If you’re reading this, your eCommerce website is probably on Volusion and chances are you’re already well aware of Volusions shortcomings. Perhaps you’re on Volusion but considering a website migration to a better eCommerce platform, such as Shopify, this guide will help you weigh your options.

As veterans in the eCommerce web design industry, we’ve built hundreds of eCommerce websites across many different platforms. At Notch Solutions, our web designers are experts with Volusion, 3dCart, WooCommerce, Shopify, and more. We mention this because, in our experience, if you’re looking to migrate from one eCommerce platform to another – having the familiarity and experience of both platforms is imperative for a seamless transition.

Volusion vs. Shopify: Which Is Better?

If you’re deciding between Volusion and Shopify, there are several factors to consider. It’s important to consider which platform provides better ease of use, flexibility, SEO capabilities, pricing, and more. Both Volusion and Shopify have the functionality to build a beautiful eCommerce website. In order for your eCommerce website to be successful, however, you need both a strong SEO campaign and a paid marketing approach. Both platforms allow for SEO and marketing but there are massive differences between the two eCommerce platforms.

Volusion vs. Shopify: Ease Of Use

There’s a learning curve when it comes to ease of use for any eCommerce platform. Volusion’s backend is adequately modern and easy to navigate. Products are fairly easy to add, however, non-eCommerce pages, such as blogs and pages, are typically more arduous to add.

 

Shopify however, is much easier and simple to both learn and navigate. Adding both products and non-eCommerce pages are simple and straightforward to do. We feel the learning curve with Volusion is steeper than Shopify. Therefore, Shopify wins with the simplicity of use.

Volusion vs. Shopify: Page Speed & Upload Time

Page speed for both platforms is fairly similar. For instance, our team took a handful of Volusion and Shopify sites and dropped them into GTMetrix and found very little discrepancies. Loading time was fractionally better with Shopify websites, so we gave Shopify the nod.

Volusion vs. Shopify: Themes & Flexibility

Volusion has a decent selection of free fully responsive, professionally designed themes. Similarly, Shopify also offers free beautifully designed, mobile responsive themes as well. Both eCommerce platforms have a fair selection of free themes with the option to purchase some of the more robust layouts. 

 

Both platforms offer sleek and modern themes, but only one offers industry-specific themes which is Shopify. The biggest difference between the two is the flexibility to customize the themes themselves with ease. Shopify offers an excellent drag and drop feature and wonderful coding options. Volusion doesn’t offer a drag and drop customization feature, in order to customize the theme requires you to have basic coding knowledge. For this reason, Shopify wins for themes and flexibility.

Volusion vs. Shopify: Support & Shipping

Support & Shipping are very similar between the two platforms, so we consider these categories a tie. Both platforms offer to ship anywhere in the world and set their fees accordingly. Shopify does offer some integrations that Volusion doesn’t, but it wasn’t enough to set Shopify apart.

 

With Volusion you get 24/7 live chat and email support on the free plan. In order to have phone support, however, their upgraded plan is required. There are decent tutorials available for basic help with your website but since their online community is significantly smaller than Shopify, finding answers aside from basic FAQs online, can be difficult.

 

Shopify offers similar support compared to Volusion. The biggest difference is the size of the community itself. Since there are significantly more Shopify sites, there are many more resources available online to help with any question you may have. 

Volusion vs. Shopify: SEO Capabilities

SEO is without a doubt, the most important aspect of an eCommerce website. You can compete with your competitor’s online dollar for dollar with a marketing campaign, but to surpass them in the long run, you’ll need superior Search Engine Optimization.

 

Both platforms allow basic on-page SEO functionality including customized page titles, headings, alt text, etc.  Both allows you to add Google Analytics and Facebook pixel codes, which are imperative to segment and track the success of your site. Shopify, however, offers a free built-in SSL where Volusion’s SSL certificate comes at a price of $90 for the year. Aside from the SSL, their SEO capabilities are virtually identical.

Volusion vs. Shopify: Apps & Integrations

Volusion does offer a good range of third-party apps, but there aren’t many to choose from. Shopify on the other hand is far superior among nearly all eCommerce platforms from an Apps & Integrations standpoint. Shopify offers thousands of apps and free add-ons, all of which can create a better user experience for its customers. The winner is Shopify, which takes the cake with apps and add-ons.

Volusion vs. Shopify: Who’s Better Overall?

The clear winner here is Shopify, with better features across the board. Despite the slight cost difference, Shopify is overall the better platform. If you’re on Volusion and you’re looking to make the move to Shopify, you’ll need web design and SEO experts on both platforms. Trust our team at Notch Solutions for your next integration.