Skip to content

Running a Webflow store

Webflow vs Shopify for ecommerce: when each one wins

Last updated

By [AUTHOR NAME – TBC] 11 min read

The short answer

Choose Webflow for a design-led brand with a modest catalogue, where the website itself is part of the product. Choose Shopify if you need a big catalogue, point of sale, subscriptions, a huge app ecosystem or the most complete admin out of the box. If you’re already on Webflow and the main pain is the back office, fix that before paying for a migration.

We make a tool for Webflow stores, so we’re biased. We’ll try hard not to be: there are plenty of cases where Shopify is simply the better choice, and we’ll say so.

What’s the core difference?

  • Webflow is a website builder and CMS with ecommerce built in. Design control is the selling point: every pixel of your product pages, cart and checkout is yours.
  • Shopify is a commerce platform with a website attached. The back office, checkout, apps and selling channels are the selling point; design goes through themes.

Side by side

Webflow EcommerceShopify (UK)
Entry price$29/mo yearly ($42 monthly)£19/mo yearly (£25 monthly)
Platform transaction fee2% on Standard; 0% on Plus/Advanced0% with Shopify Payments; 2% / 1% / 0.6% third-party fee otherwise (Basic / Grow / Advanced)
Card processingStripe or PayPal rates (e.g. Stripe 1.5% + 20p, UK cards)Shopify Payments from 2% + 25p (Basic)
Catalogue size500 / 5,000 / 15,000 items incl. variants“Sell unlimited products”
VariantsUp to 3 option sets, 50 variants per productBuilt in
Design controlFull visual control, incl. cart & checkoutTheme-based
Content / CMSExcellentMore basic
Back officeBasic: Orders tab with 4 totals, fulfil, refund, exportComprehensive admin and reports
SubscriptionsNo longer native (User Accounts sunset 29 Jan 2026)Via apps
In-person / POSNoYes
Localisation of storeEcommerce pages can’t be localised with LocalizeBuilt in
AppsIntegrations + custom codeLarge app store

Prices checked 7 Oct 2026 on webflow.com/pricing and shopify.com/uk/pricing. Run your own revenue through our fee calculator.

When does Webflow win?

  • Your brand lives in the design. Editorial product stories, custom layouts, interactions. Webflow does this better.
  • Content drives sales. Blogs, lookbooks and guides that link to products, all in one CMS.
  • Your catalogue is modest. Tens to a few hundred products with sensible variants.
  • You already have a Webflow site that ranks and converts. Throwing that away has a real cost.

When does Shopify win?

  • Big or complex catalogues. Thousands of SKUs, lots of variants, frequent bulk updates.
  • You sell in person and want one system for shop and website.
  • You need subscriptions, wholesale, multi-currency storefronts or a specific Shopify app.
  • You want the most complete admin out of the box, with no extra tools.

What about Webflow + Shopify together?

Connectors like Smootify and Storesynk (formerly Shopyflow) keep your design in Webflow and run products, checkout and orders on Shopify. You get Shopify’s admin and checkout, but you pay for and maintain two platforms. See our Webflow ecommerce tools roundup for what each costs.

What does moving from Webflow to Shopify involve?

  1. Rebuild the design as a Shopify theme (or use a connector)
  2. Move products, variants, images and categories
  3. Move customers and decide what to do with order history
  4. 301-redirect product and category URLs to protect SEO
  5. Reconnect payments, tax, shipping and emails
  6. Retrain whoever runs the shop

Weeks of work for most stores. Read this before you migrate. It includes a quick diagnostic for whether your problem is the platform or the back office.

Is the Webflow back office the real problem?

For many Webflow store owners, it is. The usual complaints:

  • “I can’t see proper sales reports”: the Orders tab shows four totals
  • “Packing takes ages”: notes and checkout fields are buried in each order
  • “Variants are painful”: every variant edited separately
  • “I don’t know who my regulars are”: no customer view

None of those need a new platform.

The verdict

  • Design-led, content-rich, modest catalogue, already on Webflow? Stay, and fix the back office.
  • Big catalogue, POS, subscriptions or app-dependent? Shopify.
  • Want Webflow design + Shopify engine? A connector, if you’re happy running both.

Next: Webflow Ecommerce plans and fees explained · The complete guide to Webflow Ecommerce.

Sources (checked 7 Oct 2026)

  1. Webflow pricing (Ecommerce plans)
  2. Shopify UK pricing
  3. Webflow Help: Create product options and variants
  4. Webflow Help: Webflow Ecommerce overview
  5. Webflow Help: User Accounts sunset
  6. Webflow Help: Orders tab
  7. Shopify Help: PayPal integrations and fees

FAQ

Is Webflow or Shopify better for ecommerce?
Shopify is the more complete commerce platform; Webflow is the better design and content platform. Small, design-led catalogues often suit Webflow; large or complex catalogues, POS and subscriptions suit Shopify.

Is Webflow cheaper than Shopify?
Not usually on fees. Webflow Ecommerce Standard is $29/month (yearly) plus a 2% transaction fee and Stripe/PayPal fees. Shopify UK Basic is £19/month (yearly) with Shopify Payments card rates from 2% + 25p. Use our fee calculator for your own numbers.

How many products can Webflow handle?
500, 5,000 or 15,000 ecommerce items depending on plan, where every variant and category counts. Shopify’s plans list unlimited products.

Can I use Webflow with Shopify?
Yes, via connectors like Smootify or Storesynk, which put a Webflow front end on a Shopify backend. You then run and pay for both platforms.

Should I migrate from Webflow to Shopify?
Only if you need things Webflow Ecommerce can’t do. If it’s reporting, fulfilment, variant editing or a customer view, those are back-office problems you can fix without migrating.

Written by

[AUTHOR NAME – TBC]

Founder, Flowcommander

[AUTHOR BIO – TBC: two sentences on real Webflow Ecommerce experience, e.g. stores built or run, years packing parcels.]

One useful Webflow Ecommerce tip a week.

Short, practical, no fluff. Unsubscribe whenever.

Related guides

Want the product side? See every Flowcommander feature.