Ecommerce and dropshipping may just be the way to your financial freedom.
When it comes to both of these things, there are two different platforms that you can use: Shopify or Wix. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, but which one is the best?
The answer depends on your needs as an eCommerce business owner.
In this post, we will discuss what Shopify and Wix offer to make an informed decision about your options for an eCommerce platform.
Shopify vs. Wix: Which Is Best for eCommerce?
Wix and Shopify may seem very similar at first glance.
For instance, they have many common features, including:
- Intuitive website builder
- Creating online stores where you can sell products
- The ability to add a blog without any coding knowledge
The differences lie in their features and the way you sell online products on them, but each platform has pros and cons that can make one better than the other for certain people or businesses.
On on hand, you have Shopify, which is a paid platform with many different features, including:
- Data collection for marketing purposes
- SEO optimization built into the system so that your shop is always optimized.
On the other hand, you have Wix eCommerce, which is also an excellent choice because it offers free services such as :
- A wider variety of blog and website building options
- Free hosting for your shop
If you are looking to create a shop or need a platform with excellent search engine optimization, then Shopify is the best choice.
But, if you want more freedom in designing your site or don’t have any eCommerce experience, Wix may be the better option for you.
Ultimately, it comes down to what is best for your business and needs as a shop owner.
With knowing what is functional marketing and why it’s important, you can make a decision on which eCommerce platform is best for your business.
We’ll now look in more detail at both Wix and Shopify so you can pick the one that’s right for you.
Wix vs. Shopify Pricing
Pricing plans should be the first thing to discuss.
There is no point in discussing how great a product is when you can’t afford it in reality. So, let’s take a look at the pricing of both these tools closely.
Wix and Shopify both offer different monthly payment structures.
Shopify is a paid platform (basic Shopify plan starting at $29/month) with many great features like data collection, website templates, etc. But if your business gets larger or you are serious about your success, you’ll need to opt-in for the higher $75/month plan.
(They also feature the business unlimited plan for $299/month, which is geared for scaling businesses.)
You can see the full Shopify plans and pricing here.
Shopify also allows you to use Shopify Lite, which can be very handy.
In essence, it allows you to use your already existing website and turn it into a money-making business.
You get a lot of eCommerce features like a cart, payment gateway and inventory management for only $9 per month.
Wix is a whole other story, though. It offers services like a wide variety of website and blog options together with hosting —for FREE.
That’s right. The basic plan costs $0.00 per month.
You pay nothing at all, no additional payments (unless you want more features). However, just because Wix features a free plan, it doesn’t mean that you should get it instantly.
In fact, I highly suggest signing up for paid plans for only 17 EUR/month.
You get a lot more features, custom domains, and a free SSL certificate (I am sure you don’t want your customers to see the “This is not a safe website” message.
You can see the full Wix pricing and eCommerce plans here.
Wix or Shopify: The Pricing Bottomline
If you are unsure which one of these tools is the right one and don’t want to waste any money, you can also hop on their 14-day free trial.
This allows you to play with them and discover which suits you more.
Bottom line, if you are on a tight budget and can’t afford to pay anywhere from $29 to $75 per month, your best bet is Wix.
But if you can squeeze in a few bucks, Shopify may just be the one.
Keep on reading to discover more.
Wix vs. Shopify: Transaction Fees
When it comes to pricing, it’s also important to mention the transaction fees. Since Shopify deals with shop and inventory, they charge a higher percentage for every sale than Wix.
Wix charges only 20% of your profit, while Shopify takes up to 25%.
That may not seem like much, but it adds up over time. For example: if you have an item that costs $100 and you sell it for $200, Shopify will charge $25.00 in transaction fees while Wix charges only 20%.
So with Shopify, you end up paying an extra $20, which can be quite a lot if your sales are pretty high. And because the difference between these two platforms is so minimal, Shopify is the better option for shop owners.
But that doesn’t mean that a Wix website is useless and shouldn’t be used.
In fact, many shop owners use Wix because of its ease of use in building a site from scratch.
Plus, the $0 per month price tag cannot be beaten! It’s also great for online business owners who have a smaller budget or are just starting with their business, in general.
So, it mostly depends on the number of sales you have.
If you sell expensive items, high-paying fees may be a problem. For that reason, shop owners should use Shopify.
If you are just starting and don’t have many sales to profit from, Wix is the way to go.
