Shopify vs Hostinger: Which Platform Offers Better Ecommerce Capabilities?

This comprehensive comparison of Shopify vs Hostinger will guide you through each platform’s unique strengths and weaknesses, helping you make the best choice for your business.

Key Takeaways

• Shopify is the top choice for entrepreneurs and businesses seeking a comprehensive e-commerce platform that provides ample opportunities for customization, efficient order fulfillment, effective inventory management, and a diverse array of sales features.
• Hostinger is best for individuals and businesses seeking reliable and affordable web hosting services with efficient customer support and a user-friendly interface.

Shopify vs Hostinger: The key difference

The main distinction between Shopify and Hostinger lies in their nature. While Shopify is specifically designed for e-commerce, Hostinger started as a website hosting provider and later expanded to include e-commerce functionality. 

As a result, Shopify provides a more extensive array of features and tools tailored specifically for online stores, including specialized themes and templates, advanced dropshipping capabilities, and more. In contrast, Hostinger’s e-commerce features are comparatively limited, and it does not offer the same customization and functionality as Shopify.

Shopify vs Hostinger: Pros and Cons

Pros and Cons of Shopify 

Pros

• Robust e-commerce platform with extensive features and tools.
• User-friendly interface for easy setup and management of online stores.
• Customizable themes for visually appealing storefronts.
• Seamless integration with apps and tools for enhanced functionality.
• Excellent customer support and available resources.
• Multiple help and support methods.

Cons

• Higher cost.
• Transaction fees for third-party payment gateways.

Pros and Cons of Hostinger

Pros

• Affordable web hosting services with competitive pricing plans.
• Reliable server performance and uptime guarantee.
• Robust server and infrastructure protection for enhanced security.
• Complex and time-consuming installation and setting-up process.

Cons

• Limited e-commerce features compared to dedicated platforms like Shopify.
• Less extensive theme customization options for sales pages.
• Fewer integrations and third-party app options.
• Lack of advanced e-commerce functionalities.

Shopify vs Hostinger: In-depth Comparison

Pricing

Shopify

Subscription fees

Shopify provides a variety of subscription packages catering to businesses from small to big. With pricing tiers from $39 to $2,000, they offer different service options from which customers can choose.

For merchants who are not sure if Shopify is the best fit for your business, you can click here to start a 3-day free trial.

If that is not enough, you can keep using Shopify in the next three more months for only $1 per month.

Transaction fees

Besides the subscription fees, Shopify also levies transaction fees, which fluctuate based on your chosen plan, typically between 0.5–2%. However, these extra charges can be circumvented by utilizing Shopify Payments, their integrated payment system.

Read more: Shopify Fees (2023): All The Expenses You Need To Know!

Hostinger

Subscription fees

Hostinger offers a range of three distinct pricing plans designed to accommodate different customer needs, with prices ranging from as low as $9.99 to $64.99 per month. 

Transaction fees

The transaction fee varies on different types of Payment Gateway Providers.

For example, PayPal:

The merchant fees charged by PayPal are determined by factors such as your location, accepted payment methods, and the currency used. For instance, when utilizing PayPal’s Online Card Payment Services, the transaction fee ranges from 2.59% to 3.09%, plus a fixed amount.

And there are other types of Payment Gateway Providers like Stripe, Square, Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, Authorize.net, etc. 

Table comparison in terms of overall pricing

The Verdict

Shopify is the winner as it offers more extensive features and e-commerce capabilities with a reasonable starting price.

Related arrticle: Shopify Pricing Plans: How To Choose The Right Plans

Sales Features

Shipping 

Both Shopify and Hostinger offer shipping solutions for businesses. Shopify’s shipping module integrates with numerous carriers, offering real-time shipping rates, label printing, and tracking information. Meanwhile, in the store management area of the Hostinger Website Builder, you can create an unlimited number of shipping zones and up to 25 shipping options per shipping zone.

Warehousing And Fulfillment

Shopify offers a Fulfillment Network that provides warehousing and fulfillment services, allowing you to store your products at their warehouses and have them packed and shipped on your behalf. As Hostinger is not specifically an e-commerce platform, it does not have built-in warehousing and fulfillment options.

Label Printing

Shopify allows label printing directly from your admin panel, helping streamline shipping. Hostinger, as a web hosting solution, does not have a direct label printing feature.

Dropshipping

Shopify integrates with a number of dropshipping apps, therefore, sellers can use both ecommerce and sales features only available on Shopify to sell products without keeping inventory. Hostinger lacks built-in dropshipping features but can support third-party dropshipping plugins via a CMS like WordPress.

Inventory Management

Shopify has robust inventory management features. You can track stock counts, automate restock notifications, and manage SKUs. Hostinger’s Website Builder also offers direct inventory management for online stores, but it doesn’t seem to be as comprehensive as Shopify. 

Payment Gateway

Shopify supports over 100 payment gateways, including Shopify Payments and Stripe. Meanwhile, Hostinger does not offer a native payment gateway. It supports payment methods in Europe and globally, but availability in North and South America is temporarily unavailable. Cryptocurrencies are also accepted.

