Shopify and GoDaddy are one of the most popular companies on the internet. Both companies are established and have grown vastly in their respective domains. Shopify is popular among online store builders whereas GoDaddy is popular among hosting & domain providers.
Both of them have provided the ability to build and manage websites online, GoDaddy can be used to build websites like portfolios, online stores, business, and personal websites. Whereas Shopify is mostly used to build online stores and Business websites.
Now that we have known a little overview of these website builders let’s do a depth review of both websites.
#Quick Summary
Below are a quick summary of Shopify and Godaddy Site Builder platforms.
Shopify
A Bit expensive plan ($29 – $299)
100+ themes (9+ free themes) and pricing ranges from ($180 – $350)
The level of Customization of themes is good
6000+ third-party applications
Good for an online store, Service businesses
Powerful Analytics and Reports
Shopify offers 24/7 good support through live chat, email, and phone.
GoDaddy plans are cheaper than Shopify, GoDaddy price ranges from $6.99 – $19.99 Whereas Shopify Price ranges from $29-$299. GoDaddy’s renewal prices are higher whereas Shopify offers plenty of discounts on annual plans. Winner: Godaddy
3. Themes & Editor
Shopify offers 9 free themes and a lot of paid themes with good customization features. Whereas GoDaddy offers over 70+ free themes with limited customization features. Winner: Shopify
4. Small businesses:
Shopify has various POS features & apps to assist small businesses.
GoDaddy has ready-made templates & plenty of inbuilt features to help small businesses
GoDaddy can be economic for small businesses as compared to Shopify.
Winner: Tie
5. Domain & Hosting:
GoDaddy has better server & hosting features, they also provide better SSL. It is easy to manage domains on GoDaddy than on Shopify. Winner: Godaddy
6. Payments and Charges
Both Shopify & GoDaddy offer more than 70+ payment providers
Shopify has transactional charges on sales if customers used other payment methods than Shopify Payments. (Shopify payments are limited to a few countries like US & European countries)
Winner: Tie
7. App store
Shopify app store offers over 6000+ apps whereas GoDaddy doesn’t have an app store. Winner: Shopify
8. Support & Resources
Shopify provides excellent support in form of chat, email, and phone whereas GoDaddy has only chat & phone support. Winner: Shopify
1. Ease Of Use
Both Shopify & GoDaddy platforms are easy-to-use website builders. Shopify is easy to get started with their 14 days free trial However GoDaddy has no trial period but users can own the platform free forever. Both of these platforms need just 2-3 steps to get started. Shopify theme editor has many editing elements and theme styles to offer multiple design aspects. GoDaddy is much easier to build as its editor comprises many built-in sections. Also, the themes can be previewed on the editor whereas Shopify will redirect to a new page.
Shopify theme editor has blank templates there are no built-in section examples shown but in the case of GoDaddy, the theme editor has included built-in section examples that provide user clarity about the theme.
Key takeaways: Both Shopify and GoDaddy are easy to use. Shopify has plenty of resources and apps to offer more features & support.
(Prices in the Bracket are applicable when you buy a year plan)
You can get 10% off on annual, and 20% on biennial plans.
Shopify has introduced a new plan “Shopify lite” for $6/month to facilitate selling on other platforms by embedding a buy button to other websites and social sites.
GoDaddy offers four website builder plans. Also, You can keep a website free forever or upgrade to any of the four plans to access more features credit card is required for the free plan, but there are limitations to the free plan.
GoDaddy website builder has four plans
Basic:$6.99/m($9.99)
Standard:$10.49/m($14.99)
Premium:$13.99/m($19.99)
Ecommerce:$14.99/m($24.99)
(Prices in the bracket are renewable prices)
Shopify Pricing
GoDaddy Pricing
GoDaddy pricing
Key takeaways: GoDaddy has cheaper plans but it has a high renewal price, whereas Shopify plans are a bit costly but annual plans are cheaper.
