Wix vs Etsy: 7 Key Differences to Determine Your Ideal Platform in 2024

If you’re reading this, you’re probably weighing your options between Wix vs Etsy and wondering which platform is the better fit for your business. Each platform has its strengths & caters to different needs, whether you’re after complete control over your brand and design or prefer a quick setup with access to an existing customer base.

This guide breaks down the 7 key differences between Etsy and Wix, giving you the insights needed to choose the right platform for your business growth. We’ve drawn on our personal experience and research to highlight the main features and considerations for each solution:

• Pricing;
• Ease of use;
• Design & customization;
• eCommerce features;
• Marketing & SEO;
• Help & support;
• Security.

Keep reading for more!

An Overview of Wix vs Etsy

Before going into the details of Wix vs Etsy, let me share a bit about both. From the pros and cons to the suitable business type of each platform, you can see which might be the right fit for you.

Wix overview

Wix is an intuitive website builder packed with essential business tools to help you build your online business from the ground up. Its drag-and-drop editor allows you to craft a fully customized storefront that aligns with your brand, all without any coding experience.

Whether you’re selling physical products, digital downloads, or even services, Wix gives you a lot of room to get creative with your layout and style. Combining with the robust eCommerce features, Wix is definitely the go-to choice for those starting a new or expanding their existed store.

Etsy overview

If you want to minimize the effort of managing an online store, there’s Etsy. This is an online marketplace that connects independent sellers with buyers seeking unique, handmade, vintage, or craft items.

Founded in 2005, it has grown into a global platform where artisans and collectors offer products ranging from jewelry and clothing to home décor and art.

Wix vs Etsy: Which is right for you?

Wix is definitely the more appealing solution to build a comprehensive eCommerce store. Nevertheless, Etsy still remains the perfect fit for certain types of businesses. The table below will help you identify which platform best suits your business needs:

If you want to leverage the advantages of both platforms, you can consider using a multichannel selling tool like LitCommerce. This approach allows you to enjoy the customization and control of a Wix website while tapping into Etsy’s established audience. With LitCommerce, you can manage your inventory and orders seamlessly across both platforms, giving you the best of both worlds and streamlining your operations.

With the basics covered, it’s time to explore the detailed differences between Wix vs Etsy to help you decide which platform aligns best with your business goals!

Pricing (Etsy Wins)

When I compared Wix vs Etsy for their pricing, I noticed that each platform’s cost structure reflects its unique setup as an eCommerce platform versus a marketplace. Here’s what I learned as I explored both options:

Wix pricing

Wix offers a lot of flexibility with its pricing plans, making it easy to find an option that fits your business size and needs. Here are the main plans they offer for online businesses:

• Core: $29/month
• Business: $36/month
• Business Elite: $159/month

Beyond the basic subscription, there are some extra costs to keep in mind when building your Wix site. More specifically, your checklist should include the following:

• Domain name: It’s free for the first year, but after that, it’s $14.95 annually.
• Theme and design: These can range from $150 to $500 for a premium look (one-time fee).
• Apps and tools: Depending on what you need, you might spend anywhere from $5 to $50+ per app monthly.
• Wix transaction fees: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.
• Marketing fees: This varies a lot—anything from $100 up to $10,000+, depending on how ambitious your strategy is.

So, with Wix, the costs can add up, especially if you want to scale or invest in marketing. But if you’re serious about building a unique brand, the customization options make it worth considering.

Etsy pricing

Etsy’s pricing, on the other hand, has fewer upfront costs. Take a look at this basic breakdown for reference:

• Subscription fee: You can start with a free plan or opt for Etsy Plus at $10/month.
• Listing fee: It’s $0.20 per listing, so you pay as you go.
• Transaction fee: Etsy takes up to 6.5% on sold items, including shipping costs.
• Payment processing fee: This one’s 3% + $0.25 per transaction.
• Advertising fee: If you use Etsy’s offsite ads, they will take 12% to 15%, depending on your annual revenue.

As you can see, most of the fees are linked to your sales, meaning costs increase only as your revenue grows. Thus, it is much easier to plan and manage your budget on Etsy, which is especially beneficial for small business owners.

Ease of Use (A tie)

Next, we will be looking at how easy it is to get started on Wix vs Etsy. To help you get the answer, we will break each solution down into account creation, store setting up, and adding products.

Wix ease of use

One thing that sets Wix apart is its ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) tool, which makes getting started a breeze. After I signed up, Wix’s ADI tool prompted me to enter some basic information about my business, like the logo template, preferred store theme, and the pages I wanted to include on my website. From there, the ADI tool took over and quickly laid out the basic foundation for my store. It was impressive to see the website start taking shape based on my input.

Adding products after that was straightforward, with options for descriptions, images, prices, and categories. If you have multiple products to list, Wix’s bulk upload feature is a huge time-saver. Overall, the setup flow is logical, though it might take a bit longer to complete if you’re new to website builders. I will talk about this later.

Etsy ease of use

Similar to Wix, the Etsy setup phase is quite simple. Once you sign up, Etsy walks you through a few quick steps to get your shop up and running. The entire process – from setting up your shop name to listing your first product – is designed to be intuitive and quick, which is great if you’re new to online selling.

