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Shopify vs Wix: Which Is Better for Selling Online in 2026?

By Ryan Goering, CEO, BaaDigi · Last updated November 2026 · 53 sources checked

Shopify vs Wix for selling online: choose Shopify if the store is the business; choose Wix if you want a site that also sells some things. Shopify Basic costs $29 a month billed yearly ($39 monthly), and Wix Core, its first plan that accepts payments, also lists at $29[1][2]. Shopify adds a 2% fee on Basic if you use a payment company other than its own; Wix says you pay no additional fees for a third-party gateway[1][3]. Shopify includes unlimited products and abandoned-checkout recovery on every plan, while a Wix store tops out at 50,000 products[1][4]. On speed, 80.9% of Wix sites pass Core Web Vitals on mobile against 76.5% for Shopify in October 2026[5][6]. A third option keeps Shopify running the store and puts a custom front end on it, quoted per project by BaaDigi (our own offer)[7][8]. Biggest warning: Shopify’s “$1 a month for 3 months” is a promotion, not the price[1].

BaaDigi builds websites, mostly on Next.js, so we compete with every platform on this page. Every figure below is from the platform’s own pages or public datasets, so you can check it.

How do Shopify and Wix compare side by side?

People search both “Shopify vs Wix” and “Wix vs Shopify”; the facts are the same either way. These are two of the platforms we researched, not every way to sell online. The table compares Shopify Basic with Wix Core because both list $29 a month on yearly billing and Core is the first Wix plan that accepts payments[9]. We have no data on which plan buyers choose most. Prices are US list prices before tax, read on November 12, 2026.

Shopify vs Wix vs a custom storefront on Shopify. Core Web Vitals = share of sites passing all three, mobile / desktop, HTTP Archive Core Web Vitals Technology Report, October 2026
ShopifyWixCustom storefront on Shopify (our own offer)
Plan price, billed yearly / monthlyBasic $29 / $39. Grow $79 / $105. Advanced $299 / $399[1]Core $29 / $36. Business $39 / $46. Light ($17 yearly) lists no payments[2][10]A Shopify plan is still required, at the Shopify prices in the first column[7]. The build is quoted per project[11]
First-year plan cost, billed yearly$348 on Basic (our arithmetic: $29 × 12). Shopify also showed “3 days free, then $1 a month for 3 months”, a promotion with no stated end date[1]$348 on Core, $468 on Business (our arithmetic). A free domain for year one comes with yearly plans[2][10]Shopify plan plus a quoted-per-project build
RenewalAnnual billing charges the full year up front at a lower monthly rate[12]Anything bought on sale renews at the standard rate[13]Shopify’s renewal terms apply to the plan; the build is a project quote
Fee if you do NOT use the platform’s own paymentsBasic 2%, Grow 1%, Advanced 0.6%, on top of what the payment company charges[1][12]Wix says none, on its PayPal page: “you don’t pay any additional fees for using a third-party payment gateway on Wix”[3]Same Shopify fee applies[1]
Card rate, online, lowest planShopify Payments: 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic, 2.7% on Grow, 2.5% on Advanced[1]Wix Payments: 2.9% + $0.30 per US card transaction. We found one rate in Wix’s fee table, not a per-plan list[14]Same Shopify Payments rates apply[1]
Product limitsUnlimited products on every plan. We could not verify the variant limit[1]Up to 50,000 products, 6 options per product, 1,000 variants per product[4]Shopify’s limits apply
Abandoned-cart recoveryIncluded on all four plans, for the online store only (not POS or third-party channels)[1][15]Core and above, per a Wix comparison page; Wix’s help article does not name a plan[16]Runs through Shopify checkout
Can you export products, orders, customers?Yes, each to CSV. Product SEO title and description columns stay blank unless you customized them[17][18][19]Yes, to CSV: products up to 5,000 rows per file (digital products cannot be exported), orders, and up to 50,000 contacts at once[20][21][22]Product data stays in your Shopify account; see Shopify’s exports
SEO controlsEditable URL handle after fixed /products/ and /collections/ prefixes; redirects up to 100,000; robots.txt editable through robots.txt.liquid, which Shopify calls unsupported[23][24][25]Per-page title, description and canonical; 301 redirects (5,000 max); editable robots.txt; custom JSON-LD[26][27][28][29]You build the front end, so its meta tags and sitemap are the developer’s job[7]; Shopify’s docs say Hydrogen checks the store’s URL redirects before a 404[30]
AI-crawler controlsShopify says stores can be indexed by search engines and LLMs; robots.txt rules are advisory; AI-shopping channels are on by default for eligible stores[31][25][32]Open by default; no platform toggle; edit robots.txt by hand; llms.txt is auto-generated[33][34][35]Set in the code you own; not stated in our plan descriptions
Core Web Vitals pass rate (mobile / desktop)76.5% / 79.9%[6]80.9% / 87.2%[5]Not measured for this offer
Who edits, and howYou, in the Shopify admin and theme editor; Sidekick, an AI assistant, is included and shows changes for your review before applying them[36]You, in the Wix editor; the Wix Harmony AI builder is included on every plan[37]A developer builds the front end; Shopify still runs products, checkout, payments, shipping and tax[7][8]

Across the whole web, 53.0% of sites passed all three Core Web Vitals on mobile and 61.1% on desktop in October 2026[38]. A platform average says nothing about one specific store; test yours in Google PageSpeed Insights.

