Shopify vs Etsy 2026
Shopify or Etsy? Here's the honest answer for boutique sellers.
Both platforms work. The right choice depends on where you are now and where you want to be in 12 months. We'll break it down without a sales pitch.
The core difference
Two fundamentally different business models.
Etsy
A marketplace. You rent traffic from their platform.
Pros
- Instant audience — 90M+ active buyers already on the platform
- Trusted brand — buyers have credit cards saved and trust the checkout
- Low setup cost — free to open a shop today
Cons
- 6.5% transaction fee on every sale
- You don't own customer emails — Etsy does
- Algorithm controls your visibility — overnight changes can kill your traffic
Shopify
An owned channel. You build your own audience.
Pros
- 0% transaction fees with Shopify Payments
- Full customer data — names, emails, purchase history, all yours
- Your brand, your rules — no competing listings next to yours
Cons
- You drive your own traffic — SEO, social, email, ads
- $29/mo subscription (Basic plan, billed monthly)
Fee comparison
Where your money actually goes.
| Fee | Etsy | Shopify Basic |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | $0 (free) or $10/mo (Plus) | $29/mo |
| Listing fee | $0.20 per listing | $0 |
| Transaction fee | 6.5% per sale | 0% (with Shopify Payments) |
| Payment processing | 3% + $0.25 | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Break-even point | $1,350/mo in sales | Shopify cheaper above $1,350/mo |
Which platform fits you
The honest fit guide.
Choose Etsy if…
- You sell handmade, vintage, or craft supplies
- You're under $1,000/mo in revenue
- You're just starting and need marketplace traffic immediately
- You don't want to drive your own audience yet
Choose Shopify if…
- You want to build a real brand — not just a shop
- You have or can build an existing audience
- You're over $1,000–$1,500/mo and fees are compounding
- You want to own your customer list and run email campaigns
The both strategy
Can you use Shopify and Etsy at the same time?
Yes — and many successful sellers do. Run Etsy as a discovery channel and Shopify as your home base. Etsy brings in first-time buyers; Shopify turns them into repeat customers.
The play: link your Etsy profile to your Shopify store. Every Etsy order includes a handwritten card or insert with your domain and a first-order discount code. Etsy buyers become Shopify subscribers. Now you own the relationship.
Use an inventory sync app (like LitCommerce or Trunk) to keep stock aligned across both channels so you're never oversold.
Decision guide
Three questions that settle the decision.
Do you have an existing audience (Instagram, past customers, email list)?
Are you selling $1,500+/mo?
Do you want to run email campaigns to your customers?
Do you already have customers who buy from you repeatedly?
Common questions.
It depends on your stage. Etsy is better when you're starting out and need marketplace traffic. Shopify is better when you want to build a brand you own, run email marketing, and stop paying 6.5% per sale. Most boutique sellers outgrow Etsy between $1,000–$1,500/mo in revenue.
Around $1,350/mo in gross sales. At that point, Shopify's $29/mo subscription plus 2.9% + $0.30 payment processing costs roughly the same as Etsy's 6.5% transaction fee plus 3% + $0.25 processing. Above $1,350/mo, Shopify wins on fees every month — permanently.
Yes. Many sellers run both in parallel — Etsy for discovery and new customers, Shopify as their primary store and brand home. Use an inventory sync tool to avoid overselling, and use Etsy order inserts to drive repeat buyers to your Shopify store where you own the relationship.
Ready to move to Shopify?
We get boutique brands live in 7 days from $999. Your Etsy store stays up while we build.