Wix vs. Shopify: Choosing the Right Platform for Your Online Store

Your store deserves a platform that works as hard as you do. If you’re comparing Wix vs. Shopify, the choice comes down to your priorities—creative freedom, commerce features, or scaling with marketing tools and third-party integrations.

In this guide, we’ll compare design flexibility, usability, pricing, and more—so you can decide which website builder best fits your needs. Whether you’re launching your first Shopify store or exploring Wix’s templates, we’ve got you covered.

Let the battle of platforms begin!

Wix vs. Shopify: Quick comparison

If you run an online store, both Wix and Shopify offer tools for growth, but they’re built for different types of sellers. Before the full comparison, here’s a quick overview of what each platform does best.

What is Wix?

Wix is a website builder that lets you create a professional site without technical skills. You can launch a Wix store quickly with drag-and-drop tools and built-in ecommerce functionality. It’s a hosted solution, so it includes features like domain hosting and SSL.

Who is Wix best for?

Wix is ideal for creators who want to showcase content—like portfolios, blogs, or events—with ecommerce as a secondary feature. It’s flexible and user-friendly, especially if selling isn’t your primary focus.

“After testing several suppliers, bringing product samples back and forth, and facing long delivery times and poor quality, I researched and finally discovered Printful.

I appreciate such a complete, easy-to-use platform and its excellent design tools that allow me to work over and over again on my products. This gives me unlimited chances to create, save, and upload designs to my store or save them as product templates.

Together with Wix, it’s the perfect match.”—Mariana Sanz, PopnTopMad

What is Shopify?

Shopify is an ecommerce platform built for launching, managing, and scaling online stores. It has robust commerce features, seamless integrations, and strong support—tailored for online sales.

Who is Shopify best for?

Shopify suits entrepreneurs focused on growth and branding. If you’re building a Shopify store to sell dropshipping or print-on-demand products, its advanced features and marketing tools make it a top choice.

Read also: Shopify vs. WooCommerce—Which Is Best for Your Online Store?

Wix vs. Shopify: An in-depth comparison

Before committing to a platform, define your priorities. Do you value affordability? A user-friendly interface? Built-in marketing tools to promote trending products? Knowing your top needs will make it easy to pick the right platform for your online store.

Here’s a head-to-head comparison of Shopify and Wix across seven key areas:

• Ease of use

• Pricing

• Design features

• Apps and integrations

• Payment systems

• Customer support

• Marketing features

Ease of use

Both Wix and Shopify offer beginner-friendly interfaces, but they’re built differently. Wix began as a website builder, adding ecommerce functionality later. Shopify, on the other hand, has always focused on building online stores.

• Wix uses a drag-and-drop editor for real-time visual changes

• Shopify has a streamlined editor but lacks drag-and-drop flexibility

Wix offers more creative freedom for custom websites, while Shopify provides a straightforward builder better suited for ecommerce beginners.

Wix or Shopify: who’s the winner?

In this round of Wix vs. Shopify, the winner is . . . everybody! This one is a tie—both platforms are beginner-friendly, and you don’t need any tech knowledge to get your store up and running.

Pricing

Pricing plays a major role when choosing a platform, especially if you’re building a profitable online store with high-profit-margin dropshipping products. Let’s compare the costs of Wix and Shopify.

Both Wix and Shopify offer free trials:

• Wix—14-day free trial, plus a limited free plan with Wix branding and no ecommerce features

• Shopify—3-day free trial, followed by a $1/month offer for the first 3 months on any paid plan

To unlock full sales functionality, you’ll need a paid plan on either platform.

Wix pricing plans:

• Light: $17/month

• Core: $29/month

• Business: $36/month

• Business Elite: $159/month

All Wix plans include a custom domain, 24/7 support, and no Wix branding. Wix also doesn’t charge extra fees if you choose third-party payment gateways instead of Wix Payments.

Shopify pricing plans:

• Shopify Basic: $29/month

• Shopify: $79/month

• Shopify Advanced: $299/month

• Shopify Plus: $2,300/month

Shopify plans include more advanced commerce features, but they’re also more expensive. Shopify also charges transaction fees unless you use Shopify Payments.

Wix or Shopify: Who’s the winner?

Wix wins on pricing. While Shopify offers more advanced features, Wix gives better overall value. Especially for new sellers or those looking to keep overheads low without sacrificing essential tools.

Features and customization

Your website’s design plays a big role in driving online store sales. Both Shopify and Wix provide customization options but differ in flexibility, ecommerce focus, and template variety.

Wix offers 900+ free templates. All are mobile responsive, which is essential since many customers browse and buy on their phones. However, only 132 of these templates support ecommerce, so you’ll need to be selective when building a store.

Shopify has a smaller library—13 free and around 232 paid themes. But all themes are purpose-built for ecommerce. Prices range from $100 to $400. While the cost is higher, they often come with enhanced styling options and long-term functionality gains.

Both Shopify and Wix also promise different customization levels:

• Wix allows drag-and-drop editing—ideal if design freedom is your top priority

• Shopify, while not a full drag-and-drop website builder, offers deep customization through built-in theme settings and Shopify App Store tools

Want more control? If you or your developer have coding experience edit Shopify themes through Liquid (Shopify’s templating language).

Wix or Shopify: Who’s the winner?

