Shopify vs Sellfy: Find The Best Platform To Sell Digital Products

Shopify is definitely one of the best all-around eCommerce platforms out there for every business. Meanwhile, Sellfy is a new name and has only been around for a few years, and yet it is slowly gaining the trust of customers and businesses who sell digital products.

Sellfy features built-in tools specialized for selling digital products and printing on demand while simplifying everything else.

Is Sellfy a better option for selling digital products than Shopify? We are going to find out about it in this article.

Shopify vs Sellfy: Which one should you choose?

The best thing about Sellfy is that Sellfy’s Premium plan is a few times cheaper than Shopify’s Advanced plan. Aprt from it, other Sellfy plans are actually slightly more expensive than Shopify.

Overall, Shopify is the superior option as it can do most things better than Sellfy. Plus, Shopify has an extensive app store and a huge community that can deal with any extra needs you might have.

You should choose Shopify if:

• You want a full-fledged eCommerce platform that can cover just about every business, niche, and product.
• You are ready to commit and build your store and scale your business right from the start.
• You want an active community that can share your valuable experience as well as help you with your problems.
• You want a platform that is easy to use and has endless customization capabilities.
• You want an easy-to-use platform, which has been perfecting their user experience for years.

You should choose Sellfy if:

• You don’t want to pay extra for things like email marketing tools.
• You prefer simplicity and need just enough features to run an online store.
• You sell mostly digital products and need a platform with built-in features to sell them.
• You don’t want to pay the transaction fees.

Shopify vs Sellfy: Pricing Plans

Shopify features slightly cheaper base plans than Sellfy. Even if you decide to bill every 2 years on Sellfy, its price only matches that of Shopify. 

On the contrary, Shopify’s Advance Plan($299) is much more expensive than Sellfy’s Premium Plan ($99). Even if you account that you have to pay for 2 years at once, Sellfy’s Premium Plan is still much less expensive.

Although you are going to need to pay extra for apps to sell digital products on Shopify, Shopify is still much better than Sellfy in terms of pricing, unless you opt for Sellfy’s Premium plan.

Shopify vs Sellfy: Detailed Comparisons

Similarities

Shopify and Sellfy both offer comprehensive tools for selling digital and physical products online. They provide online store functionality with templates for a professional appearance and various checkout and payment options. 

Both platforms support print-on-demand and dropshipping, and offer basic inventory management and shipping cost calculations. 

However, Shopify has more templates, customizations, and integration options compared to Sellfy, which has more limited connections but includes built-in technology for dropshipping.

In terms of payment options, Sellfy accepts PayPal and Stripe, while Shopify offers over 100 payment gateways, albeit with transaction fees unless using Shopify Payments. 

Both platforms ensure mobile friendliness, security with encryption, and PCI protection. Shopify and Sellfy also provide tools to add selling functionality to existing websites. 

Shopify stands out with extensive customer support, how-to articles, and detailed analytics, whereas Sellfy can integrate with Google Analytics for real-time monitoring. Both platforms are user-friendly, requiring no coding knowledge and featuring easy registration and straightforward dashboards.

Basic Features

Both Shopify and Sellfy provide comprehensive tools for running an online store, supporting sales of digital and physical products, and offering functionalities for print-on-demand and dropshipping.

Each platform includes online store functionality with templates for a professional look, multiple checkout and payment options, and the ability to customize storefronts.

While Shopify offers a more extensive range of templates and customizations, both platforms provide basic inventory management and solutions for calculating shipping costs, taxes, and VAT. Sellfy, however, includes specialist solutions to protect digital files from resale.

When it comes to integrations and payment options, Shopify stands out with a vast app market and over 100 payment gateways, though transaction fees apply unless using Shopify Payments. Sellfy is more limited in integrations, primarily using PayPal and Stripe for payments. 

Both platforms ensure mobile friendliness and security with encryption and PCI protection. 

Shopify excels in dropshipping with integrations like Oberlo and Spocket, while Sellfy has built-in technology for dropshipping. 

Customization

Both Sellfy and Shopify allow you to customize your online store, but Shopify offers far more extensive options. 

Shopify allows for extensive customization of online stores, offering numerous tools to enhance the appearance and functionality of your site. It is a state-of-the-art website builder that provides dozens of professional templates and a robust drag-and-drop interface for easy modifications.

