GoDaddy vs Shift4shop: guide for 2024

Final verdict

GoDaddy and Shift4shop both offer robust website building and ecommerce solutions, but they cater to different user needs and preferences.

GoDaddy (Overall Grade: 7.5/10)

is a versatile platform that excels in providing a wide range of services, including domain registration, web hosting, and a user-friendly website builder. It is particularly well-suited for beginners and small businesses due to its ease of use and extensive template library. GoDaddy’s ecommerce features are comprehensive, making it a solid choice for those looking to set up and manage online stores with integrated payment processing and flexible shipping options. However, its design limitations and potentially limited third-party app integrations may be a drawback for some users.
Shift4shop (Overall Grade: 6.4/10)

is a specialized ecommerce platform that offers a variety of professional, customizable, and mobile-friendly website templates. It is ideal for businesses focused on online sales, providing advanced product management tools, integrated payment processing, and robust marketing features. Shift4shop’s comprehensive suite of ecommerce capabilities, including support for various business models like dropshipping and print-on-demand, makes it a powerful tool for online business operations. However, it may present a steeper learning curve for beginners and lacks some of the user-friendly features found in GoDaddy.

	Overall grade: 7.5	Overall grade: 6.4
Design functionalities & templates	8.0	7.5
Ease of use	8.2	7.0
Ecommerce	7.2	7.6
Website Editors	6.7	7.2
Product testing options	8.1	5.0
Price	7.9	6.7
Hosting quality	7.8	7.8
Website speed optimization	7.6	6.3
Plugins and integrations	7.3	7.3
Marketing features	7.3	8.0
Customer support	8.5	7.9
Security	6.8	8.9
AI capabilities	7.5	0
User Management	7.3	7.9
Overall	7.5	6.4

Best for ecommerce

7.2

7.6

Verdict

: GoDaddy is user-friendly and suitable for beginners, while Shift4shop offers more advanced ecommerce features for growing businesses.

GoDaddy

: GoDaddy provides a straightforward and user-friendly experience for setting up and managing online stores. It includes integrated payment processing, flexible shipping options, and comprehensive tools for product and order management. However, when comparing GoDaddy vs Shift4shop, GoDaddy may lack some advanced ecommerce features that more established businesses might need.
Shift4shop

: Shift4shop stands out with its robust ecommerce features, including advanced product management tools and extensive payment gateway integrations. It supports a wide variety of business models and offers a comprehensive suite of tools for website creation, payment processing, marketing, and business management. This makes Shift4shop a better choice for businesses looking to scale and needing more advanced ecommerce functionalities.

Best for informational & business websites

7.9

7.2

Verdict

: GoDaddy is the better choice for informational and business websites due to its user-friendly interface and extensive template options, while Shift4shop, though capable, is more tailored towards ecommerce functionalities.

GoDaddy

: GoDaddy excels in providing a wide variety of templates and an easy-to-use platform, making it ideal for creating and managing informational and business websites. Its drag-and-drop interface and mobile-responsive templates cater to beginners and those looking for a straightforward website-building experience. With a score of 7.9, GoDaddy stands out in the GoDaddy vs Shift4shop comparison for informational sites.
Shift4shop

: While Shift4shop offers robust tools for ecommerce, it may not be as intuitive for users focused on informational websites. Its comprehensive features and customization options are better suited for online stores. Scoring 7.2, Shift4shop is a solid platform but may present a steeper learning curve for those not primarily focused on ecommerce. In the GoDaddy vs Shift4shop comparison, GoDaddy’s ease of use and design flexibility make it the preferred choice for informational and business websites.

Detailed comparison

8.0

7.5

🏆

Winner: GoDaddy.

If you’re looking for a platform that offers a wider variety of templates and more creative design possibilities, GoDaddy is the preferred choice.

