipping rates based on region and other factors. With the Advanced Shopify plan, you can even access third-party calculated shipping rates to show customers the most current prices.
No matter what, Shopify will always have your back when it comes to shipping.
Wix
On the other hand, Wix requires you to use shipping apps for global payments, which can be inconvenient. However, Wix does offer a helpful guide to setting up shipping, delivery, and pickup. It’s worth noting that Wix does not provide printable shipping labels or allow you to set tax rules for individual products.
Shopify Vs. Wix: Which One is Better?
When it comes to selecting between Wix and Shopify, it depends on the specific needs of your business.
- Wix offers better value for money and is recommended for small businesses and first-time users due to its user-friendly builder and affordability. On the other hand, Shopify is better suited for handling large businesses due to its advanced sales tools, scalability, and payment gateways.
- In terms of design functionalities, pricing, and marketing features, Wix has an advantage over Shopify, while Shopify is better in product and inventory features, payment options, and shipping.
- On the other hand, Shopify is easier to use for building an online store and is vital in scalability, e-commerce features, and customer support. Wix, on the other hand, is perfect for content-rich websites that offer essential e-commerce functions.
All in all, it’s crucial to assess your business needs and budget to decide which platform will work best for you.
Conclusion
Both Shopify and Wix have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. However, Wix is an excellent option for individuals or small businesses who are not familiar with website building.
Meanwhile, Shopify is better suited for larger businesses with e-commerce needs. Its apps offer greater flexibility and management options for online stores.
All in all, the choice between these two depends on your own needs and the goals of your business.