Wix and Shopify emerged as standout website builders, particularly renowned within the realm of eCommerce businesses.
Potential online project founders often have questions about the platform that suits their project best. That's why I decided to compare the components and features of Wix and Shopify so that after reading our article, you can determine what to use for your eCommerce project.
So, let's start our comparative competition between Shopify and Wix.
- Pricing
When it comes to pricing for your eCommerce project, comparing Shopify and Wix is essential to make an informed decision. Both platforms offer various plans with distinct features, catering to different business needs and budgets.
Shopify provides a range of pricing tiers, starting with the Basic Shopify plan, which offers essential eCommerce features. As you move up the ladder to the Shopify and Advanced Shopify plans, you unlock more advanced tools for growing your business. Additionally, Shopify Plus caters to larger enterprises with higher requirements.
On the other hand, Wix offers various pricing plans too, including Business Basic, Business Unlimited, and Business VIP. Each plan brings its own set of features and capabilities to the table.
To determine what's better for your e-commerce project, you need to consider factors like your budget, the scale of your business, your required features, and your growth expectations. If you're a small business or just starting out, Wix might be more budget-friendly, but Shopify's robust e-commerce features and scalability could be advantageous as your business expands.
Ultimately, the "better" option depends on your specific needs and long-term goals.
- Security
Both platforms offer Free SSL certificates, uphold PCI compliance, and come equipped with integrated security features.
SSL serves as a safeguard for your customers' sensitive information, including login credentials and payment particulars. Beyond its security implications, SSL also holds significance as a ranking criterion for Google's search algorithm.
It's important to note that PCI compliance is a prerequisite for conducting online sales and processing card payments. The assurance of both platforms holding Level 1 PCI DSS certification and TLS 1.2 (Transport Layer Security) compliance implies that your online store will inherently adhere to these stringent security standards. This level of compliance ensures the utmost security for clients' transactions.
Beyond compliance, both e-commerce platforms facilitate HTTPS connections. This not only reinforces customer trust by showcasing your commitment to their security but also indicates the secure nature of your website.
Regardless of whether you opt for Shopify or Wix, your website will receive automatic security updates whenever these platforms roll out new patches. This advantage stems from their shared characteristic as centralized Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions.
- Social media integration
In our opinion, Shopify has several advantages over Wix in this functionality.
Why?
Shopify stands out due to its extensive array of sales channels that seamlessly integrate with your store. Moreover, it offers a streamlined one-tap checkout feature, enabling customers to complete purchases directly on Facebook without being redirected.
With Shopify, you can effortlessly synchronize your product catalog with Facebook and effortlessly incorporate discount codes into your social posts. This strategic approach can significantly enhance your sales on social platforms, enticing a greater number of your followers to make purchases from your store.
Both Shopify and Wix enable you to conduct sales through Facebook and effectively manage ad campaigns on the platform. This dual capability opens doors to wider audiences, exposing your brand to potential customers who might have remained out of reach through other means.
- Dropshipping: Wix vs. Shopify
Champion: Shopify
Why?
Shopify secures the lead in the dropshipping arena for several compelling reasons. One of its standout features is the integration with Oberlo, allowing you to effortlessly sell an extensive range of products without any limitations. Additionally, Shopify provides you with the flexibility to collaborate with a wider array of dropshipping companies and carriers, enhancing convenience and options.
In contrast, Wix offers a more limited scope by providing only three drop shipping carriers, which can limit your choices when it comes to delivering packages to your customers.
Another key advantage of Shopify is its comprehensive dropshipping starter kit. This inclusive package grants you a 14-day free trial of Shopify Plus, accompanied by valuable tools designed to guide you through the process of launching a successful dropshipping store. This valuable resource empowers you to embark on your dropshipping venture with confidence.
Furthermore, while Wix imposes a cap of 250 products for dropshipping, Shopify removes such constraints entirely. This means that with Shopify's dropshipping functionality, you're free to offer an unlimited number of products to your customers.
- Shopify vs. Wix: Website builder
Wix takes the lead due to its emphasis on user-friendliness, catering especially to beginners. All your edits and customizations can be seamlessly managed from a single hub. The drag-and-drop feature simplifies the process of constructing your online site, making it both swift and straightforward.
Real-time previews of page changes eradicate any potential surprises in the future. This ensures that you have the opportunity to adjust and fine-tune elements before they are unveiled, allowing you to maintain full control over your site's appearance.
For those seeking additional assistance, Wix provides "Wix ADI" and "Wix Editor" technologies, acting as supportive tools in your website-building journey.
Wix boasts a more extensive selection of templates (122) compared to Shopify's offerings (80), and the best part is that all these templates come at no cost. This contrasts with Shopify's themes, which might incur expenses of up to $350. The ability to meticulously personalize each template element empowers you to align your site with your brand identity.
