If you have a product that you want to sell online, then the best eCommerce platform is the place to start. There are plenty of options available, but these two are among the most popular and successful. 

They also happen to be extremely different from one another. Let’s take a look at how Etsy and Shopify stack up against each other as an eCommerce platform for your business. 

Both of these websites offer numerous features for sellers, but they can be used for very different things. 

Here we explore some of the main differences between Etsy and Shopify so you can decide which one is right for your business.

Shopify

First of all, we should talk about Shopify. Shopify is a hosted eCommerce platform that lets you set up an online store in less than an hour. It allows you to create your store in any theme you want to fit your brand. 

You can also add apps to help you sell different types of products, manage your inventory, and even accept payments through your store. It’s a great choice for entrepreneurs who want to make a seamless transition from selling online to selling via other mediums. 

Shopify also offers a feature called Shopify Shipping that lets you set up shipping and print shipping labels right from your Shopify store. 

This makes it easy to fulfill orders and track packages without ever having to log into a different website.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Shopify has hosted eCommerce and online stores in its name. This means that you don’t have to worry about hosting your store and that Shopify will keep the site up and running for you. 

However, you will likely have to pay a monthly or yearly fee for the hosting and maintenance. Shopify also offers support if you ever run into issues or have questions about how to set up or run your store. You can also set up shop with one of Shopify’s apps to get a head start on your store. 

Shopify has apps for everything from selling shoes to selling books to selling t-shirts. With these apps, you can get your products into your store quickly and easily and focus on what matters most — marketing.

Etsy

Etsy is a different kind of eCommerce platform. Instead of being designed for companies to sell their products online, an Etsy shop is designed to let individuals sell their handmade and artisanal products. 

This means that instead of having an online storefront, Etsy sellers have their own individual website. This can be a drawback for some types of businesses, as it can be limiting to only have one website for all of your products. However, for individual sellers who only have a few handmade items to sell, it has some major advantages. Selling on Etsy comes with some significant benefits. 

You don’t have to worry about setting up a website (not to mention hosting, creating a web design, etc.). You also don’t have to worry about the technical aspects of selling on your own website. Etsy takes care of all of that for you.

The great thing about this is that Etsy has a huge customer base. It’s not just people who are buying things on Etsy. It’s also people who are selling things on Etsy. So, as an Etsy seller, you have access to a large audience of potential customers. 

You can also set your own prices. If you want to sell things for more than what they cost you to make, that’s entirely up to you. You don’t have to worry about a storefront taking up a certain percentage of your profit.

Another significant advantage to selling on Etsy is its large traffic base. Etsy gets a lot of traffic, and a lot of people go there to find exactly what individual sellers are offering. 

This gives you a huge potential customer base. If you are selling handmade items, there is nothing stopping you from also selling on other platforms. 

However, you will likely get a much larger percentage of your traffic from Etsy than any other platform.

Differences between Shopify and Etsy

Now that we’ve covered what Shopify and Etsy are and how they are different, let’s take a look at the key differences between the two platforms. 

• Price : Shopify is a hosted eCommerce platform, while Etsy is a marketplace that you can sell your handmade products on. Shopify plans are typically more expensive than Etsy (even if it depends on the size of your shop), but you get a lot more in return. To use Etsy, you only need a seller account, but if you want to use Shopify for your business or for your store, then you need to pay for a monthly subscription. 
• Brand Identity : Shopify is a great option if you have a brand and want to use it across all of your marketing. It also provides a seamless transition from online to offline. Etsy, on the other hand, is a marketplace where you sell your handmade products, not a business platform.

Which is the best eCommerce platform?

As you can see, both of these eCommerce platforms have their strengths and weaknesses. It really comes down to what you want to sell, who you want to sell to, and what their needs are. 

If you want to sell handmade products, then Etsy is the best eCommerce platform for you. If you want to sell a wider range of products and have a brand that you want to extend across all of your marketing, then you’re better off with Shopify. 

With Shopify, you can set up your store and sell any type of products. With Etsy, you only sell handmade and vintage products. If you’re just starting out and you don’t have a huge budget, then you’re better off with Shopify. 

It’s cheaper than a self-hosted eCommerce platform, and it’s easier to set up and manage. If you want to build a store that you can grow with and customize to your needs, then you should go with Shopify.

If you want to sell a wider range of products, then Etsy is the best eCommerce platform for you. Shopify is best suited for those that want to sell a wide range of products and want to brand it across all of their marketing. If you want to sell something niche and want to cater to a smaller segment of customers, then you’re better off with Etsy.

Key points : which is better ?

There are some key differences between Shopify and Etsy that should help you decide which one to choose. 

First of all, we should talk about what these platforms are designed to do. Shopify is designed to be used by any company looking to sell products online. Etsy, on the other hand, is designed specifically for individual sellers trying to sell their handmade products. 

This means that while they both have their benefits, they also have their drawbacks. For example, if you were wanting to sell a wide variety of products all in one place, then Etsy would be a poor choice for you. 

