Ecwid vs Shopify Comparison 2026
Both cover monetization & payments and digital products & storefronts. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
A store that bolts onto a site you already have
A storefront whose card rate falls by plan
At a glance
- Ecwid starts cheaper, at $5.
- Neither has a free tier.
Side by side
Ecwid | Shopify | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $5 | From $29 |
| Pricing model | Paid subscription | Paid subscription |
| Free tier | No | No |
| Billing | Not stated | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | Not stated | Not stated |
| Runs on | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android |
| Covers | Monetization & Payments, Digital Products & Storefronts |
Shaded rows are where the two answers disagree and both listings have answered. A row where one side has not stated a fact is left plain, because silence is not a difference.
Ecwid
A store that bolts onto a site you already have
Ecwid adds a shop to a site that already exists rather than asking anybody to rebuild on a new platform, which is what makes it the answer when the site is fine and only the selling is missing. It will also stand on its own with an included site builder and a free subdomain. Plans are separated by product count first: ten on the cheapest, a hundred on the next. Selling through Instagram and Facebook, the mobile management app and automated tax all start one tier above the entry plan.
Our note
Count your products before choosing, because the jump from ten to a hundred is the whole difference between the first two tiers and it is not a soft limit. If the shop is going to be the main event rather than an addition, pay for Shopify or BigCommerce now instead of migrating in a year.
Shopify
A storefront whose card rate falls by plan
Shopify runs the shop itself, the checkout and the card processing, which is why its pricing has two numbers rather than one: a monthly plan and a card rate that drops as the plan rises. Selling on social, in person and through a site all report into the same catalogue and stock count. The plans are otherwise similar enough that most people choose on the card rate and the staff seats. Using a payment provider other than Shopify's own adds a transaction fee on top, so the cheap plan is not always the cheap option.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.