November 10, 2025

Shopify vs. Shopline vs. WordPress: Which Is Best for Ecommerce in 2025?

Shawn Shen

Founder of Selofy

min read

Shopify vs. Shopline vs. WordPress for 2025: An honest, no-BS breakdown of costs, features, ease of use, and ecosystem. Find out which platform is truly best for your ecommerce store, with a clear recommendation for beginners.

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TLDR: Shopify is King

Evaluation Criteria:

Cost: (Subscription fees, transaction fees, payouts)
Store Building & Design: (Component quantity, ease of use)
Store Features: (Core infrastructure, daily operations)
Marketing & Traffic: (SEO, traffic channels, daily optimization, scalability)
Ecosystem: (Apps, themes, community & tutorials)
Customer Support: (Support responsiveness, problem-solving ability)
Final Verdict

A Note on Our Testing Methodology:

This review is based on using a US-based entity with 100% white-hat, legitimate strategies. If you're about to ask me about fraud, selling stolen goods, or not shipping orders, do yourself a favor and go read a law book instead.

1. Cost: The Nitty-Gritty Numbers

Let's break down the dollars and cents, because that's what matters first.

Subscription Fees

A comparison of the most basic annual plans (USD, US market).

Platform	Annual Cost	Monthly Avg.	Notes
Shopify	~$348	~$29	Limited-time offer: $1/month for the first 3 months.
Shopline	$288	$24.00	Standard pricing.
WordPress	Varies	Varies	Software is free. You pay for hosting (e.g., Hostinger starts at ~$65/yr), but costs scale with traffic.

Verdict: Shopify > Shopline. WordPress isn't directly comparable due to its variable cost structure.

Transaction Fees

Using a US-based entity for comparison. (Note: An extra 2% currency conversion fee applies for international orders on all platforms).

Platform	Standard Online Rate	Third-Party Gateway Fee	Key Advantage
Shopify	2.9% + 30¢	2.0% / 1.0% / 0.6%	Activating Shopify Payments waives the extra fee on PayPal transactions.
Shopline	2.9% + 30¢	2.0% / 0.8% / 0.4%	Lower third-party fees on higher-tier plans.
WordPress	Depends on Gateway	N/A	Full control. E.g., Stripe is 2.9% + 30¢.

Verdict: WordPress > Shopify > Shopline

Payouts & Cash Flow

How fast do you get your money?

Platform	Payout Speed	Security Deposit
Shopify	As fast as T+1 (Next-day)	None
Shopline	T+2 to T+9	May require a percentage-based deposit.
WordPress	Depends on Gateway	Depends on Gateway

Verdict: Shopify > Shopline > WordPress

💰 Overall Cost Verdict

Shopify is the clear winner. Its all-in-one pricing is predictable and competitive. The choice between Shopline and WordPress depends entirely on your technical ability and tolerance for variable costs.

2. Store Building & Design: Ease vs. Freedom

This is where the platforms show their true colors.

Platform	Ease of Use	Design Flexibility	The Killer Feature / Flaw
Shopify	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Drag-and-drop)	⭐⭐⭐⭐	Flaw: Free themes don't allow separate image uploads for desktop/mobile. It's infuriating.
Shopline	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Drag-and-drop)	⭐⭐⭐⭐	Feature: Includes a free, advanced page-builder with pre-made modules. A godsend for beginners.
WordPress	⭐ (Steep learning curve)	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Unlimited)	Feature: Ultimate flexibility with builders like Elementor (86+ widgets) and thousands of plugins.

Verdict:

For User-Friendliness: Shopline > Shopify > WordPress
For Creative Freedom: WordPress > Shopify > Shopline

My Take: If you're a beginner, ignore "freedom." It just means paralysis by choice. Start with Shopline or Shopify.

3. Store Features: The Battle of the Basics

The core tools you need to run your business.