SEO features

Shopify offers several SEO features, such as editable meta descriptions, URLs, image alt texts, and a generated sitemap. 

Hostinger does offer SEO features too. In Hostinger Website Builder, some SEO aspects such as website speed and sitemaps are taken care of by default. You can optimize your website’s SEO settings to improve search engine rankings. There are both general and page-specific settings that you can configure.

Overall, we think that Hostinger is better than Shopify in terms of SEO features because it is built as a website builder in mind. 

Reporting and Analytics

As an ecommerce-focus platform, Shopify provides robust reporting and analytics features. It offers comprehensive insights and data on various aspects of your e-commerce business, including sales, customer behavior, traffic sources, and more.

Hostinger does provide Reporting and Analytics too. However, from our research, we can see that Hostinger focuses more on the aspect of traffic and site performance (rather than ecommerce). In the Analytics section of Hostinger, you can see from which countries you get the most visits and the device types used to access your website. You can also build a report on your website’s speed and optimization performance in the Page Speed section.

Sales Features only Shopify has

Several sales features are unique to Shopify, making it an all-inclusive e-commerce platform. Here are a few notable ones that Hostinger does not offer:

• Shopify POS System: Unlike Hostinger, Shopify offers a Point of Sale (POS) system allowing sellers to sell online and in physical stores like retail stores or pop-up shops. This POS system syncs with your online store, providing seamless inventory management across multiple channels.
• Abandoned Cart Recovery: Shopify has an in-built feature for abandoned cart recovery. This feature lets you send automatic emails to potential customers who have left products in their cart without completing a purchase, which helps you recapture lost sales.
• Multi-Channel Selling: Shopify stands out with its extensive multi-channel selling capabilities. Sellers can integrate their store with multiple platforms, including social media sites (like Facebook and Instagram), marketplaces (like Amazon and eBay), and even in-person venues. Hostinger, primarily a web hosting platform, does not offer this functionality.
• Shopify Fulfillment Network: Shopify operates its own Fulfillment Network, which handles storage, packing, and shipping of products for sellers. This takes a load off the seller’s shoulders by managing these logistical aspects, which Hostinger does not provide.
• Gift Cards and Discount Codes: Shopify allows sellers to offer gift cards and discount codes, which can be crucial for customer acquisition and retention. Hostinger, more focused on website hosting than e-commerce, does not have these sales-boosting features.
• Shopify Email: Shopify Email is a built-in email marketing tool unique to Shopify that enables sellers to manage email campaigns directly from their dashboards. Unlike Shopify, Hostinger, being a web-hosting service, lacks an integrated email marketing feature, necessitating reliance on external tools.

The Verdict

Shopify is a superior choice for small businesses and startups aiming for robust e-commerce functionality, given its comprehensive sales capabilities.

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Apps and Integrations

Shopify 

Shopify’s advantage lies in its app marketplace, which boasts over 8,000 apps and integrations. This extensive catalog ranges from marketing tools and SEO boosters to inventory management systems and shipping calculators. Users can also find multiple dropshipping solutions, sales channels, and customer service tools among these integrations. Shopify’s ecosystem allows businesses to customize their store extensively, adapting to unique needs and demands.

Hostinger

Hostinger offers a variety of apps and integrations that can be added to a website created with the Hostinger Website Builder. All in-built integrations can be found in the Integrations section of your website settings.

However, Hostinger’s approach does have some limitations. Its reliance on CMS platforms for additional functionality could be daunting for non-tech-savvy users as it requires technical expertise. Moreover, the quantity of direct app integrations is comparatively limited, potentially restricting customization and control over the user’s online presence.

The Verdict

Shopify takes the lead over Hostinger due to its extensive app marketplace filled with diverse integrations. 

Ease of Use

Shopify 

Shopify is renowned for its intuitive user interface. It offers a clean, well-structured dashboard that provides straightforward navigation. Setting up an online store on Shopify is relatively easy; users can choose from various customizable templates, add products, set up payment and shipping methods, and much more without requiring extensive technical knowledge. 

Furthermore, Shopify provides a comprehensive knowledge base, video tutorials, and 24/7 customer support, making the process even more straightforward for non-tech-savvy users.

Hostinger

Hostinger is also known for its ease of use. It’s built for the tech novice trying to run a business and publish a site, not a Silicon Valley developer. Because it knows its target base so well, its user journey is easy to navigate, with synchronization and installation that’s as simple as one click.

The Verdict

Regarding eCommerce ease of use, Shopify may have an edge due to its specialized focus on providing a user-friendly environment for online store management. 

Scalability

Shopify 

Shopify shines when it comes to scalability. As an e-commerce platform built to support businesses of all sizes, it offers a range of plans to accommodate varying traffic and sales levels.

• Subscription Plans: Shopify provides different subscription levels that cater to businesses at different stages. Upgrading to higher-level plans introduces more features and capacities.
• Managed Hosting: Shopify takes care of all hosting aspects, ensuring your e-commerce site can accommodate increased traffic and sales without performance hiccups.
• Infrastructure: The platform’s infrastructure is designed to integrate seamlessly with Shopify Fulfillment Network, accommodating growing inventories and streamlining shipping procedures.

