Shopify vs Ecwid

by Gralio Feb 03, 2025

Shopify and Ecwid are both e-commerce platforms catering to different needs. Shopify is better for businesses anticipating growth and requiring a wide range of features and integrations, while Ecwid is better for smaller businesses prioritizing simplicity and affordability.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 5898 reviews and 60 websites, saving 1 day, 9 hours, 16 minutes of reading.

Logo of Shopify
Logo of Ecwid

About

Shopify is a popular e-commerce platform that provides businesses of all sizes with the tools to create and manage online stores. From website design and product listings to payment processing and shipping, Shopify offers a comprehensive suite of features. It also provides additional tools for marketing, inventory management, and customer relationship management. Shopify is known for its user-friendly interface, scalability, and extensive app store, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced online retailers.
Ecwid is an e-commerce platform designed for small to medium-sized businesses. It allows you to easily add an online store to your existing website or social media pages. You can manage sales, inventory, payments, shipping, and marketing from a single platform. Ecwid offers a free plan with paid options available for expanded features and sales volume. They are known for their ease of use, strong customer support, and integrations with popular platforms.

Summary

Main difference
Shopify offers a more comprehensive and scalable platform with a larger app store and more advanced features, making it suitable for businesses expecting significant growth. Ecwid is a more budget-friendly and easier-to-implement solution ideal for small businesses prioritizing simplicity and seamless integration with existing websites or social media.

Relative strengths of Shopify (compared to Ecwid)

  • Larger app store with more extensive integrations and functionalities.

  • More scalable platform suitable for growing businesses.

  • More comprehensive features for marketing, inventory management, and customer relationship management.

Relative weaknesses of Shopify (compared to Ecwid)

  • Higher monthly fees compared to Ecwid.

  • Can require more technical expertise for advanced customization.

  • App reliance for certain features can lead to additional costs.

Who should use Shopify VS. Ecwid

Shopify is a user-friendly e-commerce platform suitable for businesses of all sizes. Its intuitive interface, extensive app store, and scalability make it a popular choice. Users praise the platform's ease of use and variety of themes, while some note concerns about cost and limited customization.

Ecwid is a user-friendly e-commerce platform ideal for small and medium businesses looking to expand online. Its seamless integrations and affordable pricing make it easy to get started. However, users have noted sudden price increases and limitations on product listings with the free plan. Many appreciate the responsive customer support.

  • Best for small to enterprise-level businesses.

  • Ideal for E-commerce, Retail, Consumer Goods, and various other industries.

  • Best for small to medium-sized businesses.

  • Suitable for a wide range of industries, including retail, e-commerce, and consumer goods.

Shopify and Ecwid features

Supported
Partially supported
Not supported
Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

  • Online Sales
    Supported

    Shopify supports online sales via websites, social media, and marketplaces.

    Supported

    Ecwid supports online sales across websites, social media, and marketplaces.

  • International Sales
    Supported

    Shopify supports international sales via currency conversion, translations, and shipping logistics.

    Supported

    Ecwid supports international sales with multi-currency pricing, translations, and shipping logistics.

  • POS System
    Supported

    Shopify offers a comprehensive POS system, integrating online and offline sales channels.

    Partially supported

    Ecwid integrates with existing POS systems but does not offer one itself.

  • Website builder
    Supported

    Shopify allows the creation of a product catalog website with its native features and integrated apps. It provides features for catalog creation, assignment to companies/customers, custom B2B pricing, and app integrations for enhanced catalog management, online/PDF catalog generation, automated updates, and more.

    Supported

    Ecwid allows creating a website with a product catalog. They offer an Instant Site feature, product catalog management tools, and customization options like catalog mode.

  • One-click checkout
    Supported

    Shopify supports one-click checkout through its Shop Pay feature.

    Supported

    Ecwid streamlines checkout through features like direct checkout links, support for digital wallets, and automated processes, although it might not be explicitly labeled as "one-click checkout."

  • Team Collaboration
    Supported

    Shopify enables team collaboration on order management through features like customizable order views, bulk actions, real-time visibility, and integrations with third-party tools.

    Supported

    Ecwid enables team collaboration for order management via granular access control, centralized order view, and task delegation.