Both GoDaddy and Shopify have their own domain registrars. GoDaddy is a famous domain registrar that provides 500+ domain extensions like .com, .in, .org, etc. even Shopify provides these popular domains. GoDaddy provides various domain-related settings such as domain security, domain trading, etc which is not provided by Shopify.
Hosting & SSL
Shopify and GoDaddy have powerful hosting servers. Both of them follow level 1 PCI compliance and protect from DDOS attacks. Shopify has a fast Cloudflare server which provides a faster response to user browsing queries. GoDaddy server response totally depends upon the level of hosting. The shared hosting response will be slow and the dedicated hosting response will be fast. Shopify provides unlimited storage & bandwidth on all plans whereas GoDaddy depends on the plan.
Both of the website builders protect customers’ data with a strong security socket layer(SSL). GoDaddy has Premium SSL plans. You can add an extra layer of security by purchasing premium SSL ($64/month)
Business Email
Shopify doesn’t have email hosting. Shopify users need to rely on third-party applications for accessing business email. GoDaddy has 2 plans for providing Individual plans for $1.99/mo* Team plan –$3.99/mo*. the main difference between the two plans is that the team plan enables collaboration with team members.
We analyzed the Top 10 Websites of both platforms to check their response to the hosted server. we found that most of the Shopify website’s average server response time is 350-400ms, Whereas the GoDaddy website’s average speed response time is 300-340ms. which means websites hosted on GoDaddy load slightly faster in comparison to Shopify.
Key takeaways: GoDaddy provides better domain, hosting, and professional email. It also has better uptime and server response than Shopify.
The winner of the Domain & Hosting Feature: GoDaddy
Shopify: 1-2 :GoDaddy
4. Themes and Customization
Shopify
GoDaddy
Themes
80+
150+
Free Themes
10+
150+
Mobile-Friendly
Yes
Yes
Theme Customization level
Good
Basic
Prebuilt Sections
No
Yes
————————-Themes———————
Shopify has 80+ themes out of them only 9 are free and the rest of the themes are paid whose pricing ranging from $200 – $350. Each of the themes has 2-3 style variations. There is documentation provided for each of the themes that include details & type of the support provided. GoDaddy website builder has provided over 150+ free themes for all kinds of categories. They have covered popular categories like fashion & beauty, Health & Fitness, Home Services, etc. The themes can be easily edited and also the edits can be previewed simultaneously for desktop and mobile.
Shopify themes
GoDaddy themes
————————-Theme Editor———————
In Shopify upon choosing a theme users can clone it and keep one for backup. In the theme editor, there is a section option to add sections. These are teme blocks that can be inserted on the homepage. You can also build a custom section with HTML/CSS, and Javascript. Shopify provides free HD images right from the customization dashboard which can be inserted without the need for modification.
Just below the section, there is a theme setting that allows theme customization for different colors, typography, layout, etc. You can embed apps from features and their layout in the third icon for embedding apps.
Shopify theme editor
GoDaddy has a basic editor that provides a few options for layouts, design, animation, and more. There are various inbuilt sections with structured layouts for different styles, colors, layouts, and more. You can add custom HTML/CSS to make changes to the theme.
In the theme editor, you can add pages like messaging, stores, blogs, etc. as add-ons. The theme setting allows you to add favicon, logo, social links, footer information, etc.
GoDaddy website builder provided a good feature for editing images, there are various image customization features to animate & design the image. You can explore GoDaddy more features in GoDaddy data studio.
GoDaddy sections
GoDaddy theme editor
Key takeaways: GoDaddy provides various free themes with basic customization, Whereas Shopify provides enough free themes with better customization hence Shopify is a winner.
The winner of the Themes & Customization Feature: Shopify
Shopify: 2-2 :GoDaddy
Small Business
Shopify is a well-known eCommerce builder. They have housed almost all kinds of businesses. They have features and plans that can be suitable for small to large-level businesses. Shopify has Integration with lots of local suppliers, third-party booking, POS applications, etc. to improve customer relationships, and customer loyalty, and ship customers soon.