Which costs less for an online store?

On the plan price alone they match: $29 a month on yearly billing for Shopify Basic and Wix Core. The difference is in fees and extras. Plan-only three-year totals, our arithmetic from the cited list prices, exclude tax, domain, business email, themes, apps and any future price change.

Three-year plan cost, yearly billing (our arithmetic from the cited list prices)
Shopify BasicWix CoreWix Business
Plan, 3 years$1,044 ($29 × 36)[1]$1,044 ($29 × 36)[2][10]$1,404 ($39 × 36)[2][10]
  • Payment fees are the real gap. Shopify Basic with Shopify Payments charges 2.9% + 30¢ and no extra platform fee. If you connect another payment company, add Shopify’s 2%, and that company’s own rates come on top[1][12]. Wix says it adds no fee for third-party gateways and none on top of standard card processing, in two Wix pages (a PayPal page and a Wix Studio marketing blog, not its help center)[3][39].
  • Example, our arithmetic: on $10,000 of online card sales, 2.9% is $290 plus 30¢ a transaction on either platform. A Shopify Basic store on a third-party gateway pays another $200 (2%) to Shopify.
  • Themes: Shopify has free themes and paid ones from outside designers[40]. The paid themes featured on its Theme Store home page on November 12, 2026 cost $100 to $400 one time; the featured set changes and is not the full range[41].
  • Apps: Shopify says apps can have a monthly fee, a one-time fee or usage-based charges, and some third-party apps bill you outside Shopify. It publishes no average app spend, and neither do we[42][43].
  • Domain: Shopify says domains bought through it typically start at $9 a year, billed annually. Wix’s free domain lasts one year on yearly plans[44][2].
  • Setup: Shopify says there are no setup fees on any plan[1].
  • Email marketing: we could not verify Shopify Email’s price, so we do not state one.

Promotion seen on the check date, not a price: Shopify’s pricing page showed “Try 3 days free, then $1/month for 3 months” and gave no end date. After that you pay the list price. Also, Shopify’s older Starter plan is closed to new stores, and we could not verify its price, so we leave it out[1][45].

Shopify’s $0 Agentic plan is for selling in AI channels. You can build an online store on it but cannot publish one without moving to a paid plan, so it is not a way to run a store for free[46].

Which is better for selling online, Shopify or Wix?

Shopify will often be the better fit for a serious store; Wix is a reasonable fit for a site that also sells a little. That is a reading of what each platform documents, not a ranking: we found no source showing either one converts or ranks better.

  • Where Shopify documents more store tooling: unlimited products, abandoned-checkout recovery, selling on social, marketplaces and AI chats, and in-person payments with a phone or card reader, all listed on every plan[1]. Higher plans add staff accounts (Basic includes no additional staff accounts, Grow 5, Advanced 15) and lower payment fees[1].
  • Where Wix documents more room to move: no extra fee for third-party gateways, 80+ payment providers to pick from, and a higher Core Web Vitals pass rate[47][3][5]. Wix POS is available only to select US and Canada merchants[47].
  • Wix’s store limits (50,000 products, 1,000 variants a product) are far above what most small stores need[4].
  • To sell on Wix you need a Premium plan that accepts payments, which means Core or higher; Light does not[9][2].

Which is better for SEO, Shopify or Wix?

Both give you the basics: editable titles and descriptions, 301 redirects and an automatic sitemap[48][49][26]. Neither page says one ranks better.

  • URLs: Shopify lets you edit the handle, the part after a fixed prefix such as /products/ or /collections/, and you cannot redirect those fixed paths themselves[23][24]. Wix allows up to 5,000 301 redirects, only on a custom domain[27].
  • robots.txt: Wix lets you edit it in its SEO dashboard[28]. Shopify lets you add a robots.txt.liquid file to your theme, but calls it an unsupported customization that Shopify Support cannot help with[25].
  • Schema: Wix supports custom JSON-LD per page[29]. On Shopify, structured data comes from your theme; we found no vendor page saying what a given theme outputs, so check yours.

