Introduction:
In the ever-expanding digital marketplace, selecting the optimal platform for your online business is a pivotal decision. Wix and Shopify, two prominent e-commerce-friendly website builders, are vying for your attention. Both of these platforms offer the promise of swift website creation and seamless online selling capabilities. However, the choice between Wix and Shopify is not a matter of one-size-fits-all; rather, it hinges on the precise needs and aspirations of your business.
Forbes Advisor has conducted a thorough analysis of Wix and Shopify, delving deep into critical aspects such as cost, e-commerce prowess, customer support, usability, and scalability. This comprehensive review aims to unravel the distinctive strengths and weaknesses of each platform, guiding you towards an informed choice in the competitive digital landscape.
How Wix and Shopify Stack Up:
When comparing Wix and Shopify, several factors come to the forefront, delineating the unique attributes of each platform:
Pricing: Wix offers a range of pricing plans, with costs ranging from INR 80 to INR 500 per month. In contrast, Shopify’s pricing spectrum spans from INR 1,499 to INR 30,164 per month (when paid annually).
Online Payment Processing Fees: Wix Payments charges 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction, with other fees varying by region and payment gateway. Shopify Payments levies fees in the range of 2.4% to 2.9% plus 30 cents, with additional charges depending on the chosen payment gateway.
Free Plan and Trial: Wix provides a free plan with a 14-day trial, whereas Shopify, notably, does not offer a free plan. However, both platforms extend a 14-day free trial for their paid plans.
Custom Domain and SSL Certificate: Wix includes a custom domain in its offerings, whereas Shopify does not provide this feature for free. Both platforms provide SSL certificates.
Abandoned Cart Recovery: Both Wix and Shopify incorporate abandoned cart recovery mechanisms to help you recapture potential sales.
Product and E-commerce Capabilities: Both platforms allow unlimited product listings and boast robust e-commerce analytics. They also enable payments on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon. Shopify, however, offers built-in gift card functionality, whereas Wix requires a third-party app for this feature.
Digital Goods Sales: While both platforms support the sale of digital goods, Wix imposes a 1 GB file size limit, while Shopify allows files of up to 5 GB.
Multilingual Capabilities: Both Wix and Shopify empower you to create multilingual websites, catering to a global audience.
Tax Calculations: Wix incorporates automatic tax calculations for specific plans, targeting regions like the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, and Canada. Shopify provides this feature on its Business Unlimited and Business VIP plans.
Transaction Fees: Wix does not charge transaction fees, and Shopify waives them when using Shopify Payments. However, Shopify levies fees ranging from 0.5% to 2% for external payment gateways.
Dropshipping Options: Wix offers dropshipping options through third-party apps on Business Unlimited and Business VIP plans. Shopify provides extensive dropshipping options through various third-party apps.
Mobile Apps: Wix offers the Wix Owner app for iOS and Android, while Shopify boasts the Shopify and Shopify POS apps for iOS and Android.
Integrations: Wix offers over 300 integrations, although not all are e-commerce-focused. In contrast, Shopify offers an impressive array of more than 6,000 e-commerce-focused integrations.
Customer Support: Wix provides online help resources, along with call-back and email support on weekdays. Shopify excels with 24/7 online help resources, chat, email, and phone support.
Ease of Use:
Wix and Shopify have user-friendliness at their core, although they serve different purposes. Wix is tailored for those with limited coding and design skills, offering a plethora of features to create website content. While it supports e-commerce, it wasn’t originally designed for online stores. Conversely, Shopify has always been dedicated to building online stores, with content features like blogs and business descriptions available as secondary elements. Building an online store involves more complex choices, such as payment gateways, tax calculations, product variations, and shipping options. Shopify is favored for this purpose due to its streamlined approach. However, if you require a content-rich website with basic e-commerce capabilities, Wix is the more user-friendly choice.
Pricing Details:
Wix offers a free plan along with seven paid plans, including enterprise-level customization. The basic website plans range from INR 80 to INR 325 per month. To accept online payments, you can choose from three e-commerce and business plans, priced from INR 225 to INR 500 per month.
Shopify presents Shopify Lite as a cost-effective solution, enabling you to add e-commerce functionality to your existing website for around INR 747 per month. For a fully functional e-commerce website, Shopify offers three plans, with prices ranging from INR 1,499 to INR 22,680 per month.
Design Options:
Wix stands out with over 800 design templates and a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor, providing unparalleled design flexibility. An alternative is the Wix Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) editor, which simplifies the website creation process based on your preferences.
Shopify, in contrast, offers only 10 free design templates, though each has multiple variations. Premium themes, numbering over 70, come with a one-time fee, starting from approximately INR 12,457.
Integrations:
Wix boasts 300+ third-party integrations, enhancing your website’s functionality. Many of these apps are available at no cost, although some come with premium pricing.
Shopify, on the other hand, presents a staggering selection of over 6,000 e-commerce-focused integrations. These integrations cover various aspects of marketing and online store operation, including affiliate marketing, order tracking, email marketing, and much more.
Customer Support:
Wix provides an extensive knowledge base in its Help Center, offering answers to frequently asked questions and solutions to common technical issues. It also offers call-back and email support, available from Monday through Friday during specific hours. Priority support is reserved for Wix VIP plan customers.
Shopify boasts true 24/7 live support, encompassing email, chat, and telephone assistance. Additionally, an extensive online help center offers guides, FAQs, and tutorials. The Shopify community forum, with nearly 900,000 members, provides an additional avenue for support.
Conclusion:
In the intense competition between Wix and Shopify, the choice that best suits your needs hinges on the vision you hold for your website. Shopify shines as an optimal e-commerce platform for those seeking feature-rich, scalable online stores. Although Shopify’s plans may entail a higher investment, the built-in e-commerce capabilities, coupled with an extensive array of over 6,000 third-party integrations, make it a compelling choice.
Conversely, if your primary requirement revolves around creating content-rich websites with basic e-commerce functions or selling a limited range of products, Wix emerges as the more budget-friendly and user-friendly alternative. With its affordable plans, expansive design flexibility, and ease of use, Wix is tailored for businesses seeking a versatile online presence.
In the dynamic world of online commerce, the ultimate decision between Wix and Shopify rests upon your unique business objectives and aspirations.