Blocs vs Shift4shop: Comprehensive comparison guide for 2024

Final verdict

Blocs and Shift4shop both offer unique advantages, but they cater to different user needs and preferences.

• 
  Blocs (Overall Grade: 5.8/10)
  
  is a powerful and user-friendly website builder designed specifically for Mac users. It excels in ease of use, making it ideal for designers and developers who want to create professional websites without coding. Blocs offers a wide range of responsive design templates and integrates with popular web standards and tools. However, it lacks built-in ecommerce features and hosting services, relying on third-party integrations for these functionalities. This makes Blocs a great choice for users who prioritize design flexibility and a Mac-specific toolset.
• 
  Shift4shop (Overall Grade: 6.4/10)
  
  is a comprehensive ecommerce platform that provides a variety of professional, customizable, and mobile-friendly website templates. It supports multiple business models and offers integrated tools for payment processing, marketing, and business management. Shift4shop excels in ecommerce functionalities, making it a robust choice for online businesses. However, it has a steeper learning curve and some users report technical issues and less intuitive user experience. Shift4shop is ideal for users looking for a comprehensive ecommerce solution with strong support for various business operations.

	Overall grade: 5.8	Overall grade: 6.4
Design functionalities & templates	7.5	7.5
Ease of use	8.7	7.0
Ecommerce	7.0	7.6
Website Editors	7.5	7.2
Product testing options	7.0	5.0
Price	9.0	6.7
Hosting quality	0	7.8
Website speed optimization	5.2	6.3
Plugins and integrations	6.8	7.3
Marketing features	6.9	8.0
Customer support	5.1	7.9
Security	0.0	8.9
AI capabilities	5.4	0
User Management	1.4	7.9

Best for ecommerce

7.0

7.6

Verdict

: Blocs is suitable for Mac users who prefer a design-focused tool with third-party ecommerce integrations, while Shift4shop offers a more comprehensive and integrated ecommerce solution.

• 
  Blocs
  
  : Blocs is a powerful website builder for Mac users, offering flexibility through third-party integrations like Stripe, Snipcart, and Ecwid. It provides a range of responsive templates and supports various payment gateways. However, its reliance on third-party services might be complex for beginners. When comparing Blocs vs Shift4shop, Blocs scores 7.0 for ecommerce.
• 
  Shift4shop
  
  : Shift4shop excels with its integrated ecommerce features, including extensive payment gateway support, inventory management, and abandoned cart recovery. It offers customizable templates and robust product page customization options. Shift4shop is ideal for businesses seeking a comprehensive ecommerce platform. In the Blocs vs Shift4shop comparison, Shift4shop scores 7.6 for ecommerce.

Best for informational & business websites

7.5

7.2

• 
  Blocs
  
  : Blocs stands out with its intuitive visual interface and pre-designed blocks, making it easy for users to create professional-looking websites without coding. Its responsive design and integration with popular web standards make it ideal for designers and developers. Scoring 7.5, Blocs is particularly suitable for those who prioritize ease of use and design flexibility.
• 
  Shift4shop
  
  : Shift4shop offers a comprehensive platform with a variety of customizable templates and tools for business management. However, its focus on ecommerce functionalities and a steeper learning curve make it less ideal for purely informational websites. With a score of 7.2, Shift4shop is better suited for businesses that also require robust ecommerce capabilities.

Detailed comparison

7.5

7.5

🏆

Winner: Tie.

Both Blocs and Shift4shop offer robust design functionalities and templates, each catering to different user needs and preferences.

Blocs website builder offers a vast selection of design templates, boasting over 36 layouts for various website types, including business, e-commerce, personal portfolios, and photography, catering to a wide range of user needs. These templates are designed to be responsive, ensuring optimal display across different devices, from desktops to smartphones. Furthermore, the templates are available for purchase in packages, with pricing dependent on the number of websites intended for creation, and are crafted for easy customization, enabling users without coding expertise to quickly develop professional-looking websites.