Bottom line: Either one will work for your business as long as it’s within your budget!
Wix vs. Shopify: Customer Support
Wix and Shopify indeed have different customer support tactics, but this can be seen from two perspectives.
One would say that Shopify has more reliable support.
It’s a paid solution which means they have more people that can help you with your concerns.
Also, they feature more contact options — live chat, email and phone.
But, that doesn’t mean that Wix’s customer support is terrible.
Wix offers a phone option and a contact form, so it’s just as good in that sense. It also has the advantage of being free, which means more people can access their help when they need it — no matter what your budget for shop or website hosting might be!
On top of that, both of these platforms feature FAQ pages for quick help.
And even when it may seem like an excellent addition for shop owners, it’s not as intuitive and easy to use as you would think.
This is mainly because you often have to search for an answer to your query before accessing email forms or phone.
In addition, phone support isn’t a gem, either.
This is mostly because they feature only a request callback option (you need to wait for customer support to call you.)
This can be very inconvenient if you are in a hurry to fix a problem.
Bottom line: Shopify has more reliable customer support, but Wix is still a good option. But overall, you may get frustrated very quickly with both of them.
Wix vs. Shopify: Security Concerns
If the security of your website is a big concern, then Shopify is the better option for you. This is because Shopify has many features aimed at keeping your website secure and safe.
For instance: Shopify provides SSL certificates while Wix doesn’t let you have one by default (you need to pay extra). Other than that, Shopify also provides email confirmation requirements and two-factor authentication, which is a nice touch.
But that doesn’t mean Wix is bad security-wise, either!
Wix has a firewall and malware scan, which protects your shop from any malicious threats or viruses.
Plus, it also features the shop’s URL as a safety measure.
So whichever one you choose would be fine, but Shopify is just slightly better in this aspect.
Bottom line: Shopify provides more security features, and for that reason should be your choice if security is important to you!
Wix vs. Shopify: Ecommerce
If you are looking for a Shopify or Wix to build your eCommerce store, then Shopify is the way to go. It has more features than Wix, making it easier with its drag and drop website builder.
(This would be so much better if you don’t like coding.)
Also, Shopify has more payment options, making it a lot better for shop owners who are just starting.
For instance, Shopify has a credit card and PayPal support, but Wix doesn’t (at least not in the free plan — you need to pay extra).
But that doesn’t mean Wix is wrong, mainly if you use a paid plan.
In fact, it’s quite the opposite!
Wix offers more payment options if you pay for their Pro plan — which has just as many features and benefits as Shopify.
It’s also more intuitive to use than Shopify, and it also features more templates. However, both of them are great, especially with a paid plan.
They include a wide variety of features like abandoned cart recovery, email marketing and payment processing.
They are great options if you are looking to start an eCommerce right.
But sure, if you are on the budget, Wix’s free plan may not be enough…
Bottom line: They are both great for e-commerce, but Shopify is the way to go if you are looking for a shop and don’t mind paying a little extra!
Wix vs. Shopify – 3rd Party Apps
When it comes to e-commerce features, Shopify is the one platform that has all of them.
This is because new features and addons are first developed for Shopify
So, it offers more third-party apps than Wix, and it also includes a wide variety! Shopify’s app market is packed with some great features for shop owners to use.
For instance, If you go to the app store, you can find great free software like Easy Digital Downloads, which allows you to sell your digital products.
Plus, it has the best coupon feature for shop owners who want to offer their customers deals and discounts. Shopify also includes a Facebook page and other social media widgets, which are very useful when you want to share your shop!
But, even though Wix doesn’t have the quantity a Shopify has, it certainly has the quality.
In fact, it features incredibly helpful plugins like Orderly and MailChimp, which are perfect for shop owners who want to save time on marketing.
Bottom line: Shopify has more third-party apps available than Wix, but some of them will cost extra! Both platforms offer quality plugins that shop owners can use.
Wix vs. Shopify: Performance
Wix and Shopify are both very fast.
However, Wix is a bit slower than Shopify when loading pages because it loads all of its content at the same time.
This means that if you have many images or videos on one page, there will be an initial delay before anything else comes up, which can be annoying.
On the other hand, Shopify uses lazy loading, which means it loads your content as you scroll, making it much faster and more responsive to use — especially if you have a lot of content!
But, we can also look at the performance from a different perspective.
When it comes to preparing templates, then Wix really shines.
