By When it comes to building an online store, two of the most popular platforms are Shopify and Wix. Both have their strengths, and depending on your business needs, one might be a better fit for you. However, choosing the right platform can be tricky, especially with their different pricing structures, features, and scalability. If you’re torn between Shopify and Wix, this guide will break down their differences, helping you decide which is better for your ecommerce business.
Wix vs Shopify: A Quick Overview
Wix is known for being a user-friendly website builder that allows entrepreneurs to create websites and even sell products online. It’s great for small businesses, blogs, and simple ecommerce shops, offering both a free plan and various paid plans that fit different needs.
On the other hand, Shopify is a full-fledged ecommerce platform specifically designed to help businesses scale. It’s an all-in-one solution for online selling, offering tools for inventory management, global selling, payment processing, and more.
Ease of Use: Wix Takes the Lead
When it comes to ease of use, Wix has a significant advantage. The platform is incredibly beginner-friendly, with drag-and-drop functionality and a simple interface that makes it easy for anyone to build a website. Additionally, Wix features ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence), which can automatically create a website for you based on some basic information.
Shopify, while powerful, is a bit more complex. Its additional ecommerce functionalities, such as inventory management and advanced shipping options, make it more robust but also more difficult to navigate, especially for first-time users.
Winner: Wix
Build Time: Wix Wins Again
Because Wix is more intuitive and quicker to learn, building a website on this platform is faster compared to Shopify. With Wix’s ADI, you can have a website ready in minutes, and with its simple drag-and-drop editor, you can easily customize your site.
Shopify’s platform, while not slow, is designed for users building larger, more complex stores. Therefore, the build time for Shopify is longer as it requires more setup for features like inventory tracking, multiple payment gateways, and shipping configurations.
Winner: Wix
Design and Themes: Shopify Shines Here
Both platforms offer stunning templates, but Shopify is the clear winner when it comes to professional design and mobile responsiveness. Shopify’s themes are modern, well-organized, and fully responsive, ensuring your online store looks great on any device.
Wix offers over 800 templates, but not all of them are fully mobile-optimized. This can be a significant downside for ecommerce stores that need to cater to mobile shoppers. Additionally, while Wix allows greater design flexibility, this can sometimes lead to issues with mobile responsiveness, which isn’t ideal for online stores.
Winner: Shopify
Sales Features: Shopify’s Comprehensive Tools
When it comes to ecommerce functionality, Shopify is the obvious winner. As a dedicated ecommerce platform, Shopify provides an extensive suite of tools to help you manage your online store. It includes features for inventory management, shipping, taxes, multichannel selling (via social media and marketplaces like Amazon), and dropshipping.
Wix does have ecommerce capabilities, but they are more limited compared to Shopify. While Wix allows you to sell products, its ecommerce features aren’t as advanced. For example, Wix lacks built-in tools for pre-orders and doesn’t offer the level of integration with external sales channels that Shopify does.
Winner: Shopify
SEO: Wix Outperforms Shopify
SEO is essential for any online business, and both platforms provide SEO tools. Wix offers built-in keyword research support and allows you to edit meta tags, URLs, and alt-text for images, which is vital for boosting your site’s visibility on search engines.
Shopify also provides SEO tools, but it lacks some of the more advanced features Wix offers. For example, Shopify doesn’t have native keyword research tools, making it a bit less comprehensive for SEO management. Additionally, Wix’s flexibility with URLs and its automatic redirects for edited URLs give it an edge over Shopify’s URL structure.
Winner: Wix
Security: It’s a Tie
Both platforms offer solid security measures, including SSL certificates and PCI-DSS compliance for safe transactions. Wix and Shopify ensure that your online store is secure and that customer data is protected.
For users concerned about security, rest assured that both platforms take the necessary precautions, so there’s no clear winner here.
Winner: Tie
Customer Support: Shopify Provides 24/7 Assistance
When it comes to customer support, Shopify is superior. It offers 24/7 live chat, phone support, and email assistance, ensuring you can get help whenever needed. Shopify also has a larger user base, which means more community support and resources.
Wix offers live chat and email support as well but lacks phone support. It also has callback options during business hours and a comprehensive help center.
Winner: Shopify
Pricing: Wix Wins for Budget-Friendly Options
Pricing is a crucial factor for many business owners, and in this category, Wix takes the prize. Wix offers a free plan, which is perfect for individuals looking to create a website without any online store functionality. Paid plans start as low as $17 per month for the Business Basic plan.
Shopify’s pricing starts at $29 per month for its Basic Shopify plan, which is more expensive than Wix’s options. While Shopify offers robust ecommerce tools, the higher cost may not be justified for small businesses or startups on a budget.
Winner: Wix
Final Thoughts: Shopify or Wix?
When comparing Shopify and Wix, the best choice depends on your business needs. Wix is perfect for small businesses, portfolios, blogs, or smaller ecommerce shops. It offers an easy-to-use interface, quicker build time, and budget-friendly pricing. If you are looking for a simple solution to build a website with basic online selling capabilities, Wix is your platform.
However, if you’re looking to scale your business, need robust ecommerce features, and require advanced sales tools, Shopify is the better option. Shopify excels in multichannel selling, shipping, inventory management, and offering professional templates that are perfect for growing your online store.
Winner: Shopify
If you’re still unsure which platform suits your needs, here are some final recommendations:
- Choose Wix if you’re building a small store, a blog, or a portfolio, and you prefer a quick and easy website setup.
- Go with Shopify if you’re looking to build a serious online store that can scale, with advanced features like dropshipping, inventory management, and more.
Ultimately, both platforms are fantastic in their own right, and your choice will come down to your specific business goals and how much functionality you need.