I Tested and Reviewed Shopify vs ClickFunnels

As an e-commerce consultant I’ve seen many online businesses struggle to choose the right platform to grow. Two names that always come up in these conversations are Shopify and ClickFunnels.

Both are powerful tools for online sellers but serve different purposes in the digital world.

Shopify has established itself as an all in one e-commerce solution, with a full suite of tools to build and manage online stores.

ClickFunnels is a sales funnel builder that guides customers through the buying process. I’ve worked with both and seen firsthand how they can transform online businesses when used right.

In this article I’ll share my insights to help you decide which platform is best for your business.

Making the Right Choice

When to Choose Shopify

I recommend Shopify for entrepreneurs who want an all in one e-commerce solution.

It’s the platform to build a full online store with ease.

Shopify shines with user friendly website creation tools, flexible checkout options and robust content management.

I find it useful for those who need a solid foundation for their online business with advanced e-commerce features.

Shopify also makes launching marketing campaigns to boost sales easy.

When to Choose ClickFunnels

I recommend ClickFunnels for entrepreneurs who want high converting sales funnels. It’s a great choice if your main goal is to maximize revenue through optimized sales processes.

ClickFunnels has a wide range of pre designed, mobile friendly funnels for various industries. I like its suite of marketing tools including A/B testing and email automation.

These can supercharge your marketing and boost conversions.

In this article:

I’ll compare Shopify and ClickFunnels, looking at their features, pricing and capabilities. You’ll get a quick verdict, pros and cons for each platform, a comparison table and more.

I’ll review their website design options, e-commerce tools, sales funnel capabilities, integrations and support. Finally I’ll give my verdict and answer FAQs.

Shopify Pros and Cons

Pros 👍

Shopify has a ton of themes to build beautiful websites. I like its built in marketing tools to promote my online store.

The platform has a huge range of add-ons and integrations to customize my shop.

I like Shopify’s payment processing options, it makes transactions smooth for my customers.

The backend interface is user friendly for me to manage my store.

Cons 👎

Building complex sales funnels can be tricky on Shopify, I’ve noticed some limitations in this area.

I don’t like the transaction fees on every plan, it eats into my profits.

The learning curve for new users is steeper than expected especially when exploring advanced features.

ClickFunnels Pros and Cons

Pros 👍

ClickFunnels has sales funnel templates and a full suite of online selling tools. I like its analytics and reporting.

ClickFunnels is great for building product and landing pages and integrates with many other tools I use.

Cons 👎

I’ve noticed ClickFunnels has a bit of a learning curve for new users.

The pricing is also on the higher side which may not be for everyone. These are worth considering when deciding if the platform is for you.

Feature Comparison

I’ve made a table to compare the features of Shopify and ClickFunnels:

Shopify vs ClickFunnels: Features

Shopify and ClickFunnels are two different powerful tools for online businesses. I’ll break down the features to help you decide which one is for you.

Shopify is great for ecommerce functionality. It has a website builder with many customizable templates. I like its drag and drop interface so you can build professional looking online stores without coding knowledge.

For marketing Shopify has email campaigns, social media selling and SEO management tools. These features help businesses reach customers across multiple channels and increase online visibility.

ClickFunnels is for sales funnel creation. Its strength is in guiding potential customers through a well designed buying process. It has pre built funnel templates for different business goals from lead generation to product launches.

Both platforms have analytics but they differ in focus. Shopify’s reporting tools are for store performance, inventory tracking and customer behavior. ClickFunnels is for funnel performance and conversion rates.

Here’s a quick comparison of some features:

Apps And Integrations

Shopify’s app marketplace is a big plus. It allows users to add functionality with thousands of third party integrations. This flexibility lets businesses customize their online stores to their needs.

ClickFunnels has fewer integrations but has built in features like email marketing and automation tools. These can help with marketing without needing additional apps.

Inventory Management

For businesses that sell physical products Shopify has robust inventory management and shipping tools. It even has its own point of sale system for brick and mortar stores.

