# Shopify vs Wix for selling online

> Shopify vs Wix compared on price, payment fees and templates, with November 2026 figures, and an honest look at when Wix is the better choice.

Published 2026-11-04, updated 2026-11-04. Source: https://forgefont.com/blog/shopify-vs-wix

Choose Shopify if selling products is your main business and your catalog will grow. Choose Wix if your website does several jobs, such as presenting services or taking bookings, and selling is only one of them. In the US, their entry prices and card rates are close, so the difference lies in focus.

## How do the prices compare?

These figures are in US dollars, as of November 2026, from [Shopify’s pricing page](https://www.shopify.com/pricing) and [Wix’s plans page](https://www.wix.com/plans). Wix says its prices vary by location and that the USD amounts are for reference, so check the price shown for your country.

|  | Shopify | Wix |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Entry plan to sell, billed yearly | Basic, $29 a month | Core, about $29 a month |
| Next plan, billed yearly | Grow, $79 a month | Business, about $39 a month |
| Top standard plan, billed yearly | Advanced, $299 a month | Business Elite, about $159 a month |
| Free way to start | 3 days, then $1 a month for 3 months | Free plan to build, no payments |
| US card rate online, entry plan | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ |
| Fee with a third-party payment provider | 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced | None added by Wix |

Wix’s card rate is from its [Wix Payments fee page](https://support.wix.com/en/article/wix-payments-service-fees), which also lists 3.7% + 30¢ for American Express. The third-party statement is from [Wix’s online store guide](https://www.wix.com/blog/how-to-start-an-online-store). Wix’s Light plan does not list payments, so do not budget for it if you want to sell. For the full picture on the Shopify side, see [what a Shopify store costs](https://forgefont.com/blog/how-much-does-a-shopify-store-cost).

## What is the main difference in practice?

Wix starts from a website and adds selling. Shopify starts from selling and adds a website. That shapes three things you will meet early.

- **Changing your design.** Wix says it is [not possible to switch a site’s template](https://support.wix.com/en/article/switching-your-site-template): you start a new site and move things across. Shopify lets you [keep up to 20 themes](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/themes/adding-themes) on Basic, Grow and Advanced, preview any of them, and publish one when you are ready.
- **Services.** Wix’s selling plans include scheduling and services, so one site can take bookings and sell products. If your income comes from appointments, that matters more than anything else in this article.
- **Selling tools on the entry plan.** Shopify Basic includes unlimited products, abandoned checkout recovery, 10 inventory locations and 24/7 chat support. Wix’s plans step up from Basic to Standard to Advanced eCommerce, so read what your plan includes.

## When is Wix the better choice?

- You offer services or bookings, with a few products on the side.
- Your site is mainly content or a portfolio, and the shop is secondary.
- You want a third-party payment provider and do not want a platform fee on top. If you cannot use Shopify Payments in your country, compare this closely.
- You need more than 3 options on a product. Shopify’s limit is 3, and [Shopify’s guide notes Wix allows 6](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/migrating-to-shopify/migrating-from-wix).

## When is Shopify the better choice?

- Selling products is the business, not a side feature.
- You expect your catalog, your team or your sales channels to grow.
- You want to redesign later without rebuilding your store.

## What if you choose wrong?

You can move. Shopify’s free Store Migration app imports the product and customer CSV files exported from Wix, as drafts. Some things need manual work: products with four or more options lose their variants, and reviews cannot be migrated. For another comparison, read [Shopify vs WooCommerce](https://forgefont.com/blog/shopify-vs-woocommerce).

## If you pick Shopify

You still need a store built on it. Forgefont builds the whole store from your products and photos, in an unpublished theme you can review first, for a single payment on top of your Shopify plan. It only builds Shopify stores, so it is no help if you choose Wix. If you choose Shopify, [see the three plans](https://forgefont.com/#forfaits).

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Wix cheaper than Shopify?

At entry level the gap is small. As of November 2026, Wix’s plans that accept payments start around $29 a month billed yearly, and Shopify Basic is $29 a month billed yearly. Exact Wix prices vary by location.

### Can I try both before choosing?

Yes. Wix lets you build for free and asks for a paid plan once you take payments. Shopify offers three free days, then $1 a month for three months, as of November 2026.

### Do either of them bring me customers?

Neither one sends you shoppers by itself. Both give you a website, and the traffic comes from your own marketing, search and social work.