Shopify vs Wix: Best Platform for Your Online Store in 2025

2025-09-15 • RedSun IT Services

Choosing the right ecommerce website builder between Shopify vs Wix is crucial for online businesses in 2025. Both Shopify and Wix rank among the best website builders for online stores, but they serve different needs. Research shows that Shopify is generally stronger for serious selling – it offers advanced sales tools, multichannel integration, and a vast Shopify App Store for extra features. Wix is praised for its ease of use and all-in-one design tools: it uses a drag-and-drop editor that’s beginner-friendly, making site setup fast. The right choice depends on your goals: Shopify scales easily for large stores, while Wix is often the simpler, more affordable option for small to medium shops.

Pricing and Plans

Both platforms offer tiered pricing (billed annually) starting around the same level, but their plans differ:

Wix eCommerce Plans: Wix’s paid plans run from $29 to $159 per month. For example, the Core plan is $29/mo (needed for online selling), Business is $36/mo, and Business Elite is $159/mo. Wix also has a free plan, but it includes Wix ads on your site and limited storage. In short, Wix provides free entry-level and modestly priced plans.

Wix’s free plan shows an ad banner on the site, which can look unprofessional for a business brand. To sell online without ads, you’d need at least the $29/mo plan.

Shopify Plans: Shopify’s plans start at $29/mo (Basic) up to $299/mo (Advanced), plus a high-end Shopify Plus for enterprise. The Basic plan includes unlimited products and a 3-day free trial. Shopify often offers promotions (e.g. $1/mo for the first 3 months on Basic).

Shopify’s core plans (Basic $29, Grow $79, Advanced $299) include unlimited products and multichannel selling tools. The first three months of Basic can cost just $1 each.

Cost Comparison: Overall, Wix tends to be cheaper at the top end – its most expensive plan ($159) is about half the cost of Shopify’s Advanced ($299). However, Shopify’s Basic $29 plan matches Wix’s Core $29 plan in price. Both include hosting and 24/7 support.

Ease of Use and Design Between Shopify vs Wix

For UX/UI design, Wix shines with its flexible drag-and-drop interface. You can place elements (images, text, galleries) anywhere on the page and even use the Wix AI Site Builder to generate layouts with prompts. Wix offers 800+ templates, with 156 designed for stores.

Shopify, by contrast, uses a more structured theme editor. It has fewer templates (around 246 total, all built for stores), but these themes are responsive and optimized for sales. Shopify’s checkout and store design are very streamlined. However, the learning curve is steeper: you can’t drag elements as freely, and some customization may require basic coding or using the Theme Editor. In short, Wix offers design flexibility and ease (good for a portfolio or a creative shop), while Shopify focuses on UI/UX consistency and conversion (what’s best for a dedicated online store).

Summary: Wix is great for beginners and creative shops; Shopify is better for serious ecommerce with a focus on conversions.

E-Commerce Features and Scalability

When it comes to pure selling power, Shopify is purpose-built for e-commerce. It supports unlimited products, complex variants, inventory alerts, and multi-channel selling (e.g., Facebook, Amazon, marketplaces) out of the box. Shopify’s POS (point of sale) system is full-featured and available globally, and it handles international payments, multiple currencies, and multilingual stores (with apps) very well. It’s also popular for dropshipping businesses, since many dropshipping apps integrate directly with Shopify (e.g. Oberlo, DSers) – though note that Shopify Payments isn’t available in every country.

Wix eCommerce, on the other hand, covers the basics: you can list products, process orders, offer coupons, and sell on Instagram. But its inventory and order management are simpler. Wix imposes limits (e.g. a product cap on lower plans) and its native dropshipping support (through third-party apps like Modalyst) is not as extensive. Wix’s POS exists but is limited to the U.S. and Canada ,with more basic features. For a small shop or boutique, Wix’s toolset may be sufficient. For a large or rapidly growing store, Shopify’s robust features and app integrations make scaling easier.

Templates, Apps, and Integrations

Themes: As mentioned, Wix offers 2,000+ templates overall, with 900+ free options (though once you pick a Wix template you cannot switch it). Shopify’s theme store has fewer choices (about 100 free themes and 100+ paid ones), but all are made for ecommerce. Importantly, Shopify allows switching themes freely, which helps redesign

App Market: Shopify’s app ecosystem is massive. The Shopify App Store has thousands of apps (6,000+ as of 2025) for everything from accounting to shipping. This means you can add advanced features (reviews, loyalty programs, advanced analytics, dropshipping, etc.) as needed. Wix’s App Market is smaller (around 500–800 apps). It covers essentials like email marketing, chat, booking, and some sales tools, but very niche or advanced add-ons are less likely. In practice, Shopify’s huge app store means Shopify apps can extend your store much further at scale, whereas Wix apps help your site broadly (e.g., live chat, events).

Marketing, SEO, and Blogging

Both Wix and Shopify include basic SEO tools: customizable meta titles/descriptions, alt text for images, and automatic sitemaps. Wix even offers an SEO Wiz to guide beginners. However, experts note that Shopify’s SEO capabilities are slightly more powerful (especially for international SEO and deeper control) while Wix’s tools are very user-friendly. In practice, either platform can rank well if you optimize content and site speed.

For marketing, Wix provides integrated tools out of the box – for example, email marketing, social ads, and even a customizable AI chatbot for customer support (standout features listed in their comparison). Shopify relies more on apps (like Klaviyo for email, or built-in Shopify Email) and integrates with Facebook/Instagram/Google shopping seamlessly. Both let you run a blog natively (important for content marketing); in fact, Wix was originally a full website builder, so its blogging features are comparable to WordPress in flexibility. Shopify’s blogging is improving but remains more straightforward.

Which Platform is Right for You?

• Choose Shopify you plan to scale a serious online store. It’s built for high-volume sales, international commerce, and complex product catalogs. You get unlimited products, powerful inventory and order tools, built-in payment gateways (Shopify Payments), and 24/7 support. Experts recommend Shopify for multi-channel selling, advanced POS, and businesses needing strong SEO and multilingual capabilities.

• Choose Wix you want an easy, all-in-one solution. It’s often chosen by small businesses, creatives, or anyone who values simple drag-and-drop web design and lower costs. Wix lets you build a beautiful store quickly, and its starter plan is cheaper. It’s a good pick if your site’s main goal is content and branding (with online shopping as a secondary feature) or if you prefer intuitive design control. For example, one reviewer says Wix “was so easy to get started with” and is “perfect for beginners”.

Ultimately, both Shopify and Wix are leading e-commerce platforms. Shopify “wins” in feature tests for larger stores, while Wix wins for ease and cost. If you’re still undecided, consider testing each: use Shopify’s trial or Wix’s free plan to see which interface you prefer. Remember that migration is possible later (both systems support exporting products), so choosing now isn’t forever. In 2025, your choice should align with your growth plans: go with Shopify for maximum selling power and flexibility, or with Wix for a simple, friendly website-building experience. Either way, both can help you launch a professional online store