Web.com vs. Shopify (2024)

Toby Sembower

By: Toby Sembower

Toby Sembower

Toby Sembower is founder and Chairman of the Board at Digital Brands, a company that builds, owns, and operates websites that have served more than 100 million users. His web hosting experience dates to 2003, when he built the first of many popular consumer resource websites. Since that time, Toby has tested and reviewed dozens of web hosts, worked with hosts to improve their pricing and services, and contributed his expertise at the industry's top conferences. Toby holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida's College of Journalism and a minor from UF's College of Business.

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Editor: Lillian Castro

Lillian Castro

Lillian brings more than 30 years of editing and journalism experience to our team. She has written and edited for major news organizations, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the New York Times, and she previously served as an adjunct instructor at the University of Florida. Today, she edits HostingAdvice content for clarity, accuracy, and reader engagement.

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Alexandra Anderson Toby Sembower Hosting Expert
“We tested Shopify & Web.com — The winner is Shopify!”

Calling all website owners needing reliable web hosting: we put Shopify and Web.com head to head to investigate which host offers the best hosting plans for your next project. Shopify, one of the market’s leading eCommerce platforms, powers nearly 4 million websites worldwide. Shopify users can enjoy its many tools and features, including its easy-to-use dashboard for managing orders, shipping, and payments. For users in the market for a well-rounded hosting experience, Web.com has got you covered. This web host exceeds our expectations with its frills-free hosting and website builder packages. Check out our comparison to see which host is right for you.

Overall Rating
4.6/5.0 ★★★★★
Visit Shopify »
Overall Rating
4.3/5.0 ★★★★
Visit Web.com »

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Overall Hosting Comparison

Best Overall Rating

★★★★★ 4.6/5.0

Shopify is easily one of the more well-known ecommerce web builder platforms in the hosting industry. Plans are fully hosted, include a free site builder tool, and allow you to showcase an unlimited number of products with unlimited file storage as well.

Compared to other web hosts, Shopify is not going to offer you the same level of robustness in terms of technological offerings, but the company's ecommerce features are on point.

Online store building is Shopify's bread-and-butter service, and the company is darn good at it. First of all, the Shopify theme store features hundreds of free and premium theme options that are relatively easy for customers to manipulate. Dev-savvy folks can further customize their storefronts and themes via the Shopify API.

You can actually start building your online marketplace today — for free for three days — and select your plan later. The Shopify experts are on call and ready to help 24/7.

Once you've built your online store with Shopify, build your business by processing product transactions through a myriad of payment methods. Shopify users can sell via social media, by integrating a Buy Now button, or by using the Shopify POS system.

Serious ecommerce folks may even opt to purchase the retail package add-on, which includes a cash register, receipt printer, and barcode scanner.

All in all, Shopify offers everything you need to run an efficient and lucrative online business. The commerce-oriented features are many, and they only advance with each upgrade in service package. Also, you can buy or transfer your domain name, or park your online store at a free MyShopify.com subdomain.

If you're ecommerce-focused, trust Shopify for your online store building.

  • Sell via social media or hosted commerce platform
  • FREE website builder and hundreds of themes
  • Unlimited products and unlimited bandwidth
  • PayPal or Shopify point-of-sale systems
  • Advanced reporting and real-time shipping updates
  • Try Shopify FREE for three days.
Money Back Guarantee
3-Day FREE Trial
Disk Space
Unlimited
Domain Name
FREE Subdomain

Best Overall Rating

★★★★ 4.3/5.0

Web.com is known for offering both simple, no-frills hosting plans and a popular website builder. The initial signup rate is very attractive at just under $2; however, the regular rates for the second month and thereafter aren't quite justified by the quality of hardware, support, or commerce features, in our opinion.

A free domain is included with each plan, which is a useful perk; however, the renewal rates are incredibly expensive at $37, so plan to move your site before the year is through. Web.com has a very nice site builder, as well as support for WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, and most other popular open-source scripts.

Furthermore, you can opt to have one of the company's experts design a custom site from scratch for you, which is incredibly appealing to business owners who don't want to get their hands dirty with code.

From domains and SSL certificates to web hosting and social media promotion, Web.com offers full website lifecycle hosting services. Again, just be aware of renewal costs.