GoDaddy provides an extensive collection of over 1500 website templates catering to diverse industries and design preferences. These templates cover business, ecommerce, creative, personal, and non-profit sectors, offering various styles such as modern, classic, bold, minimalist, and content-focused. With customization options, mobile responsiveness, and a combination of free and premium templates, GoDaddy aims to meet the needs of users seeking versatile and visually appealing website designs.

GoDaddy Themes

On the other hand, 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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8.2

7.0

🏆 Winner: GoDaddy

. With a score of 8.2, GoDaddy’s user-friendly platform is popular among beginners due to features like a drag-and-drop interface, WYSIWYG editor, and mobile-responsive templates. Shift4shop, scoring 7.0, offers a comprehensive ecommerce platform with a wide array of features and customization options, but it may present a steeper learning curve for beginners.

Learning Resources

🏆 Winner: Shift4shop

. Both platforms offer a range of learning resources, but Shift4shop provides a comprehensive platform for building and managing e-commerce websites, designed to be user-friendly for both beginners and those with more advanced technical skills. It provides a wide range of learning resources, including articles, videos, and 24/7 customer support to assist users in developing their online businesses.

Learn GoDaddy

Learn Shift4shop

7.2

7.6

GoDaddy and Shift4shop both offer robust ecommerce capabilities, but they cater to different needs. GoDaddy’s ecommerce features provide a user-friendly experience for setting up and managing online stores, with integrated payment processing, flexible shipping options, and comprehensive tools for product and order management. On the other hand, Shift4shop offers a comprehensive suite of ecommerce features, including a robust website builder, advanced product management tools, and integrated payment processing with support for a wide variety of payment methods.


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

GoDaddy ecommerce features:

Payment processing
Shipping options
SEO tools
Email marketing features
Social media integrations
Detailed reports

Godaddy add a product

Shift4shop ecommerce features:

Payment Gateway integrations
Inventory management
Abandoned cart recovery
Order management

Ecommerce themes & templates

GoDaddy offers around 70-80 ecommerce themes that cover diverse industries and styles. While generally mobile-friendly with basic customization options, these themes may lack the niche variety and cutting-edge designs found on dedicated ecommerce platforms. On the other hand, all the templates of Shift4Shop are designed for online stores, offering a more focused approach to ecommerce design.

Product page customization

GoDaddy’s ecommerce platform offers users basic customization options like editing content, adding images, and adjusting layouts. For advanced customization, coding knowledge is required. Shift4Shop, however, 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.

Payment processing

GoDaddy Payments provides a versatile solution for online, in-person, and phone payments with a tiered pricing structure. However, it may lack advanced Point of Sale (POS) features. Shift4Shop supports over 200 payment gateways, 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. The platform also facilitates POS capabilities through third-party integrations, enabling both online and physical store sales.

6.7

7.2

🏆

Winner: Shift4shop

. Shift4shop, with a score of 7.2, offers a comprehensive website builder with a focus on e-commerce. It integrates advanced features for product management, payment processing, and SEO optimization, alongside marketing tools for social media and email campaigns. It also provides a comprehensive array of website builder tools and widgets, designed to accommodate a wide range of eCommerce functionalities from basic to advanced requirements.

GoDaddy’s editor, scoring 6.7, is a user-friendly drag-and-drop tool enabling website creation without coding. It offers pre-designed templates, a mobile-friendly interface, basic SEO tools, and ecommerce integration. However, it has some design limitations and potentially limited third-party app integrations.

Godaddy editor

Mobile editor/app

5.5

Winner: GoDaddy

. Both GoDaddy and Shift4shop have limitations when it comes to mobile editing capabilities. GoDaddy allows users to access their website builder through a mobile web browser, which provides some level of flexibility for on-the-go adjustments. However, the experience might be slightly constrained on a smaller screen, and there is no dedicated mobile app for a more streamlined editing process.

Shift4shop, on the other hand, does not offer a dedicated mobile editor app, which significantly limits its usability for users who need to make quick changes or manage their site from a mobile device.