With your Etsy shop set up quickly, the next step – adding products – is just as simple. Etsy keeps this process intuitive from start to finish: you upload photos, enter descriptions, set prices, and select tags to help customers find your items. While there’s no bulk upload option, which might take a bit more time if you have a lot of products, Etsy remains an ideal choice if you’re looking to minimize setup time and start selling immediately without extra steps.

Design & Customization (Wix Wins)

Your storefront is the first impression customers get of your brand, setting the tone for their shopping experience. To make it memorable, you need great themes and customization tools that showcase your unique style.  Let’s see how each platform, Wix vs Etsy, helps you create that impactful first impression!

Wix customization

Wix is a haven for retailers who crave design freedom without the hassle of coding. The platform has all these features that let you control every little detail of your store’s branding and appearance.

I started by browsing through their library of over 800 templates – honestly, it felt like there was something for every style out there. And once I picked a template, I discovered that Wix has several website builders to really bring your brand to life.

• Wix Editor: This classic drag-and-drop editor is easy to use and offers vast design freedom with access to an extensive library of templates.
• Wix Editor X: Designed for advanced users, Editor X caters to designers and agencies with responsive control and professional-grade design features.
• Wix ADI: If you prefer a quick start, the ADI tool can generate a personalized design based on a few simple questions.
• Wix Velo: For those with coding experience, Velo allows you to integrate custom code, giving even more control over the website’s design and functionality.

Etsy customization

All Etsy shops have a similar look and feel, with some basic options for customization, like adjusting colors, fonts, and photo styles. If you're an Etsy Plus member, you get a few extra perks, like highlighting your top products on your homepage for a visibility boost.

Since these are pretty basic tools, they don’t come close to the design freedom you’d find with a platform like Wix. That makes it nearly impossible to build a truly unique brand identity on Etsy, as every shop ends up looking quite similar.

eCommerce Features (Wix Wins)

At the heart of any successful online store are the eCommerce features that keep everything running smoothly. From selling tools and shipping options to payment methods, these features make all the difference – and they’re often what matters most to sellers. Read on to see how Wix vs Etsy differ from each other:

Selling tools

I’ve found Wix offers a lot of control over the selling tools, which has been helpful for customizing the entire sales process. Here are a few features that stand out:

• Product management: Wix lets you create custom product pages with detailed descriptions, pricing variations, and inventory tracking. You can even set up options for subscription products or digital downloads, which has been a great way to diversify revenue.
• Abandoned cart recovery: This tool automatically reaches out to customers who left items in their carts, reminding them to complete their purchase. I’ve seen it boost conversions by helping bring potential buyers back to the store.
• Discounts and coupons: Wix makes it easy to create various discount types, from percentage-based sales to free shipping offers. It’s great for running promotions and rewarding loyal customers.

On Etsy, I appreciate the simplicity of the tools, especially since they’re designed to get you selling quickly without too much setup. Here’s what I’ve found helpful:

• Inventory tracking: Etsy automatically updates stock levels as items are sold, so you don’t have to worry about manually keeping track.
• Custom orders: If you offer personalized or made-to-order products, Etsy makes it easy to manage custom orders directly within the platform. Customers can send personalization details, which are tracked right from the order page.
• Etsy Shop stats: The built-in analytics provide insights on traffic sources, popular listings, and customer interactions. It’s a straightforward tool, but it gives a helpful overview of your shop’s performance and what’s working.

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Shipping & fulfillment

Both Wix and Etsy offer solid shipping solutions that let you handle fulfillment independently or integrate with services like ShipStation.

On Wix, you can customize shipping rates based on location, weight, or price, which has been great for tailoring the checkout experience to meet different customer needs. Plus, Wix integrates with carriers like USPS, FedEx, and UPS, so customers see real-time rates at checkout. Label printing is available right from the dashboard, making fulfillment easy to manage.

With Etsy, what stands out most to me is the convenience of their built-in discounted shipping labels. For sellers in the U.S. and Canada, you can buy labels for USPS, FedEx, and Canada Post right from the Etsy dashboard – and the discounts are a nice cost-saving bonus.

While Etsy’s shipping options aren’t as customizable as Wix’s, the platform makes it easy to set up shipping profiles to apply consistent rates across different listings.

Payment methods

Both Wix and Etsy offer various payment methods that make it easy for customers to complete their purchases.

Wix integrates with over 70 payment gateways worldwide, including PayPal, Klarna, Square, etc. For all gateways, you can enable credit card processing and manual payments on the checkout page. Or else, you can consider their in-house solution called Wix Payments, which manages payments directly through Wix to simplify the process.

Depending on the payment gateway you choose, you may also offer a variety of alternative payment options, including:

• Apple Pay;
• Cryptocurrency payments;
• Recurring payments for subscription services;
• Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) options;
• Point of Sale (POS) capabilities for in-person sales;
• Payments for specialized products like CBD.