Shopify has various apps for facilitating subscriptions, and bookings, automating social posting, etc. These apps can be free as well as paid. If users want to unlock advanced small business features they can wish to pay for these apps monthly and they will offer you the best features. Shopify app store is its biggest strength as it can provide all of the necessary features from its third-party applications. On some occasions, these apps might cost more which can increase the budget.
If you have an offline store you can use the Shopify POS system and which offers two plans as shown in the below image. Shopify also has POS hardware which you can buy from their store.
Godaddy is a good platform for small businesses. In the low pricing range, they offer good small business features. There are inbuilt themes for small businesses like restaurants, services, menus, etc. There are add-ons for appointments through which you can schedule meetings, bookings, provide services, etc. The GoDaddy data studio is helpful for increasing social connection with customers, and improving customer reach.
Godaddy too offers POS Systems, Hardware’s and you will also get special credit card rates and discount upon choosing their POS system.
Key takeaways: Both GoDaddy and Shopify have provided a good small business feature. GoDaddy provided ready-made templates for free of cost and plenty of other features at an economic cost.
Transaction charges (2%,1%,0.5%) on sales value respectively on 3 plans for non Shopify payment users.
No
Credit Card Charges
✔
✔
Both Shopify & GoDaddy provides basic functionalities to run & manage eCommerce Management
Product Management
Both GoDaddy & Shopify facilitate users to sell physical, and digital products & services on their platforms. To sell digital products on Shopify, users need to install a digital downloads application. Products, images/videos, and pricing can be imported/exported for both platforms.
InventoryManagement
Both platforms allow the creation of categories/subcategories. It is easier to create categories & subcategories in Shopify than in GoDaddy. Shopify allows the creation of separate product tags but GoDaddy doesn’t have this feature. Godaddy has provided plenty of product options such as swatches, dropdowns, buttons, etc Whereas Shopify provides multiple product options through apps. Both platforms have tax settings but Shopify has dedicated domestic/international tax settings.
Payment Option& Charges
Shopify & GoDaddy has 70+ payment options including the popular payment gateways PayPal, Stripe, Square, etc. Shopify started accepting crypto payment methods but GoDaddy doesn’t.
Shopify has imposed transaction charges for users who use payment methods other than “Shopify payments” surely it is done to promote their payment gateways. If you use PayPal, Square, etc payment modes to receive payments then Shopify charges 2% for $29, 1% for $79, and 0.5% for the $299 plan. GoDaddy doesn’t have Transaction charges on any payment modes.
Note:- Both GoDaddy & Shopify charge credit card rates for each transaction. The credit card rates are different for different payment gateways
Shipping option
GoDaddy & Shopify have offered shipping options like local delivery, curbside pickup, and free shipping. Shopify has an advanced shipping profile where shipping charges can be set up by zones, markets, etc. Both platforms have provided displaying real-time carrier rates from the popular logistic companies UPS, USPS, FedEx, etc. Shopify also has provided the option to print shipping labels from the Shopify dashboard.
Key takeaways: Shopify is a designated online store builder it has features for small to a big levels of business also they have resources and more features in form of apps.
Run social media ad campaign right from the Shopify dashboard
Add multiple social channels like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Through Shopify, users can sell on channels like Amazon, Walmart, eBay, etc.
Shopify lets users sell on wholesale channels
Godaddy Website Builder
Customizable social media templates
Publish or Schedule posts for social media
Post on social(Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)
Create and boost social posts right from the dashboard
Create social ad campaigns and shoppable posts
2. Email marketing
Shopify
Shopify has various Email marketing apps like MailChimp, Omnisend, Klaviyo, privy, etc. to run email campaigns
Shopify doesn’t provide professional domain email.
Shopify’s own email software allows building email automation users can send up to 2500 free emails After that it will cost $1 for every extra 1000 emails
Users can find apps like One, vitals marketing which provides plenty of marketing features.
