Wix Stores vs. Etsy

Looking for ecommerce software? Here's how Wix Stores and Etsy stack up.

Daniel Adams
Mark Hammersley

Daniel Adams and Mark Hammersley

Last updated 2o July 2020


Wix Stores

4.3  Stackupp rating


Pricing from

$ 4.50 / month

Free Plan?

Yes


Best for

Wix is a versatile solution. Even though it seems targeted at small businesses, a powerful feature-set and high level of customizability make it a viable choice for larger retailers too, though full-fledged enterprise stores will struggle.

Etsy

3.8  Stackupp rating


Pricing from

$ 10.00 / month

Free Plan?

Yes


Best for

small retailers that sell vintage items, handmade products, or craft supplies.

Wix Stores or Etsy: Which is best?

Can't decide between Wix Stores and Etsy?

Find the best platform for you with our side by side comparison of Wix Stores and Etsy. See how each platform stacks up across ease of use, design, support and value for money.

Let the comparison begin. Don't worry, we'll guide you.

Is Wix Stores right for you?

Wix is a comprehensive ecommerce solution for retailers of all sizes. It comes with a fantastic set of features, including multichannel selling, a library of nearly one hundred templates, real-time shipping estimates for customers, and (of course) Wix’s fantastic website builder.

While enterprise stores will likely need a bigger “engine” to manage large amounts of sales, employees, and multiple languages, medium-sized retailers may find the ease-of-use of Wix attractive.

Because of its powerful website builder, Wix is an excellent choice for retailers without any advanced coding skills that still want full control over the look-and-feel of their store.

Advantages

  • Lots of customization features for users without any coding experience.
  • A wide set of features - like “Related Products”, abandoned cart retargeting, and templates - at a relatively low price.
  • Multichannel sales and global shipping options.

Drawbacks

  • POS is not available in all countries.
  • The apps and integrations library is a little sparse.
  • The Wix editor, whilst easy-to-use, does require getting used to.

Use Wix if you’re an individual or small business that requires a feature-rich solution that’s easy to use without any coding abilities. Because the website builder is suitable for all types of websites, Wix is also a good solution.

Is Etsy right for you?

Etsy is a well-known marketplace and ecommerce platform for retailers that offer vintage items, handmade products, and craft supplies.

It’s a straightforward, cost-effective option for small businesses and individuals with an inventory that meets Etsy requirements. By running your store on Etsy, you’ll avoid many of the challenges that come hand-in-hand with larger solutions like Shopify and WooCommerce, while also gaining access to one of the world’s largest third-party marketplaces. You can upgrade to Etsy’s separate solution, called Patterns, which enables you to build your own store and sell whatever you like on it while still using the Etsy engine.

Retailers with diverse inventories and high product turnover, however, will almost certainly need a more feature-rich platform.

Advantages

  • Inexpensive.
  • Easy to use.
  • Provides access to the Etsy marketplace.

Drawbacks

  • Limited inventory options.
  • High fees.
  • Limited feature-set.

you’re a small independent retailer specializing in handmade or vintage items (or craft supplies). Etsy has a forever-free plan, along with an inexpensive premium option, so it’s an incredibly cost-effective solution.

Ease of Use

Our first comparison criteria, ease of use. Why? Because it’s the most important.

Think about it. You don’t want to invest a lot of your precious time setting up an online store and tweaking the design only to find out that it’s a pain in the butt to manage day to day.

We take a look at how simple the Wix Stores and Etsy platforms are to run.

How easy is Wix Stores to use?

Rated 4/5 for Ease of Use

When it comes to ease-of-use, there are two sides to Wix.

Updating your product catalog, managing orders, and running email marketing campaigns through the central dashboard is straightforward.

The star of the show, however, is the Wix website editor. Users can make a myriad of changes to their site’s look-and-feel (along with individual pages)via a wide array of customization features.

The only issue is the sheer number of features. There’s a lot! So while Wix’s editor is intuitive and easy-to-use once you’ve wrapped your head around the feature-set, there is a small learning curve initially.

What Wix Stores customers are saying...

“Great website builder! I think a lot of people writing reviews are inexperienced and haven't put the time into learning how to use Wix extensively and as a result I see a lot of frustration.” Tobi
“I love Wix! I’ve never once had a problem with Wix. The SEO has improved over the years and the ease of duplicating and creating new pages is unbeatable. The mobile response is fantastic.
“It is the easiest, most equipped, most high quality website builder ever. I asked for customer support's help three times and have always received an answer within 24 hours (in English).”

How easy is Etsy to use?

Rated 5/5 for Ease of Use

You won’t find a platform that is easier to use than Etsy. This is partly due to the fact that there aren’t lots of complex features (which some might see as a downside) and partly due to the simple, intuitive design of the seller dashboard. Etsy makes essential tasks, like creating listings and generating reports, nearly effortless.

What Etsy customers are saying...

“Discovering Etsy and opening a shop enabled me to take control of sales.”
“Etsy has allowed me to build an international customer base that already appreciates handmade products.”
“Etsy has been an incredible experience for me.”
Etsy is our winner for ease of use

Design

Powerful features are great, but we all know first impressions count. So, do Wix Stores and Etsy templates actually look any good? See for yourself. We outline each platforms design options, plus showcase a few real life examples.

