Wix vs Shopify: Which Website Platform Is Best for Your Small Business?
- swinnicki81
- Jun 8
- 6 min read
Updated: Jun 9
What Do You Really Need Your Website to Do?
When it comes to building a website for your business, the choices can feel overwhelming. Wix and Shopify are two of the most popular platforms on the market, but they serve very different purposes.
At Winnicki Digital, we build on both. We’ve worked with service providers launching their first site and product-based businesses ready to scale. So, instead of pushing one tool over the other, we’ll walk you through the honest pros and cons of each because the best platform is the one that fits your business model, your budget, and your goals.
Choose Wix if: You run a service-based business like coaching, consulting, creative work, or nonprofit and need a flexible, design-forward website with storytelling tools. E-commerce is optional, and keeping monthly costs low matters.
Choose Shopify if: You’re primarily selling physical products, need advanced inventory and order management, plan to scale your store, and are ready to invest more for powerful e-commerce features.
This article breaks down the key differences between Wix and Shopify so you can stop second-guessing and start building a site that actually works for you.
1. The Big Picture – Wix vs Shopify: Core Purpose
Let’s start with a quick overview.
Wix Overview: | Shopify Overview: |
Flexible website builder designed for small business owners, creatives, events, digital products, and service providers. It offers powerful customization, intuitive design tools, built-in analytics, and marketing tools like email automation and SEO assistance. You can also add e-commerce, making it ideal for businesses that focus on services or content but want the option to sell. | E-commerce platform created for online retailers. It’s ideal for businesses that sell physical products and need robust inventory management, shipping options, order tracking, and integrated sales tools. Everything in Shopify is optimized to support and scale a high-performing online store. |
So the real question isn’t “Which platform is better?”
It’s “What do you need your website to do?”
If your site is about telling your story, attracting clients, or promoting services, or light e-commerce, Wix is likely the better fit.
If your site is your storefront, and product sales are your core business, Shopify is probably the right choice.
2. Ease of Use – How Much Tech Can You Handle?
One of the biggest factors for small business owners choosing a platform is how easy it is to use, especially if you’re managing the website yourself.
Wix: Visual, Intuitive, No Coding Required | Shopify: Streamlined for Stores, Structured, with Some Coding |
Wix uses a true drag-and-drop editor that allows you to build pages visually, what you see is what you get. You can move elements anywhere, try out design ideas, and get a fully functional website live without hiring a developer.
| Shopify is user-friendly, but it’s built for managing products, not for free-form site design. You’ll need to work within its theme structure, great for consistency but offers less flexibility if you’re focused on branding or storytelling.
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3. Design & Templates – How Much Visual Freedom Do You Need?
If design is a big part of your brand, Wix gives you more freedom.
If you care more about product layout than visual variety and storytelling, Shopify gets you there faster.
Wix: Visual, Intuitive, No Coding Required | Shopify: Streamlined for Stores, Structured, with Some Coding |
Offers 900+ templates across every imaginable industry, and you can move, resize, customize or layer anything however you’d like. It’s ideal for business owners who want full design control without needing a developer.
| Offers themes that are sleek, fast, and mobile-optimized, but they’re more structured, with less flexibility. You can customize colors, fonts, images, with lite drag-n-drop, but deeper customization often requires code or third-party apps.
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* Wix Editor is ideal for DIY users who want an easy, drag-and-drop builder, while Wix Studio offers advanced design control and responsiveness for professionals and growing brands.
4. Built-In Features – Built-In Features Breakdown
Both platforms offer powerful tools, but the focus is different.
Wix is ideal if your website is your business hub and e-commerce is just one part of it.
Shopify is ideal if your website is your store and every feature needs to support selling at scale.
Wix Features | Shopify Features |
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5. Pricing – What Will It Actually Cost to Run Your Site?
Both platforms offer tiered pricing, but the cost structure and value look different.
Wix is more affordable for service providers and early-stage businesses.
Shopify costs more, but gives you what you need to scale a robust online store.
Plan Type | ||
Free plan | Yes (with ads, limited features) | No |
Entry plan | $17 (Lite) | N/A |
Basic plan | $29 (Core) | $29 (Basic) |
Mid-tier plan | $36 (Business) | $79 (Shopify) |
Top standard plan | $159 (Business Elite) | $299 (Advanced) |
Enterprise plan | Custom (Wix Enterprise) | $2,300+ (Shopify Plus) |
Transaction Fees | 2.9% + $0.30 (US, all plans) | 2.9% + $0.30 (US, Basic), lower on higher plans |
Additional fees | None for own payments | Extra fees if NOT using Shopify Payments |
Hosted Included | Yes | Yes |
Built-in Tools | Many (SEO, email, bookings, events), apps for purchase | Most e-commerce tools included, apps for purchase |
Security and Compliance | Yes | Yes |
*Prices as of May 2025, subject to change.
6. SEO & Marketing – How Do You Get Found and Drive Traffic?
Both Wix and Shopify support SEO, but in different ways.
If your business relies on blogging, content marketing, or local search, Wix offers more built-in flexibility and control.
If your focus is product visibility and organic traffic for an online store, Shopify includes strong technical SEO tools but has more limited native content features.
Wix Marketing Integrations | Shopify Marketing Integrations |
Wix is now a robust SEO platform, offering a suite of built-in and advanced tools that cover on-page, technical, local SEO, as well as automation, analytics, and integrations with Google Analytics, Ads, and social media. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced user, Wix’s SEO features are designed to help your site achieve higher rankings and increased organic traffic in 2025. | Shopify offers robust built-in SEO features for e-commerce, including technical SEO, Core Web Vitals optimization, structured data, and internationalization. It’s a solid choice for stores focused on organic growth in 2025, but brands that rely heavily on blogging or content marketing may find its native tools more limited compared to platforms like Wix. |
7. Scalability – What Happens When You Grow?
Scaling a service-based business, personal brand, or a small shop? Wix is more than capable.
Scaling a retail or e-commerce business with complex needs? Shopify is built for that.
Wix Scalability | Shopify Scalability |
Wix is built to scale with small and mid-sized businesses. With tools like Wix Studio and Velo, you can customize and expand your site as your needs evolve. But for high-volume e-commerce or complex backend requirements, Wix may eventually fall short. | Shopify was built for scale from day one. Whether you’re managing a single product or thousands, it supports advanced inventory, shipping, fulfillment, and POS integration, making it a strong fit for product businesses with rapid growth in mind. |
Conclusion: It’s Not About Better. It’s About Better for You.
Wix and Shopify are both excellent platforms but they’re built for different goals.
Wix is ideal for service providers, creatives, and small businesses who want a flexible, content-driven site with design freedom and light commerce, without paying for features they don’t need.
Shopify is the right choice for product-based businesses that need powerful e-commerce tools, advanced inventory management, and room to scale quickly.
Still Deciding? Ask Yourself:
Are most of your sales from products or services?
Do you need advanced inventory, shipping, or fulfillment tools?
Is design flexibility more important than store functionality?
At Winnicki Digital, we work with both. We won’t steer you toward what’s trendy, we’ll guide you toward what’s strategic for your business.
At Winnicki Digital, we work with both. And we’ll never push you toward one or the other just because it’s what we prefer, we’ll help you choose based on what you need, not what’s popular.
Ready to Build a Website That Works?
Choosing a platform is just step one. The real magic comes from strategic design, clear messaging, and optimization tailored to your audience.
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