Which is faster, Shopify or Wix?

In October 2026, 80.9% of Wix sites passed all three Core Web Vitals on mobile and 87.2% on desktop, against 76.5% and 79.9% for Shopify. The whole-web figures were 53.0% and 61.1%[5][6][38]. Both beat the web average; Wix passes more often on both devices.

These are averages over thousands of sites from real Chrome users. They do not predict your store, which can be slow on either platform with oversized images, many apps or extra scripts.

Can you leave Shopify or Wix later?

You can take your product, order and customer lists with you on both. You cannot take the finished site.

  • Shopify: products, orders and customers each export to CSV; exported product SEO fields are blank unless you customized them[17][18][19]. No Shopify page we read says that themes, apps or redirects move to another platform. Shopify’s terms say anything you upload remains yours[50].
  • Wix: products export to CSV (5,000 rows per file; digital products cannot be exported), orders to CSV, and contacts to CSV[20][21][22]. Wix says the site itself must run on Wix’s servers, and blog posts cannot be exported to other platforms[51][52].

Which has better AI features for stores?

  • Shopify: its “agentic storefronts” (ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and Gemini, Copilot, Meta) are active by default for eligible stores, and AI-channel orders keep you as owner of the customer relationship[32]. Blocking AI crawlers in robots.txt does not stop Shopify Catalog from sending your product data to channels you have activated[25]. Shopify also advises adding structured data and product attributes for AI crawlers[53].
  • Wix: the Wix Harmony AI builder is included on every plan[37]. Wix publishes no AI-crawler toggle; blocking means editing robots.txt[34].

What is a custom storefront on Shopify?

It is a third option for owners who want a fully custom site. Shopify describes headless commerce this way: “Headless commerce separates your storefront’s frontend from its backend. You build the frontend, and Shopify’s APIs handle the commerce underneath.” Its Storefront API serves products, collections, search and the cart, and hands customers off to checkout[7].

BaaDigi built Revivify’s store like this: a headless Shopify storefront inside a custom Next.js site, with product data read through Shopify’s API and checkout, payments, shipping and tax running through Shopify[8]. Our store builds are quoted per project because scope varies[11]. Shopify’s plan prices and payment fees still apply on top, and plans include one headless storefront on Basic, Grow and Advanced[1].

Shopify itself says “A headless storefront costs more to build and run than a theme.” Most small stores are fine on Shopify alone. This option is for owners who want a custom site and accept the added cost[7].

Which should you pick: Shopify, Wix or something else?

  • Shopify is likely a fit if selling is the main job of the site, you want unlimited products, selling on social, marketplaces and AI channels, and room to add staff accounts as you grow[1]. Accept the 2% fee on Basic if you use a third-party gateway, and watch app costs[1][42].
  • Wix is likely a fit if the store is one part of a small-business site, you want no extra fee for third-party gateways and the higher speed pass rate[3][5]. Accept that the site cannot leave Wix as a finished site[51].
  • A custom storefront on Shopify is likely a fit if you want a fully custom front end, keep Shopify running checkout and payments, and can pay a quoted-per-project build on top of Shopify’s fees[8][7]. The BaaDigi AI Website Management plan does not cover stores; e-commerce is quoted separately[11].

Frequently asked questions

Is Shopify or Wix better for selling online?
Shopify will often be the better fit for a serious store, because it lists unlimited products, abandoned-checkout recovery and selling on social, marketplaces and AI chats on every plan. Wix is a reasonable fit if the store is one part of a small-business site. We found no source showing either converts or ranks better.
Is Shopify or Wix cheaper?
On the plan price they match: Shopify Basic and Wix Core both list $29 a month billed yearly as of November 12, 2026. Monthly billing is $39 on Shopify Basic and $36 on Wix Core. Fees differ: Shopify adds 2% on Basic if you use a third-party gateway, and Wix says it charges no additional fee for one.
Does Wix charge transaction fees on store sales?
Wix says you pay no additional fees for using a third-party payment gateway, and that it does not charge an additional platform fee on top of standard card processing rates. Those statements are on a Wix PayPal page and a Wix Studio blog, not its help center. Wix Payments charges 2.9% + $0.30 per US card transaction.
Is the Shopify $1 a month offer the real price?
No. Shopify’s pricing page showed 3 days free, then $1 a month for 3 months, on November 12, 2026. That is a promotion with no end date shown. After it, you pay the list price: Basic is $29 a month billed yearly or $39 billed monthly.
Can I move my store from Wix to Shopify, or the other way?
Your product, order and customer lists can be exported to CSV on both platforms. The finished site cannot move: Wix says its sites must run on Wix’s servers. Plan to rebuild pages, check what the CSV leaves out, and set up redirects from old addresses.
Is there a third option besides Shopify and Wix?
Yes: a custom storefront on Shopify. Shopify keeps running products, checkout, payments, shipping and tax, and a custom-coded front end replaces the theme. BaaDigi offers this (our own offer), quoted per project, and Shopify’s plan and payment fees still apply. Shopify says headless costs more to build and run than a theme.

