Shopify vs Wix 2023 (Don't choose WRONG!)

Shopify vs Wix 2023 (Don't choose WRONG!)

If you've spent any time in the world of e-commerce and website building, then you've no doubt heard of Shopify and Wix. Both of these platforms have gained popularity in recent years as powerful, user-friendly options for building online stores. But which one is right for you and your business? In this in-depth comparison of Shopify vs Wix, I draw on my own experience and research to help you make the right decision.

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A Brief History of Shopify and Wix

Both Wix and Shopify were founded in 2006, but with different initial focuses. Wix started as a website builder, eventually extending its services to include e-commerce features. In contrast, Shopify was built from the ground up as a dedicated e-commerce platform.

The fact that Shopify has been focused on e-commerce from the very beginning suggests that it has more experience in this space, but that doesn't mean it's automatically the best choice for your online store. Let's dive deeper into these platforms and compare their features, starting with pricing and plans.

Plans and Pricing

Shopify offers three main plans: Basic, Shopify, and Advanced. The Basic plan should be more than enough for beginners and includes all the essential features for an online store. The other two plans offer additional features, mainly aimed at scaling businesses.

Wix, on the other hand, also offers three main plans for e-commerce: Business Basic, Business Unlimited, and Business VIP. These plans cover the needs of businesses of different sizes, from small online stores to enterprise-level organizations.

When looking at the basic plans on both platforms, the pricing is quite similar, with Shopify costing $29/month and Wix at $23/month. However, it's essential to consider the features provided by each plan and whether they match your business requirements and expectations.

E-commerce Features

Shopify excels in e-commerce features, offering a wide range of tools to manage your online store easily. These include inventory management, powerful analytics, and arguably one of the best e-commerce app stores available. The Shopify App Store has hundreds of apps to enhance your store's functionality, many of which can be seamlessly integrated with your website.

Wix has been making strides in the e-commerce space, but it's still catching up to the level of functionality offered by Shopify. Wix provides essential tools like inventory management, order tracking, and analytics, but its selection of e-commerce-oriented apps is more limited than Shopify's.

Nonetheless, Wix's primary strength lies in its website building capabilities. If your primary concern is crafting a stunning, highly customizable website, Wix might hold an edge in that regard due to its robust design-oriented features.

Ease of Use

Both Shopify and Wix have user-friendly interfaces that make it easy for beginners to start building their online stores. However, Wix's drag-and-drop website builder is relatively more intuitive, allowing you to move elements around your site with precise control.

Shopify's setup is more template-based, but it still offers customization options with a little bit of tweaking. Its user interface mainly focuses on the back-end management of your store, streamlining your e-commerce functions first.

Payment Gateways and Transaction Fees

Shopify supports over 100 payment gateways, including popular ones like PayPal, Stripe, and its own built-in Shopify Payments. However, it's worth noting that Shopify charges transaction fees if you're not using Shopify Payments, and this percentage varies depending on which plan you choose.

Wix supports fewer payment gateways but still covers the major ones like PayPal and Stripe. Additionally, Wix does not charge any transaction fees on their e-commerce plans, a point that may factor into your decision if you're not keen on extra fees.

Customer Support

Both platforms offer extensive help centers and customer support channels like email, phone, and live chat. However, Shopify's customer support tends to have an edge in responsiveness and expert knowledge of e-commerce, given its longer history in the space.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, the choice between Shopify and Wix in 2023 largely depends on what you prioritize: e-commerce features and scalability or website design capabilities.

If e-commerce functionality is your top concern, there's no denying that Shopify's experience and robust features make it the stronger contender. But if having a highly customizable website is critical to your brand and vision, Wix's website builder and design-first approach might be a better fit.

Whatever you decide, don't forget to join our community at livelearning.editorx.io and participate in our monthly NoCode Design Challenges. Our aim is to help you grow your design skills, expand your knowledge, and connect with like-minded individuals on the path to success. Happy building!