Ecwid vs Shopify: Comparison
Meaghan has provided content and guidance for indie retailers as the editor for a number of retail publications and a speaker at trade shows. She is Fit Small Business’s authority on retail and ecommerce.
Agatha Aviso is a writer of the Reviews Section at Fit Small Business, focusing on order fulfillment and eCommerce platforms. Agatha has a decade’s worth of experience writing online content for small businesses and marketing industries. She also served as a content strategist and digital marketing manager for many entrepreneurs.
This article is part of a larger series on Retail Management.
Ecwid and Shopify are both popular and affordable ecommerce platforms for small businesses. When comparing the two, we evaluated pricing plans to see how much you get for your dollar. We also compared each of the platform’s site builder, sales and product features, marketing tools, and ease of use.
While Ecwid has a forever-free plan and great discount offerings, Shopify won in every criteria in our evaluation other than pricing. We found that Shopify’s robust sales and marketing features far outweigh the money you will save with Ecwid.
Based on our Ecwid vs Shopify evaluation, we recommend:
- Ecwid: Best for businesses with existing websites or narrow inventory of products
- Shopify: Best for businesses with online sales as a main profit driver
Ecwid vs Shopify Quick Comparison
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
4.42 out of 5 | 4.68 out of 5 | |
Best For | Businesses with existing websites | Small businesses or startups |
Monthly Fees | $0–$99/month | $39–$399; Shopify Starter plan available ($5) |
Additional Sales Channels | Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok | Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Etsy, and more |
Ease of Use | Excellent | Excellent |
POS App | Yes, third-party integration (only available at $99/month plan) | Yes; free and paid options |
Payment Processing | Third-party (no additional fees) | Shopify Pay (no additional fees) or third-party (0.5%–2% additional fee) |
Digital Product Sales | Yes (25GB size limit) | Yes, with an app (5GB size limit) |
Product Limits | 10–Unlimited, based on plan | Unlimited |
Product Variants | Unlimited ($35 & $99/month plans only) | Three per product |
Online Store and Website Builder | Landing page; embed in existing website | Standalone website |
Marketing Features | Average | Excellent |
App Marketplace | Average | Excellent |
Customer Support | Email (free users), live chat and phone (paid subscribers) | 24/7 email, live chat, and phone |
When to Use Ecwid
Overall Score:
4.42 / 5
What We Like
- Easy to use
- Shipping calculator even on a free plan
- Available widgets/apps for Squarespace, WordPress, Wix, Weebly, and GoDaddy sites
What's Missing
- Weak SEO tools
- Cannot create a full-blown website with Ecwid alone
- Limited customer support
Where Ecwid Beats Shopify
- Forever-free plan (one of our top picks for best free ecommerce platforms)
- Free embeddable Buy Now button: Ecwid provides it for free and can adapt to a website’s theme; Shopify doesn’t have an equivalent feature for this
- Shipping calculators even under its free plan, included across all paid tiers
- Unlimited product variants
- Native digital downloads up to 25GB
- Sell on multiple channels for $15 a month for up to 100 products
If you have an existing website and plan to add an online store you can easily create one or integrate a checkout into existing Squarespace, WordPress, Wix, Weebly, and GoDaddy sites with Ecwid. It has a feature that adapts the store to your existing website theme, without the need for custom coding. Plus, it provides easy-to-follow instructions per website platform on its website.
If you are a business that has a narrow product inventory or a hobbyist that sells as a side hustle, Ecwid offers a free plan that is a great option for selling fewer than 10 products. If you want to sell on social channels, you can easily do so for only $15/month under Ecwid’s first-level entry plan.
When to Use Shopify
Overall Score:
4.68 / 5
What We Like
- User-friendly interface
- Scalable platform
- Extensive app marketplace for third-party integrations
What's Missing
- Advanced features (reports, fraud analysis, gift cards, and real-time shipping rates) only available on higher-tier plans
- Incurs transaction fees if not using Shopify Payments
- Shipping calculator requires an annual plan
Where Shopify Beats Ecwid:
- Native POS: Shopify POS
- One-click checkout option: Shop Pay
- Shipping discounts: Shopify Shipping and partner couriers
- Marketing tools: Abandoned cart recovery even on first-level entry plan
- Built-in email marketing tool: Shopify email
- Extensive app marketplace: Shopify App Store
Shopify is a popular and top-rated ecommerce platform among users and experts for a reason. It works, nearly anyone can learn to use it effectively, and it is designed to grow at pace with your company. It is our best ecommerce platform for small businesses.
