We agree! Starting an ecommerce store is an exciting venture. It comes with its fair share of responsibilities and endless learnings. But one of the most important decisions you can make is choosing the right ecommerce platform. Ecwid vs Shopify – What should you choose? The debate keeps popping up comparing the two popular options, Ecwid and Shopify.
With both platforms offering robust features, it may be hard to pinpoint and declare one as the best. To ease this confusion, we have this handy Shopify vs Ecwid guide that puts both these contenders toe-to-toe.
Both are popular ecommerce platforms used by millions of merchants, but which one is right for your business?
Each offers powerful features to help you sell online, so which is better for your needs?
Let us try to answer such questions and more as we compare Ecwid vs Shopify to help determine the better ecommerce platform for you!
As an online seller, your ecommerce platform is the foundation of your business. The platform you choose will impact everything from how fast you get your store up and running to how much it costs you to process payments.
It determines how easy it is for customers to checkout. Moreover, your chosen platform will affect how your visitors experience your store.
With your business and customers depending on this crucial decision, you want to make the right choice.
So, keep reading to see how Ecwid and Shopify stack up in this head-to-head Shopify vs Ecwid comparison.
By the end, you will likely have a clear winner and be ready to build your dream online store.
Whenever we talk about ecommerce platforms, Ecwid and Shopify are two of the biggest names in the game.
Both have a lot to offer. However, we have to weigh the benefits of Shopify over Ecwid and vice versa according to some main features. Let us begin!
With Ecwid, you have access to ready-made store designs as well as the ability to customize the look and feel. You can choose a template or build your own using their drag-and-drop editor. Ecwid free plan features limited customization options, which may be ideal for small businesses.
Shopify, on the other hand, provides you with an entirely hosted ecommerce solution. You get a custom domain and website designed specifically for selling your products.
The benefits of Shopify include professional templates and a user-friendly editor to create a unique storefront. They have a bit more flexibility for designing a store from scratch. While a huge array of options can feel overwhelming, Shopify’s intuitive interface and comprehensive documentation make it accessible to all kinds of people.
In the comparison of Ecwid vs Shopify, we cannot overlook how your products are handled. After all, your product is what your buyers come to see. Both platforms let you easily add and manage your product catalog.
You can include images, descriptions, pricing, variants, and more. However, one glaring drawback of Ecwid is that it does not allow you to edit the product Uniform Resource Locator (URL). The auto-generated URLs tend to have a random number sequence. This isn’t the best for Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Shopify may have a slight edge here with built-in support for things like a sophisticated collections system, minimalistic approach, bulk editor, and more. Moreover, their dedicated inventory page allows for hassle-free updates in your product stock levels.
The Shopify vs Ecwid saga brings us to payments. The most appealing part of running a business is receiving payments, isn’t it? Both Shopify and Ecwid integrate with major payment gateways and shipping carriers to streamline checkout and fulfillment.
Ecwid supports 50+ payment gateways, including Stripe, Paypal, Square, Klarna, American Express, 2Checkout, etc. In addition, you can accept offline payments, like wire transfers or cash on delivery.
Shopify supports 100+ payment gateways. These include Apple Pay, Afterpay, Google Pay, Amazon, etc., in addition to the ones listed above. Shopify Payments and Shopify Shipping, Shopify’s own in-house payment gateway and shipping solution, provide added convenience. This is one of the many benefits of Shopify that ensure you don’t have to worry about third-party providers if you don’t want to.
Pricing is a critical factor when comparing Ecwid vs Shopify. Both offer free trials and paid plans ranging from $5 to $2000 per month. However, there are a few differences to consider.
Ecwid free plan features allow newbies to try the platform and get a taste of ecommerce business. Still, you can only list 10 products for free. The following are Ecwid’s paid plans:
Venture Plan ($19/Month): Up to 100 products.
Business Plan ($39/Month): Up to 2,500 products.
Unlimited Plan ($99/Month): Unlimited products.
For small businesses on a budget, Ecwid’s free plan is hard to beat. Their paid plans are also very affordable.
Shopify’s basic plan starts at $29/month, more than Ecwid’s comparable plan. However, Shopify does include more advanced features at their lower price points. It depends on how much you can invest to get your store up and running. If you are a new user, Shopify also offers a three-day free trial and a $1/month plan for the first three months!
In addition to these, you can find the list of Shopify plans below:
Basic $39/Month
Shopify Standard $105/Month
Advanced $399/Month
Ecwid’s paid plans start at $19 per month for up to 100 products, while Shopify’s cheapest paid plan is $29 per month for unlimited products. So, if you’re on a tight budget and only selling a few items, Ecwid may save you some cash.
But since we are carefully evaluating Ecwid vs Shopify, we must note that Shopify offers more cutting-edge features.
A big factor is the transaction fees for accepting payments. Ecwid offers no monthly fees and only charges 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction when accepting credit card payments, unlike Shopify plans, which range between $29 – $299 monthly but charge the same 2.9% + 30-cent transaction fee per transaction rate.
With Ecwid, you’ll enjoy lower monthly costs while paying exactly the same per-transaction cost rate per transaction rate compared to Shopify plans.
Ecwid may offer smaller stores on a tight budget a slightly cheaper solution, though for mid-size to larger stores, the fees for each platform are relatively equal – take note, though, that each platform’s specific features and capabilities also play a role in determining its true cost-effectiveness – the least costly option might not always be best in the long run!
Ecwid makes it easy to add an online store to your existing website. You just install their plugin, and you’re ready to start selling.
Both platforms are easy to set up and navigate, with drag-and-drop interfaces and pre-built themes. However, Shopify is generally seen as the most user-friendly ecommerce builder, with an intuitive interface and simple process for adding products, customizing your store, and more. The additional hand-holding may make Shopify better for beginners.
Overall, Ecwid is ideal if you want to add shopping functionality to an existing site quickly. Shopify is better if you need an all-in-one ecommerce solution. Either choice can work great, so go with what suits your needs and budget. The possibilities for selling online have never been greater!
While Ecwid offers attractive pricing and flexibility, Shopify is probably the superior all-in-one solution for most small businesses. Its ease of use, powerful features, and beautiful themes help you create a professional online store quickly and affordably.
However, Ecwid could also be an excellent choice, depending on your technical skills and budget.
So there you have it – the pros and cons of Ecwid vs Shopify laid out for you. Now, it’s time for you to decide which platform is the best fit for your needs and budget.
If you’re looking for an easy-to-set-up and affordable ecommerce solution to get started with, Ecwid is probably your best bet. However, if you want a more full-featured platform with unlimited products and customization options, Shopify is the way to go.
Either way, you really can’t go wrong. Both offer great ecommerce solutions for small businesses. Now stop overanalyzing and get started building your online store already! Your customers are waiting.
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