Blocs Themes

Shift4Shop provides a selection of over 100 free eCommerce templates, catering to a wide array of design preferences and brand identities. These templates are professionally designed with an emphasis on optimizing sales, employing the latest in technology and design trends. This variety ensures that businesses can find a design that closely aligns with their brand and aesthetic requirements.

Shift4shop Themes

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8.7

7.0

🏆 Winner: Blocs

. With an impressive score of 8.7, Blocs is highly regarded for its user-friendliness, particularly among Mac users. Its intuitive drag-and-drop interface and pre-designed blocks make it easy for both novices and professionals to create visually appealing websites without coding. Shift4shop, scoring 7.0, offers a comprehensive ecommerce platform but presents a steeper learning curve, especially for beginners.

Learning Resources

🏆 Winner: Blocs

. Blocs provides a comprehensive suite of learning resources, including a knowledge base, free video tutorials, and over 900 tutorials through Blocs Master. These resources are continually updated, ensuring users have access to the latest techniques and information. Shift4shop also offers a wide range of learning resources, including articles, videos, and 24/7 customer support, but Blocs’ extensive and continually updated resources give it the edge.

7.0

7.6

Blocs and Shift4shop both offer ecommerce functionalities, but they cater to different user needs. Blocs integrates with third-party services, making it flexible but potentially complex for beginners. Shift4shop, on the other hand, provides a more integrated and user-friendly experience, especially for those looking for a comprehensive ecommerce solution.

Ecommerce themes and templates	7.8	6.5
Product page customization	6.5	7.8
Payment processing and commissions	7.0	8.4
POS capabilities	0.0	7.0
Payment gateways	7.5	9.0
Product numbers	6.0	7.5
Additional ecommerce features	7.2	7.2

Blocs ecommerce features:

• Stripe integration
• Snipcart shopping cart integration
• Gumroad integration
• Ecwid integration

Shift4shop ecommerce features:

• Payment Gateway integrations
• Inventory management
• Abandoned cart recovery
• Order management

Ecommerce themes & templates

Blocs provides a range of ecommerce-specific templates, allowing users to quickly launch optimized online stores or business platforms. These premium templates, available through platforms like Blocs Templates, are designed to be fast, visually appealing, and SEO-friendly, ensuring websites look great on all devices and load quickly. With options like the “Shopping” and “Commerce” templates, Blocs offers a solid foundation for a responsive and engaging online store. Furthermore, templates receive lifetime updates, ensuring that sites stay up-to-date with the latest web standards and trends.

Shift4shop offers a variety of professional, customizable, and mobile-friendly website templates aimed at facilitating online business operations. All the templates of Shift4Shop are designed for online stores, ensuring a cohesive and functional ecommerce experience.

Product page customization

Blocs primarily offers ecommerce features through third-party ecommerce platforms such as Ecwid, so the product page customization possibilities vary depending on which platform is integrated.

Shift4shop offers a variety of product page customization features to enhance the online shopping experience. These include advanced product options with inventory tracking, customizable product layouts, and the ability to showcase products through images, zoom, and video. Additionally, the Product Designer app facilitates extensive customization for personalized products. These tools collectively empower merchants to provide detailed and interactive product presentations, catering to diverse customer preferences.

Payment processing

Blocs supports ecommerce through integrations with third-party ecommerce providers, suggesting flexibility in the use of various payment gateways without directly listing them. Blocs does not charge transaction fees or commissions, however such fees may be charged by the payment gateways or e-commerce platforms themselves. Additionally, Blocs does not offer POS capabilities.

Shift4shop supports over 200 payment gateways, including major providers such as PayPal, Visa, and Stripe, offering a broad range of options for global markets without charging additional transaction fees from the platform itself. However, merchants may incur standard fees from their chosen payment providers, typically ranging from 2-3% per sale. The platform also facilitates POS capabilities through third-party integrations, enabling both online and physical store sales.

