Shopify Vs Ecwid : An Honest Comparison for Budding Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurs launching an online store have many options, including Shopify and Ecwid. Both offer useful features for new business owners but differ in key ways. To choose what works best for your needs, weigh their pros and cons based on priorities, skills, and budget.
This guide compares Shopify and Ecwid to help you decide. With an understanding of how they differ, you can confidently choose a partner to help you succeed. Make the right choice to pave the way for prosperity.
What is Shopify?
Shopify is a dedicated e-commerce platform that allows you to create your online store and sell products. It offers powerful tools to help your business grow and fuel its success.
Since its launch in 2006, merchants have sold over $200 billion of goods through Shopify. This popular platform is designed for small to medium-sized businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs looking to establish or upgrade an online store.
With Shopify, you can customize an online store, add products, accept payments, and ship orders. It handles the technical aspects so you can focus on running your business. Shopify offers:
- An easy-to-use interface to build a professional store
- The ability to add an unlimited number of products and variations
- Over 100 free themes to choose from with customization options
- Integrated payment processing through Shopify Payments
- Shipping and fulfillment services through the Shopify Shipping and Shopify Fulfillment Network
- Powerful marketing, SEO, and analytics tools to help you acquire and retain customers
- A large app store with over 4,000 apps to enhance your store’s functionality
- Excellent 24/7 customer support to help you with any issues
What is ecwid?
Ecwid is an ecommerce plugin that allows you to add an online store to an existing website. It provides shopping cart functionality and other features to help you start selling products on your site. Ecwid is ideal for small business owners and entrepreneurs who want to dip their toes in eCommerce or expand an existing brick-and-mortar store to the web.
The Ecwid plugin seamlessly integrates into your website, whether you built it yourself or use a CMS like WordPress. You can showcase your products on your homepage, add buy buttons to blog posts, and embed your store on multiple pages. Ecwid handles the checkout process, payments, shipping, and inventory management, allowing you to focus on growing your business.
Ecwid does offer a basic website builder to create a one-page site for your store. However, the platform is primarily geared toward adding eCommerce to your existing sites. If you want more design customization or blogging capabilities, you'll need to use a separate website builder. Ecwid supports over 50 payment gateways and shipping carriers to simplify the checkout experience for customers. You can also use Ecwid's mobile app to manage your store.
In summary, Ecwid is an easy-to-use ecommerce solution for entrepreneurs with an existing website. It provides the essential tools to start selling online without a huge investment of time or money. Ecwid could be the perfect platform if you're looking to test the ecommerce waters or expand an offline business to the digital world.
Main Differences between Shopify Vs. ecwid
When comparing Shopify and Ecwid, two popular eCommerce platforms, several key differences emerge that entrepreneurs should consider based on their business needs.
Shopify is a dedicated ecommerce platform designed specifically for building an online store from the ground up. It provides powerful features to help businesses scale and grow over the long run. Shopify handles everything from web hosting to payment processing, with monthly prices ranging from $29 to $299. For those looking to establish a professional standalone ecommerce store, Shopify is an excellent choice.
On the other hand, Ecwid is an ecommerce plugin meant to add shopping functionality to an existing website. It is ideal for small businesses and startups looking to expand into ecommerce or boost online sales in a simple, affordable way. Ecwid’s free plan allows you to create a basic store and start selling immediately, with paid plans from $15 to $99 monthly, offering more advanced features as your business grows. If you already have a website and want to add an online store component, Ecwid provides an easy solution.
In summary, while both platforms facilitate creating an ecommerce store and selling products online, Shopify and Ecwid differ significantly in their approaches. Shopify is a fully-featured ecommerce solution for building a professional standalone store from scratch. Ecwid acts as an ecommerce plugin, allowing you to add shopping functionality to complement an existing website. Evaluating your specific business goals and needs can help determine which platform is the best fit. Shopify Vs. Ecwid: Pros and Cons
Shopify Pros Shopify is an all-in-one ecommerce solution with everything you need to start, run, and grow your online store. It offers robust features and tools for building a professional online store, selling products, and streamlining business operations. Some of the major benefits of using Shopify include:
- Easy to set up and use. Shopify is intuitive and easy to navigate. You don’t need any technical skills to create an eye-catching online store.
- Mobile-friendly. Shopify themes are responsive to mobile devices, so your store will look great on all devices. This is important since over half of all shopping is done on mobile.
- Secure and PCI compliant. Shopify handles security and PCI compliance so you can sell with confidence. Customer data and payments are protected.
- Powerful marketing and SEO features. Shopify has everything you need to market your products, engage customers, and drive more sales, including an SEO-optimized blog, email marketing, social media integration, and more.
- Reliable support. Shopify provides 24/7 support via phone, chat, and email. They also have an extensive knowledge base with helpful resources for starting and growing your business.
- Affordable pricing. Shopify plans start at just $29 per month. They also don't charge any transaction fees for using their payment gateway. This can save you money compared to other ecommerce platforms.
Shopify Cons
While Shopify is a popular and robust ecommerce platform, there are a few potential downsides to be aware of: • Limited design control. Although Shopify offers many templates, you are limited to the templates and options they provide. You can’t extensively customize the core code. • Additional fees for advanced features. While Shopify’s basic plans are affordable, the platform charges extra for useful features like gift cards, professional reports, and abandoned cart recovery. The fees can add up quickly. •Limited third-party integrations. Shopify has a smaller app and integration store than other ecommerce platforms. Some useful tools you may want are not available. •Transaction fees for external payment gateways. If you want to use a payment gateway other than Shopify Payments, you’ll pay additional fees of 2.0-2.5% per transaction. Shopify Payments is only available in certain countries. •No multi-store support on lower plans. You need Shopify Plus, which starts at $2,000/month, to manage multiple stores from one account. Lower plans only allow a single store.
Shopify Vs. ecwid: Pricing Structure, Payment & transaction fees
Shopify and Ecwid offer different pricing models based on your business needs and revenue. Shopify has three main plans: Basic, Shopify, and Advanced. Ecwid has four paid plans: Venture, Business, Unlimited, and Enterprise.
Shopify’s Basic plan starts at $29 monthly and includes enough features for most small businesses. The Shopify plan is $79 per month, targeted at growing businesses. Advanced Shopify, at $299 per month, is for larger companies with more complex needs. Transaction fees are 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction for the first two plans. Advanced Shopify has negotiated rates of 2.4% to 2.6% plus 30 cents.
Ecwid’s paid plans range from $15 to $99 per month. Venture and Business plans are $15 and $35 per month, respectively, with no transaction fees. The Unlimited plan is $75 per month with 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction. Enterprise pricing is customized. Ecwid may be slightly more budget-friendly, especially if you have few transactions. However, Shopify likely offers more value for growing businesses, with lower rates and more features.
For new businesses, a free trial of both platforms could help determine the best solution based on your needs and budget. If cost is a concern, starting with a lower-tier plan on either platform leaves room to upgrade as your business expands. Choosing an ecommerce solution is important, so evaluate all options carefully based on your priorities. With the right platform and plan, you'll be well on your way to building a successful online store.
Conclusion
Whether you choose Shopify or Ecwid for your online store, there are many things to consider. Both platforms offer good features, pricing, and support to help your business succeed. After learning the pros and cons of each in detail, you can pick the one that matches your priorities and budget best. If you value an all-in-one solution, full control, or an affordable, simple option, one of these eCommerce giants will likely be the right partner for your brand's success. Explore all the options, but don't delay - customers are waiting to see your offer. Whichever option you choose, be confident that you have a powerful platform to help make your passion into a profitable business. The road of eCommerce awaits!