Choose Shopify if selling is the point; consider Wix if the website comes first
If your main goal is to sell products and handle orders, start with Shopify. If you already need a general website, such as a portfolio, a blog or a booking page, and you want to add a few products to it, Wix is a fair comparison.
Both let you build a store without writing code. The real difference is what each platform was designed around, and what you have to set up before the first order can come in. This guide compares the things a new seller feels first: how you get paid, what the plans require, what happens as the catalog grows, and how to test each platform with one product.
We checked Shopify's pricing page, Wix's plan and online-store pages, and Wix's help center on October 19, 2026. Shopify and Wix both vary prices by country. When we loaded their pricing pages for this check, Shopify's showed yen, and Wix's showed prices labeled "for reference only" that included GST, so we did not copy either company's dollar prices from those pages. The Shopify US figures below come from our September 12, 2026 check of the US pricing page (see our Shopify pricing guide). Look at your own region's page before you decide.
If you are weighing a marketplace instead, see Shopify vs Etsy. For the WordPress route, see Shopify vs WooCommerce.
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Payments come first: check what each platform lets you accept
Both platforms take cards, but the setup and the fees come from different places. Compare payments before you compare themes.
Wix has its own payment system, Wix Payments, in a limited set of countries. Wix's help center lists fee schedules for the United States, EU countries, the United Kingdom, Canada and Switzerland. In the US, the standard card rate it lists is 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, and PayPal and Venmo are listed at 3.49% + $0.49. (Wix help: Wix Payments fees, checked October 19, 2026; the page shows no update date.) Wix's online-store page also says you can accept payments from "80+ global providers".
Shopify has its own system, Shopify Payments, available in supported countries. When you use a different payment provider, Shopify adds a transaction fee on top of the provider's own fees, and the rate depends on your plan. Our Shopify fees guide walks through the numbers with an example.
A simple way to compare: write down every way you want customers to pay (cards, PayPal, wallets, buy-now-pay-later), then check, in your own country's settings, whether each one is available, what the provider charges, and whether the platform adds a fee on top. Fees on the platform side are the easiest to miss.
Plans: what you need to pay for before the first sale
On Wix, selling requires a paid plan. On Shopify, you pick a plan to keep your store after the trial.
Wix says you can build a store for free, but you must upgrade to a Premium plan to accept payments. Its plan page marks Core, Business and Business Elite with "Accept payments", and Wix's plans blog post says Core and above unlock online payments, with the lower Light plan not accepting them. Wix also lists a 14-day money-back guarantee, which applies to your initial upgrade to a Premium plan. (Wix plans, Wix online store, checked October 19, 2026.) Wix shows prices by location and says displayed prices are for yearly subscriptions paid in full, so confirm your price and billing at checkout.
Shopify offers a new-store free trial of 3 days, with no credit card required, and the standard offer is followed by a paid introductory period whose terms vary by location. Shopify's US Basic plan was $39 per month, or $29 per month billed annually, in our September 12, 2026 check. (Shopify pricing, free trial.)
When you compare, line up the same items on both sides:
- The monthly price, and whether it assumes you pay for the year up front
- The payment provider's fees
- The domain, theme and app costs you actually need
- Any introductory discount, and the regular price after it ends
For plan-by-plan detail, use our Shopify pricing guide rather than rebuilding it here.
Catalog size and sales tools: think about month twelve
Both platforms handle a small catalog easily. The difference shows up when you add products, channels and teammates.
Wix's online-store page lists a limit of 50,000 products on the Core, Business and Business Elite plans, and abandoned cart recovery on all three paid plans. It also lists dropshipping product limits of 25 on Core, 250 on Business and 50,000 on Business Elite, delivered through an integration with Modalyst. Abandoned cart recovery means an automatic email to shoppers who left items in their cart. (Checked October 19, 2026.)
On Shopify, the pricing page we checked lists staff accounts and inventory locations by plan. Basic has no additional staff accounts, Grow has 5 and Advanced has 15, and each of the three lists 10 inventory locations. A solo seller can start on Basic and move up when a teammate needs access.
| What to compare | Shopify | Wix |
|---|---|---|
| Own payment system | Shopify Payments, in supported countries | Wix Payments, in a limited set of countries (US cards: 2.9% + $0.30) |
| Other payment providers | Shopify adds a transaction fee, set by plan | "80+ global providers" |
| Before you can sell | 3-day trial with no card, then a paid plan | Core plan or above to accept payments |
| Safety net | Free trial | 14-day money-back guarantee on the first upgrade |
| Room to grow | Staff accounts: Basic none added, Grow 5, Advanced 15; 10 inventory locations | 50,000 products on paid plans; dropshipping 25, 250 or 50,000 products by plan |
Here is a practical way to picture it. Say you sell printed notebooks. At the start you have 10 products and you do everything yourself. A year later you have 80 products, a part-time packer and an Instagram shop. Ask of each platform: can my packer see orders without seeing everything else, and can I list the same stock in both places without counting by hand? Those questions matter more than the template gallery.
Who should pick which
Match the platform to your main job.
Shopify tends to fit you if:
- Selling products and managing orders is the main job
- You want payment costs spelled out plan by plan
- You expect staff, locations or sales channels to grow
Wix tends to fit you if:
- A general website comes first, and products are a smaller part of it
- You already know which payment provider you will use
- Your catalog is small and your selling needs are simple
If you never plan to sell more than a handful of items and the site is mostly informational, a store-first subscription may be more than you need.
How to test each one with a single product
Take one real product from listing to the payment step on both platforms before you commit. The same five checks work for either:
- List one product with photos, description, price and stock
- Set up shipping rates for the places you actually ship
- Connect the payment method you plan to use and confirm it appears at checkout
- Open the product page and checkout on your phone
- Place a test order, if the platform allows it, and see where the order notification arrives
On Shopify, the 3-day trial is long enough to do steps 1 through 3. If you run out of time, finish those first and check the price after the trial before going further. On Wix, you can design and list products on the free plan, but you need a paid plan to connect payments, and the money-back window covers only the first upgrade.
Our guide to starting a Shopify store covers the setup order in more detail.
FAQ
Is Wix cheaper than Shopify? It depends on your region and what you need. Compare the plan that accepts payments, the payment provider's fees, and any extra apps. A lower plan price can be offset by other costs, and the other way round.
Can I sell on Wix for free? You can build a store on the free plan, but Wix says you need a Premium plan to accept payments.
Does Shopify charge a fee if I use PayPal or another provider? Shopify charges a transaction fee when you use a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments, and the rate depends on your plan. See our fees guide.
Do I need a credit card to try Shopify? Not for the standard new-store trial. Shopify's trial page says no card is required, but terms can vary by location and eligibility.
Which is better for dropshipping? Wix lists dropshipping limits by plan, from 25 to 50,000 products. For Shopify, check its app listings and plan details for the tools you need.
Next step: start a Shopify trial and list one product
If selling is your main goal, start a Shopify trial and take one real product through listing, shipping and the payment step. Check the price after the trial before you pay for a full year. Then do the same on Wix if you still want a comparison, and pick the platform where the work felt easier to repeat every week.
Official sources checked (October 19, 2026)