Considering the features, availability, cost, and flexibility, Shift4shop appears to be a more robust and flexible ecommerce solution compared to Blocs. However, Blocs might still be worth considering for users who prefer a Mac-specific design tool with third-party ecommerce integrations.

7.5

7.2

🏆

Winner: Blocs

. Blocs, with a score of 7.5, is a powerful and user-friendly website builder designed specifically for Mac users. It allows users to create beautiful, modern websites without the need to write code, thanks to its intuitive visual interface and pre-designed blocks. Blocs offers a wide range of features including responsive design, pre-made templates, and integration with popular web standards and tools. This makes it an ideal choice for designers, developers, and anyone looking to create professional websites with minimal effort.

Shift4shop’s editor, scoring 7.2, offers a comprehensive website builder with a focus on e-commerce, enabling the creation of various types of websites with an array of templates and customization options including a drag-and-drop editor. It integrates advanced features for product management, payment processing, and SEO optimization, alongside marketing tools for social media and email campaigns. Security measures and customer support options are in place, although reviews on support quality vary. Pricing is structured around transaction fees for a basic plan with additional tiers for businesses exceeding certain sales volumes.

Mobile editor/app

8.5

0

🏆

Winner: Blocs

. Blocs offers a mobile editor app specifically designed for the iPad, providing a touch-first interface that includes all the essential features needed to create various types of websites. This app allows users to build professional and beautiful websites on the go, making it a flexible and efficient solution for web design on a mobile device.

Shift4shop, on the other hand, does not have a dedicated mobile editor app, which limits its usability for users who prefer to manage and edit their websites from mobile devices.

In summary, Blocs stands out with its dedicated mobile editor app for the iPad, offering a robust and user-friendly solution for mobile web design, while Shift4shop lacks a comparable mobile editing option.

7.0

5.0

Overall Result

:

Blocs wins

. Blocs scores 7.0, outperforming Shift4shop’s score of 5.0. Blocs offers a trial version and a 14-day money-back guarantee, allowing users to test some features of the website builder. Shift4shop, while providing a free plan for US customers, does not offer a trial version or a money-back guarantee, limiting the ability to test premium features comprehensively.

Free Plan	No	Yes, only for US customers
Trial Duration	Yes	No
Testing Premium Features	Some features with free trial	All features within its free plan
Money-back Guarantee	14-day money-back guarantee	No

9.0

6.7

Blocs offers a one-time payment model, while Shift4shop provides a free plan with transaction fees and a paid plan for more flexibility.

	Offerings	Offerings
Free	No offering at this amount.	Free Plan ($0/month): Requires minimum $500/month processed payments with their Shift4shop payment with 2.90% + 30 Cents transaction fees. Unlimited Products, SEO & Marketing Tools, Unlimited Staff Users, Integrated Blog, Unlimited Bandwidth, 24/7 Customer Support, No Revenue Caps, API Access, Secure Online Payments. This plan allows to manage only 1 website and there is no limitation of number of pages offered.
$25-$50	Blocs Plus ($49.99): An add-on to the Blocs 5 plan, providing additional features such as the ability to build custom WordPress themes without writing code, extract typography, assets, and color schemes from any website, a productivity-boosting image editor, a class styles library manager, and an SEO helper. Value for Price: 8.5	Paid Plan ($29/month): All features of the free plan with support for other payment processors such as PayPal. This plan allows to manage only 1 website and there is no limitation of number of pages offered. Value for Price: 8.5
$90+	Blocs 5 ($99.99): This plan offers a native Mac app with no subscription required. It allows building unlimited websites, works offline, includes animations & scroll FX, powerful interactions, no page limit, font manager, writer mode, auto backup, all V5 updates, and email support. A Blocs license can be used on one Mac and all future Blocs V5 updates come for free. Value for Price: 8.0	No offering at this amount.

0

7.8

🏆

Winner: Shift4shop

Shift4shop offers managed cloud hosting with unlimited bandwidth and storage, daily backups, and a 99.9% uptime guarantee, making it a robust choice for eCommerce businesses. Blocs, on the other hand, does not provide hosting services, which significantly limits its capabilities in this area.

