Print & Publishing · head to head
Shopify vs Marq
Shopify
Print & Publishing
The most trusted ecommerce platform to start, grow, and scale your business
- From
- $29/month
- Rated
- -
Marq
Print & Publishing
Web-based design and publishing for brand templates
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Marq has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- 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; Marq free plan caps at 25 MB cloud storage and a 3 project limit
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Shopify and Marq actually diverge.
Identical on both: 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 Marq
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 Marq
- Selling across online, in person and social channels from one cataloguenot Marq
Marq
No use cases recorded yet. See the Marq 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
Marq
- Free plan caps at 25 MB cloud storage and a 3 project limit
- Enterprise-only unlimited storage requires custom quoted pricing rather than a published rate
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
Marq
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Marq review.
Which should you pick?
Questions people ask
- Is Shopify or Marq better?
- Neither clearly leads. Shopify starts at $29/month and Marq at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Shopify or Marq?
- Marq has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for Shopify and Free for Marq.
- Does Shopify or Marq run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Marq for free?
- Yes. Marq has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Shopify starts at $29/month.
- 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 Marq is typically brought in for.
- What can Shopify do that Marq cannot?
- Shopify covers Hosted ecommerce platform, Payment processing, Inventory management, Order tracking.