Shopify vs Wix

If you’re looking for an e-commerce platform to help you establish an online store, you’ll know there are plenty to choose from. To make the decision easier, here, we compare Shopify and Wix to highlight their key differences and similarities.

Main features

Both Shopify and Wix enable you to build an online store without needing to code. However, Shopify is built primarily for e-commerce, while Wix started as a general website builder and later added selling features.

Both platforms offer a range of templates to customise your site and create a brand, although Wix offers more in the way of creative control over design and layout.

By contrast, Shopify offers more advanced e-commerce tools, such as inventory, shipping and multi-channel selling. It also has a larger app store, making it better suited to businesses planning to scale. Wix is more suited to beginners and freelancers.

Both Shopify and Wix offer multiple payment options, including debit and credit cards, plus Apple Pay and Google Pay, making it easy for customers to complete purchases.

They also offer SEO tools, although these differ in flexibility and control. Shopify offers more structured, scalable SEO, while Wix gives you more flexible, beginner-friendly control over on-page SEO and content.

Setup speed

Creating a website with Wix is pretty fast. You can get a basic website up and running within 1 to 3 hours, although it will take a few extra hours to add products and store settings. To complete a full and polished store, you’ll need around 1 to 3 days on average.

By contrast, Shopify takes a little longer. You can have a basic storefront ready in a few days, while a fully functional store, with a greater range of products and professional branding takes around 1 to 4 weeks.

Pricing and fees

The main advantage of Wix is it offers a free plan, allowing users to create a basic website at no cost. As this offers limited features, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan to access more advanced tools. Paid plans start from £9 a month for basic websites, rising to £16 a month for the Core plan, and £26 a month for the Business plan. The highest-tier plan costs £119 a month and is designed for more advanced business needs.

Shopify is typically more expensive. Its Basic plan starts at £19 a month if you pay annually, and this is aimed at solo entrepreneurs. Its next plan, Grow, costs £49 a month, while the Advanced plan costs £259 a month. Its Plus plan, designed for complex businesses, costs £1,800 a month.

Shopify also charges a card processing fee, and may charge additional platform fees if you use a third-party payment provider. Wix, by contrast, doesn’t charge extra platform transaction fees and only applies standard payment processing charges.

Selling internationally

You can sell internationally with both Shopify and Wix, but Wix is a little more limited. Shopify supports multiple currencies and languages, and lets you set country-specific pricing and shipping rates. It also integrates with global payment providers and you can localise checkout experiences for different markets.

Wix also supports multiple currencies and you can set shipping rules for different countries. But some features like full currency switching are more restricted than Shopify.

Overall

Shopify and Wix are both strong website builders, but they are designed for different types of users.

Shopify is built specifically for e-commerce and can be better suited to businesses looking to sell online and scale quickly. Wix is a more flexible website builder that added e-commerce later, so it’s better suited for beginners or businesses where the website is the priority.

Written by

Rachel Wait

Writer

Rachel Wait is a freelance journalist and has been writing about personal finance for more than a decade, covering everything from insurance to mortgages. She has written for a range of personal finance websites and national newspapers, including The Observer, The Mail on Sunday, The Sun and the Evening Standard. Rachel is a keen baker in her spare time. See full bio