Etsy is a curated marketplace ideal for handmade and vintage items with built-in traffic, while Shopify is a customizable e-commerce platform suited for brands wanting full control and scalability. Etsy charges lower fees but limits customization, whereas Shopify offers more flexibility with higher baseline costs.
Etsy vs Shopify — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Specialized marketplace with 4.7 million sellers offering handmade, vintage, and unique artisanal products.
Fully managed cloud-based e-commerce platform with integrated payments and hosting.
Business Model. Monthly Base Cost. Transaction Fees. Store Customization. Built-in Traffic. Seller Community. Brand Control. Scalability
Choose Etsy if you sell handmade, vintage, or craft items and want access to established buyer traffic with minimal upfront investment. Select Shopify if you're building a branded business, need extensive customization, or plan significant scaling with lower per-transaction costs.
Etsy: 81.9 million (2020) | Shopify: N/A
Etsy: Artisans and creative entrepreneurs | Shopify: N/A
Etsy: 2-4% growth Q1 2026 | Shopify: N/A
Etsy: Handmade, vintage, crafts only | Shopify: N/A
Etsy: Niche specialist leader | Shopify: N/A
Base Monthly Subscription (Starter Plan)
Etsy: $0.16 | Shopify: Included in subscription
Etsy: 70 variants max | Shopify: Unlimited
Etsy: Optimal below $1,350 | Shopify: $1,350
Etsy: Limited marketplace integrations | Shopify: 8,000+ apps
Monthly Active Buyers (Marketplace Access)
Etsy: 90+ | Shopify: Self-driven traffic
Etsy: Free (listing fees apply) | Shopify: $29-$399
Etsy: $0.20 | Shopify: 2.9% + $0.30 (Shopify Payments)
Etsy: 1.7 billion | Shopify: Self-generated
Etsy: Limited (3/10) | Shopify: Extensive (9/10)
Etsy: Handmade, vintage, craft | Shopify: All product types
Etsy: 14-30 days (varies) | Shopify: N/A
Etsy: $20/year (Etsy Plus optional) | Shopify: N/A
Etsy: 4.6/5 average seller rating | Shopify: N/A
Etsy: 280 million downloads | Shopify: N/A
Etsy: 85%+ handmade/vintage | Shopify: N/A
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: 2.0% (third-party gateways) / 0% (Shopify Payments)
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: Native AI-driven commerce agents built-in
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: Phone, Email & Chat
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: Yes ($2,300+/month)
Typical Seller Monthly Revenue Threshold
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: $5,000+ (lower barrier)
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: 0% (on Shopify Payments)
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: Advanced (Liquid code access)
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: ~300 (optimized for sales)
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: Zero (must generate own traffic)
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: 30-90 days (with marketing)
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: 100% direct access to customer emails and data
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: Moderate; app-dependent for advanced needs
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: Good GraphQL API; limited headless options
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: $0-20M GMV (optimal fit)
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: Low; point-and-click setup
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: $100-150 (optional)
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: ~30% of all online stores
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: $5 (Starter plan minimum)
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: 10+ (online store, POS, social, marketplace, B2B, wholesale)
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: Unlimited with advanced sync
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: $5-39 (all-inclusive)
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: Hosting, SSL, domain, support included
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: Separate subscriptions required
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: $2,300+ (Shopify Plus enterprise)
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: Ongoing regular updates
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: $105 (Shopify Plan)
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: $2,300+ (Shopify Plus)
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: None (paid plans only)
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: Mobile-optimized by default
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: 6 (Liquid templating limits)
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: Shopify manages all compliance
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: Unlimited (pricing tier independent)
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: $468 + transaction fees ($2,900)
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: $39/month (Basic plan)
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: 6,800 verified apps
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: 1-2 hours to launch
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: Theme/app API limited (Liquid template language)
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: 100+ official integrations
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: Level 1 (fully managed)
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: Limited (basic automation)
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: Full REST & GraphQL APIs
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: 100+ sales channels (Amazon, Facebook, TikTok, eBay, etc.)
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: Included in all plans
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: 24/7 dedicated support team
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: Built-in tools with limitations on code-level access
Etsy: N/A | Shopify: Possible but complex; vendor lock-in concerns exist
Etsy vs Shopify — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Etsy vs Shopify. Contains 128 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Etsy vs Shopify — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Etsy vs Shopify.
Is Etsy or Shopify better for beginners?
Etsy is better for absolute beginners due to zero monthly fees and built-in customer base. However, Shopify may be preferable if you're starting a branded business and can invest $29/month, as it offers more long-term control and growth potential.
Etsy has lower upfront costs with no subscription, but Shopify becomes cheaper at higher sales volumes due to lower transaction fees (2.9% vs 6.5%). Break-even typically occurs around $500-$1,000 in monthly sales.
Etsy restricts listings to handmade items, vintage goods (20+ years old), and craft supplies. Shopify allows any legal product, making it suitable for traditional retail, dropshipping, digital products, and more.
Etsy brings organic traffic from 1.7B annual marketplace visitors, while Shopify requires you to drive your own traffic through marketing, SEO, social media, or paid ads. Etsy wins for passive discovery; Shopify wins for brands building owned audiences.
Which platform integrates better with third-party tools?
Shopify has a significantly larger app ecosystem (10,000+) compared to Etsy (2,000+), offering more integrations for inventory management, email marketing, accounting, and advanced analytics. Shopify is the clear winner for tool integration.
Business Model: Etsy has Marketplace (seller community), while Shopify has SaaS platform (independent stores).
Monthly Base Cost: Etsy has $0 (pay-per-listing), while Shopify has $29-$399 (subscription plan).
Transaction Fees: Etsy has 6.5% + $0.20 per transaction, while Shopify has 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.
Store Customization: Etsy has Limited (fixed templates), while Shopify has Extensive (themes & code).
Built-in Traffic: Etsy has Yes (1.7B annual visitors), while Shopify has No (requires marketing).
Seller Community: Etsy has 500M+ active listings, while Shopify has Individual storefronts.
Brand Control: Etsy has Limited (Etsy branding), while Shopify has Full control (white-label).
Scalability: Etsy has Medium (marketplace limits), while Shopify has High (unlimited growth).