E-commerce templates on Wix come equipped with a dedicated store page, alleviating concerns about setting up your online shop. Managing products, adding collections, and grouping items for a seamless user experience are all made hassle-free.
It's important to note that Wix templates have a limitation – once chosen, they can't be changed. While customization is possible, the core template remains fixed throughout.
In comparison, Shopify's store builder entails a somewhat more intricate editor, which might prove less intuitive for newcomers. Navigating between the frontend and backend for edits can be slightly less seamless. This distinction arises from Shopify's division of the dashboard and editing systems within the platform.
- Shopify SEO vs. Wix SEO
In our opinion, Shopify has several advantages over Wix in this functionality.
Why?
Shopify emerges as the frontrunner for several compelling reasons. Notably, Shopify delivers a fully responsive website, a feature not present in Wix. This facet significantly aids in SEO optimization, aligning with Google's preference for responsive and "mobile-first" sites. This, in turn, grants you a competitive edge in achieving higher rankings within search engine results.
Furthermore, Shopify offers the advantage of AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) for your product pages. This enhancement not only contributes to improved search result rankings but also facilitates faster page loading on mobile devices, positively impacting user dwell times.
Shopify goes the extra mile by automating certain aspects of SEO for your convenience. For instance, it automatically integrates auto-generated canonical tags, effectively preventing the display of duplicate content in search results. Additionally, Shopify takes care of creating 301 redirects whenever a page's URL changes. This is crucial since search engines, particularly Google, frown upon pages that are missing or inaccessible.
Both platforms afford you the ability to customize meta titles, meta descriptions, and URL slugs. You also have the flexibility to modify page titles, descriptions, headings, alt texts, and redirects. Sitemaps are accessible on both Shopify and Wix, facilitating search engine crawlers' navigation of your site.
However, Wix offers some distinctive features worth mentioning. It provides keyword support and boasts more robust blogging capabilities compared to Shopify. These attributes work synergistically to enhance your online presence across a wider range of searches.
Notably, Wix introduces "SEO Wiz," a valuable tool for those new to SEO. By posing relevant questions about your site, it generates an actionable checklist of SEO recommendations, aiding you in enhancing your site's performance.
- POS: What’s better, Wix or Shopify?
In our opinion, Shopify has several advantages over Wix in this functionality.
Why?
Shopify takes the lead due to its comprehensive and inclusive point-of-sale (POS) system that bridges the gap between in-store and online shopping experiences. This feature is seamlessly incorporated into all Shopify plans, offering a unified approach to retail.
Operating as a dedicated app, Shopify POS provides the flexibility to utilize compatible hardware, such as card readers and receipt printers, for a cohesive setup. Its global compatibility extends to any country with supported card payment providers, ensuring a wide reach.
The Shopify POS app not only facilitates product sales but also enables the customization of checkout screens, inventory tracking, and more. Additionally, features like sending digital receipts and emailing shopping carts cater to scenarios where customers explore physical stores but prefer online purchases.
While Shopify POS presents tremendous advantages, there is a notable drawback: access to advanced features requires an extra fee of $89 per month. These advanced features encompass in-store pickup, intelligent inventory management, and staff logins. However, it's important to note that these costs are waived for those on a Shopify Plus plan or who opt for the Lite option.
Wix also offers a free app for its POS system, which accommodates local delivery, curbside pickup, and unlimited staff accounts, providing flexibility to businesses. However, it's crucial to acknowledge limitations: Wix POS is currently only available within the US and for select business types. Furthermore, solely Wix hardware is supported, disallowing the use of any other card reader or receipt printer beyond their proprietary devices.
- Wix analytics vs. Shopify analytics
Champion: Shopify
Why?
Shopify takes the lead due to its robust reporting and analytics capabilities, offering comprehensive insights across various aspects of your business. Right from the foundational level, Shopify analytics furnishes an array of reporting features. By upgrading to higher plans, you can access even more in-depth store analysis.
The Shopify analytics suite provides the means to gain insights into your visitors, assess store performance, and delve into transaction details. Moreover, the flexibility to filter reports based on your specific interests and customize views by adding or removing columns ensures a tailored analytical experience.
For businesses with a multichannel presence, Shopify's analytics extends to offer an overview of key metrics from all your stores. This holistic approach aids in maintaining organizational clarity and facilitating an overarching view of your business operations.
Although both platforms grant access to Google Analytics, Shopify distinguishes itself by incorporating advanced built-in analytics features that go beyond the standard offering.
Wix analytics, on the other hand, empowers you to configure your business reports, allowing you to choose how you wish to visualize your data. Similarly, customization options enable you to focus on the most pertinent data points. Categorization of Wix reports for enhanced clarity and analysis further contributes to the platform's analytics capabilities.
- App Stores
In our opinion, Shopify has several advantages over Wix in this functionality.
Why?