Feature	Shopify	Shopline	WordPress
Email Marketing	✔ Built-in (Shopify Email). 10k free emails/mo.	✘ Paid add-on (~$62/mo for 5k contacts).	✘ Requires 3rd-party plugin (e.g., Mailchimp, FluentCRM).
Staff Accounts	✘ Basic Plan: 1 account only.	✔ Included in Basic Plan.	✔ Unlimited (user roles managed by plugins).
Sales Channels	✔ Shop App, Faire B2B, Facebook, etc.	✔ Facebook, Amazon Buy with Prime.	✘ Requires 3rd-party plugins for each channel.
Custom Markets	✘ Basic Plan: 3 markets only.	✔ Up to 50 markets on Basic Plan.	✔ Unlimited (with the right plugins).
B2B / Wholesale	✔ Available (Shopify Plus & B2B on higher plans).	✔ Available via apps & settings.	✔ Available via plugins (e.g., B2BKing).

Verdict: Shopify and Shopline are neck-and-neck, each with distinct advantages. WordPress is a "build-it-yourself" kit, which isn't a fair comparison here.

4. Marketing & Operations: Scaling Your Business

SEO, traffic, and daily grind.

Aspect	Shopify	Shopline	WordPress
SEO	Solid & structured. Beginner-friendly.	Solid & structured. Slightly more beginner-friendly with built-in app.	Ultimate potential for experts, but a disaster for newbies.
Traffic Channels	Excellent integrations (Meta, Google, etc.).	Good integrations, with some optimizations for Chinese sellers.	You're on your own. Good luck.
Daily Optimization	Focus on business, not tech.	Focus on business, not tech.	You'll become a part-time coder, bug-fixer, and server admin.
Scalability	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐ (For advanced users only; high maintenance).

Verdict: If you want to focus on e-commerce, not engineering, the ranking is Shopline > Shopify > WordPress.

5. Ecosystem: Apps, Themes & Community

The support network that helps you grow.

Metric	Shopify	Shopline	WordPress
App/Plugin Count	10,000+	200+	70,000+
Theme Count	200+ (Official) + 400+ (3rd-party)	30+ (Official)	1,500+ (3rd-party on ThemeForest alone)
Community & Learning	Massive, high-quality official blog, help docs, and active user communities.	Solid official docs and tutorials.	Immense, but chaotic and fragmented. Hard to find trusted sources.

Verdict: WordPress > Shopify > Shopline

6. Customer Service: Who Has Your Back?

When things go wrong, who do you call?

Platform	Support Quality	Response Time	Key Takeaway
Shopify	Good, but can be bureaucratic due to risk policies.	Generally fast.	They solve what they can solve.
Shopline	Excellent, especially for users in similar time zones.	Very fast.	A major strength. Chinese-level customer service.
WordPress	✘ Zero official support.	N/A	You're on your own. Pay for plugins/themes for their support.

Reality Check: You're paying a subscription fee, not for a dedicated agent. For premium, hands-on support, you need to pay for enterprise plans (Shopify Plus, etc.).

Verdict: For most users, Shopline > Shopify > WordPress.

🏆 Final Verdict: Who Should Use What?

I'll make this simple.

Choose Shopify If...

You are a hands-on individual seller or an internationally-focused team. You want a mature ecosystem, a massive library of apps, and endless learning resources to grow deep. The low entry cost ($1/month) makes it a no-brainer to start.It's the best all-rounder for serious sellers.

Choose Shopline If...

You are a small team, a brand migrating from a domestic market, or a platform seller (like Amazon) looking to get into DTC with less friction. You value localized features, responsive customer support, and getting your store launched quickly without a steep learning curve.It's the perfect tool for agile teams and market veterans.

Choose WordPress If...

You are a masochistic geek who loves tinkering with code and server settings more than making money. You know exactly what you need and are certain no SaaS platform can provide it.For everyone else reading this guide: I'm begging you, stay away.

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