Starting at $39 per month, Shopify is also extremely affordable. Whether you are a startup, a growing online business, or an established one, if you want to build an online store, Shopify is the best choice.
When to Use an Alternative
Alternative | Monthly Fee | Best For | Read More |
|---|---|---|---|
 | $29.95+ |
| |
 | $0+ |
| |
 | $16+ ($23+ for online store) |
| |
Ecwid vs Shopify: Pricing & Payments
| | |
|---|---|---|
5 out of 5 | 4.06 out of 5 | |
Free Plan | Yes | N/A |
Online Store Plans | $0–$99/month | $39–$399/month |
Buy Now Button | Yes | N/A |
Payment Processing | Third-party (no additional fees) | Shopify Payments (no additional fees) or third-party (0.5%–2% additional fee) |
One-click Checkout Option | N/A | |
Both platforms provide affordable pricing plans, an embeddable buy now button you can use on webpages, and third-party payment processing. Ecwid wins in this criteria because of its forever-free plan and zero transaction fees. Shopify doesn’t provide a free plan but offers a 14-day free trial, and if you use its built-in payment provider, Shopify Payments, your transaction fees are waived.
The right plan for your business depends on how many products you plan on selling and how many different channels you want to sell on. You can launch a mini online store for free with Ecwid, or grow an enterprise-level virtual megamall with Shopify for just under $300 per month.
Ecwid has four pricing plans: Free ($0), Venture ($15/month), Business ($35/month), and Unlimited ($99/month). It earned a perfect score because of its forever-free plan with no added transaction fees.
Ecwid Pricing Plans
Shopify offers three subscription plans: Basic Shopify ($39/month), Shopify ($105/month), and Advanced Shopify ($399/month). It also has a Shopify Starter plan at $5/month, which offers a checkout link and allows you to sell through social media channels.
Ecwid beats Shopify when it comes to pricing because Shopify lacks a forever-free plan, and it charges additional transaction fees if you use a third-party payment processor.
However, Shopify still offers great value for its price.
Since our Last Update: Shopify Rate Increase
January 24, 2023 Shopify announced a price increase for its software subscriptions.
This new pricing is effective immediately for new sellers. Current Shopify subscribers can lock in their current rates by opting for an annual subscription before the new pricing takes effect for current sellers on April 23, 2023.
Shopify Pricing Plans
Ecwid vs Shopify: Site Builder & Maintenance
| | |
|---|---|---|
4.25 out of 5 | 4.5 out of 5 | |
Standalone Site | Yes, Ecwid Instant Site (single page) | Yes, store + website pages (such as a blog) |
Website Templates | Yes, around 70 free | Yes, free and paid |
Site Builder | Limited sections available | Drag-and-drop builder |
App Marketplace / Add-ons | Average | Excellent |
Shopify edges out Ecwid slightly when it comes to building an online store. While Ecwid’s site builder is very easy to use and offers a variety of themes, we find its single-page Instant Site very limiting in terms of customization. With Shopify, you can create a full online store, complete with website pages such as a blog, about, and contact. Its drag-and-drop site builder is also very intuitive and provides much more design flexibility.
If you don’t have an existing site to embed your Ecwid store, you use the platform’s landing page feature called Ecwid Instant Site. You can use it to link to your product pages to sell or display your product catalog.
Setting up the Instant Site takes less than an hour. It provides different content modules called site blocks that let you present your business and products. As you can see from the image below, site sections are limited to what is listed. You can rearrange their order or hide some of them, but you cannot add anything that is not listed on the left side of your site builder.
When you edit your Instant Site, all the site blocks can be seen on the left panel.
Shopify upgraded its WYSIWYG site editor to the new drag-and-drop builder with the launch of its Online Store 2.0 (OS 2.0) theme. It offers 10 free themes and close to 90 paid themes starting at $180, all of which include multiple styles and are mobile-commerce ready (if not mobile-first).
Your store also comes with a content management system (CMS), allowing you to set up your store and include website pages such as about, contact, and blog pages.
What we like about Shopify’s site builder is that we can customize the online store to a certain extent without the need for coding knowledge. It is a far cry from the limited design freedom you get from Ecwid.
