Siter.io vs Shift4shop: guide for 2024

Final verdict

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

Siter.io (Overall Grade: 5.1/10)

is a user-friendly website builder with a focus on design and ease of use. It offers a drag-and-drop interface, freehand design tools, and Figma integration, making it ideal for users without coding knowledge. While it provides basic ecommerce features, its primary strength lies in its design capabilities. Siter.io is best suited for individuals and small businesses looking to create visually appealing websites quickly and efficiently.
Shift4shop (Overall Grade: 6.4/10)

excels as an ecommerce platform, offering a comprehensive suite of tools for online business operations. With over 100 free ecommerce templates, advanced product management, and integrated payment processing, Shift4shop is designed to support various business models, including dropshipping and print-on-demand. It is a robust solution for businesses looking to scale their online presence and manage their ecommerce operations effectively.

	Overall grade: 5.1	Overall grade: 6.4
Design functionalities & templates	7.5	7.5
Ease of use	8.3	7.0
Ecommerce	3.4	7.6
Website Editors	7.8	7.2
Product testing options	8.2	5.0
Price	8.1	6.7
Hosting quality	3.9	7.8
Website speed optimization	1.5	6.3
Plugins and integrations	5.5	7.3
Marketing features	2.6	8.0
Customer support	4.1	7.9
Security	6.8	8.9
AI capabilities	0.0	0
User Management	7.1	7.9

Best for ecommerce

3.4

7.6

Verdict

: Siter.io is suitable for those who prioritize design and need basic ecommerce functionality, while Shift4shop is the better choice for comprehensive ecommerce needs.

Siter.io

: Siter.io offers a unique drag-and-drop interface and freehand design tool, making it easy for users without coding knowledge to create and customize their sites. However, its ecommerce capabilities are limited, making it more suitable for those who need basic ecommerce features alongside strong design capabilities. When comparing Siter.io vs Shift4shop, Siter.io falls short in terms of advanced ecommerce functionalities.
Shift4shop

: Shift4shop excels as a dedicated ecommerce platform, offering a wide array of features such as advanced product management tools, integrated payment processing, and robust marketing features. It supports various business models and provides a comprehensive solution for online business operations. Shift4shop is the clear winner for those looking for a robust and flexible ecommerce platform.

Best for informational & business websites

7.2

Verdict

: When comparing Siter.io vs Shift4shop for informational and business websites, both platforms score equally at 7.2, but they cater to different needs. Siter.io is ideal for users seeking a design-focused, easy-to-use platform, while Shift4shop offers robust ecommerce capabilities with extensive support and security features.

Siter.io

: Siter.io is a versatile website builder that simplifies the creation and management of websites with its drag-and-drop interface and unique freehand design tool. It is particularly well-suited for users without coding knowledge, offering a range of templates and design elements. Siter.io’s integration with Figma and other design tools makes it a strong choice for visually driven informational sites. However, its limited number of templates and lack of detailed hosting information may be a drawback for some users.
Shift4shop

: Shift4shop excels as an ecommerce platform but also provides a solid foundation for informational and business websites. It offers over 100 free, customizable templates and a comprehensive set of tools for website creation, payment processing, and business management. Shift4shop’s managed cloud hosting, extensive customer support, and strong security features make it a reliable choice for businesses looking to establish a professional online presence. However, its steeper learning curve may be challenging for beginners.

Detailed comparison

7.5

🏆

Winner: Tie.

Both Siter.io and Shift4shop offer a range of design functionalities and templates, making it easy for users to create and customize their websites.

Siter.io includes a handful of customizable templates for various website types, such as landing pages, portfolios, and e-commerce sites, ensuring users can start with a solid foundation and tailor each site to their needs. However, the limited number of templates is compensated with a UI which is very similar to design tools like Figma and AdobeXD. Additionally Siter.io has built in Figma plugin, which helps to export Figma designs directly to Siter.io platform, and make changes and tweaks right on Siter.io.