  • Frills-free web hosting
  • Support for most coding languages
  • FREE domain with plans
  • Well-known site builder included
  • Special signup rate: $2.95 for your first month of hosting!
  • Get started on Web.com now.
Money Back Guarantee
N/A
Disk Space
300 GB
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)

Cheap Hosting Comparison

Cheap Rating

★★★★★ 4.6/5.0

The great thing about Shopify is how the feature set centers around ecommerce, a focus of many shared hosting shoppers.

Shopify plans are fully hosted, but most of the company's plans are significantly more costly than a majority of the shared hosts we've come across.

The three-day free trial is key to Shopify's success, giving customers a chance to try out the platform before committing to such an expense.

If you're serious about building an online store, Shopify offers a superb range of plan options and feature additions to make successful stores happen within a reasonable budget. Plus, you can host your business at a complimentary MyShopify.com subdomain, or at a new or existing domain of your own.

All plans allow you to showcase an unlimited number of products, and you can sell them via Facebook, a Buy Now button, or the Shopify POS system.

Accept payments via Shopify Stripe and ask for help when you need it because the Shopify experts are available around the clock to help with anything from Shopify theme development to transaction issues.

As you're building your online marketplace, you have hundreds of customizable themes to choose from, and the more technically inclined user can manipulate themes via the Shopify API.

Shopify is great for online store building. It's a one-stop shop for building and hosting an online marketplace and should be considered as such. If you're looking for a super cheap shared hosting option, there are other providers to consider, but if you want a leading ecommerce platform, Shopify may be your winner.

  • Site builder with FREE and premium themes
  • Unlimited bandwidth, storage, and products
  • Easy-to-use dashboard for managing orders, shipping, and payments
  • Tons of features, including discount codes
  • FREE MyShopify.com subdomain or use your own
  • Try Shopify FREE for three days.
Money Back Guarantee
3-Day FREE Trial
Disk Space
Unlimited
Domain Name
FREE Subdomain

Cheap Rating

★★★★ 4.3/5.0

The initial signup rate of less than $3 should light up your board, but the regular rates upward of $10 a month make long-term cost a consideration when choosing this web host. These guys are known for code-free simplicity, with a pretty popular website builder. However, compared to other options on the market, the long term cost is just a little high for the features offered.

A free domain name is included in all frills-free hosting and website builder packages; however, long-term cost raises a red flag again. To avoid the $37 renewal rates, just plan on moving your domain before the year's end.

Web.com has a very nice site builder with support for WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, and most other popular open-source scripts. The team offers decent support and reliability. We'd just recommend you be cognizant of rising costs down the road with renewal fees.

  • Free website builder or quote for a custom site build
  • 24/7 support
  • Easy installs for WordPress, Magento, and Joomla
  • Free domain with web hosting plans
  • Pay just $2.95 the first month, then $14.95/month
  • Get started on Web.com now.
Money Back Guarantee
N/A
Disk Space
300 GB
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)

Dedicated Hosting Comparison

Dedicated Rating

N/A

Dedicated Rating

N/A

Neither host currently offers this type of hosting. While we do not recommend choosing these hosts for this web hosting category, we do recommend our expert's top pick for 2024's Best Dedicated Hosting. See 2024's Best Dedicated Hosting »

VPS Hosting Comparison

VPS Rating

N/A

VPS Rating

N/A

Neither host currently offers this type of hosting. While we do not recommend choosing these hosts for this web hosting category, we do recommend our expert's top pick for 2024's Best VPS Hosting. See 2024's Best VPS Hosting »

WordPress Hosting Comparison

WordPress Rating

★★★★ 3.8/5.0

Although Shopify isn't your traditional web host, WordPress fans can take advantage of Shopify's ecommerce capabilities without redoing their online store. For just $5 per month, you can integrate a Shopify link into your existing WordPress blog.

The Shopify experts will generate a few lines of code for you and — voila — a stand-alone storefront is made for your site. Plus, you can customize via the Shopify API. All you have to do is add your unlimited number of products and your Shopify/WordPress online store is officially in business.

You benefit from all the easy payment processing solutions, including the Shopify Stripe Payment system, which accepts debit and credit cards.

If you decide to upgrade your Shopify plan, the USPS shipping discounts and ecommerce features advance with you; you can even get a free SSL certificate.

Shopify is a fine option for implementing top-notch ecommerce functionality into your existing WordPress website. It's not necessarily the most cost-conscious option, but for those who are serious about online store building, Shopify is certainly worth considering.

