Print & Publishing · head to head
Shopify vs Blurb
Shopify
Print & Publishing
The most trusted ecommerce platform to start, grow, and scale your business
- From
- $29/month
- Rated
- -
Blurb
Print & Publishing
Visual storytelling through print-on-demand books and wall art
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: 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; Blurb wall art in canvas, acrylic and metal ships with no frame option; framing is not offered as an add-on
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Shopify and Blurb actually diverge.
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 Shopify
- Hosted ecommerce platform
- Payment processing
- Inventory management
- Order tracking
- Marketing automation
- Apps and integrations
- Multi-channel selling
- SSL certificate
Only in Blurb
Nothing recorded that Shopify does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Shopify
- Running a hosted ecommerce store with payments and fulfilmentnot Blurb
- Selling across online, in person and social channels from one cataloguenot Blurb
Blurb
No use cases recorded yet. See the Blurb review.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Blurb
- Wall art in canvas, acrylic and metal ships with no frame option; framing is not offered as an add-on
Pricing, plan by plan
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
Blurb
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Blurb review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Blurb if
Nothing in the data separates Blurb from Shopify on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is Shopify or Blurb better?
- Neither clearly leads. Shopify starts at $29/month and Blurb at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Shopify or Blurb?
- Shopify starts at $29/month and Blurb at On request.
- Does Shopify or Blurb run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- What is Shopify best used for?
- Shopify is most often used for running a hosted ecommerce store with payments and fulfilment, selling across online, in person and social channels from one catalogue. Of those, running a hosted ecommerce store with payments and fulfilment and selling across online, in person and social channels from one catalogue are not what Blurb is typically brought in for.
- What can Shopify do that Blurb cannot?
- Shopify covers Hosted ecommerce platform, Payment processing, Inventory management, Order tracking.