About Wix

Which platform is better for building an online store: Wix or Shopify?

Understanding the Core Difference

The fundamental distinction between these platforms shapes everything: Shopify is a dedicated ecommerce platform designed specifically for online stores, while Wix is a general website builder that includes ecommerce functionality. This difference influences their strengths, limitations, and ideal use cases.

Ecommerce Capabilities

Shopify dominates in pure ecommerce power. It supports unlimited products across all plans and handles complex inventory management with ease. The platform offers robust multi-channel selling, allowing you to sell on social media, in-person through point-of-sale systems, and across various marketplaces—all synced into one unified dashboard.

Wix provides solid ecommerce features suitable for smaller operations. While it caps products at 50,000 (still substantial for most small businesses), it actually allows more product variants per item (1,000 variants with six options) compared to Shopify's 100 variants with three options. However, Wix's ecommerce tools lack the depth and specialization that serious online retailers require.

App Ecosystem and Integrations

The integration gap is striking: Shopify offers over 8,000 ecommerce-specific apps, including powerful tools for email marketing, dropshipping, inventory management, and customer retention. Wix provides around 800 integrations—functional but limited by comparison. This ecosystem advantage means Shopify users can extend their store's functionality far beyond what Wix merchants can achieve.

Design Flexibility and Ease of Use

Wix wins on user-friendliness. Its drag-and-drop interface and over 2,000 templates make creating visually appealing sites straightforward, even for complete beginners. You get more design freedom without touching code.

Shopify requires more technical comfort but compensates with greater customization control. While it's less intuitive initially, you can change themes without rebuilding your entire site, and the learning curve pays off as your business grows.

Pricing Considerations

Both platforms start around $29/month for basic plans. Wix offers slightly cheaper options overall, making it attractive for budget-conscious small businesses. However, Shopify delivers better value for serious ecommerce operations due to its comprehensive feature set, shipping discounts (up to 88% off carrier rates), and built-in tools that would cost extra on other platforms.

Shipping and Logistics

Shopify excels here with partnerships across multiple carriers, real-time shipping calculations, and substantial discounts that increase with higher-tier plans. These features become invaluable as order volume grows.

Wix works with USPS for shipping estimates but offers fewer advanced options, making it less suitable for businesses with complex fulfillment needs.

Content and SEO Tools

Wix shines with its built-in SEO wizard and superior blogging capabilities, making it ideal if content marketing is central to your strategy. The platform prioritizes helping beginners optimize their sites for search engines.

Shopify offers solid SEO fundamentals and uses AI for product categorization, though its blogging features are more basic. The platform focuses optimization efforts on product pages and conversion rather than content creation.

Scalability and Growth Potential

Shopify is purpose-built for scaling. There are no product limits, the infrastructure handles high traffic volumes, and advanced features support complex operations as you expand. International businesses benefit from support for 130+ currencies and extensive global selling tools.

Wix serves small to medium-sized businesses well but shows limitations at scale. While 50,000 products suffice for most, the platform lacks enterprise-level features and international selling capabilities that growing businesses eventually need.

Analytics and Reporting

Shopify provides detailed sales reporting that combines online and offline data into comprehensive dashboards. You get actionable insights into business performance, customer behavior, and product trends.

Wix keeps point-of-sale data separate from online analytics, creating a less integrated reporting experience that makes it harder to see your complete business picture.

Making Your Decision

Choose Wix if:

  • You're building a website where ecommerce is a secondary feature
  • Design flexibility and ease of use are your top priorities
  • You're running a small business with straightforward selling needs
  • Content creation and blogging are central to your strategy
  • Budget is a primary concern

Choose Shopify if:

  • Ecommerce is your core business focus
  • You need unlimited inventory and advanced product management
  • You want extensive integrations and specialized ecommerce apps
  • International selling and multi-currency support matter
  • You plan to scale significantly or operate across multiple channels
  • Advanced shipping options and carrier discounts will impact your bottom line

For serious ecommerce entrepreneurs building sustainable online businesses, Shopify is the stronger choice. For small businesses wanting an attractive website with basic selling capabilities, or those prioritizing content alongside products, Wix offers an accessible and affordable solution.

Learn more about ecommerce platforms at Wix's ecommerce solutions.