Wix vs Shopify: Which is the Best for Your Online Store?

According to UNCTAD, the digital retail economy enjoyed a massive surge in 2020, rising from 16 per cent to 19 per cent in terms of retail sales. Since it has become commonplace for consumers to turn to online shopping, it’s crucial for a seller entering the e-commerce marketplace to ensure that their website builder is just the right fit. This can make all the difference when it comes to giving consumers a trouble-free shopping experience. Here at Infidigit, we’ve done all the hard work for you! We’ve conducted a deep dive into two extremely popular website builders, Wix vs Shopify, to give you a holistic understanding of which one to choose. 

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What are Wix and Shopify

First off, here’s a quick overview of the two website builders.

The Israeli software company Wix offers cloud-based web developmental services allowing you to create a professional-grade website for all your e-commerce needs. You don’t need coding experience and setting up a Wix website is really a walk in the park.

Shopify is a Canadian e-commerce company that hosts your online store, allowing you to seamlessly set up an online retail presence. There are a variety of e-commerce website themes to choose from that allow you to concentrate on your customer’s online experience while Shopify takes care of the nitty-gritty.

Wix vs Shopify – Quick Comparison

At the outset, Wix leaned towards content-heavy websites. For instance, it was a popular choice for freelance artists to showcase their work and book gigs. It was also used to create landing pages or brochure sites. Content was king with the early-era Wix offerings.

Shopify, as the name suggests, was conceived with a singular vision: to help e-retailers set up a virtual store as quickly as possible. Even though Shopify’s features overlap with Wix, there is no denying that the former aims to meet the specific e-commerce requirements of vendors.

The Shopify vs Wix debate is constantly evolving. Today, both these website builders have evolved to provide their customers with the option of creating either a content-based website, an online storefront, or an amalgamation of both.

Wix vs Shopify – Pros and Cons

• Wix has a user interface that is way easier to come to terms with than Shopify’s. That means a Wix website and storefront, can be up and running in a jiffy.
• Shopify’s e-commerce features are top-notch thus making it a much more powerful alternative to Wix.
• When it comes to sales tools, Shopify has myriad options to choose from and edges Wix in this department.
• If you’re a small business owner or a freelancer, Wix is where you go to create your website. Shopify makes a lot of sense for businesses looking to expand aggressively.
• In terms of budget, Wix is the clear winner with a free plan (with advertisements); and a host of paid monthly plans to choose from. Shopify has no free plan and can get pricier on a monthly basis as you look to expand.
• All of Shopify’s plans come with visitor analytics, a crucial data point for e-retailers, and e-commerce capabilities. Whereas Wix does not provide this information for customers using the free and Combo plans.

Wix vs Shopify – Ease of Use

For a number of first-time e-commerce retailers, simplicity and clarity of the website builder’s UI is a significant marker.

“What you see is what you get” has always been Wix’s mantra. The Wix Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) editor is for complete newbies. All you need to do is answer a few pointed questions and the Wix ADI conjures up a site for you before your coffee turns cold. The other two editors – standard and Editor X – offer drag-and-drop options that let you customize your site based on a Wix template. It really is as simple as it sounds!

Shopify, with its back-end interface, calls for more patience than just a couple of clicks. It does have a ton of powerful tools but customizing your storefront is a learning curve. Shopify has a drag-and-drop editor but it is much more restrictive when compared to Wix’s version. The Shopify editor is not as intuitive and can be a tad frustrating at the outset, as you toggle between the backend and frontend.

All in all, when you’re looking at ease of use in the Shopify vs Wix battle, the latter certainly has the upper hand in this round. 

Wix vs Shopify – Design 

Since Wix began as a content-intensive website builder, it currently offers its users more than 800 creative templates. Coupled with its simpler design UI and you can really stand out in the virtual retail space.

Shopify has a meager ten templates that are free for users to pick from. There are close to a 100 paid themes available but you’ll have to spend at least $150 and above to unlock a theme that sets you apart from the rest.

Wix pulls ahead of Shopify when you’re comparing design capabilities.

Wix vs Shopify – Pricing

Wix offers first-time users the option of a free plan (with ads). Beyond that, pricing begins at an affordable $14 (Combo) and goes up to $49 (VIP). In total, there are 8 plans to choose from. Of these, three plans (billed annually) are for users looking to accept online payments:

• Business Basic: $23 per month
• Business Unlimited: $27 per month
• Business VIP: $49 per month

Shopify, on the other hand, has only a 14-day free trial period after which you will have to fork out depending on your e-retail requirements:

• Basic Shopify: $29 per month
• Shopify: $79 per month
• Advanced Shopify: $299 per month

Shopify has tried to attract individual business owners with Shopify Lite, a $9 per month plan that allows you to accept credit card payments on your website or blog. At the other end of that spectrum, Shopify Plus, starting at $2,000 per month, is aimed at high volume businesses and merchants.

A Note on Affordability

If you’re facing the Shopify vs Wix conundrum in terms of monthly expenditure, you need to evaluate your online retail business. If you’re an individual seller focusing on a small inventory then Wix is your best bet. However, if you’re a prospective online retailer with expansion plans then Shopify is the way to go. It all comes down to the scale, both present and future, of your e-commerce business.