However, on the other hand, if you only wanted to sell handmade or artisanal products, then Shopify would be a poor choice for you.

Shopify pros : why Shopify is a better choice for most entrepreneurs ?

One of the biggest benefits of using Shopify as an eCommerce platform is the fact that it’s designed to sell almost any type of product. 

This means that setting up a storefront, managing your inventory, and marketing your products are all streamlined. This also means that if you ever want to sell any of these products in person (think in a brick-and-mortar store), then it’s easy to transition your products from online to offline. 

Another huge benefit of Shopify is that all of your products are in one place. Instead of having one store for your T-shirts, one for your mugs, and one for your art prints, you can have everything in one easy-to-manage place.

Another big reason why Shopify is better than most eCommerce platforms is ease of use. Shopify is designed to be easy to use, so even if you’re starting out with no experience, you can easily set up your own storefront. 

The last big benefit of Shopify is the fact that you don’t have to pay for your storefront forever. Instead, you can set up a payment plan that suits your business, so you don’t have to worry about upfront costs. Shopify cons: Why Shopify isn’t the best option for every business

One of the biggest downsides of Shopify is that you don’t own your storefront, so if the company ever shuts down, you will have no control over your inventory. 

There are ways to mitigate this risk, though, like moving inventory to another service, or diversifying your inventory across multiple eCommerce platforms. 

Another potential downside is that Shopify has a monthly fee, so while it’s one of the most affordable eCommerce platforms, it’s important to factor in the costs. 

The last big risk is that Shopify doesn’t have as many features as larger eCommerce platforms, so if you have a very specific business model or inventory, then Shopify might not be the best option.

Shopify cons : Why you shouldn’t use Shopify for your business ?

Although Shopify is a great eCommerce platform for many types of businesses, it’s not a good choice for every type of entrepreneur. If you’re looking to sell a wide variety of products, then Shopify may be too limiting for you. 

This is because you can’t sell just anything on Shopify. The products that you sell have to be approved by the Shopify team before you can list them on your store. This is because they only want to feature quality products. 

If you’re only planning on selling a few products, then this may not be a big deal. But if you’re hoping to sell a wide variety of products, this can be a huge drawback.

Another drawback of Shopify is that it doesn’t have many advanced features that you might be looking for in an eCommerce platform. 

For example, Shopify doesn’t have a profit calculator or any other tools that you can use to determine how much you’ll make from any given product. If you’re hoping to sell a wide variety of products and make a wide variety of profits, then this may not be the best eCommerce platform for you. 

Shopify might also not be the best eCommerce platform for you if you’re looking for a hosted solution. 

Although Shopify offers hosting, it’s not quite the same thing as a hosted solution. Hosting means that your website is hosted by Shopify, but you have to maintain it on your own.

Etsy pros : why Etsy is a better choice for some businesses ?

One of the main differences between Shopify and Etsy is that Etsy is designed for individual sellers to sell their handmade and artisanal products. 

This means that even though you’re still setting up a storefront, you don’t have to worry about managing your inventory. This can be a major advantage for some businesses, as it takes some of the pressure off of you as an entrepreneur. 

You can focus on selling your products and finding new customers, and leave the inventory management to Etsy. Another key difference between Shopify and Etsy is that Etsy takes care of your payment processing for you. 

This means you don’t have to worry about setting up a payment system, securing your payment data, or any of the other things that come with accepting payments. Instead, Etsy handles all of this for you.

Etsy cons : why it’s still not the best choice ?

Although Etsy may seem like an obvious choice for anyone who wants to sell their handmade or artisanal products online, it’s far from perfect. 

One of the biggest downsides of Etsy is that you don’t own your store. This means that if your shop gets a lot of attention, you’ll have to ask Etsy for permission if you want to move to another platform. 

You might also not be able to sell certain products on Etsy due to their rules and regulations. If you’re hoping to grow your business and have a lot of control over your storefront, then Etsy may not be the best choice for you. 

You also don’t have any control over your website design, and you don’t own the website. Again, this means that if your shop gets a lot of attention, you may not have a lot of control over where and how it’s displayed.

There are some disadvantages to consider as well. One of the biggest issues with Etsy is that you don’t have any control over your customer experience. 

This means that you’re at the mercy of Etsy’s interface and features, which might not be exactly what you’re looking for. 

This can be a major issue if you’re trying to sell to a particular demographic or customer base. You’ll also have limited control over your storefront’s SEO, and no control over social media. 

Finally, you don’t get any analytics with Etsy, so you won’t be able to track your customers’ behaviour or see how they interact with your products.

Our final words

These two eCommerce platforms each have their pros and cons. If you’re looking to create a storefront for your products, then Shopify might be the best choice for you. 

If you’re hoping to sell handmade or artisanal products, then Etsy might be the better choice for you. However, no matter which one you choose, remember that there are many other eCommerce platforms available. 

If none of these fit your needs, it may be worth investing in developing your own custom eCommerce platform. This way, you can design it exactly how you want it to function.