ClickFunnels doesn’t have advanced inventory features but is great for selling digital products like courses or ebooks.

Its membership site feature is perfect for content creators and online educators.

Both platforms have mobile responsive designs so stores and funnels look great on any device. This is important for the growing mobile commerce market.

Customization

In terms of customization Shopify has more design options. Advanced users can edit theme code. ClickFunnels has less design flexibility but makes up for it with its conversion optimized layouts.

For international sales Shopify has the advantage. It has multiple currencies and languages built in. ClickFunnels requires workarounds or third party tools for the same.

Both have A/B testing.

Shopify’s tests are for product pages and checkout process.

ClickFunnels allows testing of entire funnel structure which can lead to big conversion rate improvements.

Security

Security is important for both. Shopify handles PCI compliance for its users, ClickFunnels integrates with secure payment processors. Both have SSL certificates to protect customer data.

Shopify has a steeper learning curve due to its broader feature set. ClickFunnels focused approach means you can get started faster.

Scalability

In terms of scalability Shopify can handle high volume stores easier. Its infrastructure is built for rapid growth. ClickFunnels is better for businesses that want to optimize their sales process not handle large inventories.

Both platforms update their features regularly. Shopify focuses on ecommerce features, ClickFunnels on new funnel types and conversion tools.

For businesses that need advanced marketing automation ClickFunnels has the edge. Its workflow builder allows for complex multi step marketing campaigns.

Shopify’s strength in SEO tools can be a deal breaker for businesses that rely heavily on organic traffic. Its built in features make it easier to optimize product pages and content for search engines.

Pricing Strategies

ClickFunnels Cost Structure

ClickFunnels has a 14 day trial and three paid plans. The Startup plan is $97/month and includes one website, three user accounts and unlimited funnels.

The top tier Pro Hacker plan is $297/month and includes 10 websites, unlimited funnels and 10 user accounts.

Features across all plans:

• Unlimited courses and workflows
• Email sequence creation
• Analytics tools
• Sharefunnels

The Pro plan has API access and increased contact limits. Annual billing is cheaper than monthly, you can save $194 for the Startup plan and $594 for the Pro plan.

Shopify Pricing

Shopify’s pricing starts with a 3 day free trial. Their Starter plan is $5/month per user for social media and messaging app sales.

For full ecommerce Shopify offers:

All plans include:

• SSL certificates
• Discount code creation
• Payment processing
• Marketing tools

Transaction fees apply to all plans. External payment processors incur additional charges. Shopify Plus has enterprise level features like uptime guarantees and priority support.

I find Shopify’s pricing more suitable for new businesses starting at $39/month for core features. ClickFunnels’ entry point is higher at $147/month but is for sales funnel creation.

Both have scalable options as you grow with Shopify having more granular pricing tiers.

Web Design and Building Options

Click-Based Funnel Creator

I like this platform’s website builder. It’s very intuitive and has a lot of features. It has templates for different business types and you can quickly customize fonts, colors and graphics.

The drag and drop editor is super easy to use and allows real time collaboration with team members.

One of the best features is the built in blogging tool that can help with content marketing. I like the versatility of the platform as it allows you to create membership sites and online course platforms and multiple ways to monetize.

E-commerce Site Constructor

This ecommerce focused platform has a ton of customization options for building an online store. I like that it can create different types of websites from simple portfolios to complex ecommerce sites.

The theme library is huge and has free and premium options to fit any budget. I like the built in app store as it allows you to add more design tools and functionality.

If you need extra help the platform allows you to hire a designer so even if you have no design skills you can create a professional looking website.

Both are user friendly and mobile responsive. I find they are both capable of supporting different marketing strategies and integrating tools for online business.

E-commerce Capabilities

ClickFunnels for Online Sales

ClickFunnels has tools for selling online but it’s not an ecommerce platform. I can create sales funnels for digital and physical products using their builder.

They are building a dedicated ecommerce feature for sales pages. This will include their easy to use editor and conversion optimization tools.