In summary, while neither platform excels in mobile editing, GoDaddy offers a more accessible solution through mobile web browser access, making it the better option for users needing mobile editing capabilities.

8.1

5.0

Overall Result

:

GoDaddy Wins

. GoDaddy scores 8.1 in product testing options, significantly higher than Shift4shop’s 5.0. GoDaddy offers a free version and a 30-day money-back guarantee for all paid plans, allowing users to explore all features and get a full refund if not satisfied. On the other hand, Shift4shop offers a free version only for US customers and does not provide a money-back guarantee.


Free Plan	Yes	Yes, only for US customers
Trial Duration	No (30-day money-back guarantee)	No
Testing Premium Features	Full refund within 30 days if not satisfied	All features within its free plan
Money Back Guarantee	30-day money-back guarantee for all paid plans	No

7.9

6.7

GoDaddy offers a wider range of price plans, including a free option, and discounts for annual payments. However, Shift4shop offers a free plan with essential features for businesses willing to use Shift4Shop’s payment processor.

	Offerings	Offerings
Free	Free ($0/month): Build a basic website with limited templates, storage, and features. Ideal for testing the platform.	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.
$0-$8	Basic ($5.99/month): More templates, custom domain support, email marketing, SEO tools, social media integrations, analytics. Ideal for personal websites and small businesses. Value for Price: 6.5	No offering at this amount.
$8-$10	Premium ($9.99/month): All Basic features + blog, ecommerce with product listings and payments, advanced marketing tools, and analytics. Ideal for businesses with online sales or growing web presence. Value for Price: 8.0	No offering at this amount.
$10-$18	Commerce ($15.99/month): All Premium features + advanced ecommerce tools like cart recovery, discounts, reviews, memberships, and unlimited products. Ideal for businesses with significant online sales and complex product offerings. Value for Price: 9.0	No offering at this amount.
$18+	Pro ($19.99/month): All Commerce features + priority support, higher bandwidth, website security, and CDN. Ideal for businesses with high traffic and critical online presence. Value for Price: 9.5	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

In some cases companies have different prices based on various components like a
location. As a result in rare cases the prices displayed here can differ from the ones you see on their
websites.

7.8

Winner: Tie

. Both GoDaddy and Shift4shop offer reliable hosting services with a 99.9% uptime guarantee. GoDaddy offers various types of hosting and has data centers in multiple countries, while Shift4shop offers managed cloud hosting but does not disclose the locations of its data centers.


Do they offer hosting?	Yes, included in all of their plans	Yes, included in all of their plans
Data Centers:	Data Centers in USA, France, Germany and UK Cloud Services Through AWS	Shift4shop does not disclose the locations of its data centers
Type of hosting:	Shared Hosting, VPS Hosting, Dedicated, WordPress Hosting	Managed Cloud Hosting
Uptime:	99.9%	99.9%
Uptime Guarantee:	Yes, 99.9%	Yes, 99.9%

7.6

6.3

🏆 Winner: GoDaddy

Both GoDaddy and Shift4shop prioritize website speed optimization, but GoDaddy’s detailed strategies and improvements give it an edge over Shift4shop.


Focus	CDN, Automatic Maintenance, Resource Optimization	CDN, Code Minification, Image optimization, Caching
Performance Tools	Infrastructure upgrades, caching mechanisms, image optimization tools, automatic minification of code files	Not specified
Key Strategies	CDN, Automatic Maintenance, Resource Optimization	CDN, Code Minification, Image optimization, Caching
Load Times	Shared Hosting: 2-4 seconds, VPS Hosting: 1-2 seconds, Dedicated Server: 0.5-1.5 seconds	Varies depending on optimization
Page Speed Scores Range	Shared Hosting: 50-70/100, VPS Hosting: 70-85/100, Dedicated Server: 80-95/100	Not specified
Core Web Vitals Improvement	Infrastructure upgrades, improved server infrastructure and data centers, effective caching mechanisms, image optimization tools, automatic minification of code files, optimized templates and code structures for efficient rendering	Not specified

GoDaddy has enhanced its platform through infrastructure upgrades, including improved server infrastructure and data centers, resulting in faster loading times. Additionally, the implementation of effective caching mechanisms, image optimization tools, and automatic minification of code files contribute to a smoother user experience and improved Core Web Vital metrics. The website builder features optimized templates and code structures for efficient rendering, further enhancing overall performance.

