Shopify vs Etsy Comparison 2024 | Which One Is The Best For You?

1. Ease of use: Shopify has a more structured approach to building and maintaining your website. It has separate dashboards for the editing interface and general dashboard.

It has a very simple website that offers great visuals and makes navigation much easier. It uses simple language that is helpful for a better understanding of the customer.

2. Templates: Shopify has 10 free-themed templates with two or three variants for each template.

You also have the option of choosing a premium theme from more than 50 themes but you would have to pay some additional charges to use these themes. All these themes are very professional and contemporary in terms of their design.

3. Customization: While using Shopify for customization you require knowledge of coding. You can easily click on the edit HTML/CSS option and start coding according to your customization needs.

4. Products: Shopify allows you to make use of 3 product options and 100 variations. Some additional products and variations can be added by using Shopify apps. You also need to download specific apps for selling digital products on Shopify.

5. Multiple currencies: Shopify has a multi-currency payment functionality option that helps you to sell your products according to various currencies.

Some templates have inbuilt multi-currency features that enable you to sell the product according to the local currency and it also has various multi-currency applications that help you sell in local currency and also enable the user to check the price in a different currency.

6. Payment Gateways: Shopify has over a 100 payment gateways but currently does not include Square. It enables the users to customize their page and include donations for charity on their webpage.

You might have to pay some additional fees if you choose to use some payment gateway other than Shopify Gateway.

7. POS: Shopify POS is available in many countries all over the globe. POS can be considered a key feature of Shopify as it has dedicated POS reporting, POS hardware store, and POS support features.

8. Shipping: Shopify helps you to easily use the dropshipping feature and connects you to various drop shipping companies throughout the world.

It also allows various flexible shipping options for its users. Its dropshipping feature helps you to place the desired order to your supplier and the supplier can ship the desired product to the customer.

9. Abandoned Cart Recovery: Shopify abandoned cart recovery function allows you to send a single notification through email to your customers regarding the product in the cart usually with some additional discounts to ensure a complete transaction.

10. Tax: The users using Shopify Plus plans can make use of the Avalara tax application which easily calculates all your taxes and automates the entire tax filing process.

Shopify has a better and more automatic approach to tax calculation which frees up your time by doing all the tax calculations and has an edge over Squarespace.

11. Inventory Management: Shopify has a great inventory management system that enables the users to easily manage the inventory even for large businesses.

You can easily upload single or multiple products using the tools and also manage the stock and get revenue reports for your sales with ease.

12. SEO: Shopify has the feature of adding metadata and editing titles. It also helps in customizing your URL and attaching alt text to your images.

13. Analytics: Shopify has a great feature to track the performance of your product and also monitor who visits your store and get insights on the stock analysis.

You can easily merge with google analytics and get more data on the complete website analysis. 

1. Shopify Starter Plan

• Cost: $5/month.
• Ideal For: Hobbyists or businesses with an established presence on the internet, particularly on social media platforms and messaging channels.
• Features: Basic tools such as product pages, Shopify’s checkout experience, and the ability to sell through social media platforms and messaging channels.
• Limitations: Does not provide a complete online store.

2. Basic Shopify Plan

• Cost: $39/month ($29/month if billed annually).
• Ideal For: Small businesses and those just starting out with ecommerce.
• Features: Includes essential selling features like discount codes and abandoned cart recovery, but lacks professional reports or third-party calculated shipping rates.
• Transaction Fees: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for Shopify Payments; additional fees for third-party gateways.

3. Shopify Plan

• Cost: $105/month ($79/month if billed annually).
• Ideal For: Businesses with a higher sales volume and planning to scale quickly.
• Features: Support for gift cards, professional reports, abandoned cart recovery, lower credit card rates, lower transaction fees, and up to five staff accounts.
• Transaction Fees: 2.5% + $0.30 per transaction for Shopify Payments; reduced additional fees for third-party gateways.