  • Add a Buy Now button to your WP site for $5/month
  • Easily copy and paste Shopify-generated link to sell unlimited products
  • Starter Plan boasts no-code pathway to start selling
  • 100+ payment gateways accepted with secure checkout
  • Process transactions easily with Shopify Stripe Payments
  • Try Shopify FREE for three days.
Money Back Guarantee
3-Day FREE Trial
Disk Space
Unlimited
Domain Name
FREE Subdomain

WordPress Rating

N/A

Web.com does not currently offer this type of hosting. We would not recommend choosing this host for this hosting category.

Site Builder Hosting Comparison

Website Builder Rating

★★★★★ 4.5/5.0

Shopify is a fully hosted web building platform that specifically serves the ecommerce niche. All plans include a free site builder tool and you can browse the Shopify theme store for a design that most closely matches your brand.

Themes are fully customizable, with drag-and-drop elements or the Shopify API. Best of all, you can start building your store at no cost with Shopify's 3-day free trial.

Host your online store at a new or existing domain name, or take advantage of the free MyShopify.com subdomain the company provides. The Shopify experts have made it simple to display and sell an unlimited number of items online, and processing them is a snap.

The Shopify Stripe Payments system allows merchants to accept and process credit and debit transactions after customers make a purchase via Facebook, by clicking on a Buy Now button, or on other social media platforms.

Depending on which plan you sign up for, you can get advanced reporting, shipping, and shopping cart features as well. All plans include the option to entice customers with discount codes, too!

If you're shopping for a web builder to build an online store, look no further than Shopify. Build your business, build your brand, and boast an unlimited number of products with ease. Online store building is Shopify's specialty, and the team is available to help you any time of day.

  • Plans include a website builder with tons of Shopify themes
  • Get help with your name, logo, and online presence
  • Sell unlimited items via social media, a button, or POS
  • Developers can easily build on the platform via the API
  • Shopify experts available 24/7 to assist you
  • Try Shopify FREE for three days.
Money Back Guarantee
3-Day FREE Trial
Disk Space
Unlimited
Domain Name
FREE Subdomain

Website Builder Rating

★★★★ 4.3/5.0

#7 out of 9 in Website Builder Hosting reviews

Aimed at first-time users and customers seeking simplicity, Web.com offers a very quick and easy solution for getting a website online.

The company's dedicated support staff is great about helping folks without programming experience get their site running and performing as they desire. For those who just want to throw a fairly simple webpage up online, Web.com is fantastic.

Web.com includes a free domain name, which is perfect for first-time site owners. Customers will also be set up with a custom email address matching that new domain for a polished, professional look.

Though aimed at the new-to-hosting crowd, Web.com shouldn't be overlooked by those with a little technical know-how. The hosting plans have unlimited storage and bandwidth, so you have room to grow together as well.

Featuring hundreds of templates and customizable layouts, Web.com has what you need to get a unique, professional site. Thousands of stock images are also at your disposal, so you’ll have no trouble standing out from the crowd.

Finally, the cost of this service is incredibly low and allows you to cancel at any time. Having a great website builder and hosting for such a low price is hard to beat.

  • Dedicated expert support helps you get started
  • Social media scheduling and email marketing
  • 100s of templates for sites, blogs, and online stores
  • Unlimited storage for photos, videos, and music
  • FREE domain name registration
  • Get started on Web.com now.
Money Back Guarantee
N/A
Disk Space
Unlimited
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)
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Shopify vs. Web.com - Our Conclusion

Alexandra Anderson Toby Sembower Hosting Expert
“We tested Shopify & Web.com — The winner is Shopify!”

If you’re looking for a web host to power your online store and don’t mind investing a bit more money into the best service, Shopify will set you up for success. But for users who just need a simple web host and website builder, Web.com can fill your needs for a lower monthly price. So, it’s up to you to decide which providers suit you best.

Overall Rating
4.6/5.0 ★★★★★
Visit Shopify »
Overall Rating
4.3/5.0 ★★★★
Visit Web.com »

About The Author

Toby Sembower is founder and Chairman of the Board at Digital Brands, a company that builds, owns, and operates websites that have served more than 100 million users. His web hosting experience dates to 2003, when he built the first of many popular consumer resource websites. Since that time, Toby has tested and reviewed dozens of web hosts, worked with hosts to improve their pricing and services, and contributed his expertise at the industry's top conferences. Toby holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida's College of Journalism and a minor from UF's College of Business.
Alexandra Anderson