I can accept credit card and PayPal payments and test upsells. Split testing is available to increase conversion rates.

ClickFunnels is not as robust as a dedicated ecommerce platform but it has options for businesses to sell online in their marketing funnels.

Shopify Online Store Features

Shopify is a full ecommerce solution. I can sell physical products, digital products and even subscription models. I can sell across multiple channels online and in person.

Shopify Payments their built in payment processor makes transactions easy. I can customize the checkout and sell in multiple currencies.

The platform has tools for inventory management, order fulfillment and shipping rate optimization.

I like Shopify’s scalability and the app ecosystem. It integrates with other marketing tools and has features like abandoned cart recovery emails.

Product catalog management is easy to use so I can organize and showcase products.

For businesses that are primarily ecommerce Shopify has more features. The built in inventory tracking, order management and customer data management tools are very useful for scaling.

Building Sales Funnels

Sales funnels are important to guide potential customers through the buying process. I like ClickFunnels for building these funnels. It has a easy to use interface to nurture leads from initial contact to purchase.

ClickFunnels has:

• Landing pages
• Email autoresponders
• Abandoned cart strategies
• Upsells and cross-sells

I like that ClickFunnels connects with other platforms like Google, Facebook and Instagram to capture leads. The automated workflows are a big deal, trigger based actions to increase conversions.

For those new to funnel building, ClickFunnels has pre made templates. These cover different scenarios from webinar lead capture to product upsells.

Shopify isn’t a funnel builder but it has some funnel building capabilities. Shopify Flow can automate certain customer conversion steps. The platform also integrates with other funnel building apps through their app store.

A well designed sales funnel can make a big difference in a business. It’s worth investing time to create a funnel that guides potential customers through each stage of the buying process.

Apps & Integrations for Your Online Business

I like that Shopify has a huge app ecosystem. Their app store is a goldmine of tools to help your ecommerce business. From email marketing tools to A/B testing plugins there’s an app for everything.

Shopify’s native integrations are awesome. I can connect my store to social media, marketplaces and analytics tools with a few clicks. This is a big deal for streamlining.

ClickFunnels not as extensive but has solid integration options. I like that it integrates with popular email marketing tools like ActiveCampaign and Mailchimp. It also works with other website builders and SMS tools so I can build sales funnels.

Both platforms get that third party integrations are key in today’s digital world. They allow me to unify my tools and ultimately improve my business efficiency and performance.

• Shopify: Huge app store, native integrations
• ClickFunnels: Email marketing, website builder integrations

Customer Support

ClickFunnels Support

I like that ClickFunnels has a lot of support options. Their help center is full of useful resources like blogs, guides and videos. I can usually find my answers there.

For more personal support I can email or live chat. Note that live chat is only available Monday to Friday.

Shopify Support

Shopify’s customer support is just as good. I’ve used their help center which has detailed guides, FAQs and video tutorials.

Their blog and YouTube channel is also great to learn. When I need direct support I can chat or email their team. For specialized support I can hire a Shopify Expert.

Both have community forums where I can connect with other users for advice and tips. I like having access to these peer to peer resources along with official support channels.

ClickFunnels vs Shopify: Which one wins?

ClickFunnels and Shopify are both great for online businesses but they excel in different areas. I think Shopify is the go to for ecommerce enthusiasts.

It has a full suite of tools to build online stores, manage inventory and process payments securely. Shopify’s strengths are in its flexibility, sellers can create multiple product catalogs and reach customers through multiple channels.

On the other hand ClickFunnels excels in conversion optimization. Its laser focus on building sales funnels is what sets it apart.

I’ve seen businesses use ClickFunnels to create landing pages and guide potential customers through a well designed buying journey. The platform’s strength is in lead nurturing and conversion rates.

Choose between the two:

• Shopify: For building a full blown online store
• ClickFunnels: For high converting sales funnels

Ultimately, your specific business needs will determine which platform is the better fit for you.