Do they offer hosting?	No	Yes, with unlimited bandwidth and storage, daily backups
Data Centers:	No hosting is offered	Shift4shop does not disclose the locations of its data centers
Type of hosting:	No hosting is offered	Managed Cloud Hosting
Uptime:	No hosting is offered	99.9%
Uptime Guarantee:	No hosting is offered	99.9%

5.2

6.3

🏆 Winner: Shift4shop

Both Blocs and Shift4shop have their own methods for optimizing website speed, but Shift4shop’s comprehensive approach gives it an edge in this category.

Focus	WebP Generation	CDN, Code Minification, Image optimization, Caching
Performance Tools	Varies	Varies
Key Strategies	WebP Generation	CDN, Code Minification, Image optimization, Caching
Load Times	Varies depending on optimization and website complexity	Varies depending on optimization
Page Speed Scores Range	Varies depending on optimization and website complexity	Varies depending on optimization
Core Web Vitals Improvement	Not disclosed	Not disclosed

Blocs is a powerful and user-friendly website builder designed specifically for Mac users. It allows users to create beautiful, modern websites without the need to write code, thanks to its intuitive visual interface and pre-designed blocks. Blocs offers a wide range of features including responsive design, pre-made templates, and integration with popular web standards and tools. This makes it an ideal choice for designers, developers, and anyone looking to create professional websites with minimal effort. For speed optimization, Blocs focuses on WebP generation, which helps in reducing image sizes and improving load times. However, the load times and PageSpeed scores can vary significantly depending on the level of optimization and the complexity of the website.

Shift4shop, on the other hand, is an eCommerce platform that offers a variety of professional, customizable, and mobile-friendly website templates aimed at facilitating online business operations. It supports a wide array of business models including dropshipping and print-on-demand, and provides tools for website creation, payment processing, marketing, and business management. Shift4shop adopts a comprehensive approach to speed optimization, including the use of CDN, code minification, image optimization, and caching. These strategies collectively contribute to better load times and PageSpeed scores, although the exact metrics can vary depending on the level of optimization. Despite not disclosing specific Core Web Vitals improvements, Shift4shop’s multi-faceted approach to speed optimization makes it a more robust choice in this category.

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6.8

7.3

🏆 Winner: Shift4shop.

Shift4shop scores 7.3, offering a robust selection of plugins and extensions that cater to various ecommerce needs, from advanced analytics to specialized marketing tools. Blocs, with a score of 6.8, provides a range of custom-made add-ons and extensions, but its offerings are more limited compared to Shift4shop.

Shift4shop’s extensive app store and diverse pricing options, including both free and premium tools, make it a more versatile choice for businesses looking to enhance their online stores. Blocs, while user-friendly and powerful for web design, falls short in the breadth of its integrations.

Blocs Applications

Shift4shop Applications

6.9

8.0

🏆

Overall Winner: Shift4shop

. Shift4shop excels with its comprehensive marketing tools, especially in ads and promotions, making it a robust choice for ecommerce businesses. Blocs, while user-friendly and integrated with essential marketing tools, lacks some advanced features.

SEO Tools	✓	✓
Email Marketing	Mailchimp integration	Built-in Newsletter Module
Blogging	Blog Posts, Disqus comments integration	Blog Posts, Disqus Comments, Categories and tags
Social Media Integration	API integration for platforms like Facebook, X(formerly Twitter)	Integration with various platforms, social media icons, and automated content updates
Analytics and Reporting	Google Analytics integration	Robust analytics and CRM functionalities
Ads and Promotions	No	Discounts, coupons, email marketing integrations, affiliate program, loyalty rewards program

5.1

7.9

🏆 Winner: Shift4shop

. In the comparison of Blocs vs Shift4shop, Shift4shop takes the lead with its robust 24/7/365 customer support. Users can access support through various channels, including US chat support, US phone support, and European support. The availability of a dedicated eCommerce support team ensures that users can get immediate assistance at any time, making it a reliable choice for businesses that require constant support.