Shopify claims the victory, primarily due to the wealth of options provided by its expansive Shopify App Store, which boasts a staggering 6,700 apps. In sharp contrast, the Wix App Market presents only around 300 apps, showcasing a substantial disparity. The abundance of apps available on Shopify translates into an extensive array of choices when selecting additions for your new website.
Apps on Wix are neatly categorized into six distinct sections: Marketing, Sell Online, Services & Events, Media & Content, Design Elements, and Communication. On the other hand, Shopify's App Store spans nine categories: Sourcing and selling products, Store design, Merchandising, Marketing, Conversion, Fulfillment, Shipping and delivery, Customer service, and Store management. This comprehensive breakdown reveals Shopify's commitment to offering a diverse array of tools for effectively running an online business.
Both website builders cater to common needs, such as email marketing, design enhancements, and customer communication, fostering improved interactions with potential customers and ensuring quality customer support. Moreover, the integration of live chat and chatbots within your store can leverage technology to capture leads and facilitate smoother upselling processes.
- Checkout and payment options
In our opinion, Shopify has several advantages over Wix in this functionality.
Why?
Shopify earns the top position for several compelling reasons. Firstly, it empowers you to request user registration before the checkout process, affording the flexibility to make it either mandatory or optional. The registration form is designed for ease of use, soliciting only basic information from customers.
During the checkout process, Shopify enhances the user experience by enabling customers to access their order history, order status, and delivery information. This feature fosters a seamless and informed shopping experience.
An innovative feature of Shopify is its ability to retroactively link orders to accounts based on email addresses. This accommodates customers who make purchases prior to creating an account. Their order history is seamlessly linked to their account once it's established.
Manual addition of users or importing a CSV list is facilitated by Shopify, streamlining administrative tasks and saving time. The platform's tag system aids in organizing your client list for enhanced efficiency.
Shopify also boasts a robust selection of over 100 payment gateways, ensuring an extensive range of payment options for customers. This extensive choice stands as a considerable advantage in the comparison of Wix and Shopify checkout and payment features.
While Shopify takes the lead, it's important to note a bonus point for Wix: the wishlist feature. This enables visitors to view products they've saved to their wishlist, contributing to a personalized and engaging browsing experience.
- Cart
Champion: Shopify
Why?
Shopify secures the leading position for various compelling reasons. Notably, Shopify offers comprehensive inventory solutions and stock management features as an integral part of its plans. This encompassing package includes automated tax calculations and filing processes, streamlining a crucial aspect of business operations. In contrast, Wix falls short in providing the same level of tax management ease, offering only basic tax functions with its plans.
An outstanding feature of Shopify is the ability to seamlessly integrate a "Buy Button" into an existing website or social media profile. This transformative capability allows you to effortlessly transform any platform into a fully functional online store by simply adding a shopping cart.
Across all Shopify plans, provisions are made to enhance your Point of Sale (POS) experience. This encompasses the creation of discount codes, integration with various channels, and the essential abandoned cart recovery feature.
Speaking of abandoned cart recovery, both Shopify and Wix offer this feature, with Wix gaining a slight advantage by allowing you to send two abandoned cart reminders compared to Shopify's one.
However, it's important to highlight that Wix, despite its small win in abandoned cart recovery, is noticeably more restrictive in terms of features. This can result in a less appealing cart experience. Additionally, Wix limits your selling capabilities to your website and necessitates the installation of extra apps to address tax-related needs.
- Shipping
Champion: Shopify
Why?
The verdict is clear—Shopify emerges victorious, and here's why.
To begin with, Shopify offers a broader array of shipping options and is equipped with its dedicated service, Shopify Shipping.
A key strength of Shopify lies in its strategic collaborations with major delivery players, including USPS, UPS, DHL Express, and others. This alliance enables Shopify to provide calculated shipping rates and the ability to purchase shipping labels at discounted rates. Moreover, you have the flexibility to offer enticing shipping features like same-day delivery, free packaging, and discounted shipping rates, elevating the customer experience.
Shopify further facilitates informed decision-making with the Shopify Shipping calculator, allowing you to assess the cost per package for USPS and DHL services. This tool aids in shaping your shipping strategy and fine-tuning your pricing.
Offering default rates at checkout and capitalizing on discounts for USPS, UPS, and DHL shipping rates is another advantage inherent to Shopify.
When it comes to international reach, Shopify proves itself again. It equips you with built-in customs forms and extends discounts for international shipping, making global expansion more accessible. In contrast, opting for Wix in your eCommerce journey would necessitate the integration of additional apps to manage global shipping payments.
Summary
Both Shopify and Wix have their advantages and features. To choose the suitable platform for your eCommerce project, you need to determine your capabilities, budget, desires, and needs. If you require professional consultation regarding selecting a platform for launching your online project, please provide your contact information, and our experts will advise you.