GoDaddy Website Builder
Free Email Templates
Customizable email templates
Contact list segmentation
Free Email Marketing sends/mo
100 emails/mo – (Basic plan)
25,000 emails/mo – (Premium & Commerce plan)
100,000emails/mo -(Commerce Plus)
3. Integrations
Shopify
Shopify has over 6000+ apps in its app store to provide the features like marketing, shipping, sales booster, merchandising more. These apps are free as well as paid. The apps can enhance the features and can be helpful for scaling the business. GoDaddy doesn’t have an app store like Shopify. They have very few integrations and also some features in google data studio.
Shopify Apps
Key takeaways: Shopify offers multichannel selling, and has plenty of email marketing & social media automation & apps hence it’s a winner.
Shopify and GoDaddy website builders have provided basic SEO features. GoDaddy’s SEO feature is available from the premium plan($13.99/mo.) This might seem wrong as GoDaddy restricts SEO features for the first two plans. GoDaddy has a special feature called SEO Wizard that provides automatic suggestions on the basis of the business location and store content.
Both GoDaddy & Shopify provide sitemaps, robot.txt, URL redirects, etc. Users can hire SEO Experts to access SEO services.
Blogging
Both Shopify & GoDaddy has blogging features. Users can insert images/videos into the blog. The blogs can be categorized/ subcategorized into blog groups. Shopify lets user comment on blogs whereas GoDaddy doesn’t have this option. GoDaddy has an inbuilt blog section whereas Shopify doesn’t.
GoDaddy blog
Key takeaways: Both Shopify and Godaddy provide good blogging and SEO features hence it’s a tie.
The winner of the SEO & Blogging Feature: Tie
Shopify: 5-4 :GoDaddy
Support & Resources
Shopify
GoDaddy
Email
✔
❌
Live chat
✔
✔
Phone
✔
✔
Shopify has provided all channels of support live chat, phone, and email. Shopify provides support in more than 10+ languages. GoDaddy offers 24/7 live chat and phone support but no email support.
Shopify also has an active community where fellow Shopify users and Shopify support staff members will be available to provide support. Both Shopify & GoDaddy have provided lots of resources in the form of blogs, knowledge bases, videos, and community forums on setting up & managing platforms. In Shopify, you can hire a Shopify expert to manage and set up shop for you. These experts are Shopify professionals who provide support to their users.
Shopify Support
GoDaddy Support
Key takeaways: Shopify has better support as they provide all forms of support and also we can hire experts from Shopify.
The winner of the Support & Resources Feature: Shopify
Shopify: 6-4 :GoDaddy
Pros and Cons: Shopify vs GoDaddy Website builder
Shopify Pros
Shopify Cons
1. It offers more Multichannel selling
1. Charges Transaction fees on each sale
2. Thousands of Shopify apps
2. Shopify plans are expensive as compared to GoDaddy
3. Good for international/domestic businesses
3. No professional email was provided
4. Access all kinds of features for the businesses
4. lots of additional charges in form of apps and transaction fees
GoDaddy Pros
GoDaddy Cons
1. It offers cheaper pricings than Shopify
1. Checkout redirects to third-party websites which is not good for user experience.
2. Good for portfolio, personal, and business sites.
2. GoDaddy doesn’t have enough integrations
3. Plenty of free themes by category
3. Customization of themes is limited
4. Better Domain, hosting & SSL security
4. Can’t switch between templates
Conclusion: Shopify vs GoDaddy Website Builder
Use Shopify over GoDaddy website builder,
If you want a platform that lets you add new and latest features to enhance your shop and ease the process of managing and running the business.
If you want to sell domestically as well as in the international market then Shopify is a better option.
If you want to do dropshipping and Print On demand business then GoDaddy is the best
Use GoDaddy website builderover Shopify,
If you are tight on the budget and want a basic website builder then GoDaddy is better than Shopify
If you have a small business and also run an offline business then GoDaddy will be a better option as it can offer those features at the economic price range.
If you want to set up a portfolio, personal, and service websites then GoDaddy is a better option than Shopify.
Declan Kingston mainly works around strong Data to create powerful visuals, complex graphs to make the right decision for companies. He has been working in this field for over 8 years, has a strong knowledge of eCommerce platforms and website builders. He has worked with Ethereum and Looker Data Sciences, Inc. (now part of Google Cloud).