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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8.3

7.0

🏆 Winner: Siter.io

. With a score of 8.3, Siter.io stands out for its user-friendly interface and unique features like the ability to import designs from Figma. Shift4shop, scoring 7.0, offers a comprehensive ecommerce platform but with a steeper learning curve, especially for those new to ecommerce. If ease of use is a priority, Siter.io is the clear winner in this category.

Learning Resources

🏆 Winner: Shift4shop

. Both platforms offer solid learning resources, but Shift4shop goes a step further with its 24/7 customer support and wide range of educational resources, making it easier for users to learn and adapt.

Learn Siter.io

Learn Shift4shop

3.4

7.6

When it comes to ecommerce, Shift4shop clearly outperforms Siter.io. While Siter.io does offer basic ecommerce features, it is primarily a website design tool and its ecommerce functionality is quite limited. On the other hand, Shift4shop is a dedicated ecommerce platform offering a comprehensive suite of features, including a robust website builder, advanced product management tools, and integrated payment processing.


Ecommerce themes and templates	4.5	6.5
Product page customization	6.5	7.8
Payment processing and commissions	3.0	8.4
POS capabilities	2.0	7.0
Payment gateways	3.5	9.0
Product numbers	2.5	7.5
Additional ecommerce features	3.0	7.2

Siter.io ecommerce features:

Shopping cart
Checkout
Purchase button

Shift4shop ecommerce features:

Payment Gateway integrations
Inventory management
Abandoned cart recovery
Order management

Ecommerce themes & templates

Siter.io has only a few ecommerce specific templates, however its built-in Figma integration enables the use of a variety of third-party website templates designed in Figma to create a fully functional website directly on the platform. In contrast, all the templates of Shift4Shop are designed specifically for online stores, providing a more tailored ecommerce experience.

Product page customization

Siter.io prioritizes its design capabilities, offering a wide range of customization options that are only limited by the user’s skill level. 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. Additionally, the Product Designer app facilitates extensive customization for personalized products.

Payment processing

Siter.io’s functionality for integrating payment gateways is quite limited, although it does support custom code injection, enabling users to integrate third-party payment widgets like PayPal or Stripe. Shift4Shop, on the other hand, 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.

Considering the features, availability, cost, and flexibility, Shift4shop appears to be a more robust and flexible ecommerce solution compared to Siter.io. However, if you are looking for a platform with strong design capabilities and basic ecommerce functionality, Siter.io might still be worth considering.

7.8

7.2

🏆

Winner: Siter.io

. Siter.io, with a score of 7.8, offers an editor designed to empower users with the ability to create websites seamlessly without any coding skills. It features an intuitive interface, real-time collaboration, and Figma integration, enhancing productivity and creativity for designers and teams. The editor supports inserting custom code for additional functionality, accessing thousands of free icons, and integrating with Unsplash for high-quality, royalty-free photos.

Siter.io editor

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.

Mobile editor/app

No clear winner

. Both Siter.io and Shift4shop do not offer dedicated mobile editor apps. This absence means that users cannot make on-the-go adjustments to their websites directly from a mobile device. While both platforms provide robust desktop editing tools, the lack of mobile editing capabilities may be a limitation for users who need to manage their websites while away from their computers.

In summary, neither Siter.io nor Shift4shop provides a mobile editor app, which could be a significant drawback for users seeking flexibility in website management.

8.2

5.0

Overall Result

:

Siter.io wins

. Siter.io scores 8.2 in product testing options, significantly higher than Shift4shop’s 5.0. Both platforms offer a free version, but Siter.io stands out by allowing users to test all premium features with its free plan. Neither platform offers a trial version or a money-back guarantee.


