Shopify vs Wix for an online store: prices, payments and who should pick which (2026)

You want to sell online, and two names keep coming up: Shopify and Wix. Both let you build a store without code, but they come from opposite directions. Shopify is an ecommerce platform first. Wix is a drag-and-drop website builder that adds selling on selected paid plans. This page compares them on what matters for a first store: what you pay, how you take payments, how far each can grow, and what you can try for free. All facts come from the vendors' official pricing and help pages, checked in October 2026.

Shopify vs Wix at a glance

Prices and plans

Prices checked October 2026 on the vendors' sites — promotions change, check the final price at checkout.

The entry prices look the same: Shopify Basic and Wix Core are both $29/month billed yearly (as of October 2026). The real difference is what each plan is designed to do, and what payments cost on top.

The real differences

Store-first vs website-first

Shopify treats the store as the center of everything. Checkout, inventory and shipping live in one admin. Every plan lets you sell online, in person and in AI chats. Shipping settings cover flat rates, free shipping above a minimum order, and carrier-calculated rates from built-in carriers, which depend on where you ship from. In the US, for example, those include USPS, DHL and UPS. You can also show transit times at checkout.

Wix starts from the website. Its strength is layout freedom: you can place elements almost anywhere on a page. Its AI tools can draft a first version of your site from a short description. Selling is added through paid plans, with "basic eCommerce" on Core and "standard eCommerce" on Business. Wix's plan page lists those labels. For exactly which store features each plan includes, check the vendor's page.

Starting free: a free plan vs a short trial

Wix offers a free plan rather than a trial. That makes it a calm place to learn the editor and test ideas. A free Wix site carries Wix branding and a Wix web address, though. To use your own domain and take payments, you need a paid plan, and payments start at Core.

Shopify gives you 3 days free, with no credit card required, then $1/month for 3 months on most plans (as of October 2026). According to Shopify, when the trial ends your store is paused, not deleted, and your products and settings are kept until you pick a plan.

Payments and fees

On Shopify, your country matters most. Shopify Payments is the built-in option. Orders paid through Shopify Payments, Shop Pay and Shop Pay Installments carry no third-party transaction fee. Shopify's supported countries include:

• the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom;
• Australia, Japan and Singapore;
• most of the European Union;
• the United Arab Emirates.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan and Morocco are not on the list (as of October 2026). There, you need a third-party payment provider. Shopify then adds its own fee on those orders, on top of the provider's fees: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced. Manual methods such as cash on delivery and bank transfer carry no transaction fees, according to Shopify. Card-processing rates vary by plan, so check the rates on your Payments settings page.

On Wix, the plan page confirms that accepting payments starts with the Core plan. For Wix's payment providers, supported countries and any transaction fees, check the vendor's page before you set your prices.

Room to grow

Shopify's plans scale in clear steps:

• Staff accounts: none extra on Basic, 5 on Grow, 15 on Advanced and unlimited on Plus.
• Inventory locations: 10 on Basic, Grow and Advanced; 200 on Plus.
• Languages: you can sell in up to 20 languages on Basic, Grow and Advanced.
• Arabic: Shopify says the latest versions of its Horizon themes support right-to-left languages such as Arabic. With other themes, confirm right-to-left support first.

Wix's Business plan steps up to standard eCommerce and 100 GB of storage. We couldn't confirm Wix's staff accounts, inventory locations, multi-language selling or Arabic layouts, so check the vendor's page.

Design, apps and switching later

Both platforms rely on add-ons for extras. Wix's app marketplace covers needs such as bookings and forms. Shopify's app store includes options like Printful, a free-to-install print-on-demand app that prints and ships each order for you.

Whichever you choose, designs generally don't transfer between builders. You can usually move your domain, but a switch means rebuilding your pages. That makes the free plan or trial the right time to decide.

Who should choose Shopify

• Selling products is the main reason your site exists.
• You expect to grow into staff accounts, several inventory locations or selling in several languages.
• You want to sell in person as well as online, or to use print-on-demand instead of holding stock.
• You are in a Shopify Payments country. Otherwise, you have budgeted for the third-party fee or plan to use cash on delivery.

To go from trial to first order, follow our step-by-step guide to starting a Shopify store.

Who should choose Wix

• Your site is mainly a business website, portfolio or service page, with a modest range of products.
• You want to learn and experiment on a free plan before paying anything.
• You value layout freedom and AI help drafting the first version.
• You may want bookings or forms alongside the shop through Wix's app marketplace.

Remember that Light ($17/mo billed yearly) can't take online payments. Plan on Core ($29/mo billed yearly) or higher to sell (as of October 2026).

When neither fits

• You want full control over code, the server or unusual plugins. Classic web hosting with WordPress gives you more freedom.
• Your site is a design-led portfolio. Squarespace offers a 14-day free trial and 0% store transaction fees on Core and higher plans.
• Budget comes first. Hostinger offers an Ecommerce add-on with its website plans.

FAQ

Is Wix cheaper than Shopify for an online store?

The entry points cost the same: Wix Core and Shopify Basic are both $29/month billed yearly (as of October 2026). Shopify adds a fee if you use a third-party payment provider. For Wix's payment fees, check the vendor's page. Wix's Light plan is cheaper at $17/month billed yearly, but it can't accept online payments.

Can I sell from Saudi Arabia, Egypt or other Arab countries?

With Shopify, yes, but Shopify Payments is not available there (in the Arab world, only the UAE is on Shopify's list). You would use a third-party provider and pay Shopify's transaction fee on those orders. Cash on delivery and bank transfer carry no Shopify transaction fee. For Wix, check the vendor's page for payment options in your country.

Can I start for free?

Wix has a free plan with Wix branding and a Wix address, but taking payments needs Core or higher. Shopify has a 3-day free trial with no credit card, then $1/month for 3 months on most plans (as of October 2026).

Can I switch from one to the other later?

You can usually move your domain, but designs generally don't transfer between builders, so expect to rebuild. Shopify's pricing page says you can cancel your account if it isn't right for your business. For Wix's cancellation terms, check the vendor's page.

How we compared

This comparison relies only on the official pricing pages and help-center articles from Shopify and Wix, checked in October 2026 as shown to US visitors. Where a detail wasn't confirmed on those pages, we point you to the vendor's page rather than guess. We don't rank or score products. This page sets out the published facts and who each option suits.