Shopify and Volusion are two of the UK’s most popular eCommerce platforms. Both services have features in common, like ease of use, the ability to integrate with social media, and security via SSL encryption. However, there are several crucial differences between Shopify and Volusion. In this Shopify vs Volusion review, we compare their design flexibility, eCommerce features, plugins, and ease of use. We also discuss their payment options, security, and pricing. Read on to discover the best choice for your needs.
| Shopify | Volusion | |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | Clean and easy-to-use backend interface | Colourful icons, drag-and-drop tools, and easy-to-use backend |
| Customer Support | Responsive 24/7 customer support via phone, live chat, email, and Help Center | 24/7 support via phone, email, live chat, and FAQs |
| Payment Options | Shopify Payments and over 50 third-party payment gateways, including PayPal, Apple Pay, Stripe, Square, Amazon Pay, etc. | Volusion Payments and around 34 third-party payment gateways, such as Square, Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, and Credit/Debit cards |
| Pricing Plans | A free 3-day trial and three pricing plans, which range from £19/month to £259/month | A free 14-day trial and four major pricing plans, ranging from $35/month to $299/month. It also has a custom plan |
| Mobile Operating Systems | iOS and Android | iOS and Android |
| Best For | Sales functionality | Efficient data and analytics tools |
Overview of both platforms
Shopify is a global eCommerce platform founded in 2004. The platform has powered over 1 million businesses and generated over $80 billion in sales. It has many comprehensive features, such as PoS, third-party integration, in-house payment processing and customer engagement tools. Shopify is ideal for beginners and time-pressured businesses.
Volusion is a comprehensive eCommerce platform and web builder founded in 1999. Since then, it has grown into a digital powerhouse, supporting over 50,000 websites and processing over 180 million orders worldwide. It offers a wide range of robust tools, such as in-depth analytics and various integrations, that medium and small-sized businesses can leverage to grow in the long run.
Design
Both Shopify and Volusion have a range of unique themes and templates. Shopify edges Volusion by offering more premium themes, and their costs are relatively cheaper on average.
Regarding design flexibility, Shopify has a wide variety of design features that do not need much coding. It also has many eye-catching templates and themes that are mobile responsive and easy to implement and edit. There are ten free themes and over 50 premium themes. Furthermore, its WYSIWYG drag-and-drop editor allows you to transform your website even with no coding knowledge quickly.
Volusion comes with eleven free themes and templates and only 34 premium options. So you get fewer template options compared to Shopify, and they are more expensive. Volusion also offers less design flexibility as you can not manage your website from a smartphone. However, each theme and template offer industry-specific design features.
Features
Both Shopify and Volusion are packed with plenty of unique features. Shopify edges Volusion by offering more sales and marketing features and tools.
Shopify gives users a comprehensive set of sales features, tools, and third-party integrations. It also has a point-of-sale (PoS) system and many other features to help online retailers, including payment processing, shipping, and marketing. Besides, if you face any challenges, Shopify offers 24/7 customer support via email, live chat, or phone, as well as a Help Center with many informative FAQs and Community Forums. However, the feature you access on Shopify will depend on your chosen pricing plan.
Volusion gives users access to limitless features and tools, including customer relationship and inventory management functions, a mobile application, and reporting functions. There is also a developer’s toolkit for technically inclined users, tools to improve SEO, and a mechanism to collect customer reviews. Besides, Volusion has an application store that allows users to extend the functionality of their website with a range of integrations.
Plugins and Integrations
Both Shopify and Volusion support integration with third-party apps and plugins. Shopify edges Volusion by offering an app store with more than 5,000 apps and plugs that are easy to integrate.
Shopify supports integration with social media platforms like Pinterest, Google, Tumblr, Google, Instagram, and Facebook. It also integrates with tools like WordPress, gift cards, abandoned cart recovery, eBay, Alibaba, Google product feed, Amazon, and Google Analytics. Besides, the Shopify app store features over 5,000 apps and plugins that are easy to install on the Shopify platform.