Wix vs Shopify – Plan Features

There are a few common features that are available across Wix’s commercial plans:

• A free custom domain for one year after which you need to pay to keep the domain active,
• Single and recurring secure online payments,
• Anywhere between 20 GB to 50 GB of storage depending on the plan you choose,
• Abandoned cart recovery,
• Unlimited products and ability to sell on social channels,
• Save payment and delivery information of recurring customers,
• Unlimited bandwidth and zero Wix ads on your website.

Additional features for Wix Business Unlimited and Business VIP users include marketplace selling, Modalyst dropshipping, KudoBuzz product reviews, subscription sales, and 100 to 500 automated sales transactions. The top-of-the-line VIP user also receives detailed data reports, a Smile.io loyalty program, and top priority customer support.

The common features across Shopify’s plans are:

• E-commerce website and blog, and the ability to sell on social media and virtual marketplaces, 
• 24/7 support,
• Manual order creation, free SSL certificate, abandoned cart recovery,
• Gift cards and discount codes,
• Fraud Analysis on all Shopify payments, access to Shopify POS Lite to accept payments at temporary physical events, and price rounding to sell in 133 currencies.

Additional features for Advanced Shopify members include 15 staff accounts with admin access, 8 inventory locations, up to 53% shipping discounts, advanced data reports, and the ability to set individual product prices for different countries/regions.

Wix vs Shopify – Payment 

Besides monthly fees for hosting and other virtual retail features, Shopify and Wix vary slightly in terms of credit card processing fees.

In the US, Wix charges 2.9% + 30c whether you’re utilizing Wix Payments or a third-party payment gateway.

Shopify charges 2.4% to 2.9% depending on the plan you’re using. Additionally, there is a transaction fee (0.5% to 2%) if you’re using a non-Shopify payment processor.

Wix vs Shopify – Marketing Features

Whether you’re looking at creating automations, interacting with customers, and enhancing your business through 360-degree marketing, Wix Ascend has you covered. You do need to pay an additional sum for a Wix Ascend plan but you get access to an all-in-one marketing solution.

Shopify provides you with third party apps and you can choose from a wide variety of marketing features. However, it is not as streamlined as Wix Ascend.

When it comes down to SEO, Wix has a slight edge as it prompts you with popular words and phrases that can make all the difference with search engine listing.

Wix vs Shopify – App Store

In order to provide customers a meaningful online shopping experience, Shopify has more than 5,000 apps to choose from. You can hook up dropshipping, customer wishlists, product reviews and currency conversion. These apps can help you scale your business in myriad ways and they’re a great choice for an e-retailer looking to expand.

Wix has a little more than 50 apps to choose from, and if you’re an individual business owner, then it makes sense. However, Shopify has the upper hand in the Shopify vs Wix debate with regard to app store options.

Wix vs Shopify – Security

Considering the sensitive nature of their core feature–to help online retailers reach their customers–Shopify and Wix are always working hard to keep their users out of harm’s way. Both website builders provide free SSL certificates across their plans, PCI compliance, and have a robust security system that protects sellers and customers from DDoS, malware and virus attacks.    

Wix vs Shopify – Customer Support

Shopify provides round-the-clock telephone and live chat support for its users. This is great when you’re trying to resolve issues quickly.

Wix may not have live chat support, but it makes up for that by offering a robust, user-friendly Help Center with video tutorials and written guides. They’re also helpful speech bubbles with tips within the Wix editor for you to easily build a website. 

Overall, both Shopify and Wix pride themselves on quick resolutions but the odds are you won’t need to call Wix Support because of its inherent simplicity.

Wix vs Shopify – Overall Comparison

At the end of the day, you’re going to have to choose one winner between Shopify vs Wix. It all comes down to your specific e-commerce requirements, budget, and your future plans.

Here’s how Wix could help a prospective e-commerce retailer:

• You’re setting up a small store with a minimal inventory,
• You want to creatively design your site down to minor details and you’d like to try innumerable templates before settling on the right one,
• You’re on a budget but you’d still like to offer your customers a professional shopping experience.
• If you can expand your reach through a blog, then Wix, with its top-notch blogging features, is the way to go.

Shopify is your option if:

• You’re running a business that is pretty big and so is your inventory,
• Shopify’s sales tools are robust and designed specifically for you to scale your online retail presence,
• If you have customers abroad and your virtual storefront need access to a variety of payment gateways,
• It’s all about analytics today and big businesses should choose Shopify because of their analytic tools that will show you exactly where you need to improve. 

 FAQ

1. Which one is affordable?

There’s no denying that Wix has plans for every budget, and they even let you build your site, and take it live, for free (without allowing customers to buy). Shopify is pricey if you’re moving beyond the entry-level plan.

2. Which one is better?

That really depends on your online retail requirements. Starting out small with no plans to scale? Wix is the way to go. Looking at expanding your retail reach over the next few years? Shopify is your friend.

3. Do you need technical knowledge to use Wix or Shopify?

You don’t need any coding expertise for both. That being said, Wix has a much more intuitive design UI than Shopify. There is a slightly steeper learning curve with the latter.

4. Which one is good for SEO?

Both Shopify and Wix make it simple for users to improve their search engine rankings. However, Wix edges it in this department by providing helpful keyword suggestions that can strengthen your SEO game.

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