You can expect a more user-friendly setup with drag-and-drop building blocks with Shopify’s site builder. (Source: Shopify)
Ecwid vs Shopify: Sales & Product Features
| | |
|---|---|---|
4.63 out of 5 | 5 out of 5 | |
In-store and Mobile Sales | Sell on the Go app (for iOS only); third-party integrations (at $99/month plan) | Shopify POS |
Social Sales Channels | Facebook, Instagram, TikTok (paid plans) | Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube |
Sell on Marketplaces | Amazon and eBay (under $35/month plan) | Amazon and eBay |
Product Limits | 10 to unlimited, based on plan | Unlimited |
Product Variants | Unlimited ($35 and $99/month plans only) | Three per product |
Digital Goods | Yes, under a paid plan (25GB size limit) | Yes, using a third-party app-free or paid (5GB size limit) |
Abandoned Cart Recovery | Starting at $35/month plan | Across all plans |
Integrated Shipping Solutions | Yes | Yes |
Real-time Shipping Calculator | Starting at $35/month plan | Starting at $299/month plan |
Shipping Discounts | N/A | Shopify Shipping (up to 74%) |
Email Marketing | Third-party, starting at $35/month plan | Shopify Email, across all plans |
Both platforms provide comprehensive product features and robust marketing tools, but Ecwid only does most of them in higher paid plans. Although Shopify has lesser product limits and only unlocks a shipping calculator on its highest plan, it still wins with its abandoned cart saver feature, shipping discounts, and built-in email marketing tool. Shopify also comes with a free mobile POS system across all its ecommerce plans.
Ecwid allows you to sell in person by integrating with POS systems like Clover, Vend, and Alice. However, you need to be on its highest plan ($99/month) to be able to do so. You can use the bundled mobile POS system powered by PayPal or Square; however, it only works in limited countries.
Its ecommerce mobile app, Sell on the Go, is only designed for iOS devices. With the app, you can sell in person such as pop-ups, fairs, and cash on delivery orders.
Ecwid’s main drawback is the enforcement of product limits on each plan. You only unlock the ability to sell unlimited products on the highest plan ($99/month), compared to Shopify, where you get this feature even on the basic tier ($29/month).
However, Ecwid provides unlimited product variants, has a bigger file size limit for digital goods (up to 25GB), and provides custom fields on its checkout pages. Shopify has limits on these features, but workarounds are available with the help of an app or third-party extension.
Setting up product categories isn’t as intuitive as with Shopify, as you need to set them up in a different section of your Ecwid dashboard instead of product pages. While it does let you assign products to categories in bulk, we still find Shopify’s smart categories easier to deal with.
You can set up custom checkout fields in Ecwid in the form of radio buttons, dropdown menus, date and time pickers, checkboxes, text fields, and selection buttons. (Source: Ecwid)
Facebook and Google, popular marketing platforms, are natively and easily accessible through the Marketing tab on Ecwid’s interface. You can create ad campaigns in just a few minutes. You can also create discount coupons and issue gift cards. There are marketing apps like Mailchimp in Ecwid’s App Market, but it is in no way comparable to the extensive choices available in Shopify’s App Store.
Ecwid vs Shopify: Ease of Use
| | |
|---|---|---|
4 out of 5 | 5 out of 5 | |
Onboarding and Setup | Yes; easy-to-follow setup wizard | Yes; easy-to-follow setup wizard |
Store Management | Beginner-friendly | Beginner-friendly |
Online Knowledgebase | Extensive | Extensive |
Community Forum | N/A | Yes; active and helpful community members |
Customer Support | 24/7 live chat, 24/5 (weekdays) email, and phone (only via callback, weekdays 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Pacific time) | 24/7 chat, email, and phone |
If you don’t have much knowledge of or experience with ecommerce tools, both Ecwid and Shopify should still be very easy to learn and use. Both services offer a wealth of tools to help you learn the ropes.
However, Shopify wins in this criteria because of its 24/7 live chat, email, and phone support. It is reassuring to know that you can easily ask for help, no matter what time of the day, when you run into issues with your online store.
When you create your free Ecwid account, the interface walks you through the critical steps necessary to get your store up and running. If you pay attention to the prompts and follow the instructions, there’s no reason you can’t build and launch your store within an hour. Getting to know the rest of the back end happens naturally just by clicking around the interface.
Ecwid provides a to-do list that gets ticked off as you complete each step when you create a new account. See our guide on how to set up an Ecwid store.
Ecwid’s Help Center has hundreds of articles that cover every subject, from getting started and setting up your accounts to managing, promoting, and personalizing your store. However, the amount of personal support you get is directly proportional to how much you’re paying.
