In this guide
Shopify, Wix, and BigCommerce all let you build a working online store without writing code, but they're built for different priorities. Shopify optimizes for the largest possible app ecosystem, BigCommerce for built-in features with no transaction fees, and Wix for the simplest possible setup. This guide compares them on the dimensions that actually matter once you're running a real store, not just the marketing page feature lists.
Quick comparison
| Shopify | BigCommerce | Wix | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $29/mo | $29/mo | $17/mo |
| App ecosystem | 6,000+ apps | Smaller, growing | Smaller, growing |
| Transaction fees (non-native gateway) | 0.5-2% | None on any processor | None |
| Best for | Dropshipping, POD, growing brands | High-volume, multi-currency B2B | Simple stores, small catalogs |
Shopify: the largest app ecosystem
Shopify's core advantage isn't the storefront builder itself, it's the App Store. With over 6,000 apps, nearly any specific need (a supplier integration, an upsell flow, a loyalty program) has a dedicated, purpose-built option. That matters most for dropshipping and print-on-demand stores, where the supplier connection and product research tools are built specifically for Shopify first.
The trade-off is that a fully-featured Shopify store usually costs more than the base plan once you add the apps that make it convert. See our full Shopify review for the complete pricing and feature breakdown.
BigCommerce: built-in features, no transaction fees
BigCommerce includes more out of the box than Shopify at a comparable price point: no transaction fees regardless of which payment processor you use, native multi-currency support, and stronger built-in B2B features (company accounts, quoting, price lists). For a store that expects to sell in multiple currencies or handle wholesale accounts, that built-in depth can mean fewer apps to buy.
The trade-off is a smaller app ecosystem than Shopify, so less common needs may not have a dedicated, polished app the way they would on Shopify.
Wix: the simplest setup
Wix is the easiest of the three to get a store live quickly, with a genuinely simple drag-and-drop editor and the lowest starting price. For a small catalog and a seller who wants the least setup friction, that simplicity has real value.
The trade-off shows up at scale: Wix's e-commerce feature depth and app ecosystem are both smaller than Shopify's or BigCommerce's, which can become a real limitation once a store outgrows a simple catalog.
Key takeaways
- Shopify wins on app ecosystem depth, which matters most for dropshipping and print-on-demand.
- BigCommerce wins on built-in features with zero transaction fees, which matters most for multi-currency or B2B-leaning stores.
- Wix wins on simplicity and starting price, which fits a small catalog with minimal complexity.
- Whichever you choose, plan to stay: migrating a live store to a different platform later is expensive in time.
Frequently asked questions
Wix has the lowest starting price, but total cost depends on which apps you add. Shopify and BigCommerce both start around $29/mo; BigCommerce's zero transaction fees can make it cheaper in practice for higher-volume stores using a non-native payment processor.