In contrast, Etsy does not directly offer multiple payment gateways as Wix does. Instead, it uses a centralized system called Etsy Payments to handle transactions. Through Etsy Payments, sellers can accept various payment methods, including:

• Credit and debit cards;
• Etsy gift cards and Etsy credits;
• Apple Pay and Google Pay;
• PayPal;
• Flexible payment options with Klarna, including Klarna Installments and Klarna Pay in 30 Days;
• iDEAL and Sofort bank transfers through Klarna for supported regions.

Marketing & SEO (Wix Wins)

Driving traffic and building a customer base requires more than just a well-designed storefront. Strong marketing tools and effective SEO can make all the difference in helping your business grow. With Wix vs Etsy offering different approaches to marketing and search engine optimization, it’s worth taking a closer look at what each platform provides.

Wix marketing features

Wix really impressed me with the variety of marketing tools it offers. Right from the dashboard, you have access to built-in tools for email marketing, social media integration, and even video ads.

I found the Wix Email Marketing feature particularly handy – it lets you create branded email campaigns to keep customers in the loop about new products, sales, or updates. Adding to that, you can use Wix’s Social Media Integration to share your products across Facebook, Instagram, and more, all from one place.

Regarding SEO, Wix gives you control over meta tags, alt text, and URL structure, which is essential for improving your visibility on search engines. Wix even offers an SEO Wiz, which walks you through setting up SEO basics if you’re unsure where to start.

Etsy marketing features

Since Etsy is built on an established customer base, its marketing tools fit seamlessly into its marketplace. Etsy Ads lets you promote products directly in search results, reaching buyers actively looking for items like yours. This tool expands your reach without needing to drive traffic from outside sources.

In addition to ads, Etsy makes it simple to share shop updates, promotions, and milestones across social media. The platform integrates with major sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest, so you can quickly post important news and drive traffic back to your shop.

However, SEO on Etsy is somewhat limited to elements like titles, tags, and descriptions, and you’re essentially optimizing for Etsy’s internal search engine rather than Google. So overall, if you’re looking for a straightforward setup with built-in visibility, Etsy’s marketing features work well, but it lacks the in-depth SEO control that platforms like Wix offer.

Help & Support (Etsy Wins)

From personal experience, I know that having solid support can make all the difference when running an online store. The support team knows all the nitty-gritty of the platform, so they can help you save valuable time and resources. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at how Wix vs Etsy compare when it comes to customer support.

Wix customer support

On Wix, there’s a Help Center with plenty of articles and tutorials. Hence, if you like to troubleshoot independently, this is a great place to start. For more direct assistance, Wix offers 24/7 customer support in English, which you can access through phone, email, or live chat.

If you want support in other languages, Wix can help you with that as well. Nevertheless, this support is only available during business hours, which vary by country. Check this document for assurance.

Wix also has a dedicated forum where users can share tips, ask questions, and learn from each other’s experiences. It’s a nice bonus if you’re looking for additional insight from other users who have been in the same boat.

Etsy customer support

Likewise, the Etsy Help Center is also a good starting point, with a solid collection of FAQs, guides, and articles for setting up and managing your shop. I found the Etsy Seller Handbook especially helpful—it’s packed with actionable tips on marketing, SEO, product photography, and more, providing insights to help you run a successful Etsy shop.

For more specific questions, Etsy offers email support, live chat and phone service. Although the Etsy live chat hours aren’t available 24/7, its response times are generally reliable.

Furthermore, you can also refer to the Etsy seller community. This is a vibrant forum where Etsy sellers can support each other based on their experience.

Security (A Tie)

With eCommerce merchants constantly facing risks from hacking and data breaches, security is more critical than ever. That’s why I made it a priority to examine the differences between Wix vs Etsy when it comes to protecting your store and your customers’ information.

Wix security

To start with, Wix takes security seriously, which was reassuring as I set up my store. They provide free SSL certificates for all sites, ensuring that data transmitted between your store and your customers is encrypted and secure. This means your customers can confidently shop, knowing their information is protected.

Wix also has built-in security monitoring and uses advanced tools, such as SSL encryption, firewalls, and DDoS protection, to detect and prevent potential threats. Additionally, Wix’s Security Team actively monitors the platform for suspicious activity and performs regular updates to ensure that your website remains secure and up-to-date.

Etsy security

Similarly, Etsy also prioritizes security to protect its users. They’ve put solid measures in place, using Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption to keep transactions safe, which means sensitive data stays secure throughout the process. It’s also good to know that Etsy prioritizes the security of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) for everyone on the platform.

Wix vs Etsy: FAQs

Final Thought

By reading our review on Etsy vs Wix, we hope you are now equipped to make the right decision for your business. Wix comes out on top, especially for businesses looking to establish a unique brand with full control over design, customization, and advanced eCommerce features. That said, your choice in the Wix vs Etsy debate should revolve around your specific business needs.

If you plan to migrate to Wix or Etsy, consider our LitExtension All-in-One Migration Service, complete with a dedicated personal assistant to guide you through every step. With 12+ years of experience and more than 300,000 successful migration projects, LitExtension is a trusted partner for a smooth migration.

For more details, we have a wide range of blog posts about Wix waiting for you. Check them out now or join our Facebook community group for more eCommerce insights!