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Ecommerce platforms · head to head

Wix vs Shopify

Sebastiaan Smits Editor Sebastiaan Smits · Published September 30, 2026 · Updated October 20, 2026

Wix is a general website builder where the store sits beside bookings, courses and email marketing in one account. Shopify is a dedicated commerce platform with unlimited products on every plan, Markets for international selling and a path to Shopify Plus. Small businesses whose site does several jobs choose Wix; brands for whom the store is the business choose Shopify.

Side by side

WixShopify
What it isWebsite builder with built-in online storeHosted ecommerce with the largest app ecosystem
Best forSmall businesses wanting site and store in oneDirect-to-consumer brands of any size
HeadquartersIsraelCanada
Pricing modelMonthly planMonthly plan + payment fees
PricingFree and Light plans cannot take payments; the Core, Business and Business Elite plans accept payments and run the store, priced yearly with shorter billing available.Published monthly plans from Basic through Grow and Advanced, with Shopify Plus listed from €2,100 a month; an extra fee of 2% down to 0.2% applies to orders not taken through Shopify Payments.
Free optionFree planFree trial
List price
as listed on September 30, 2026		$17 per month, billed annually (Light plan, no payments; Core at $29 is the first plan that takes payments; USD shown for reference, prices vary by location)€28 per month billed monthly, or €21 per month billed yearly (Basic plan)
Place in our ecommerce platforms ranking#6 of 12#4 of 12
Websitewix.comshopify.com

Both are reviewed in full in Best Ecommerce Platforms in 2026. Position in that ranking can be paid for; the wording of a review or of this comparison cannot. Placement disclosure.

Which one to choose

Choose Wix if

your website has to do more than sell, for example take class bookings or run courses, and the catalog will stay modest with simple shipping.

Wix, #6 in the ranking · Visit Wix →

Choose Shopify if

online sales are the core of the business, you expect the catalog and order volume to grow, and you want to sell across countries with local currencies, languages and domains.

Shopify, #4 in the ranking · Visit Shopify →

Where they differ

When the site is more than a shop

Wix puts bookings, the store and marketing in one account: Wix Bookings covers private sessions, group classes and multi-session courses with deposits and reminders, beside memberships, gift cards and event ticketing. That suits a studio selling classes and prints, or a restaurant with a small merchandise line. Shopify is organized around the store. For a business where commerce is one tab among several, Wix is the more natural shape.

Edge: Wix

Catalog size and variants

Shopify includes unlimited products on every plan and allows up to 2,048 variants and three options per product, with Plus for large brands. Wix supports up to 1,000 variants per product and CSV import and export, and in the site's view its catalog and bulk-editing tools feel basic once a store runs to thousands of SKUs. For a catalog expected to grow large, Shopify has the clear advantage.

Edge: Shopify

What is bundled and what is billed extra

Wix Core, at $29 a month billed annually in USD shown for reference, is the first plan that takes payments, and email marketing, POS and bookings sit in the platform. Shopify Basic lists €21 a month billed yearly or €28 monthly, and orders through a gateway other than Shopify Payments carry an extra 2% fee on Basic. In the site's view, Shopify's reliance on paid apps also makes Wix easier to budget.

Edge: Wix

Selling across borders

Shopify Markets manages several countries from one store, with local languages and currencies, per-market catalogs and pricing, and separate domains or subfolders; paying in local currency runs through Shopify Payments. Wix's multichannel selling reaches marketplaces and social channels such as Google, Amazon, eBay, Etsy and TikTok from the Wix dashboard. For a brand localizing its own storefront for several countries, Shopify goes further.

Edge: Shopify

Tally: Wix 2, Shopify 2, even 0.

When neither fits

Neither fits a merchant who wants to own the storefront code outright and has a developer to maintain it. WooCommerce turns WordPress into a store with total code ownership, and Shopware is an open-source platform with paid editions that gives merchants full control.

See WooCommerce and Shopware among the 12 products in Best Ecommerce Platforms in 2026.

Questions and answers

Can I sell on the free Wix plan instead of paying for Shopify?

No. Wix requires an upgrade to a paid plan to accept online payments, and payments and ecommerce start on Core. Shopify has no free plan either; it offers three days free, then €1 a month for three months on its standard plans. A working checkout means a paid subscription.

Is Wix or Shopify easier for an owner with no technical background?

Both are built for that owner. Wix's drag-and-drop editor gives design freedom without code, and in the site's view Shopify's admin is the most approachable in the ecommerce category, with a polished store possible within days. The difference is scope, not difficulty.

Can a Wix store be moved to Shopify later?

Partly. Wix supports CSV export of products, but a Wix site must run on Wix servers, so the pages and design are rebuilt on Shopify. Shopify imports products by CSV and pulls images from their original addresses if those are still public, so plan redirects for existing links.

Can Wix and Shopify both handle in-person sales?

Yes. Wix lists a point of sale system for in-store and mobile payments that shares inventory with the online store. Shopify includes point of sale on all plans, and its POS Pro subscription adds features for retail locations, including market-specific product selection and pricing.

Sources

Prices, plan limits and product facts on this page were checked against the vendors' own pages on September 30, 2026. Vendors change both without notice, so treat the figures as of that date.