In this article Wix VS Shopify let’s discuss these two website builder in detail. May it be Wix or Shopify both are easy to use platforms.
There is no need to have any technical skills to launch and manage online store. All you have to do is to register an account. No need to worry about any technical aspects – with hosted solutions they are taken care of.
At first glance Wix and Shopify look like similar products, they:
- are both aimed at people without coding skills
- Let you create and update a website
- Let you sell products.
Moreover, Shopify is the clear leader in terms of popularity but Wix also tends to come up in the conversation, since over 68 million users are using the Wix platform. Though Wix can’t deliver the same level of control and specialized sales tools as Shopify.
WIX
Wix is one of the most popular drag-and-drop website builders. Using it you can create an e-store in a few seconds and start selling a limited number of products in few seconds.
Moreover, Wix was initially built for content based websites. It’s aimed to cater for those wishing to build
- brochure sites
- blogs
- photography portfolios
- news sites
Furthermore, getting started with this platform is absolutely free. You can log in via Facebook or your Gmail account. Once you get familiar with the platform, this is extremely simple to use. Also, all of the template designs are up to the latest industry standards, including parallax layouts, a mobile display editor, and responsive designs, and there are thousands of themes to browse.
Shopify
Shopify offers a range of superb plans, options and features. Their plans are fully hosted. Shopify was specifically designed for creating an online store. It’s a one-stop shop for building and hosting an online market.
Moreover, this platform comes up with all built in tools which you need to start your e-commerce store. Shopify is designed purely to help people set up their own online store.
Wix VS Shopify – Main difference:
Wix is a beginner-friendly platform which features towards small online stores with less than 100 products. Instead Shopify is suitable for larger stores as it’s built to manage hundred or even thousands of items.
Ease of use:
Wix is the easiest and great for beginners. It provides useful templates, add- ons and a decent drag and drop editor for making your pages look professional without coding responsibilities.
Since Shopify is built just for online shops, you can’t beat it in terms of ease of use. Uploading products, managing inventory and handling customers is all rather simple. Shopify Store is quite a serious affair.
Furthermore, Shopify have separate editing interface and dashboard. You can add products, manage sales, and create email marketing campaigns, all away from the editor. And although Shopify’s editor is more restrictive than Wix’s.
Wix and Shopify are pretty equal for ease of use. For pure editing simplicity Wix is hard to beat. If you want an advance online store than Shopify is the best platform.
Themes and Templates :
As for the themes and templates in the competition Wix VS Shopify there is no clear winner. Both of them have fabulous and attractive collection of themes and templates. All the themes and templates are up to date and responsive designs.
Wix have 500+ stylish templates, which are creative and gives professional look to your website. You will find it difficult to choose the template for your website as all of them are amazing. Wix is fairly flexible. The main issue you face with Wix is once you choose a theme you will not be able to change it.
Moreover, Shopify have over 100 designs both free and premium. They are stylish yet customizable. The paid themes price varies from $140 to $180. Do not be afraid of the charge, it is a one-time payment that will benefit you a hundred times. If your budget is limited, there are great, responsive free templates that will be a smart alternative here.
Multi-Language Capabilities :
Shopify support multi-language by installing third party app. Shopify Plus Plan have 3 languages included in its plan. Whereas, Wix do have a multi-language feature but it’s not SEO friendly. Wix use same URL for all languages.
Neither options are ideal but still Shopify is better if you are ready to investment some amount.
SEO ( Search Engine Optimization) :
Both of the platforms have great SEO practice. You can easily modify your page titles, descriptions, headings, alt texts and redirects.
The only thing which is worth mentioning is that Shopify and Wix are not good at URLs. However, if you modify a URL, Shopify lets you click a box to automatically create a redirect from the old page. Wix only reminds you to do it.
Apps and Extensions :
Wix app store have a variety of advanced tools. They will enable you to add functions to your site (booking, testimonials, pricing tables, email marketing). Among the 260 apps that are offered most of them are 1-click installs.
In addition, Shopify app store have incredible number of extension over 1,200. There are apps on optimization your order and inventory management, enhancing payments and security, advanced analytics, etc.
Pricing Plans :
Wix pricing is fair. There are 4 payment plans to choose from. The VIP and E-Commerce are only two of the plans allows you to launch an online store.
Shopify offers 3 plans. All the plans enable selling unlimited products and using the advanced E-Commerce functionality like Facebook Store / Facebook Buy Button / Pinterest Buy Button / Twitter Buy Button / Point of Sale and all of useful Shopify integrations.
Customer Support :
Both platforms offer great service.
- Phone and email support
- Dedicated help accounts on social media
- Forums and a help center
Shopify’s phone support is 24/7 though. It also have live chat support, this feature is currently not available at Wix.
One massive point in Wix’s favor is its in-editor help. It can be frustrating having to click back and forth between a guide and your store, but with Wix, you can receive help directly within the editor.
Pros and Cons of Wix :
Pros of Wix
- Really simple editing interface
- Cheap E-Commerce plans
- Useful apps available to give you more E-Commerce tools
Cons of Wix
It’s an incredible website builder, but it’s not designed for E-Commerce. Wix isn’t designed for you to sell in bulk.
Pros and Cons of Shopify :
Pros of Shopify
- 24/7 support system
- Powerful E-Commerce tools available
- Wide range of payment options available
Cons of Shopify
Shopify can be expensive. Apps, premium themes and your monthly subscriptions can add up. Plans are fairly priced.
Why Choose Wix instead of Shopify?
- Suited to websites selling a few products
- Lots of creative control
- More templates
- Better blogging features
- Can build a store for free
Why Choose Shopify instead of Wix?
- Suited to bigger businesses
- Multi-channel selling across Facebook and more
- Best sales tools on the market
- Built-in analytics tools
- Supports more payment gateways
Wix VS Shopify – Conclusion :
Wix VS Shopify is a battle between two incredibly amazing online store builders. Which one you choose depends on what you actually want from your online business. As discussed above also, Shopify offer similar features, but they’re not exactly in the same category.
So here’s where we would recommend either platform.
Choose Shopify if:
- You are a dropshipping business
- You need a solution for a serious ecommerce. One that needs to scale and sell everywhere around the globe.
- You want advanced features such as automatic shipping cost and tax calculator
- You need multilingual stores
- You want more payment gateways
A Wix store is best if:
- You want an easier way to build an online store
- The store isn’t the main goal of your website
- Creating content is the main focus of your website (blog, landing pages etc.)
- You want more design flexibility
To summarize, as an all-round ecommerce platform, Shopify is the better website builder. It has better quality sales features, more payment options, and it’s easier to build an online store with. Whichever one you choose can, and will, help you sell online.
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