Ecwid and Shopify are two of the UK’s popular eCommerce platforms. Each has unique tools, features, and functionalities that allow users to grow their eCommerce business efficiently. However, with the internet filled with many fake and biased reviews, you might get overwhelmed or confused about which platform suits your needs.
So, in this Ecwid vs Shopify review, we have compared their design flexibility, features, plugins and integrations, ease of use, payment options, customer support, security, and pricing. Keep reading to discover which is the best option for your eCommerce needs.
| Ecwid | Shopify | |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | Ready-made templates that need zero coding experience | Simple site with an easy-to-navigate dashboard |
| Key features | Hosting Analytics integrations Exchange marketplace | Ship on demand Marketing and payment integrations Digital file sales |
| Design flexibility | Limited designs, themes, and templates | More than 80 templates, themes, and customization tools |
| Pricing plans | Four pricing plans; Basic Plan: free Venture Plan: £14,08 per month Business Plan: £29.08 per month Unlimited Plan: £82.50 per month | A 3-day free trial and three pricing plans; Basic - £25 per month Shopify - £65 per month Shopify Advanced - 344 per month |
| Security | PCI DSS Level 1 compliant and HTTPS protocol | PCI DSS Level 1 compliant, SSL encryption, and two-factor authentication |
| Best for | Best for launching an eCommerce store for beginners | Ideal for a full-fledged eCommerce store |
Overview of both platforms
is a popular eCommerce platform that lacks enough exposure but provides powerful and affordable eCommerce functionality to existing websites. Its target users are startups and small- and medium-sized online businesses. Any retailer or merchant looking to get started selling products online can easily access this platform. Unlike other big eCommerce platforms, Ecwid is easy to use and does not have a big learning curve.
Shopify is an all-in-one eCommerce platform that helps retailers and merchants start their online business from scratch and grow it to success. You do not need coding knowledge and skills to build an eCommerce store with Shopify. The robust tools and features make Shopify a great choice for professional and big eCommerce stores. Besides, it has many customisations, allowing you to design your online store based on your preferences.
Design Flexibility
Both Ecwid and Shopify provide excellent user experience regarding the design of your eCommerce site and page. Shopify edges Ecwid by offering over 80 templates, themes, and customisation tools.
Ecwid includes a variety of pre-built templates that you can customise to fit the unique needs of your eCommerce business. It also allows you to integrate your site with its store design set. This helps in maintaining consistent branding. However, Ecwid provides limited customisation. For instance, users can only choose their product image size according to Ecwid’s predetermined sizes (large, medium, or small), but not their preference.
Shopify has a wide selection of templates and themes available. Over 80- to be precise. This means that you can create an eCommerce store that reflects your brand identity and offers your customers a great user experience. Besides, when editing, users have more control over everything, from colour choice to page layout. It also includes various free stock images you can further resize and modify to meet your online business needs.
Features
It is neck and neck between Ecwid and Shopify regarding features. Both offer extensive features that add a lot of value and are incredibly well-made.
Ecwid has several eCommerce features and tools which help attract and retain more customers and support the growth of your online business. Some of those features include;
- Inventory tracking
- POS integration
- Social media integration
- Product options and variations
- Creating discounts and promotions
- Option to sell digital and physical products
- Third-party marketplace integrations
All these features and tools are vital in running your online business.
Shopify provides various features and tools for users, including processing payments, adding products, and managing inventory tools. Other essential eCommerce features include;
- Abandoned cart recovery
- Dropshipping
- Automatic shipping rate calculation
- Multichannel integration options
- Unlimited products
- Automatic tax calculations
- Multiple shipping options
It also has an in-built functionality for publishing products. Besides, there are more than 90 free themes and personally customised premium templates.
Plugins and Integrations
Ecwid edges Shopify in the plugins and integrations comparison by supporting integration with an existing website.
Ecwid is, in itself, a plugin. It also can integrate with many other top software to increase the user’s store visibility, diversify marketing, and create sales promotions to maximise their sales. For instance, by default, Ecwid provides integrations with marketing and social media platforms like Facebook, Google Ads, TikTok, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. It also integrates with eCommerce platforms such as eBay and Amazon.
Shopify is all about integration. For instance, it integrates every possible resource and app to help users grow their online stores. It integrates well with finance and accounting apps, over 50 payment gateways, and social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram. It also integrates with several SEO websites and eCommerce sites like Etsy, eBay, and Amazon.