4. Advanced Shopify Plan

• Cost: $399/month ($299/month if billed annually).
• Ideal For: High-volume businesses needing advanced features.
• Features: Advanced report builder, real-time carrier shipping, customized reporting, lower transaction fees, and better credit card rates.
• Transaction Fees: 2.4% + $0.30 per transaction for Shopify Payments.

5. Shopify Plus

• Cost: Starting at $2000/month.
• Ideal For: Large enterprises and high-revenue businesses.
• Features: Top-of-the-range support, complete range of features plus more, targeted at operations with significant annual revenue.
• Customization: Requires contact with the Shopify sales team for a custom quote.

Let us have a look at the various pricing plans offered by Etsy. Etsy has two plans for all its users.

1. Etsy Standard Plan: Through this plan, you do not have to pay any monthly charges to use Etsy. 

• It charges $0.20 as listing fees for your products for a period of 4 months or until the product is sold. 
• You also have to pay a 5% transaction fee for using Paypal. This fee is charged for every transaction as processing fees for using Paypal payments.
• You also have to pay 15% fees for off-site Ads, if you want to use the Ads feature offered by Etsy to help your customers reach your product and enhance your sales. This feature is optional for many customers and depends on the number of products sold by you.

2. Etsy Plus Plan: This plan will cost you an additional fee of $10 per month. Various features are offered through this plan in addition to the features present in the standard Etsy Plan.

• This plan helps you to customize your store by providing additional tools. 
• It helps you to inform your customers when your items are back in stock.
• You can save up to 50% on a custom address made for your store for a year.
• You get 15 listing credits for your product.
• You also get $5 bonus credits for the advertisement of your products.

Shopify vs Etsy : Products comparison

Key Considerations for Choosing Between Shopify and Etsy

1. If you’re selling handmade, vintage, or unique items, Etsy might be more suitable. For a broader range of products, Shopify is more flexible.

2. Shopify is better for scaling a business, while Etsy is ideal for hobbyists or small-scale sellers.

3. Shopify offers more control over your store’s design and customer experience.

4. Shopify requires you to take charge of your marketing and SEO, while Etsy provides a built-in audience but with less control over branding and visibility.

5. Consider the different fee structures. Etsy’s fees are per-listing and transaction-based, while Shopify requires a monthly subscription plus additional costs for apps and themes.

Ultimately, the choice between Shopify and Etsy depends on your specific products, business goals, and preferences in terms of control, marketing, and costs.

Some businesses even choose to use both platforms to maximize their reach and capitalize on the unique advantages of each.

Shopify vs Etsy: Payment options

Shopify offers more flexibility and control over payment options, catering to a wider range of business needs and customer preferences.

Etsy, meanwhile, provides a more streamlined and unified payment process, which can be simpler for sellers but offers less customization and choice.

Your decision between the two will depend on your specific business needs, your target market, and how much control you want over the payment process.

Shopify is an ideal solution for anyone who is looking to set up their online store from scratch. This is also used by big businesses to bring their business and establish their online presence.

Shopify is also suitable for emerging businesses who want to establish their e-commerce store and become online sellers. 

Shopify is easy to use, secure, and highly reliable platform. It has all the tools required to increase your sales and make your business successful.

It is a widely used tool by people all around the world and is highly appreciated for the success of the business through it.

Shopify is a great tool for anyone who wants to build their website and start their e-commerce business.

Anyone who wishes to start selling online and make money through their website has a wider range of audience, and likes to be creative with their website is an ideal user of Shopify.

Etsy is used by millions of people across the globe as their favorite selling marketplace. It helps you reach a wide range of potential customers easily.

If you are a beginner who wishes to start selling online without a website, you can easily choose to start selling your products on Etsy.

Etsy is usually preferred by small businesses. It’s easy and simple design works great with small-scale businesses and new enterprises.

So, Etsy is a great tool for beginners who wish to start selling their products online through this huge marketplace.