True cost comparison — not just what the pricing page says
Quick Verdict
Wix saves you 100%
Best for Wix
E-commerce platform for online stores. $39/mo sounds simple but transaction fees, app costs, and the
Best for Shopify
Drag-and-drop website builder for non-technical users. Free plan is ad-supported with Wix branding.
Drag-and-drop website builder for non-technical users. Free plan is ad-supported...
Advertised
$0
/month
True Cost
$74
/month (typical)
Wix Branding on Free
Free plan displays 'Wix.com' ads and uses a wix.com subdomain. Removing branding requires Light plan...
App Market Cost Accumulation
Most functional sites need 3-8 Wix Apps (booking $0-10/mo, events $0-10/mo, chat $0-30/mo, SEO tools...
Heavy Sites Performance Degradation
Sites with 50+ pages, many apps, or large media galleries experience significant load time increases...
Per-Site Pricing
Each Wix plan covers ONE site only. Running 3 business sites = 3× the subscription cost. No multi-si...
Affiliate link — we may earn a commission
E-commerce platform for online stores. $39/mo sounds simple but transaction fees...
Advertised
$39
/month
True Cost
$519
/month (typical)
Transaction Fees (Non-Shopify Payments)
Using Stripe, PayPal, or other gateways instead of Shopify Payments adds 2% (Basic), 1% (Shopify), o...
App Store Cost Accumulation
Most functional stores need 5-15 paid apps (reviews, SEO, email pop-ups, upsells, inventory). Averag...
Premium Theme Purchase
Free themes are limited. Premium themes cost $180-$350 one-time. Many stores buy 2-3 themes before f...
Shipping Label Markup
Shopify Shipping offers discounted rates but marks up USPS/UPS/DHL prices by 5-15% compared to direc...
$29/mo annual
$79/mo annual
$299/mo annual
Affiliate link — we may earn a commission
Shopify advertises $39/mo. Wix advertises $0/mo.
Shopify has 4 documented hidden fees. Wix has 4.
Shopify confidence: 84%. Wix confidence: 78%.
| Metric | Wix | Shopify | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advertised Price | $0/mo | $39/mo | Wix |
| True Monthly Cost | $74/mo | $519/mo | Wix |
| Hidden Fee Total | +$74/mo | +$480/mo | Wix |
| # Hidden Fees | 4 | 4 | Wix |
| Confidence Score | 78% | 84% | Shopify |
| Pricing Tiers | 4 | 4 | — |
| Affiliate Program | $100 per premium referral | Up to $150 per referral (varies by plan) | — |
Try the tool that fits your needs. Both offer free trials or free tiers.
Wix advertises $0/mo and Shopify advertises $39/mo. However, when you include hidden fees, Wix has 4 documented hidden fees adding +$74/mo, while Shopify has 4 hidden fees adding +$480/mo. Based on true cost, Wix is typically 100% cheaper.
Wix has 4 documented hidden fees: Wix Branding on Free, App Market Cost Accumulation, Heavy Sites Performance Degradation, Per-Site Pricing. These add approximately +$74/mo on top of the $0/mo advertised price.
Shopify has 4 documented hidden fees: Transaction Fees (Non-Shopify Payments), App Store Cost Accumulation, Premium Theme Purchase, Shipping Label Markup. These add approximately +$480/mo on top of the $39/mo advertised price.
Choose Wix if: E-commerce platform for online stores. $39/mo sounds simple but transaction fees, app costs, and the. Choose Shopify if: Drag-and-drop website builder for non-technical users. Free plan is ad-supported with Wix branding. . The right choice depends on your team size, usage volume, and which features you need most.
This comparison is based on manual research of official pricing pages, terms of service, and user reports. Wix data has a 78% confidence score and Shopify has 84%. Prices were last verified in April 2026. For the most accurate estimate, enter your specific usage in our calculator.
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