Custom Shopify theme or template: how to decide
What changes between adapting an existing theme and building your own, and what to check before choosing for your Shopify store.
Read articleShopify vs Wix: which platform fits your store?
Shopify and Wix both let you create an online store, but choose according to the operation you need to manage. Shopify can fit when ecommerce is the business’s main activity and must connect with several channels and tools. Wix can suit businesses where the website, content and other services matter as much as product sales.
Shopify and Wix both let you create an online store, but choose according to the operation you need to manage. Shopify can fit when ecommerce is the business's main activity and must connect with several channels and tools. Wix can suit businesses where the website, content and other services matter as much as product sales.
No platform is best for every business. The decision changes when you sell ten products, have thousands of variants or combine bookings, content and a small store. A useful comparison starts with those tasks, rather than an endless feature list.
Start with the catalogue and orders
Sample your most difficult products: variants, personalisation, bundles, digital items or subscriptions. Then reproduce an order under the conditions you actually use. Check whether the solution is included, needs an app or requires development.
| Criterion | What to check in Shopify | What to check in Wix |
|---|---|---|
| Catalogue | Options and variants, collections, metafields and required apps. | Product model, variants and limits of the features you will use. |
| Content and design | Theme sections and templates; page and blog editing. | Design and content management tools integrated into your site. |
| Operations | ERP, logistics, POS and sales channel integrations. | Compatibility and maintenance of those same connections. |
| Cost | Plan, payments, theme, apps and contracted support. | Ecommerce plan, payments, additional tools and contracted support. |
Design: autonomy depends on implementation
If your team needs to publish campaigns, change categories and create pages, test those actions without the developer intervening. A visual editor helps, but does not replace a well-prepared content structure.
In Shopify, a theme with appropriate blocks and data sources can give autonomy over many components. In Wix, check how pages and store data work together in your chosen editor. In either case, avoid deciding from a demo full of images unlike your catalogue.
Marketing and connections: the entire journey matters
An email integration is not resolved simply because an app with that name exists. It must receive necessary events, respect consent and enable the automations you need. The same applies to invoicing, logistics and stock.
If you depend on an ERP, ask for a demonstration of product creation, a stock change, an order and a return. When a provider only shows admin screenshots, the part that could hold back operations still needs checking.
SEO: neither platform guarantees rankings
Both provide tools for content and metadata. Rankings also depend on architecture, content usefulness, real speed and links. Moving from Wix to Shopify does not automatically fix pages that answer a search poorly.
If you already have traffic, review which paths can remain and which need redirects. Preserve useful titles and content without blindly copying old structures. A category important to Google may need a landing page even if it disappears from the main menu.
How to compare costs honestly
Prepare the same scenario for both platforms: countries, catalogue, users, payment methods, marketing tools and connections. Add apps, implementation and maintenance to the subscription. Check currency, taxes and billing period for each offer.
Do not compare a basic plan with an installation including custom development and ongoing support. Nor should you confuse a promotional price with subsequent costs. You need a comparable operating budget covering the same tasks.
If you already use Wix and want Shopify
Migration should separate products, customers, orders and content. Wix documents product export, but a catalogue file does not transfer the entire site. Its format must be adapted for the destination and the design rebuilt.
- Inventory pages and products with traffic or sales.
- Prepare an export sample and review variants and images.
- Decide which historical data you need to consult in Shopify.
- Recreate commercial features and verify their connections.
- Configure applicable redirects and test launch.
A recommendation by project type
Consider Shopify if you need an ecommerce-focused foundation with commercial processes coordinated across several tools. Consider Wix if its tools resolve your website, content and sales needs well and no operational limitation justifies switching.
If neither covers an important requirement without adaptations, that requirement should outweigh editor preference. You can discuss Shopify's fit with your business before committing budget to a migration or new store.
Continue working on your store
- Differences between WordPress and Shopify
- How to choose a CMS for an online store
- What a Shopify migration involves
Sources and review
- Migrating to Shopify: Shopify documentation
- Google Search Central: site moves and URL changes
- Wix Stores: exporting products
- Shopify plans and pricing in Spain
Editorial review: the Migraciones.io team · 30 October 2026. Features, plans and availability are checked against the linked sources.