Print & Publishing · head to head
QuarkXPress vs Shopify
QuarkXPress
Print & Publishing
The original desktop publishing software for print and digital design
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Shopify
Print & Publishing
The most trusted ecommerce platform to start, grow, and scale your business
- From
- $29/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: QuarkXPress quarky AI assistant and AI font pairing require a subscription license or a perpetual license with an active maintenance and support contract from v21.1 onward; Shopify using any payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a transaction fee on top of the card rate, at 2% on Basic falling to 0.2% on Plus
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which QuarkXPress and Shopify actually diverge.
| Attribute | QuarkXPress | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | $29/month |
| Pricing model | one-time | subscription |
| Founded | Unknown | 2006 |
Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Print & Publishing).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in QuarkXPress
Nothing recorded that Shopify does not also cover.
Only in Shopify
- Hosted ecommerce platform
- Payment processing
- Inventory management
- Order tracking
- Marketing automation
- Apps and integrations
- Multi-channel selling
- SSL certificate
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
QuarkXPress
No use cases recorded yet. See the QuarkXPress review.
Shopify
- Running a hosted ecommerce store with payments and fulfilmentnot QuarkXPress
- Selling across online, in person and social channels from one cataloguenot QuarkXPress
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
QuarkXPress
- Quarky AI assistant and AI font pairing require a subscription license or a perpetual license with an active maintenance and support contract from v21.1 onward
Shopify
- Using any payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a transaction fee on top of the card rate, at 2% on Basic falling to 0.2% on Plus
- That fee makes the cheapest plan the most expensive place to use an outside processor, which is the opposite of how plans usually work
- Card rates also improve with the plan, from 2.9% on Basic to 2.7% on Advanced
- Amex is charged at a higher rate than other cards on every plan below Plus
- Plus starts at $2,300 a month
- The advertised lower monthly prices require paying a year up front
Pricing, plan by plan
QuarkXPress
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the QuarkXPress review.
Shopify
$29/month- Starter$5/month
- Buy Button & Sales Channel
- Abandoned checkout recovery
- Basic reporting
- Basic$29/month
- Online store
- Up to 2 staff accounts
- Basic reports
- Standard$79/month
- Professional reports
- Gift cards
- Up to 15 staff accounts
Which should you pick?
Choose QuarkXPress if
Nothing in the data separates QuarkXPress from Shopify on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is QuarkXPress or Shopify better?
- Neither clearly leads. QuarkXPress starts at On request and Shopify at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, QuarkXPress or Shopify?
- QuarkXPress starts at On request and Shopify at $29/month.
- Does QuarkXPress or Shopify run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- What can QuarkXPress do that Shopify cannot?
- Shopify covers Hosted ecommerce platform, Payment processing, Inventory management, Order tracking.