Shopify vs Wix 2026: E-commerce Platform Pricing & Features

Shopify vs Wix

pricing comparison · 2026

Shopify pricing ranges from $39–$2300/month, while Wix ranges from $0–$172/month. These products use different pricing models (Hybrid (seat + usage) vs ), so a direct price comparison isn't meaningful — costs depend on usage volume and mix.

Option A

Shopify

$39–$2300
/month
4 plans
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
Option B

Wix

$0–$172
/month
5 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →

Different Pricing Models

Direct price comparison isn't meaningful here — Shopify uses Hybrid (seat + usage) pricing while Wix uses pricing. Your actual cost will depend on usage volume, team size, or both. Here's each product in its native unit.

Hybrid (seat + usage)

Shopify

$39–$2300 / month
See full Shopify pricing →
vs

Wix

$0–$172 / month
See full Wix pricing →

Shopify and Wix both power millions of online stores, but they serve different ends of the market. Shopify is a dedicated e-commerce platform built for businesses where selling is the primary activity — its entire architecture, app ecosystem, and payment infrastructure are optimized for commerce. Wix started as a drag-and-drop website builder and added e-commerce capabilities, making it a better fit for businesses where the website itself is as important as the store.

Entry pricing is close — Shopify Basic at $39/month vs Wix Core at $36/month — but the total cost differences emerge quickly from Shopify transaction fees and app dependencies versus Wix all-in pricing model.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Shopify Wix
Basic $39 /month Free /month
Grow (formerly Shopify) $105 /month $24 /month
Advanced $399 /month $36 /month
Shopify Plus $2.3K /month $46 /month
Business Elite $172 /month

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

Shopify

5 scenarios
$264 Year 1
Small Online Store (Basic Plan)
monthly average ($29 subscription + $85 apps + $150 transaction fees)
$879 Year 1
Growing Business (Grow Plan)
monthly average ($79 subscription + $150 apps + $650 transaction fees)
$4,400 Year 1
Enterprise Brand (Shopify Plus)
monthly average ($2,300 subscription + $800 apps + $1,300 dev/maintenance)
See all 5 scenarios →

Wix

3 scenarios
$438 Year 1 ($348 Core annual subscription + $30 domain renewal + $60 basic apps)
Small Business Website - Year 1
$932 Year 1 ($432 Business annual subscription + $300 forced premium features + $200 e-commerce apps)
E-commerce Store - Year 1
$468
Professional Services Business (1 site, appointments + payments)
$828/year

Market Intelligence

Shopify

Median annual cost
$948
Average negotiated discount
25%

Wix

Median annual cost
$16,000
0
Based on
5 deals

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

Shopify 8 hidden costs

critical
Transaction Fees on Non-Shopify Payments 0.15-2% per transaction, potentially $75,000+ annually for $5M in sales
medium
App and Plugin Costs $50-$300/month
high
Expensive at Scale 5-15% of license costs
medium
Pricing Model Shifts Revenue to Platform $500-$5,000
high
Third-Party App Costs $6,000+ per year for typical app stack
See all Shopify hidden costs →

Wix 6 hidden costs

medium
Transaction Fees on Lower-Tier Plans 2-3% of sales
medium
Expensive Third-Party Apps and Add-Ons $10-$50/month
low
Higher Domain Renewal Costs $15-$30/year
high
E-commerce Feature Upgrade Costs $20-$140/month
medium
No Prorated Refunds on Annual Plans $200-$400
See all Wix hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term Shopify Wix
Auto-renewal Yes Yes
Cancellation Monthly subscription can be cancelled anytime 14 days from purchase or renewal
Minimum commitment Monthly billing cycle 1 year for annual plans
Price escalation No published schedule for price increases mentioned in sources First-year promotional pricing may increase in subsequent years
Can downgrade Yes No

Our Verdict

Wix wins for small businesses and creatives who want design freedom and a simple, all-in price. Its no-transaction-fee model and free tier make it the more accessible starting point for low-volume stores.

Shopify wins for e-commerce-first businesses, especially those expecting significant growth. Its infrastructure investment — Shopify Payments, multichannel selling, and 8,000+ app ecosystem — is purpose-built for businesses where online sales are the primary revenue driver.

Frequently Asked Questions

01 Is Shopify or Wix cheaper for an online store?

Wix Core ($36/month) is slightly cheaper than Shopify Basic ($39/month) at entry, but the real cost difference comes from fees. Shopify charges 2% transaction fees without Shopify Payments; Wix charges no transaction fees. For stores under $5,000/month in sales, Wix is often cheaper total.

02 Does Wix have better design than Shopify?

Generally yes — Wix drag-and-drop editor gives more pixel-level design control than Shopify section-based editor. Shopify themes are more polished and commerce-optimized, but Wix wins on design flexibility for custom layouts.

03 Can Wix handle a high-volume e-commerce store?

Wix handles moderate volume well, but high-volume stores (10,000+ orders/month) typically encounter limitations in inventory management, multichannel integration, and advanced reporting. Shopify infrastructure is built for enterprise scale via Shopify Plus.

04 Which is better for SEO — Shopify or Wix?

Both have solid SEO capabilities. Shopify generates clean URLs and has strong technical SEO out of the box. Wix has historically had SEO limitations but has improved significantly. For content-heavy sites with blogging, Wix more flexible editor can produce better on-page SEO.