Amazon at a Glance
Sellers who want access to the largest online marketplace with 300+ million active customers. Below we compare both platforms feature by feature, including pricing, ease of use, design options, and scalability so you can make the right decision for your business.
Table of Contents
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | Shopify | Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly pricing | From $39/mo (Basic) | Individual $0.99/item, Professional $39.99/mo + referral fees 8-45% by category |
| Ease of setup | Ready in under an hour | Varies based on technical skill |
| Payment processing | Built-in (Shopify Payments) | Third-party required or built-in |
| Design templates | 12 free + 100s paid themes | Varies by platform |
| App ecosystem | 8,000+ apps | Smaller marketplace |
| Transaction fees | 0% with Shopify Payments | Varies by plan and processor |
| 24/7 support | Phone, chat, email | Varies by plan |
| Scalability | Starter to enterprise (Plus) | Depends on infrastructure |
Where Shopify Wins Over Amazon
These are the areas where Shopify has a clear advantage:
- Build your own brand identity and customer relationships
- Higher profit margins without Amazon referral fees (8-45%)
- Full control over pricing, bundling, and customer experience
Shopify excels as a complete, managed solution. You never worry about hosting, security patches, SSL certificates, or performance optimization. Everything is handled for you, letting you focus entirely on selling.
Where Amazon Has the Edge
To be fair, Amazon does offer some advantages in specific scenarios:
- Access to 300+ million active shoppers without marketing spend
- Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) handling storage, shipping, and returns
- Built-in trust factor and Prime shipping driving higher conversion
If any of these factors are critical for your business model, Amazon deserves serious consideration. However, for the majority of e-commerce businesses, Shopify’s all-in-one approach saves more time and money in the long run.
Pricing Breakdown: Shopify vs Amazon
| Plan Level | Shopify | Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Entry level | $39/mo (Basic) | Individual $0.99/item, Professional $39.99/mo + referral fees 8-45% by category |
| Mid-tier | $105/mo (Shopify) | Varies |
| Advanced | $399/mo (Advanced) | Varies |
| Enterprise | Shopify Plus from $2,000/mo | Contact for pricing |
Remember to factor in total cost of ownership, not just the subscription price. With some platforms, hosting, security, plugins, and developer costs add up quickly. Shopify bundles all of this into one predictable monthly fee.
Who Should Choose Which?
Choose Shopify if: You want a complete, managed e-commerce solution that works immediately. Ideal for merchants who prefer selling over managing technology, and businesses that plan to scale across multiple sales channels.
Consider Amazon if: Sellers who want access to the largest online marketplace with 300+ million active customers. This is particularly relevant for businesses with very specific technical requirements or existing investments in the Amazon ecosystem.
Switching From Amazon to Shopify
If you are currently on Amazon and considering a move to Shopify, the migration process is straightforward. Use Shopify Amazon channel to sell on both simultaneously. No migration needed.
Most migrations can be completed within a few days. Shopify offers 24/7 support to help with the transition, and you can run both stores in parallel during the switchover period.
Try Shopify Free - Compare For Yourself
For most users, yes. Shopify is designed for non-technical users and most stores can be set up in under an hour. Amazon may require more technical knowledge depending on the platform.
Yes. You can migrate products, customers, and orders using CSV import or dedicated migration apps like Cart2Cart or LitExtension. Most migrations take 1-3 days.
Yes, Shopify offers a free trial so you can build and test your entire store before committing. No credit card is required to start.
