Differences between Shopify and Volusion
Shopify vs. Volusion
Shopify and Volusion are both hosted e-commerce platforms that provide software for businesses to build and manage online stores.[1] Shopify was founded in 2006 and is a publicly traded company based in Canada.[2][3] Volusion was founded in 1999, making it one of the older platforms in the market.[4][5] In 2020, Volusion filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and was acquired by Newfold Digital in 2021. Both platforms operate on a software as a service (SaaS) model, where users pay a monthly fee for hosting, a website builder, and store management tools.[1]
Comparison Table
| Category | Shopify | Volusion |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | Tiered monthly subscriptions based on annual Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV). | |
| Transaction Fees | Transaction fees of 0.35% to 1.25% apply to plans, depending on the tier.[2][1] | |
| Themes and Design | Offers approximately 11 free and over 30 paid themes, with premium themes costing around $180. | |
| Apps and Integrations | A smaller selection of integrations, with around 84 apps available.[1] | |
| Product Variants | Allows for an unlimited number of product options and variants without needing additional apps. | |
| SEO Tools | Offers more basic SEO features, with some limitations on editing static pages compared to product pages. | |
| Support | Support options vary by plan. All plans include 24/7 chat and email support, but phone support is limited to higher-priced plans. |
Key Differences
A primary difference in their pricing structures is Volusion's use of Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) caps. Merchants on Volusion must upgrade to a more expensive plan if their annual sales exceed the threshold for their current tier. Shopify's plans do not have revenue caps.
Regarding transaction fees, Shopify incentivizes the use of its in-house processor, Shopify Payments, by waiving additional transaction fees for merchants who use it. Volusion's fee structure applies a percentage-based fee on transactions across its plans, which is separate from credit card processing rates.[1]
The extensibility of the platforms also differs significantly. Shopify has a large ecosystem of third-party applications in its app store, which allows merchants to add a wide range of functionalities to their stores.[1] Volusion's app marketplace is considerably smaller, offering fewer options for custom features through integrations.[1] While Shopify has more apps, Volusion's platform natively supports unlimited product variants, whereas Shopify requires an app to bypass its limit of 100 variants per product.
Both platforms are hosted solutions, meaning they manage server maintenance and security for their users. Shopify's interface is often noted as being intuitive for beginners, while Volusion's interface is considered straightforward but with less built-in guidance.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 "stylefactoryproductions.com". Retrieved January 31, 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "ecomstart.io". Retrieved January 31, 2026.
- ↑ "wikipedia.org". Retrieved January 31, 2026.
- ↑ "myvolusion.com". Retrieved January 31, 2026.
- ↑ "bsscommerce.com". Retrieved January 31, 2026.