You can do almost everything in Wix’s templates without coding in a matter of a few minutes. You can also easily delete or modify content files and just about everything else.
But, Shopify isn’t bad, either!
In fact, it’s great for shop owners who want the freedom of building their website without any limitations. Plus, you also have ultimate control over your store layout — which is a considerable advantage compared to Wix.
Bottom line: Shopify is just a bit better than Wix when loading pages, but they are both very fast platforms. Wix is more reliable and intuitive in some areas, which makes it a bit superior for beginners.
Wix vs. Shopify: Themes and Design
Wix and Shopify both offer a wide variety of designs for shop owners to use. Wix’s themes are more static than Shopify, which is excellent if you want something simple and uncomplicated.
The look can be customized in several ways, but the design stays relatively the same. Unfortunately, this means that there will not be many unique designs for shop owners to choose from.
Wix also offers 800 free templates, which give you much more variety, especially if you are on a tight budget, as Shopify allows you to use only 9 free themes.
(You can also pay for 72 additional themes, but it’s nowhere near 800.)
On the other hand, Shopify themes are a lot more customizable and can be changed as often as you want!
There’s also plenty of different options that professionals have designed — so if you’re looking for something cool or quirky, then this is the eCommerce platform for you.
This is a nice touch because it allows you to choose from 1,500+ themes.
That’s right, even though Shopify provides only 81 themes, you can choose from over 1,500 other third-party themes from developers.
Bottom line: Wix’s themes are static and offer a limited amount of design options. Shopify allows shop owners more freedom for customization, but the designs can be pretty repetitive.
If you’re looking for something unique, go with Wix!
Wix vs. Shopify: Point of Sale Functionality
Point of sale (POS) is an eCommerce functionality. It’s a place where a customer executes the payment for goods or services and where sales taxes may become payable.
Both platforms offer shop owners a super-easy integration, which is fantastic for managing stock levels and sales.
But, Shopify offers an even better POS system because it features inventory management, the ability to create product bundles or kits, and customer loyalty programs!
Wix’s shop software doesn’t have these options.
But, it shines in other areas, such as the ability to track inventory levels, manage customer information and disputes.
Bottom line: Shopify POS is more advanced because it has built-in features for managing shop owners’ stock levels and sales. Wix offers a basic point-of-sale system with only limited options, but it has some valuable tools for helping you.
But hey, if you are just starting, Wix has all you need.
Wix vs. Shopify: Abandoned Cart Recovery
You never know when someone is going to abandon their shopping cart and shop elsewhere.
And the worst part is that chances are, this customer will never come back to shop with you again.
So, what can you do?
How about installing a plugin for Wix or Shopify which automatically reminds your customers of their abandoned carts?
Both platforms have an option like this which you can easily install.
But, Shopify has a better abandoned-cart recovery service because it will offer your customers coupons from the checkout page they previously viewed!
This means you’ll have another chance of selling to them if they don’t purchase anything for some reason.
Wix has a similar plugin, but it doesn’t offer the same discount coupons.
But unlike Shopify, Wix can offer shop owners a chat widget that allows shop customers to communicate with them directly and ask questions.
Bottom line: Shopify’s abandoned cart recovery is superior because it offers coupons for discounts on the products that they previously viewed in your shop!
Wix has its plugin but does not offer the same type of services.
Shopify vs. Wix: Dropshipping
Dropshipping is a type of eCommerce where shop owners don’t need to worry about the storage and shipment process.
All they have to do is drop-ship products from suppliers directly to customers.
Both Shopify and Wix offer this feature, but there are some slight differences.
Shopify has more dropshipping providers available, making it easier for shop owners to find the ones that suit them best.
Also, Shopify provides shop owners with a dashboard that helps them keep track of the products they need.
On the other hand, Wix offers more features for shop owners who want to start their own dropshipping business.
It features fewer dropshipping providers but includes an inventory management system that is more developed.
Wix’s shop software can also integrate with your chosen supplier and automatically sync new products, prices or discounts within the platform — that way, you never miss a sale!
Bottom line: Shopify offers more dropshipping providers and is, therefore, easier for shop owners to find the ones that suit them best.
Wix has limited options, but its platform still allows shop owners to benefit from drop-shipping if they can’t find a provider through Shopify.
Shopify vs. Wix: Selling Digital Products
Both Shopify and Wix allow shop owners to sell digital products such as eBooks, photos or songs.
