Shopify vs. Volusion: A Simple Decision for Business Owners
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Shopify and Volusion are both formidable contenders in this arena, each offering distinct advantages. Shopify boasts advanced sales features and extensive third-party integrations, making it a powerhouse for e-commerce growth. Meanwhile, Volusion excels in analytics and customer insights, though it may be more challenging to navigate than Shopify.
In this Shopify vs. Volusion comparison, we'll delve into their pricing, ease of use, pros and cons, and key features to help you determine which platform aligns perfectly with your business goals.
Shopify or Volusion: At a glance
Shopify, founded in 2006, serves millions of global stores with a robust feature set including in-house payment processing, comprehensive shipping tools, and advanced management functionalities. It is renowned for its extensive ecosystem and widespread popularity, catering effectively to businesses seeking rich features and scalability.
Volusion, established in 1999, focuses on providing robust data analytics, customizable interface design, and flexible payment options. It appeals particularly to users interested in detailed insights into their business performance and the ability to tailor their online store's look and feel.
Both platforms offer 24/7 customer support and user-friendly interfaces. Choosing between Shopify and Volusion depends on specific business needs and growth strategies, whether you prioritize Shopify's comprehensive ecosystem or Volusion's analytics and customization capabilities.
Volusion vs. Shopify: Which Is Right for Your Business?
Shopify is the better choice than Volusion overall. Shopify supports unlimited product listings, offers diverse themes for customization, and integrates well with multiple payment gateways. It's ideal for businesses aiming to expand internationally and leverage a large app ecosystem for diverse operational needs, including advanced SEO and seamless online-to-offline sales integration.
While Volusion features a cheaper transaction fee, it is inferior to Shopify in almost every other aspect. Volusion basically limited you to onlyy physical products, has bad customer support, fewer and more expensive themes, and no built-in blog.
Shopify or Volusion: Quick Comparison
Feature |
Shopify |
Volusion |
Pricing and Plans |
Starting from $25/month to $399/month |
Starting from $35/month to $299/month |
Transaction fees |
Transaction fees on lower plans (unless using Shopify Payments) |
No transaction fees |
Ease of Use |
User-friendly interface, intuitive setup process |
User-friendly interface, straightforward setup |
Sales Features |
Comprehensive: Abandoned cart recovery, gift cards, discount codes |
Basic: Inventory management, product variations |
eCommerce Features |
Extensive app store (6,000+ apps), POS systems, analytics |
App store, SEO tools, CRM, customer reviews |
Web Design Templates |
Wide selection of mobile-responsive templates |
Customizable templates optimized for mobile |
SEO Features |
Strong SEO Capabilities: Customizable titles, meta descriptions, sitemaps |
Basic SEO tools: Customizable URLs, alt tags |
Help and Support |
24/7 support via phone, email, live chat, extensive documentation |
24/7 support via phone, email, live chat, Help Center |
Security |
Level 1 PCI DSS compliance, SSL encryption |
PCI certification, SSL encryption |
Shopify offers a broader range of features and a larger app ecosystem, making it suitable for businesses needing scalability, advanced sales tools, and extensive customization options.
Volusion is straightforward with no transaction fees, making it ideal for users who prioritize ease of use, basic to intermediate sales features, and essential eCommerce functionalities.
Shopify or Volusion: Detailed Comparison
Pricing and Plan
Aspect |
Shopify |
Volusion |
Pricing |
Starting from $5/month (Starter), $25/month (Basic), $65/month (Shopify), $399/month (Advanced) |
Starting from $35/month (Personal), $79/month (Professional), $299/month (Business) |
Transaction Fees |
5% - 0.2% depending on plan |
Varies, typically lower than Shopify |
Payment Processing |
Shopify Payments (available globally) |
Volusion Payments (limited availability) |
Free Trial |
3-trial day |
14-trial day |
Annual Subscription Discount |
25% off (if paid annually) |
10% off (if paid annually) |
Additional Costs |
- Transaction fees: 2.9% + 30¢ for Shopify Payments - App fees (if using third-party apps) - Domain name registration ($14/year) - Theme costs (free to $400) - POS hardware (optional, but cost varies) |
- Transaction fees: Varies, additional 1.25% for lower plans - Additional bandwidth fees over the limit - SSL certificate ($149/year) - Additional features/plugins (varying costs) - Custom development costs |
Ease of Use - Shopify Wins
Shopify is more user-friendly compared to Volusion. Shopify's interface is intuitive and straightforward, featuring simple editing tools, clear visual cues, and an easily accessible 'undo' button. Users find it easier to navigate and appreciate its streamlined design for building online stores.
In contrast, Volusion's interface is criticized for being complex and less user-friendly. It separates storefront and backend editing, lacks clear navigation cues, and doesn't offer keyboard shortcuts. This makes it more challenging for users to manage and customize their stores efficiently.