If you have a free account, Ecwid does not offer customer support. If you have the Venture or Business Plans, you get access to live chat. Phone service is available to Business and Unlimited subscribers, while Unlimited customers get prioritized support for your issues. However, users must request a scheduled call-back in the user control panel rather than contacting customer support 24/7.
All of Shopify’s tools are accessible within a few clicks on the main interface, and the workflow is meant to be as intuitive as possible. This makes the platform quite user-friendly, even for those who have never used Shopify. If you ever do have a problem with one of Shopify’s tools, it’s easy to find a full and detailed explanation of every feature in Shopify’s Help Center.
Shopify provides a similar set-up wizard like Ecwid, with helpful prompts in the form of callout buttons and boxes that open up to help articles.
Shopify’s Help Center encourages you to try and look for answers to your questions by searching their articles and tips before handing you over to support staff. You can reach them directly via live chat, email, and phone. We also appreciate that Shopify’s customer support button is displayed prominently throughout its website. When we tried to reach out to its support team via chat, we encountered professional and competent support staff that were patient in addressing our concerns and were helpful with just about any issue.
Shopify’s Help Center has different categories that lead to different articles and guides on how to set up and manage a Shopify store. (Source: Shopify)
Ecwid vs Shopify: Expert Score
Both are popular ecommerce platforms with a majority of excellent user reviews and great expert feedback. Shopify gives more bang for your buck because most of an online store’s core features (essential tools for you to build, operate, and grow your business) are included across all tiers. With Ecwid, you need to upgrade plans to unlock more features.
How We Evaluated Ecwid vs Shopify
To help you decide which ecommerce platform is best for your store, we compared Ecwid and Shopify on price, ease of use, store builder and design tools, inventory management, and sales tools. We also added our own expert opinion based on years of experience testing different ecommerce platforms:
15%
Pricing and Payment Processing
30%
Store Builder and Design Features
30%
Sales and Product Features
15%
Ease of Use
10%
Expert Score
15% of Overall Score
We considered the price point of each base plan that offers a complete online store, what plan options are available as your business grows, and payment processing options, including fees, flexibility, and one-click checkout options. Ecwid wins in this comparison because of its forever-free plan.
30% of Overall Score
We considered how easy it is to build and maintain a professional and attractive online store, including available templates, customization options, free domain and SSL certificates, unlimited storage and bandwidth options, and built-in SEO tools and site analytics. Shopify offers a better drag-and-drop site editing tool and lets you build a full online store complete with website pages compared to Ecwid’s single-page Instant Site.
30% of Overall Score
We looked at what kind of product assortments Shopify and Ecwid can accommodate, tools for in-store and mobile, integrated social media, and marketplace selling, and marketing tools. We also consolidated shipping options and PCI compliance. Shopify wins in this category, scoring a perfect score. Despite its product variant limits, workarounds are readily available in its app store.
15% of Overall Score
Because online stores operate 24/7, we prioritized platforms that offer 24/7 customer support and have multiple customer touchpoints, such as phone, email, and chat. Shopify and Ecwid provide comprehensive help centers, but Shopify wins because it provides 24/7 live chat, email, and phone support.
10% of Overall Score
Here, we considered overall value, quality of features, popularity, customer satisfaction, and ease of use. We also factored in our own experience working with each platform and feedback from businesses that use each system. Shopify beats Ecwid in our expert review because of its popularity, ease of use, and industry-leading innovations.
*Percentages of overall score
Ecwid vs Shopify Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Which is better: Shopify vs Ecwid?
Overall, we find Shopify better because of its full standalone online store, multichannel sales, and built-in management and marketing. However, Ecwid is better if you need to add ecommerce functionality to your existing website or blog. See more in our guide to the best ecommerce platforms.
Is Ecwid cheaper than Shopify?
Yes, Ecwid is more affordable because it offers a forever-free plan. Note, though, that you will end up spending more if you need certain features. Shopify’s paid plans provide better value for money.
Are Shopify and Ecwid good for beginners?
Yes. Both Shopify and Ecwid are user-friendly and can be used by people with little to no technical knowledge or coding. You don’t need to use custom codes to build online stores on their platforms.
Bottom Line
In most cases, you’ll want to go with Shopify over Ecwid. Unless you plan to sell a very narrow inventory or need a discount rate, what you get out of Shopify far outweighs what you pay for it. Ecwid is no match for what Shopify offers in terms of third-party apps and web-wide integration. Start a 14-day free trial of Shopify today.
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