Shopify allows shop owners to create links for digital products, sending the customer straight to an online download page.
Wix doesn’t offer the same option, but it has a complete product management system that allows shop owners to track the digital products they sell.
Wix also has this feature built-in, unlike Shopify, where you need to set up the Digital Downloads app first.
But, even though Shopify may seem more complex, it can really shine.
Especially when it comes to selling to EU users because you need to handle the VAT Moss, which is an EU tax.
And trust me, Shopify gets a lot better job done in this area.
Bottom line: Shopify makes it easier to send customers straight to an online download page.
Wix doesn’t offer the same option, but they have a more complete product management system with built-in features that shop owners can use for digital products.
Overall, Shopify seems to be a bit superior in selling digital products.
Shopify vs. Wix: Email Marketing
Because email marketing has the highest ROI of all marketing channels, it’s important to talk about this feature.
Both Shopify and Wix offer shop owners email marketing, but it might require a bit of tweaking.
Shopify has an app that allows shop owners to set up mailing lists, design newsletters, automate emails, create links for giveaways or discounts, and add analytics tools — all with just one click!
Wix, on the other hand, doesn’t offer the same app.
But shop owners can still create newsletters and design them with their HTML and CSS skills – they’ll just need to figure out how to integrate those into the shop software or manually enter it each time you want a new newsletter sent.
But overall, both of them get the job done one way or another.
Bottom line: Shopify offers more email marketing features that make it easier for shop owners to set up mailing lists and design newsletters without having any HTML skills.
Wix is limited in this area, but shop owners can still create newsletters with their HTML skills.
Shopify vs. Wix: GDPR
GDPR is a big concern you should be able to handle well.
Generally speaking, these eCommerce platforms alone are pretty good in this area and handle GDPR pretty well.
Shopify is GDPR compliant, and their shop owners have access to a dashboard that makes it easy for them to add the necessary data protection clauses.
On the other hand, Wix doesn’t offer any such tool or features, although they mention these requirements in their terms of service.
However, Wix shop owners can purchase an app that helps them with GDPR compliance.
(You just purchase an app, set it up, and you are good to go.)
Bottom line: both of these platforms are good for shop owners who want to make sure they’re compliant with GDPR, but Shopify seems a bit better in this area since it has specific features available and is easier to set up.
Wix vs. Shopify Comparison: Conclusion
There is no clear winner. Shop owners should pick the eCommerce platform that suits them the most, and it’s important to consider all features before doing so.
This is especially the case when you’re building an eCommerce site or looking for a more powerful eCommerce website builder for your shop.
But overall, both of them are great for small businesses that are looking to thrive.
Also, be sure to check my other posts where you can learn more about how I started making 300 USD a day (without any knowledge of business.)
FAQ Questions
What’s cheaper, Wix or Shopify?
When it comes to price, Wix is the king.
This is mostly because it includes a free version in which you don’t need to pay anything ($0.00/month.)
On the other hand, Shopify is paid. The basic plan starts at $29/month.
Do Shopify and Wix have a multilingual capacity?
Yes, both Shopify and Wix have multilingual capabilities. They offer over 100 languages.
Can I code on Shopify and Wix?
No.
Shopify and Wix are not platforms for coding. They’re eCommerce builders that offer a drag-and-drop system where shop owners can choose templates to create their shop without any code experience necessary.
Do Wix and Shopify have a discount functionality?
Both Shopify and Wix have a discount functionality. In essence, shop owners can set up a discount and give it to specific customers or create an ongoing promotion.
Can I sell products on Wix?
Wix doesn’t offer shop owners a storefront, but they have an app that helps you set up your shop with features like customer accounts and drop-shipping.
Are Wix and Shopify themes mobile responsive?
Yes, both platforms are mobile responsive. Everything is nicely optimized on all devices, so shop owners don’t need to worry about that.
Which is better for SEO, Wix or Shopify?
It seems like Shopify is better at SEO.
The shop owners can preview the shop and how it will appear in search engines. They also have access to other tools that help them optimize their shop for ranking purposes, such as Google Analytics, webmaster tool integration and more.
Wix doesn’t offer this feature, but you can still use a third-party application that helps shop owners with search engine optimization.
Keep reading on MikeVestil.com: Here’s an article comparing Weebly vs. WordPress for another look at two big platforms you might also want to consider.