On the other hand, Shift4shop does not provide any information on their Core Web Vitals improvements. Their strategies for speed optimization include CDN, Code Minification, Image optimization, and Caching. However, the lack of detailed information about their performance tools, load times, and PageSpeed scores makes it difficult to compare their performance with GoDaddy’s.

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7.3

🏆 Winner: Tie.

Both GoDaddy and Shift4shop score 7.3 in plugins and integrations. GoDaddy offers a more focused set of built-in features with the option to extend functionalities through limited plugins, including appointment scheduling, live chat, social media integrations, marketing tools, analytics, and ecommerce enhancements. On the other hand, Shift4shop supports a diverse ecommerce ecosystem with a wide array of plugins and extensions, catering to various online store enhancements from user experience improvements to sales boosts. The platform’s pricing structure for these add-ons ranges widely, offering both free and premium options.

GoDaddy Applications

Shift4shop Applications

Shift4shop integrations

7.3

8.0

🏆

Overall Winner: Shift4shop

. Shift4shop has a slight edge over GoDaddy in terms of marketing features, especially in the areas of SEO and analytics. GoDaddy, however, offers a robust set of tools for email marketing and social media integration.


SEO Tools	✓	✓
Email Marketing	✓	✓
Blogging	✓	✓
Social Media Integration	Tools for social media linking and content sharing	Advanced integration for selling directly on social platforms
Analytics and Reporting	Basic analytics with more detailed insights on higher plans	Detailed analytics for in-depth insights
Ads and Promotions	Features to create and track online ads, including Google Ads	Comprehensive ad campaign management

8.5

7.9

🏆 Winner: GoDaddy

. In the GoDaddy vs Shift4shop comparison, GoDaddy takes the lead with its versatile and accessible customer support options. GoDaddy offers 24/7 phone support in multiple languages, live chat, and email assistance, ensuring users can get help whenever they need it. Additionally, the 24/7 Community Forum and social media channels provide further support avenues, making it a robust choice for users seeking comprehensive assistance.

Shift4shop also provides 24/7/365 customer support through US chat, phone support, and a dedicated eCommerce support team. While it offers reliable support options, it lacks the extensive language support and community resources that GoDaddy provides. For enterprise-level support, GoDaddy excels with dedicated account managers and priority routing, whereas Shift4shop does not offer specialized enterprise support.

6.8

8.9

🏆

Winner: Shift4shop

. Shift4shop scores higher in security with a score of 8.9 compared to GoDaddy’s 6.8. Shift4shop provides a secure platform for eCommerce businesses, emphasizing PCI compliance, daily website data backups, and advanced fraud protection. It offers tools to help businesses comply with privacy laws, such as GDPR, and uses Cloudflare for DDoS protection. Additionally, Shift4shop supports ADA compliance, ensuring websites are accessible to individuals with disabilities, and integrates seamlessly with payment processing solutions for enhanced security.

GoDaddy, while offering robust website security features like SSL certificates, malware scanning, and web application firewalls, provides limited options for private data storage protection. Users should consider alternative solutions for comprehensive data security beyond the primary focus on web hosting.