Volusion integrates with various sales apps like Mailchimp, POWR Popup, and ShipStation. It also supports integrations with payment processing apps like PayPal Express Checkout, Stripe, and QuickBooks Online. Besides, you can integrate Volusion with customer support tools such as ServiceBell, Facebook Chat by POWR,
Ease of Use
Both Shopify and Volusion provide a straightforward and user-friendly interface, making it easy to launch, navigate, and use your online store. Shopify edges Volusion by keeping the editing interface simple, with a clearly labelled ‘undo’ button and many visual cues.
The Shopify backend is easy to use, intuitive, and clean. For instance, it has lots of segments and modules that users can explore. Besides, implementing Shopify apps and adding products to Shopify is easy and takes virtually no time. Users can even add discounts to particular purchases depending on their requirements.
Volusion also offers an easy-to-use backend and lots of intuitive features. For instance, it strongly focuses on colourful icons, drag-and-drop tools, and usability. This makes it easy to navigate around. However, Volusion’s editing interface is split into the backend and storefront. This will require you to continuously click from one interface to the other, which can be tedious.
Payment Options
Both Shopify and Volusion can integrate with and support the majority of primary payment gateways. Shopify edges Volusion as its proprietary payment method (Shopify Payment) is available to users across eleven countries compared to ‘Volusion Payment’, which is limited to US users.
Shopify integrates over 80 payment gateways, including PayPal, Apple Pay, Stripe, Square, Amazon Pay, etc. These gateways have a transaction cost of between 0.55-2% per transaction. This depends on the pricing plan and payment method chosen. However, using its proprietary gateway, Shopify Payments, you can avoid the transaction fee.
Volusion supports around 34 payment gateways. However, the availability of these gateways varies depending on your location. For instance, you can use about 30 payment methods in the US. Users in Europe can only use eight payment options. Furthermore, if you are in the US, you can use Volusion Payments.
Security
Both Shopify and Volusion provide a secure eCommerce platform to merchants. Shopify edges Volusion by offering two-step authentication.
Shopify uses SSL encryption to secure your sensitive information and data. Its security compliance covers all six PCI-DSS standard categories. This platform also supports two-factor authentication and data backup & recovery.
Volusion manages its security in terms of checks, updates, and monitoring of hacking attacks. For instance, it uses the AES-256 encryption algorithm and TLS v1.2 to encrypt users’ sensitive information. Although Volusion has an account-lockdown policy, if another user attempts to log into your account, you are responsible for setting a secure password.
Pricing
Both Shopify and Volusion have a wide selection of affordable pricing plans. However, Volusion edges Shopify by not charging any transaction fee.
Shopify does not charge set-up fees, offers three primary pricing plans, and each plan comes with a free 3-day trial. These plans are as follows;
- Basic Plan: £19 per month
- Shopify Plan: £49 per month
- Shopify Advanced: £259 per month
Shopify charges transaction fees. However, you can waive the transaction costs by signing up for Shopify’s in-house payment processing, known as Shopify Payments.
Volusion offers four major pricing plans. You can save up to 10% with Volusion by paying annually. The pricing is as follows:
- Personal: $35 per month
- Professional: $79 per month
- Business: $299 per month
- Prime: custom
Volusion does not charge a transaction fee, regardless of your pricing plan. You can also sign up for Volusion’s free 14-day trial here with no credit card or commitment required. Furthermore, Volusion does not charge a set-up fee.
Conclusion
Both Shopify and Volusion are excellent eCommerce platforms. However, Shopify has higher reviews and ratings than Volusion.
- Shopify has 1.7/5 stars & over 1000 reviews on Trustpilot and 4.5/5 stars & over 5000 reviews on Capterra
- Volusion has 1.9 stars & over 300 reviews on Trustpilot and 3.8/5 stars on Capterra.
The best platform choice between Shopify and Volusion comes down to personal preference and needs. For instance, if you need a smoothly integrated PoS functionality or prefer the design flexibility of your store, then Shopify is the deal. However, if you are looking for analytics and data tools, then Volusion is the way to go.