Free Plan	Yes	Yes, only for US customers
Trial Duration	No	No
Testing Premium Features	All features with free plan	All features within its free plan
Money Back Guarantee	No	No

8.1

6.7

Siter.io offers a wider range of pricing options, with a free plan and three paid plans. Shift4shop, on the other hand, offers a free plan and a single paid plan.

	Offerings	Offerings
Free	Start (Free/month): Includes unlimited teammates, up to 10 pages, 3 forms, Figma plugin, and SSL certificate. Additional websites are free, and SEO and page speed features are not included. Additionally, it’s not possible to publish any of the websites with the free plan.	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-$10	Solo ($8/month): For 1 website and includes 2 editors, up to 10 pages, 3 forms, Figma plugin, and SSL certificate. Additional editors cost $4 each. Value for Price: 6.0	No offering at this amount
$10-$20	Plus ($14/month): Offers 3 websites with 4 editors, up to 50 pages, 5 forms, Figma plugin, and SSL certificate. Additional editors cost $6 each. Value for Price: 7.5	No offering at this amount
$20+	Pro ($29/month): Provides 5 websites, 6 editors, unlimited pages, unlimited forms, Figma plugin, and SSL certificate. Additional websites cost $8 each. 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

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.

3.9

7.8

Winner: Shift4shop

. Shift4shop offers managed cloud hosting with unlimited bandwidth and storage, daily backups, and a 99.9% uptime guarantee. Siter.io, on the other hand, provides cloud-based hosting but lacks information on bandwidth, storage limitations, and does not offer a built-in backup option or disclose uptime statistics. This lack of transparency and features gives Shift4shop the edge in this category.


Do they offer hosting?	Yes, with limitations	Yes, unlimited
Data Centers:	Not disclosed	Not disclosed
Type of hosting:	Cloud based hosting	Managed Cloud Hosting
Uptime:	Not disclosed	99.9%
Uptime Guarantee:	No	Yes, 99.9%

1.5

6.3

🏆 Winner: Shift4shop

Both Siter.io and Shift4shop prioritize website performance and speed, but Shift4shop has a higher website speed optimization score and employs more comprehensive strategies for speed optimization.


Focus	Mobile Responsiveness, SEO optimization	CDN, Code Minification, Image optimization, Caching
Performance Tools	Not disclosed	Not disclosed
Key Strategies	Mobile Responsiveness, SEO optimization	CDN, Code Minification, Image optimization, Caching
Load Times	Not disclosed	Varies depending on optimization
Page Speed Scores Range	Not disclosed	Varies depending on optimization
Core Web Vitals Improvement	Not disclosed	Not disclosed

Siter.io, a website builder designed to simplify the process of creating and managing websites, focuses on mobile responsiveness and SEO optimization to enhance website speed. However, it does not disclose specific information about its load times, PageSpeed score ranges, and Core Web Vital improvements.

On the other hand, Shift4shop, an eCommerce platform that offers a variety of professional, customizable, and mobile-friendly website templates, employs more comprehensive strategies for speed optimization, including CDN, code minification, image optimization, and caching. However, like Siter.io, Shift4shop does not provide specific information about its load times, PageSpeed score ranges, and Core Web Vital improvements. Despite the lack of specific information, Shift4shop has a higher website speed optimization score, indicating better performance in website speed optimization.

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5.5

7.3

🏆 Winner: Shift4shop.

With a score of 7.3, Shift4shop offers a diverse ecommerce ecosystem with a wide array of plugins and extensions, catering to various online store enhancements. The platform’s pricing structure for these add-ons ranges widely, offering both free and premium options. On the other hand, Siter.io, scoring 5.5, offers limited integrations, primarily prioritizing its design capabilities. However, it does support custom code injection, allowing users to incorporate third-party plugins as needed.

Shift4shop Applications

Shift4shop integrations

2.6

8.0

🏆

Overall Winner: Shift4shop

. Shift4shop offers a comprehensive set of marketing features, including SEO tools, email marketing, blogging, social media integration, analytics and reporting, and ads and promotions. Siter.io, on the other hand, lacks in some areas such as email marketing and social media integration.