Shopify also includes a wide range of applications for email marketing, social media advertising, and SEO. This app market enables users to expand their store's functionality without needing to embed coding.

If you want a really unique feature on your Shopify store, you can even hire experience Shopify developers to make one just for you.

Sellfy, on the other hand, is a straightforward e-commerce solution ideal for print-on-demand and dropshipping. Its customization options are more limited, focusing on simple style and color changes without the availability of professional templates. 

While Sellfy does offer some integration and third-party options, it lacks the comprehensive app marketplace that Shopify provides. This limitation makes Sellfy less versatile in terms of add-on tools and customization capabilities. Despite this, Sellfy remains an efficient and practical platform for those looking to quickly set up and manage an online store with basic e-commerce functionalities.

Payments

Shopify offers a wide range of payment options, making it highly versatile for online businesses. It integrates with numerous third-party payment processors, debit cards, and credit card systems, providing customers with diverse purchasing experiences.

Shopify also features Shopify Payments, a secure payment gateway that supports multiple currencies without transaction fees. Additionally, Shopify allows businesses to accept alternative payment methods, such as Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, catering to unique e-commerce payment needs and facilitating business growth.

Sellfy provides a straightforward payment processing experience, primarily integrating with Stripe and PayPal. While it allows for immediate credit as soon as a customer completes a transaction, Sellfy offers limited payment options compared to Shopify. 

This simplicity can be beneficial for businesses looking for basic and quick payment solutions. However, the limited range of payment methods may restrict some customers' purchasing experiences, making Sellfy less versatile for businesses aiming for diverse payment integrations.

Shipping and Delivery

Shopify provides a comprehensive shipping and inventory management solution through its Shopify Shipping features, which includes automatic tracking numbers for customer orders. The platform integrates with a wide range of shipping carriers, such as UPS, FedEx, and DHL, to streamline shipping calculations and processes.

Additionally, the Shopify app marketplace offers numerous tools for enhanced shipping and inventory management, allowing businesses to track all inventory in one place and link different sales channels for seamless operations.

Sellfy, primarily used by creators of digital products, offers basic shipping functionalities. While it allows for the issuance of tracking numbers for merchandise and custom-printed items, its product tracking features are limited compared to Shopify. 

Sellfy automatically sets the shipping region to Worldwide, but users can adjust shipping regions and costs within account settings. This simplicity suits creators with straightforward shipping needs but may not provide the extensive management capabilities required by larger e-commerce operations.

Reporting and Analytics

Shopify offers a robust analytics and reporting system that varies in depth depending on the chosen plan. The comprehensive Analytics dashboard allows you to track visitors, traffic sources, top products, and top pages, providing valuable insights for store management. 

Advanced insights are available with the Premium plan, offering more detailed e-commerce software analytics. Additionally, Shopify integrates with Google Analytics and supports various third-party apps from its app store, enabling businesses to enhance their workflows for tasks like cart recovery and retargeting, thus providing a comprehensive overview of the buyer journey and store performance.

Sellfy provides essential analytics tools within its dashboard, allowing users to monitor subscribers, subscription products, store visitors, purchases, and conversion rates. The analytics are straightforward, similar to those offered by site builders like Wix, with default reports covering the last 30 days and customizable time ranges. 

Sellfy also integrates seamlessly with Google Analytics without needing additional tools like Zapier, offering a comprehensive view of the buyer journey. This setup is ideal for creators and small businesses needing basic yet effective insights into their online store performance.

Customer Support - Shopify Wins

Shopify provides extensive support options, including a comprehensive help center filled with articles on starting, managing, and expanding online stores. Users can find documents on using Shopify apps and themes and benefit from a vibrant community of Shopify enthusiasts for additional guidance. For direct support, Shopify requires users to log into their accounts, but support is also accessible through the company's various social media pages, offering multiple channels for assistance.

Sellfy offers support through live chat and email, along with a Help Center for self-service support featuring articles and guides. The knowledge base covers a range of topics from SSL certificates to customer download issues, helping users resolve common problems independently. This support structure is straightforward and efficient, catering to the needs of creators and small businesses using Sellfy's platform.

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