7.5


AI Builder
AI Ecommerce features	AI-generated product descriptions, customer service tool, and digital ad creation
AI content generation	AI-generated product descriptions, customer service messages, and social media ads
Additional AI features

🏆 Winner: GoDaddy

. GoDaddy, with a score of 7.5, utilizes AI to enhance the ecommerce experience. Its AI features focus on generating product descriptions, customer service messages, and social media ads. These tools are part of GoDaddy’s initiative to leverage generative AI, aiming to save business owners time and effort, allowing them to focus more on growth and achieving better work-life balance.

No image available

Shift4shop, on the other hand, does not have any AI capabilities, scoring 0 in this category.

7.3

7.9

🏆 Winner: Shift4shop

. Both GoDaddy and Shift4shop offer multiple user roles and access levels, but Shift4shop has a slightly higher user management score.

GoDaddy’s number of users who can edit a website varies based on the hosting plan and website building tool. The free plan permits one user, while Deluxe and Ultimate plans allow up to five users with full editing permissions.
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.

GoDaddy User Roles and Access Levels:

Role	Description	Access Highlights
Account Holder	The primary owner of the GoDaddy Website Builder account.	Full access to all website builder features, domain management, hosting settings, and account settings.
Delegate Access	Users granted permission by the account holder to access specific parts of the GoDaddy account.	Can be given varying levels of access, from managing domains and products to making purchases on behalf of the account holder.
Website Editor	Users with permissions to edit and update the website through the Website Builder interface.	Can customize the website, add or edit sections (e.g., image galleries, menus), and update content.
Online Store Manager	Specifically for websites with e-commerce capabilities, managing product listings, orders, and payments.	Access to manage the online store, including product listings, coupons, shopping cart, shipping, and payments.

Shift4shop User Roles and Access Levels:

Role	Description	Access Highlights
Admin	Full control over the platform, responsible for setting up and managing all aspects of the online store.	Complete access to all areas including configuration, order management, product listings, user management, and analytics.
Manager	Oversees day-to-day operations, including order processing, inventory management, and customer service.	Access to order management, inventory, reports, and limited settings for day-to-day operations. Does not have access to high-level configurations.
Sales Rep	Focuses on customer interaction, order entry, and sales tracking.	Access to customer information, order creation, and sales reporting tools. Cannot alter product listings or configurations.
Content Creator	Generates product descriptions, blog posts, and marketing material.	Access to content management systems, blog, and marketing tools. No access to order management or configurations.
Customer Service Rep	Handles customer inquiries, returns, and complaints.	Access to customer information, order status, and communication tools. Limited access to order modifications.

Additional Features


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

User Feedback

GoDaddy

838 reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars

Shift4shop

34 reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars

Users generally praise GoDaddy for its affordability, reliability, and user-friendly interface, particularly in domain registration and hosting services. However, concerns include occasional interface changes, perceived slowness in website hosting, and dissatisfaction with pricing increases.

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.

The making of this blog

We followed a clear, step-by-step process to write and research this article.

Our Ranking Criteria

FAQ

Which platform is easier for beginners to use, GoDaddy or Shift4shop?

GoDaddy is generally easier for beginners due to its user-friendly interface and simpler design tools. It’s well-suited for users who need a straightforward approach to website building without extensive technical requirements.

How do GoDaddy and Shift4shop compare in terms of ecommerce capabilities?

Shift4shop offers more robust ecommerce features, making it suitable for users who require advanced tools for online store management, such as extensive payment gateway support and advanced product management. GoDaddy, while offering basic ecommerce capabilities, is better suited for simpler, smaller-scale online stores.

What are the pricing options like for GoDaddy and Shift4shop?

GoDaddy provides a range of pricing plans, including a free option, which makes it accessible for users with varying budgets. Shift4shop also offers a free plan but is specifically tailored for users who agree to use Shift4Shop’s payment processor, catering to users who process a significant volume of transactions.

Which platform offers better customer support?

GoDaddy is known for its superior customer support, offering 24/7 access via phone, live chat, and email, along with a comprehensive knowledge base. This makes it a preferable option for users who value readily available assistance.