Hostinger

• Upgradable Hosting Plans: Businesses can upgrade their hosting plans on Hostinger to accommodate increasing website traffic and sales volume.
• Flexible Resources: Hostinger provides flexible resources, such as bandwidth and storage, to ensure optimal performance as businesses scale.
• Handling Increased Traffic: Hostinger’s scalability feature enables businesses to handle higher customer traffic and transactions without compromising website speed and stability.
• Suitable for Growth: Hostinger’s scalable infrastructure and resources make it suitable for businesses aiming to grow their e-commerce operations over time.

Both Shopify and Hostinger offer scalable solutions for businesses looking to grow their e-commerce operations. Shopify’s subscription plans and managed hosting infrastructure cater to businesses of all sizes, while Hostinger provides upgradable hosting plans and flexible resources to accommodate increasing website traffic and sales volume.

The Verdict

Shopify seems to have an edge over Hostinger in terms of scalability.

Help and Support 

Shopify 

Support Channels: Shopify provides customer support via phone, email, and live chat. They also have a robust Help Center, user forums, tutorials, and guides for self-help.

Support Time: As the support is 24/7, customers can get their issues resolved, or queries answered anytime, reducing downtime and ensuring smoother operations.

Hostinger

Support Channels: Hostinger also offers customer support, but it is primarily through live chat and tickets. They have an extensive knowledge base filled with tutorials, guides, and articles for users to refer to.

Support Time: Hostinger’s support staff are available around the clock. However, response time might vary depending on the complexity of the issue and the support channel used.

The Verdict

Shopify has the edge over Hostinger, with a more diverse array of support channels, including phone support, which Hostinger lacks.

Security

Shopify 

• Secure Hosting: Shopify hosts your online store on a secure and reliable infrastructure. It employs robust security protocols, including firewalls and encryption, to safeguard your data and prevent unauthorized access.
• Payment Security: Shopify ensures secure transactions by integrating with reputable payment gateways that comply with industry standards, such as Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance. This ensures that customer payment information is protected during the checkout process.
• Data Protection: Shopify regularly backs up your store data to safeguard against data loss. In the event of an unforeseen incident, you can rely on these backups to restore your store to its previous state.

Hostinger

To enhance the security of users’ websites and data against cyber-attacks, Hostinger incorporates several security modules into its servers, including:

• Free SSL Certificate: Hostinger provides a complimentary SSL certificate for your website. This certificate encrypts the data transferred between your website and its visitors, protecting sensitive information such as login credentials and credit card numbers. This increases the trust of your customers, as they see your website is secure and reliable.
• In-house Built Firewall: Hostinger has a custom-built firewall solution in place. This enhances the security of your website by protecting it from cyber threats, such as hackers and malicious software. This means you can focus on building and managing your website without worrying about potential security breaches.

The Verdict

However, Shopify seems to outperform Hostinger a bit thanks to its more advanced security measures.

Themes and Designs

Shopify 

Shopify offers a wide range of customizable themes (120+ themes) that allow sellers to create visually appealing and unique sales pages. Sellers can customize the layout, colors, fonts, and images to match their brand identity. 

Additionally, Shopify provides a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, making it easy for sellers to rearrange elements and create a professional-looking storefront. 

One downside is that some premium themes can be expensive, which may impact the budget of small businesses.

Hostinger

Hostinger provides a selection of customizable themes for sellers to design their sales pages. While the customization options may not be as extensive as Shopify, sellers can still modify the colors, fonts, and layout to some extent. 

Hostinger offers a straightforward website builder that lets users customize their pages easily. However, most of their themes are designed for website building purposes, not for ecommerce.

The Verdict

Shopify appears to be the better platform than Hostinger in terms of themes and designs.

Shopify vs Hostinger: Table Comparison

Who should use Shopify? 

• Online entrepreneurs: Shopify is an all-encompassing e-commerce platform with powerful tools and features. It caters to the needs of online entrepreneurs, regardless of their industry, by providing a user-friendly solution for efficiently managing their online stores.
• E-commerce businesses: For established e-commerce businesses looking to expand their product offerings to include print-on-demand items, Shopify offers seamless integration capabilities. Its integration with various apps and tools enhances inventory management, order fulfillment, and payment processing, providing a streamlined experience.
• Startups and SMEs: Startups and small to medium-sized enterprises seeking a user-friendly, scalable, cost-effective e-commerce solution will find Shopify highly beneficial. Its extensive features enable them to quickly establish an online presence while providing room for future growth and expansion.

And who should use Hostinger?

• Website owners and developers: Hostinger is an ideal choice for website owners and developers who require reliable web hosting services. Its focus on web hosting and server infrastructure makes it a preferred option for individuals and professionals seeking secure and high-performing hosting solutions.
• Tech-savvy individuals: Hostinger appeals to tech-savvy individuals who have experience managing websites and desire more control over their hosting environment. Its advanced security measures, extensive customization options, and access to server configurations make it suitable for knowledgeable people who want greater control over their website’s technical aspects.

Shopify vs Hostinger: FAQs