Blocs, on the other hand, primarily relies on self-service options such as articles and a community forum. While this may be sufficient for some users, those facing complex issues might find the lack of direct, personalized support challenging. This setup can leave users feeling unsupported, especially when immediate assistance is needed.

0.0

8.9

🏆

Winner: Shift4shop

. Shift4shop excels in providing a secure environment for eCommerce businesses, with features such as PCI compliance, daily data backups, and advanced fraud protection. The platform’s use of Cloudflare for DDoS protection and support for ADA compliance further enhance its security credentials, making it a robust choice for online businesses.

Blocs, on the other hand, does not disclose specific security measures and relies on the hosting provider chosen by the user. This means that the security of a website built with Blocs can vary significantly depending on the hosting service used. While Blocs offers a powerful and user-friendly website building experience, it lacks the comprehensive security features provided by Shift4shop.

5.4

0

AI Builder	Blocs does not have an AI builder	Shift4shop does not have an AI builder
AI Ecommerce Features	Blocs does not have any AI ecommerce features	Shift4shop does not have AI ecommerce features
AI Content Generation	AI Assistant for content generation and editing	Shift4shop does not have AI content generation features
Additional AI Features	Advanced AI capabilities for design, including voice commands	Shift4shop does not have any AI features

🏆 Winner: Blocs

. Blocs, with a score of 5.4, incorporates an AI Assistant that significantly enhances the user experience by allowing for content generation and editing directly within a Blocs project. This feature leverages ChatGPT’s capabilities and supports various actions like Generate, Edit, and Chat, making the design process more interactive and efficient. The AI Assistant also offers advanced functionalities such as dictation and voice commands, providing a more intuitive and hands-free interaction with the design tool.

Shift4shop, with a score of 0, does not offer any AI capabilities. This makes Blocs the clear winner in terms of AI features and functionalities.

1.4

7.9

🏆 Winner: Shift4shop

. Managing your online team with Blocs and Shift4shop involves different approaches to website editing access.

• Blocs allows only one user to build and edit a website, making it less suitable for collaborative projects.
• Shift4shop allows for multiple users to manage and edit a website, with the number of staff user slots varying by plan. Additional users can be added as needed through the purchase of extra Staff User seats at $10 per user per month. This system is designed to accommodate business growth by enabling the distribution of website management tasks among staff members with customizable roles and permissions.

Shift4shop User Roles and Access Levels:

Additional Features

SSL Certificate
Custom Domain
Free Custom Domain Included
International Domains
Mobile Responsive
Page Speed
Website Builder Mobile App
Convert a Website To An App
Website Analytics
Multilingual Sites
Multiple Users

User Feedback

Blocs

15 reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars

Shift4shop

34 reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars

Blocs website builder is praised for its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, making it accessible to users with varying levels of web development expertise. Its extensive library of templates and customization options, including the ability to add custom CSS and JavaScript, facilitates the rapid creation of diverse and visually appealing websites. However, users report encountering bugs and express a desire for more sophisticated customization features, indicating room for improvement. Overall, Blocs is valued for significantly streamlining the web design process, supported by a strong community and educational resources, despite its learning curve and occasional technical glitches.

Shift4Shop reviews present a mixed but generally positive perspective from users. They appreciate the platform’s feature-rich storefront capabilities, ease of use, and versatility in integrating various services, which facilitates online sales and efficient eCommerce management. However, critiques focus on the less intuitive user experience, occasional technical issues such as slow site loading, and the perceived degradation of customer service quality since the Shift4Shop takeover. Additionally, some users find the setup process and system architecture to be overly complex and dated. Despite these criticisms, Shift4Shop is recognized for its cost-effectiveness, support for different customer types, and the ability to solve a variety of eCommerce-related problems, benefiting users by enhancing their online sales capabilities and operational efficiency.

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