# Elementor vs Shopify for website builders

Elementor and Shopify are closely matched for core workflows. Both support ai website builder, templates, custom code, blogging, and ecommerce. Elementor has confirmed free plan. Shopify has confirmed free trial, starting price of £19, and API access.

## Key decision points

- Elementor has confirmed free plan; free plan is not yet confirmed for Shopify.
- Shopify has confirmed free trial; free trial is not yet confirmed for Elementor.
- Shopify has confirmed starting price of £19; starting price is not yet confirmed for Elementor.
- Shopify has confirmed API access; API access is not yet confirmed for Elementor.

## Choose Elementor if…

- Choose Elementor if confirmed free plan matters to you; this detail is not yet confirmed for Shopify.

## Choose Shopify if…

- Choose Shopify if confirmed free trial matters to you; this detail is not yet confirmed for Elementor.
- Choose Shopify if confirmed starting price of £19 matters to you; this detail is not yet confirmed for Elementor.
- Choose Shopify if confirmed API access matters to you; this detail is not yet confirmed for Elementor.

## Features

| Feature | Elementor | Shopify |
| --- | --- | --- |
| AI website builder | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://elementor.com/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/)) |
| Drag-and-drop editor | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://elementor.com/)) | Not confirmed |
| Templates | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://elementor.com/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/)) |
| Custom code | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://elementor.com/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/pricing)) |
| CMS | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://elementor.com/)) | Not confirmed |
| Blogging | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://elementor.com/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/pricing)) |
| Ecommerce | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://elementor.com/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/)) |
| Memberships | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://elementor.com/)) | Not confirmed |
| Booking | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://elementor.com/)) | Not confirmed |
| SEO tools | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://elementor.com/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/pricing)) |
| Custom domains | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://elementor.com/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/pricing)) |
| Free domain | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/pricing)) |
| Forms | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://elementor.com/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://apps.shopify.com/)) |
| Analytics | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://elementor.com/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/pricing)) |
| White labelling | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://elementor.com/pricing/)) | Not confirmed |
| Site export | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://elementor.com/help/)) | Not confirmed |

## Capacity

| Feature | Elementor | Shopify |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Digital products | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://apps.shopify.com/)) |
| Multilingual sites | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://elementor.com/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/pricing)) |
| Bandwidth | Not confirmed | 0 (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/pricing)) |
| Team members | Not confirmed | 5 (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/pricing)) |

## Integrations

| Feature | Elementor | Shopify |
| --- | --- | --- |
| App marketplace | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://elementor.com/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/)) |

## Technical

| Feature | Elementor | Shopify |
| --- | --- | --- |
| API | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/pricing)) |

## Pricing

| Feature | Elementor | Shopify |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free plan | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://elementor.com/terms/)) | Not confirmed |
| Free trial | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/pricing)) |
| Starting price | Not confirmed | £19 (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/pricing)) |

## Commercial

| Feature | Elementor | Shopify |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Affiliate programme | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://elementor.com/terms/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/)) |
| Affiliate commission | Not confirmed | Not specified (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/)) |

## Evidence

- **Elementor — AI website builder:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://elementor.com/. Evidence: “It offers built-in AI tools for site planning, copywriting, image creation, and code generation”
- **Shopify — AI website builder:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/. Evidence: “Design fast with AI.”
- **Elementor — Drag-and-drop editor:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://elementor.com/. Evidence: “Elementor is a user-friendly website builder that offers a visual drag-and-drop Editor”
- **Elementor — Templates:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://elementor.com/. Evidence: “The Editor’s drag-and-drop interface, website templates, and AI capabilities mean you can create your own website”
- **Shopify — Templates:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/. Evidence: “Pick a prebuilt theme.”
- **Elementor — Custom code:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://elementor.com/. Evidence: “Developers can still add advanced functionality and custom code when needed.”
- **Shopify — Custom code:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing. Evidence: “Build custom apps using Shopify APIs”
- **Elementor — CMS:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://elementor.com/. Evidence: “Elementor is a leading website builder for WordPress”
- **Elementor — Blogging:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://elementor.com/. Evidence: “Everything from landing pages and blogs to more complex websites, such as membership sites, portfolios, and online stores, that convert.”
- **Shopify — Blogging:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing. Evidence: “embed buy buttons on an external website or blog”
- **Elementor — Ecommerce:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://elementor.com/. Evidence: “With WooCommerce, you can start selling online, add products, and use eCommerce tools, all within the Elementor website builder’s drag-and-drop Editor.”
- **Shopify — Ecommerce:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/. Evidence: “The world’s best commerce platform.”
- **Shopify — Digital products:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://apps.shopify.com/. Evidence: “Shopify Digital Products”
- **Elementor — Memberships:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://elementor.com/. Evidence: “Everything from landing pages and blogs to more complex websites, such as membership sites, portfolios, and online stores, that convert.”
- **Elementor — Booking:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://elementor.com/. Evidence: “You can also boost your marketing and reach by connecting CRMs and plugins for forms, email campaigns, and booking systems.”
- **Elementor — Multilingual sites:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://elementor.com/. Evidence: “we rebuilt Bloomreach’s complex marketing site with 1,200+ pages across 3 languages”
- **Shopify — Multilingual sites:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing. Evidence: “Translate your storefront”
- **Elementor — SEO tools:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://elementor.com/. Evidence: “Use built-in SEO settings for titles, meta descriptions, and schema markup.”
- **Shopify — SEO tools:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing. Evidence: “automate marketing and SEO”
- **Elementor — Custom domains:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://elementor.com/. Evidence: “You can now purchase and connect your custom domain directly from Elementor.”
- **Shopify — Custom domains:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing. Evidence: “Custom domain name”
- **Shopify — Free domain:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing. Evidence: “Every Shopify store also comes with a free myshopify.com address”
- **Shopify — Bandwidth:** 0. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing. Evidence: “unlimited bandwidth (no bandwidth fees)”
- **Elementor — Forms:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://elementor.com/. Evidence: “Convert visitors into customers with high-performance forms, popups, and lead-capture tools.”
- **Shopify — Forms:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://apps.shopify.com/. Evidence: “Shopify Forms”
- **Elementor — Analytics:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://elementor.com/. Evidence: “Enhance discoverability by submitting your sitemap to Google Search Console and connecting Google Analytics for performance insights.”
- **Shopify — Analytics:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing. Evidence: “200+ real-time reports, plus custom analytics”
- **Elementor — App marketplace:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://elementor.com/. Evidence: “You can extend your site with any of the other 60,000-plus plugins in the WordPress repo”
- **Shopify — App marketplace:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/. Evidence: “Shopify App Store”
- **Shopify — Team members:** 5. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing. Evidence: “Up to 5 staff accounts”
- **Elementor — White labelling:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://elementor.com/pricing/. Evidence: “white-labeling”
- **Elementor — Site export:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://elementor.com/help/. Evidence: “Migrate your site Import, export, or move to Elementor”
- **Shopify — API:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing. Evidence: “Build custom apps using Shopify APIs”
- **Elementor — Free plan:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://elementor.com/terms/. Evidence: “Elementor is a free software released under the GPLv3 license.”
- **Shopify — Free trial:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing. Evidence: “Try 3 days free, then £1/month for 3 months.”
- **Shopify — Starting price:** £19. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing. Evidence: “Basic £19 /mo”
- **Elementor — Affiliate programme:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://elementor.com/terms/. Evidence: “Affiliate Program Terms and Conditions”
- **Shopify — Affiliate programme:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/. Evidence: “Affiliates”
- **Shopify — Affiliate commission:** Not specified. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/. Evidence: “Affiliates”