Shopify vs Webflow
Shopify scores 9.0/10, Webflow 8.3/10. Where each one wins, what they cost and who should pick which, side by side.
The short answer
Shopify scores 9.0/10 and Webflow scores 8.3/10 on our rubric. Shopify is the stronger all-round pick.
Shopify leads on ease of use, value, and support. Webflow leads on design and flexibility.
Shopify starts at $29/mo with no free plan; Webflow starts at $15/mo and has a free plan. Webflow is the cheaper way in.
| Shopify | Webflow | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 9.0 | 8.3 |
| From | $29 | $15 |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Sells online | Yes | Yes |
| Code export | Yes | Yes |
| Ease of use | 8.4 | 6.4 |
| Design | 8.2 | 9.4 |
| Flexibility | 9.2 | 9.6 |
| Value | 8.0 | 7.2 |
| Support | 9.4 | 7.8 |
What Shopify does well
- Deepest commerce feature set anywhere
- App ecosystem handles every edge case
- Scales from first sale to enterprise
What Webflow does well
- Pixel control without writing code
- Clean exportable HTML/CSS
- CMS is genuinely flexible
Who each one is for
Shopify. Anyone whose primary activity is selling physical or digital goods and who wants the commerce infrastructure to be someone else's problem. It is the right answer from the first sale up to very large volumes, and the point at which you outgrow it is far enough away that most merchants never reach it.
Webflow. Agencies, designers and marketing teams who know exactly what the site should look like and will not accept a template's compromises. The CMS is genuinely flexible, and clean exportable code means the work is not trapped.
Pricing side by side
Shopify
| Basic | $29/mo yearly · $39 monthly | 2% fee on third-party gateways, 10 inventory locations |
|---|---|---|
| Grow | $79/mo yearly · $105 monthly | 1% third-party fee, 5 staff accounts |
| Advanced | $299/mo yearly · $399 monthly | 0.6% third-party fee, 15 staff accounts, third-party shipping rates |
| Plus | from $2,300/mo | 0.2% third-party fee, full checkout customization, unlimited staff |
Webflow
| Starter | Free | webflow.io address, 2 static pages, 50 form submissions |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $15/mo yearly | custom domain, 300 static pages, no CMS |
| Premium | $25/mo yearly | Webflow CMS, site search, bandwidth from 50 GB |
| Team | $2,500/mo | annual contract, publishing workflows, localization, governance |
What a year costs
Shopify
The prices on the plan cards are yearly prices. Pay month to month and Basic is $39 rather than $29, Grow is $105 rather than $79 and Advanced is $399 rather than $299, so the monthly option costs about a third more. If you are confident enough to launch, the annual plan is the obvious saving.
Subscription, billed yearlyShopify's third-party transaction fee
Webflow
Webflow prices each site separately, and the yearly plans save up to 40% against monthly billing. The first question is whether you need the CMS, Webflow's content database for blog posts, case studies or any repeating content. Basic, at $15 a month, has no CMS at all and suits a brochure site of fixed pages. The moment you want a blog, you are on Premium at $25.
Site planAdd-ons
Who should skip each one
Shopify
A content site with a small shop attached. If you have ten products and two hundred articles, you are paying commerce pricing for a blog. It is also the wrong pick if you need an unconventional checkout, since the checkout is the part Shopify guards most closely.
Webflow
A first-time site owner in a hurry. The learning curve is real and measured in days, not minutes. If the goal is to be online by tomorrow, this is the wrong tool.
The bottom line
Shopify
For most people starting a store, Shopify is the safe choice and the right one. Buy the annual plan, start on Basic, and move to Grow once you are selling more than about $5,000 a month and cannot use Shopify Payments, or once you need staff accounts.
Webflow
Webflow is the right answer when the design matters enough to justify learning a serious tool, or paying someone who already knows it. Start on Basic for a fixed-page site, or Premium the moment you need a blog or any repeating content.
Questions people ask
Is Shopify better than Webflow?
Shopify scores 9.0/10 and Webflow scores 8.3/10 on our rubric. Shopify is the stronger all-round pick. Shopify leads on ease of use, value, and support. Webflow leads on design and flexibility.
Which is cheaper, Shopify or Webflow?
Shopify starts at $29/mo with no free plan; Webflow starts at $15/mo and has a free plan. Webflow is the cheaper way in.
Which is easier to use, Shopify or Webflow?
Shopify scores 8.4/10 for ease of use against Webflow at 6.4/10.
Do Shopify and Webflow have a free plan?
Shopify has no free plan; Webflow has a free plan.
Can you sell online with Shopify and Webflow?
Both Shopify and Webflow can take payments and run a store.
Can you move your site off Shopify or Webflow?
Both Shopify and Webflow let you export your code.
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