Sales Features - Shopify Wins
Feature |
Shopify |
Volusion |
Sales Channels |
Multiple sales channels including Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, and eBay |
Integrations for Amazon and eBay |
Abandoned Cart Recovery |
Yes, available on all plans |
Yes, available on all plans |
Inventory Management |
Advanced inventory management tools |
Basic inventory management tools |
Multi-Currency Support |
Yes, with Shopify Payments |
Limited |
Product Variants |
Supports multiple product variants |
Supports multiple product variants |
Discount Codes and Coupons |
Yes, available on all plans |
Yes, available on all plans |
Mobile App |
Yes, the Shopify app for managing the store on the go |
Yes, the Volusion app for managing the store on-the-go |
POS Integration |
Full-featured POS system |
Basic POS features |
Shipping Options |
Real-time carrier shipping rates, label printing, and discounts |
Real-time shipping rates and discounts |
Reporting and Analytics |
Advanced analytics, customizable reports, Google Analytics integration |
Basic analytics, limited reporting tools |
Customer Accounts |
Yes, with order history and tracking |
Yes, with order history and tracking |
Multi-Language Support |
Limited, requires third-party apps |
Limited, requires third-party apps |
Email Marketing |
Integrated email marketing via Shopify Email |
Built-in email marketing tools |
Shopify offers a more comprehensive and versatile range of sales features compared to Volusion. It excels with its multiple sales channels, advanced inventory management, extensive app store, and robust reporting tools.Â
Volusion is strong in analytics and has no transaction fees, making it suitable for data-driven businesses, but it lacks the broader capabilities and integrations that Shopify provides.
Overall, Shopify is the superior platform for online stores aiming to scale and utilize advanced sales tools.
=>> You might be interested in:
- Shopify vs. Amazon: Which platform will help you sell better?
- Shopify vs. eBay: Which Is The Best Platform To Sell Your Products?
eCommerce features - Shopify Wins
Feature |
Shopify |
Volusion |
Storefront Design |
Wide range of free and premium themes, easy customization with drag-and-drop editor |
Limited free themes, more complex customization |
Mobile Optimization |
Mobile-responsive themes available |
Mobile-responsive themes available |
Payment Gateways |
Supports 100+ payment gateways, no transaction fees with Shopify Payments |
Supports multiple payment gateways, no transaction fees |
Product Management |
Unlimited products, advanced product management tools |
Unlimited products, basic product management tools |
Customer Management |
Customer profiles, accounts, and segmentation |
Customer profiles and accounts |
Order Management |
Comprehensive order management system, automated workflows |
Basic order management system |
Shipping Options |
Real-time shipping rates, label printing, and shipping discounts |
Real-time shipping rates and discounts |
Tax Settings |
Automatic tax calculations based on location |
Automatic tax calculations based on location |
Analytics and Reporting |
Advanced analytics, customizable reports, Google Analytics integration |
Basic analytics, limited reporting tools |
Marketing Tools |
Integrated email marketing, discount codes, social media integration |
Built-in email marketing, discount codes |
App Integrations |
Extensive app store with thousands of apps for additional features |
Limited app integrations, fewer third-party apps |
SEO Features |
Advanced SEO tools, editable meta tags, custom URLs, and sitemaps |
Built-in SEO tools, editable meta tags |
Multilingual Support |
Limited, requires third-party apps |
Limited, requires third-party apps |
Dropshipping |
Extensive drop shipping integrations through apps |
Limited dropshipping options |
POS System |
Full-featured POS system for in-store sales |
Basic POS features |
Security |
SSL certificate included, PCI-compliant |
SSL certificate included, PCI-compliant |
Customer Support |
24/7 support via phone, email, live chat |
24/7 support via phone, email, live chat |
Trial Period |
14-day free trial |
14-day free trial |
Shopify offers a more comprehensive set of eCommerce features compared to Volusion. It excels in storefront design, product management, app integrations, and POS system capabilities.Â
Volusion provides solid basic features and no transaction fees, making it suitable for small businesses with straightforward needs.
However, Shopify's extensive range of advanced tools and integrations makes it the better choice for businesses looking to scale and optimize their online stores.
Web Design Template - Shopify Wins
Shopify offers an extensive range of design features, including 13 free themes and over 177 premium themes ranging from $140 to $400. These themes are all mobile-responsive, and Shopify provides ease of customization through a mobile editor and features like product zoom. Additionally, users can purchase third-party themes, such as those offered by companies like NextSky.
Volusion provides 11 free themes and 34 premium themes priced at $180 each. While these themes are also mobile-responsive, Volusion lacks robust mobile site management tools and has a more complex customization process compared to Shopify.
Therefore, Shopify stands out with its wider selection of affordable, professional themes that are easier to customize, making it the preferred choice for users prioritizing design and usability.
SEO Feature - Shopify Wins
When comparing SEO features, Shopify offers more comprehensive tools for optimizing your ecommerce website compared to Volusion. Shopify allows customization of page titles, URLs, image alt text, and meta descriptions, and includes advanced features like 301 redirects.
Volusion provides basic SEO capabilities with limitations on tweaking beyond the homepage and lacks robust 301 redirect functionality.
For businesses focused on maximizing online visibility and SEO performance, Shopify emerges as the preferred platform due to its extensive SEO toolkit and capabilities.
Help and Support - Shopify Wins
Both Shopify and Volusion offer robust customer support options tailored to their platforms. Shopify stands out with 24/7 availability for phone and live chat support, complemented by email and social media assistance. Additionally, their Plus Level plan includes a dedicated support agent for personalized service.Â
On the other hand, Volusion provides phone support from 7 am -10 pm CST, emphasizing a direct, personal approach but limiting it to higher-tier plans starting at $299 per month. Many user also reports the bad quality of Volusion’s customer support.
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