How good are Wix Stores's themes?

Rated 5/5 for Design

Few other website builders on the market offer the same level of design flexibility as Wix. For retailers that want a high level of design freedom without the need to interact with any code, Wix is a no-brainer. Because of the broad feature-set, retailers can control the branding and look-and-feel of their store to a very precise level.

All of that said, Wix isn’t limited to “non-developers”. Code-savvy webmasters can make deeper backend changes and take advantage of a powerful set of APIs. So the platform isn’t just limited to people without coding experience.

Users also have access to a library of nearly 100 free templates.

Wix Stores Examples

  • Plastic Freedom
    Plastic Freedom
Item 1 of 3

How good are Etsy's themes?

Rated 2.5/5 for Design

Design flexibility and freedom isn’t one of Etsy’s strongest points. Most Etsy stores look very similar, and there’s a reason for this: Etsy only offers a limited number of customization options.

As a seller, you can change the colours, fonts, and photo styles in your store. You’ll also be able to upload a unique logo and banner - which has the option of a photo “carousel” - and set a homepage description.

Users of the Etsy Plus premium plan will have access to a handful of additional features, such as the option to highlight top-performing products on the homepage.

Customizing your store is a very fast and straightforward process. While design freedom is limited, this won’t be a problem for people with little development experience who already like the standard Etsy storefront.

Etsy Examples

  • Planner Kate
    Planner Kate
Item 1 of 3
Wix Stores is our winner for design

How much do they cost?

Everyone’s favourite topic - pricing. Let's dive in to see if Wix Stores or Etsy offers better value for money.

How much does Wix Stores cost?

Rated 4.5/5 for Pricing

Wix is very competitive on price. The basic plan costs $20/month and includes access to the online store builder, shopping cart with multiple shipping rules, multichannel sales, and Wix payment gateway.

Wix also offers a handful of sweeteners, including a free domain (for one year), ad credit, and professional logo design.

The whole ecommerce feature set is available on all plans. The more expensive plans - “Business Unlimited” and “Business VIP” - provide extra storage and (in the case of the VIP option) first-in-line customer support. If you need more than 50GB of storage, you’ll have to speak to Wix directly.

How much does Etsy cost?

Rated 3.5/5 for Pricing

At first glance, Etsy looks like one of the most cost-effective ecommerce solutions on the market. It has a forever-free plan and even the premium option, Etsy Plus, only costs ten dollars per month. “Pattern by Etsy”, a service which allows you to run an “independent” online store on your own domain (in conjunction with your Etsy store) only costs $15 a month.

But it’s crucial to take account of fees. Retailers are charged $0.20 for every listing. When a sale is made, Etsy takes a 5% transaction fee, along with a 4% payment processing charge, which amounts to nearly 10% of the overall item price.

If you only process low sales volume, then these fees can be viable. With higher volumes, however, Etsy becomes less feasible.

Wix Stores is our winner for cost

Help and Support

If things go wrong (and they often do) you need to know someone’s there to help get you back on track. So, how does Wix Stores's and Etsy's support measure up?

How good is Wix Stores support?

Rated 3.5/5 for Help and Support

While the quality of support provided by Wix is generally excellent, users only have the option of submitting a support ticket or requesting a callback. No live chat options are available.

English-language support is available 24/7 and support is also offered in a limited number of foreign languages during business hours.

VIP support, which essentially pushes you to the front of the line, is available on the Business VIP plan.

How good is Etsy support?

Rated 4/5 for Help and Support

Etsy has an excellent support package, even on its free plan. Along with one of the largest seller communities on the web and extensive and in-depth training materials, users can also take advantage of live-chat and phone service.

Inexperienced retailers, in particular, will find a lot to like in the comprehensive tutorials and “seller handbook”. The online forum, through which users can join “teams” to exchange ideas and collaborate, is an excellent learning tool.

All support options are accessible from a tab in the seller dashboard, so assistance is easy to find when you need it.

Etsy is our winner for support

The Bottom Line

The final say. Let's wrap up our thoughts on each platform.

Wix Stores: Our Verdict

One of the big positives about Wix is that it provides all necessary core ecommerce features, including multichannel selling and shipping rules, on all of its plans. You don’t need to sign up to the most expensive package to get the functionality you need.

What’s more, many secondary features are offered. Related product listings, cart abandonment emails, and access to Modalyst dropshipping (to add extra products to your store) are available to all users.

But the standout feature is the drag-and-drop website builder. While there is a slight learning curve, this powerful tool enables you to customize your store without any previous coding experience.

So if you’re looking for a comprehensive solution with a high degree of design freedom, Wix is the way to go.

Etsy: Our Verdict

Retailers considering Etsy should understand that it isn’t an ecommerce platform in the traditional sense. It’s not a standalone app like Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce. You should only consider it as an option if you’re planning to sell your products to the broader Etsy marketplace.

If you do fall into that category, however, then you’ll find a lot to like - it’s a streamlined, easy-to-use platform at a fantastic price.

Furthermore, Etsy “Pattern” enables retailers to have a store at their own domain that isn’t bound by typical Etsy restrictions but is still managed from the central store manager. If you think it might be for you, sign up for a free account and give it a whirl.

Overall, we found Wix Stores to be the better ecommerce platform.

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