Ease of Use
Both Ecwid and Shopify builders and templates are intuitive, well-designed, sleek, and easy to use.
Ecwid’s interface and editor are easy-to-use, even for users with no website-building experience. For instance, once you install this platform, you can choose your template from a list of eight site sections: Company’s mission, Store, Customer Testimonials, Headline & Cover Image, Location, About, and Contact Information. Clicking on any of these sections will allow you to design your layout, edit pages, and add products simply and quickly. Besides, the side toolbar has everything organised and labelled intuitively.
Shopify manages every technical aspect of running your online store, including payments, security, and hosting. It also offers an intuitive onboarding and setup process. This allows you to focus on how to grow your online business instead of worrying about the underlying infrastructure. Furthermore, Shopify’s versatile block editor allows users to customise any template and theme to fit their vision. The editor is also easy to use and intuitive, giving you more control over your store.
Payment Options
Both Ecwid and Shopify support over 50 payment gateways. Ecwid edges Shopify by not charging any transaction fee.
Ecwid provides a range of payment options and over 90 pre-integrated gateways, including major options like PayPal, Square, PayU, Apple Pay, etc. For instance, you can easily find a payment option that best suits your business needs. Furthermore, Ecwid does not charge users any transaction fee.
Shopify supports major payment gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, Apple Pay, and Amazon Pay. However, you will be charged a small transaction fee of up to 2% on every sale. It also has a proprietary gateway, Shopify Payments, which does not charge any transaction fee.
Customer Support
This is a close call, and you will promptly get the customer support you need from either Ecwid or Shopify. Ecwid gives users a range of customer support options. For instance, all customer issues are resolved as quickly as possible. The support team is responsive, professional, friendly, and open to going the extra mile to assist online businesses to succeed. The support service is available via the following;
- Live chat
- Phone
- Help Center
- Community forums
- FAQs
One of the key benefits of Shopify is the high quality of customer support offered. For instance, Shopify offers responsive 24/7 assistance via live chat, email, and phone. You can also use the Shopify Community Forums and FAQs to find answers to common troubleshooting issues and questions. Users are also offered advanced specialist customer support, which is only available with the Advanced pricing plan.
Security
You do not have to worry about security with either Ecwid or Shopify, but Square goes above and beyond by providing two-factor authentication.
Ecwid is PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) Level 1 compliant. Besides, all its stores are protected using HTTPS protocol, ensuring secure data and information transfer. Furthermore, Ecwid does not collect, handle, store, or process users’ credit card information.
Shopify is PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) Level 1 compliant. It also uses Secure Socket Level (SSL) encryption to secure users’ sensitive data and information. It also uses two-factor authentication. However, users should set strong login passwords.
Pricing
Both Ecwid and Shopify offer fantastic value for money, but Ecwid edges Shopify by providing a free pricing plan.
Unlike many other top eCommerce platforms, which can be complicated and expensive, Ecwid gives users access to a simple pricing model. For instance, it offers four major plans;
- Basic Plan: free
- Venture Plan: £14,08 per month
- Business Plan: £29.08 per month
- Unlimited Plan: £82.50 per month
The Basic pricing plan is affordable. However, it comes with limited tools and features. Therefore, you should choose more advanced pricing plans to access more features and grow your business.
Shopify offers a 3-day free trial of its three pricing plans. Each plan comes with a different set of tools and features. For instance, the Basic plan costs £25 per month and comes with all the essential features required to get started with eCommerce.
The Shopify plan costs £65 monthly and includes extra features like professional reports. And the Advanced plan costs £344 and provides access to more features like calculating 3rd-party shipping rates. Furthermore, Shopify charges a per transaction fee in addition to the monthly cost of each pricing plan.
Conclusion
Ecwid and Shopify are excellent eCommerce platforms offering various features and tools to assist online businesses in succeeding. The best platform depends on your specific preference, needs, and requirements. However, Ecwid has a higher rating as follows;
- Ecwid scores 3.5/5 stars on Trustpilot and 4.6/5 stars on Capterra
- Shopify scores 1.7/5 on TrustPilot stars and 4.5/5 stars on Capterra
Ecwid is a great option for online retailers and merchants looking for an affordable eCommerce platform with basic features. It provides a free plan with limited features and three premium plans that offer more functionalities and features. On the other hand, Shopify is an ideal option for retailers and merchants looking for a feature-rich and robust eCommerce platform. It offers three different pricing plans, each with a different set of features.