Related reading

Sources

Every source was opened and read on the date shown. Vendor prices change; check the vendor's page before buying. How we research: methodology.

  1. Shopify pricing page (footnote dated November 10, 2026) — checked 2026-11-12
  2. Wix plans and pricing page — checked 2026-11-12
  3. Wix page: PayPal payment gateway — checked 2026-11-12
  4. Wix help: Wix Stores limits and recommended guidelines — checked 2026-11-12
  5. HTTP Archive Core Web Vitals Technology Report API: Wix (October 2026) — checked 2026-11-12
  6. HTTP Archive Core Web Vitals Technology Report API: Shopify (October 2026) — checked 2026-11-12
  7. Shopify developer docs: headless storefronts — checked 2026-11-12
  8. BaaDigi case study: Revivify (headless Shopify on Next.js) — checked 2026-11-12
  9. Wix help: adding Wix Stores (plan required to sell) — checked 2026-11-12
  10. Wix blog: is Wix free? (yearly and monthly prices, "current as of November 2026") — checked 2026-11-12
  11. BaaDigi: AI Website Management pricing and scope — checked 2026-11-12
  12. Shopify help: pricing overview (billing, third-party transaction fees) — checked 2026-11-12
  13. Wix help: billing for Premium plans — checked 2026-11-12
  14. Wix help: Wix Payments processing fees — checked 2026-11-12
  15. Shopify help: abandoned checkouts — checked 2026-11-12
  16. Wix comparison page (abandoned cart recovery from Core) — checked 2026-11-12
  17. Shopify help: exporting products — checked 2026-11-12
  18. Shopify help: exporting orders — checked 2026-11-12
  19. Shopify help: importing and exporting customers — checked 2026-11-12
  20. Wix help: exporting your product list — checked 2026-11-12
  21. Wix help: exporting orders — checked 2026-11-12
  22. Wix help: exporting your contacts — checked 2026-11-12
  23. Shopify blog: SEO-friendly URLs — checked 2026-11-12
  24. Shopify help: URL redirects — checked 2026-11-12
  25. Shopify help: editing robots.txt — checked 2026-11-12
  26. Wix help: customizing your pages’ SEO settings in the SEO panel — checked 2026-11-12
  27. Wix help: setting up a 301 redirect for a page — checked 2026-11-12
  28. Wix help: editing your site’s robots.txt file — checked 2026-11-12
  29. Wix help: adding structured data markup to your pages — checked 2026-11-12
  30. Shopify developer docs: Hydrogen — checked 2026-11-12
  31. Shopify help: crawling your store — checked 2026-11-12
  32. Shopify help: agentic storefronts — checked 2026-11-12
  33. robots.txt of a live Wix-hosted site (lordofthewix.com), read as a sample of Wix’s auto-generated default — checked 2026-11-12
  34. Wix help: blocking AI crawlers from your site — checked 2026-11-12
  35. Wix help: understanding your site’s llms.txt file — checked 2026-11-12
  36. Shopify help: Sidekick (page text read via r.jina.ai 2026-11-12; wording paraphrased) — checked 2026-11-12
  37. Wix blog: how much Wix Harmony costs — checked 2026-11-12
  38. HTTP Archive Core Web Vitals Technology Report API: all websites (October 2026) — checked 2026-11-12
  39. Wix Studio blog: accepting payments on client websites (marketing page) — checked 2026-11-12
  40. Shopify help: choosing themes — checked 2026-11-12
  41. Shopify Theme Store home page (featured themes) — checked 2026-11-12
  42. Shopify help: finding and choosing apps — checked 2026-11-12
  43. Shopify help: about apps — checked 2026-11-12
  44. Shopify domains — checked 2026-11-12
  45. Shopify help: Starter plan — checked 2026-11-12
  46. Shopify help: Agentic plan and publishing an online store — checked 2026-11-12
  47. Wix Payments page (80+ providers, Wix POS availability) — checked 2026-11-12
  48. Shopify help: finding your sitemap — checked 2026-11-12
  49. Wix help: understanding your site’s sitemap file — checked 2026-11-12
  50. Shopify terms of service (last updated October 20, 2026) — checked 2026-11-12
  51. Wix help: exporting or embedding your Wix site elsewhere — checked 2026-11-12
  52. Wix help: request to export blog posts to other platforms — checked 2026-11-12
  53. Shopify help: optimizing your store for AI — checked 2026-11-12

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