Shopify takes the lead here. Its ecommerce-first themes and the extensive Shopify App Store make it better suited for building a scalable, conversion-optimized store. Still, Wix is a strong choice if you prefer creative freedom and a content-driven site.

Apps and integrations

Apps power your store’s performance. Regardless of your ecommerce platform, third-party integrations are key to running a smooth, modern online store. From marketing tools to payment gateways, the right apps automate your workflow and improve your store’s performance.

Wix offers over 900 apps in the Wix App Market. Many of these apps enable email automation, SEO, and connections to social media platforms. The website builder also integrates with key services like Printful, making it viable for dropshipping and print-on-demand.

Planning to sell custom t-shirts or other apparel? A print provider like Printful will be extremely important. If you’re new to dropshipping check out this guide and our tutorial on how to connect a Wix store to your Printful account.

Shopify takes it further with it’s extensive app store—8,000 apps—all built for ecommerce. Whether you’re scaling online sales, improving inventory management, connecting with customers, or tracking performance, Shopify has powerful tools for just about everything.

Some standout benefits of the Shopify App Store:

• Seamless integrations with multiple sales channels, including Amazon, Facebook, and TikTok

• Access to built-in SEO tools for better visibility in search engines

• Tools to manage abandoned cart recovery, upsells, and loyalty programs

• Apps that improve UX and simplify backend tasks through an intuitive interface

Like Wix, Shopify integrates with Printful, allowing you to sync orders automatically. Here’s a tutorial on how.

Wix or Shopify: Who’s the winner?

Shopify is the clear winner. While Wix provides solid options, Shopify’s app ecosystem is built for online retailers. Its depth, focus, and flexibility make it the stronger choice for scaling any ecommerce business.

Customer support

Even the best platform isn’t immune to bugs and roadblocks. That’s why reliable customer support is a non-negotiable if you’re running a business website.

Both Shopify and Wix offer strong support systems, but their approach and experience differ slightly.

Wix support features:

• 24/7 live chat, email, and phone support across all premium plans

• A user-friendly interface in the Help Center packed with visuals and clear explanations

• In-editor Help section for troubleshooting within your website builder

• Wix Partners available for hire if you need hands-on support

This intuitive interface will save a lot of time, especially for beginners or creatives who want more visual, step-by-step support.

Source: Wix

Shopify support features:

• 24/7 support via live chat, email, and phone

• An extensive Help Center and active community forums

• Access to support through the Shopify website, including guides, tutorials, and how-to docs

However, Shopify’s Help Center can be harder to navigate. Unlike Wix, it doesn’t rely on images or screenshots, which slows down troubleshooting for visual learners.

Source: Shopify

Wix or Shopify: who’s the winner?

Wix wins here. Both platforms offer strong support. But Wix saves time and avoids hassle with a visual Help Center, an in-editor search, and a user-friendly interface. 

Wix offers a smoother overall support experience for users who want hands-on help building and managing their online store.

Payments

Running an online store comes down to one thing: getting paid. That’s why the way your platform handles payments matters. From flexibility to fees, let’s see how Shopify and Wix compare.

Wix Payments and gateways:

• Supports multiple payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe, Square, and Klarna

• Comes with Wix Payments, its in-house system, which includes Apple Pay and Google Pay

• Offers over 80 payment methods

• Doesn’t charge transaction fees when using external providers

This website builder offers a solid mix of built-in and third-party payment options. Simple, flexible, and beginner-friendly—but limited when scaling globally.

Source: Wix

Shopify Payments and functionality:

• 100+ supported payment methods

• Strong in-house system via Shopify Payments

• Accepts multiple currencies, ideal for international selling

• Better discount options: percentages, fixed amounts, and more customization

• Syncs smoothly with finance tools and sales analytics

Shopify levels up with more advanced commerce features, built for serious growth.

If in-person selling is on your radar, go with Shopify. Its POS system—even the Basic plan—lets you sell at pop-ups, events, or brick-and-mortar stores worldwide. Wix’s POS, in contrast, is only available in the US and Canada.

Source: Shopify

Wix or Shopify: who’s the winner?

Shopify wins this one. It offers more flexibility, supports multiple payment methods, and makes it easier to scale—both online and offline.

Bonus features worth noting

Shopify also comes with abandoned cart recovery and AI tools like Shopify Magic, which boost conversions and automate workflows. 

If you’re building a strong brand presence, its integrations with social media accounts make multichannel selling easy.

Wix and Shopify: Pros and cons

Before making your final decision, here’s a side-by-side breakdown. Compare the key differences between Wix and Shopify to quickly find the best fit for your business.

Which is better: Wix or Shopify?

The answer depends on what you’re building.

If you want to launch and scale a serious online business, choose Shopify. Shopify has sales and growth-driven features—from advanced inventory to email marketing tools.

But if you’re an artist, writer, or creator building a content-first business website with ecommerce as a secondary feature, Wix will be a better match. This website builder gives you more creative freedom while still covering essential store functionality.

Still unsure?

Explore more insights on the Printful Blog or dive into our YouTube tutorials for hands-on guidance.

Read next:

• Shopify vs. Etsy: Which Should You Choose to Sell Online?

• Weebly vs. Shopify—Which Is Best for Your Online Store?