Shopify vs Wix 2026 — Which Is Better for Your Online Store?
Last updated: May 21, 2026 • Head-to-head comparison
- Starting price — $39/mo (Basic) (0.0/5)
- Transaction fees — 0% with Shopify Payments (0.0/5)
- E-commerce depth — Industry-leading (0.0/5)
Shopify and Wix both let you sell products online — but they're built for very different types of businesses. Shopify is a dedicated e-commerce platform designed to grow with you. Wix is a website builder that added e-commerce features. The right choice depends entirely on your ambitions.
Quick Verdict
Choose Shopify if selling online is your primary goal. Shopify has deeper e-commerce features, a vastly larger app ecosystem (8,000+ vs ~300), built-in POS for in-person selling, and is designed to scale from a single product to millions in revenue. It's the right platform for any serious online store.
- Industry-leading e-commerce depth
- 8,000+ apps — covers virtually every need
- Built-in POS for in-person selling
- Advanced inventory management (multi-location)
- Excellent dropshipping ecosystem (DSers, Spocket)
- Scales to any volume
- More expensive at $39/mo (Basic)
- App costs add up for full setups
- ~200 themes (fewer than Wix's 800+)
Starting price: $39/mo (Basic) · $29/mo annual
Try Shopify Free →Choose Wix if you want the easiest possible setup and you're selling a small number of products alongside a website. Wix is beginner-friendly, lower cost, and works well for modest e-commerce needs — a photographer selling prints, a therapist selling digital downloads, or a local business adding a simple shop.
- Easiest drag-and-drop builder available
- 800+ templates — more than Shopify
- Core plan from $29/mo (annual)
- Website + store in one platform
- 0% transaction fees
- Limited scalability for high-volume stores
- ~300 apps (vs 8,000+ on Shopify)
- No built-in advanced inventory management
- Limited dropshipping options
- Difficult to migrate away later
Starting price: $29/mo Core · $46/mo Business (annual)
Explore Wix eCommerce →Head-to-Head Comparison
| Shopify | Wix | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $39/mo (Basic) | $29/mo (Core) |
| Transaction fees | 0% with Shopify Payments | 0% |
| E-commerce depth | Industry-leading | Good for small stores |
| App ecosystem | 8,000+ apps | ~300 apps |
| Templates | ~200 themes | 800+ templates |
| POS (in-person) | Built-in | Available |
| Inventory management | Advanced (multi-location) | Basic |
| Dropshipping | Excellent (DSers, Spocket) | Limited |
| Scalability | Unlimited | Limited for high volume |
| Best for | Serious online stores | Small stores + website |
Pricing Breakdown
Wix restructured its plans in 2025. The entry-level e-commerce tier is now called "Core" at $29/month (annual). The full-featured "Business" plan is $46/month. Shopify starts at $39/mo (Basic), with the mid-tier "Grow" at $105/mo. For a basic store, Wix Core and Shopify Basic are now much closer in price than they used to be.
Total cost matters more than platform price. A fully set-up Shopify store with 5–10 paid apps can cost $60–160/month. Wix's limited app selection keeps costs more predictable for simple stores.
Who Should Choose Which
Choose Shopify if you: are serious about growing your online store, plan to sell more than 50 products, need advanced inventory or shipping features, want dropshipping or subscription support, or need POS for markets or physical retail.
Choose Wix if you: want the simplest possible setup, are selling under 20–30 products, want a website-first presence with a small shop attached, have a limited budget and don't expect rapid growth, or are a freelancer adding a shop to an existing Wix site.
Verdict
Shopify wins for e-commerce. The 8,000-app ecosystem, advanced inventory, POS, and unlimited scalability make Shopify the right choice for any business with real growth ambitions. Wix is a good choice for genuinely small stores that prioritise design flexibility and simplicity over depth. If you expect to grow, build on Shopify from day one — migrating later is painful.
FAQ
Is Wix good enough for a small online store?
Yes, for genuinely small stores. If you're selling under 20–30 products, targeting a local or niche audience, and don't need advanced e-commerce features, Wix is a perfectly capable platform.
Can I switch from Wix to Shopify later?
Yes, but it requires manual work. Wix doesn't offer a direct migration tool to Shopify. You'll need to export your product list and customer data manually. For small stores, this is a half-day task. For large stores, it can take days.
Which is better for dropshipping?
Shopify, decisively. The DSers and Spocket integrations for AliExpress and US/EU suppliers are polished and well-supported. Wix has limited dropshipping options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Wix is cheaper — should I just use Wix?
Only for very small stores or non-commerce sites. Wix's Business Basic at £20/month is cheaper than Shopify Basic at £25/month, BUT Wix has weaker e-commerce features (less abandoned cart automation, fewer shipping options, weaker app ecosystem). For serious online stores: Shopify is worth the £5 extra. For local service businesses with simple product catalogues: Wix is fine.
Which is easier for a complete beginner?
Wix has the gentler learning curve — drag-and-drop visual builder with templates that work out of the box. Shopify requires understanding e-commerce concepts (collections, variants, inventory) but is more powerful once learned. For non-technical users opening their first store: Wix is faster to launch. For users planning serious e-commerce growth: invest the extra learning time in Shopify.
Can I sell internationally on both?
Shopify is significantly better for international selling: built-in multi-currency display, local payment gateways in 100+ countries, automatic tax calculation, and international shipping integrations. Wix has multi-currency but weaker tax handling. For local-only businesses: either works. For international expansion: Shopify Plus or Shopify Premium tier.
Which has better SEO?
Both are reasonable but have limitations. Shopify has automatic sitemaps, customisable meta data, and clean URL structure but lacks granular control. Wix has improved significantly since 2018 (previously poor SEO) but still trails Shopify slightly. For SEO-critical stores: WooCommerce on WordPress beats both. Among Shopify and Wix: Shopify slightly ahead, particularly with Shopify Markets for international SEO.
What happens to my store if I cancel my subscription?
Both platforms: your store goes offline immediately upon non-payment. Customer and order data is retained for 30-60 days for backup/migration. You can export product data, customer lists, and order history before cancelling. There's no "freemium" plan that keeps your store live — both are subscription-only for e-commerce. Plan migration before cancellation if switching platforms.