Qualities

  • Value and Pricing Transparency
    -0.39
    Rather negative sentiment
    -0.47
    Rather negative sentiment
  • Customer Service
    +0.05
    Neutral sentiment
    +0.43
    Rather positive sentiment
  • Ease of Use
    +0.95
    Strongly positive sentiment
    +0.67
    Rather positive sentiment
  • Reliability and Performance
    +0.33
    Rather positive sentiment
    -0.27
    Neutral sentiment
  • Ease of Implementation
    +0.76
    Strongly positive sentiment
    +0.83
    Strongly positive sentiment
  • Scalability
    +0.18
    Neutral sentiment
    No data

Shopify and Ecwid Pricing

Shopify offers a 3-day free trial and several pricing plans for businesses of all sizes. All plans include features like online store creation, sales channels, analytics, and app integrations. Shopify also offers solutions for in-person selling with Shopify POS and a Starter plan for selling through social media and messaging apps.
Plans

User sentiment

Neutral
-0.25

See full Pricing page

No data

User sentiment

Neutral
-0.26

See full Pricing page

Shopify and Ecwid review insights

5781 reviews analysed from and

Users love

  • User-friendly interface praised for its ease of use.
  • Wide variety of themes and templates available.
  • Extensive app store for added functionality.
  • Shopify Payments integrated for seamless transactions.
  • Seamless integration with existing websites and social media platforms is frequently praised.
  • User-friendly interface and ease of use are consistently highlighted.
  • Strong and responsive customer support is a recurring positive.
  • Affordable pricing, especially the free plan, is appreciated by many.
  • Flexibility and customization options are praised, especially regarding product variations and shipping.

Users dislike

  • High monthly fees are a common complaint.
  • Limited customization options, especially without coding knowledge.
  • App reliance for key features leads to additional costs.
  • Customer support can be slow and unresponsive.
  • Sudden price increases are a common complaint, with users feeling nickel-and-dimed.
  • Limited product listings on the free plan (10 products) is a frustration for many.
  • Account closures without notice or explanation have been reported.
  • SEO functionality needs improvement, particularly for multilingual stores.
  • Slow loading speeds for the storefront are a recurring issue.

Shopify and Ecwid Ratings

  • G2
    4.4/5
    (2547)
  • Capterra
    4.5/5
    (2373)
  • Glassdoor
    3.3/5
    (3293)
  • G2
    4.7/5
    (400)
  • Capterra
    4.6/5
    (501)
  • Glassdoor
    3.6/5
    (879)

Company health

Employee growth

18% increase in the last year
7% increase in the last year

Web traffic

10% increase in the last quarter
9% decrease in the last quarter

Financing

September 2013 - $122M
May 2021 - $1B

How do Shopify's customization options compare to Ecwid's flexibility with existing websites?

Shopify's customization options are generally considered more limited than Ecwid's flexibility with existing websites. While Shopify offers themes and an app store for added functionality, deeper customization often requires coding knowledge. Ecwid, conversely, is designed to integrate seamlessly with existing websites, allowing businesses to add e-commerce functionality without significantly altering their current site structure. This makes Ecwid a more flexible option for businesses wanting to retain their existing website design and simply add a shopping cart and product listings.

Which platform, Shopify or Ecwid, offers better scaling potential despite initial ease of use?

Shopify offers better scaling potential. While Ecwid excels in ease of use and affordability, especially for beginners, its scalability is limited, as reflected in its negative scalability score. Shopify, despite a slightly steeper learning curve, provides a more robust platform with a wider range of features, apps, and integrations to support growth, making it more suitable for businesses anticipating significant expansion.

What are the advantages of Shopify?

Shopify offers a comprehensive suite of features for e-commerce businesses, including website building, payment processing, shipping, marketing, and inventory management, making it a one-stop shop for online retailers. It is known for its user-friendly interface, making it accessible to users with varying technical skills, and its extensive app store provides a wide range of integrations and added functionalities. Shopify also demonstrates strong growth, indicating a healthy and evolving platform.

What are the disadvantages of Shopify?

Shopify's disadvantages include higher monthly fees compared to some competitors, limited customization options without coding knowledge, reliance on apps (which can increase overall costs), and potentially slow customer support. Users also mention limited customization options without coding.

Alternatives to Shopify and Ecwid

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Page co-authored by
MK
Michal Kaczor
CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

TT
Tymon Terlikiewicz
CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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