SEO Tools	✓	✓
Email Marketing	✗	✓
Blogging	✓	✓
Social Media Integration	✗	✓
Analytics and Reporting	✓	✓
Ads and Promotions	✓	✓

4.1

7.9

🏆 Winner: Shift4shop

. When comparing Siter.io vs Shift4shop, Shift4shop takes the lead in customer support with a score of 7.9. Shift4shop offers 24/7/365 support through various channels, including US chat support, US phone support, and European support. This ensures that users can get assistance at any time, making it a reliable option for businesses that require constant support.

On the other hand, Siter.io has a customer support score of 4.1 and primarily relies on its help center and articles for assistance. While email support is available, the lack of specified support hours and limited support channels may leave users wanting more comprehensive support options. This makes Shift4shop the better choice for those who prioritize robust customer support.

6.8

8.9

🏆

Winner: Shift4shop

. Shift4shop takes the lead in security with a score of 8.9, compared to Siter.io’s 6.8. Shift4shop’s commitment to security is evident in its emphasis on PCI compliance, daily website data backups, advanced fraud protection, and DDoS protection. It also provides tools to help businesses comply with privacy laws, such as GDPR, and supports ADA compliance, ensuring websites are accessible to individuals with disabilities.

On the other hand, Siter.io prioritizes user privacy by employing a zero-knowledge storage system, ensuring that user data is encrypted both in storage and during transfer. However, it does not disclose any specific information regarding its website security measures, apart from offering free SSL certificates.

0.0


Personalized Design
SEO Optimization
Customer Behavior Analysis
Sales Predictions
Inventory Management
Content Generation

🏆 Winner: None

. Both Siter.io and Shift4shop do not have any AI capabilities. They both scored 0 in this category. While they offer a range of other features for website building and management, AI is not part of their toolset. This means that tasks such as personalized design, SEO optimization, customer behavior analysis, sales predictions, inventory management, and content generation are not enhanced by AI in these platforms.

7.1

7.9

🏆 Winner: Shift4shop

. Both Siter.io and Shift4shop offer collaborative features for managing and editing websites. However, their approaches differ in terms of the number of editors and the flexibility of user roles.

Siter.io focuses on its real-time collaborative features, offering varying numbers of editors depending on the plan. Each plan provides access for 2 to 6 editors who can edit and design websites, with the option to include additional editors for an extra fee.
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:

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

Siter.io

4 reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars

Shift4shop

34 reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars

Overall, users appreciate Siter.io for its user-friendly interface and robust features, such as the drag-and-drop editor and customizable templates, making website building accessible to teams without coding expertise. However, there’s a consensus that the platform could improve its integration options to enhance workflow efficiency further. Nevertheless, Siter.io effectively addresses the challenge of website creation without coding skills, benefiting designers, small business owners, and individuals seeking to establish an online presence or portfolio quickly and efficiently.

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.

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 to use, Siter.io or Shift4shop?

Siter.io is generally easier to use due to its user-friendly interface and unique features like the ability to import designs from Figma. Shift4shop, while robust, has a steeper learning curve, especially for those new to ecommerce.

Can I use both Siter.io and Shift4shop for ecommerce?

Yes, both platforms can be used for ecommerce. However, Shift4shop is specifically designed for ecommerce and offers more advanced features such as integrated payment processing and extensive product management tools, making it more suitable for serious online businesses.

How do Siter.io and Shift4shop compare in terms of design flexibility?

Both platforms offer a range of design functionalities and templates. Siter.io provides a unique approach with its drag-and-drop interface and freehand design tool, making it highly user-friendly for those without coding skills. Shift4shop offers over 100 professional templates optimized for ecommerce, providing a more tailored experience for online stores.

What are the major differences in pricing between Siter.io and Shift4shop?

Siter.io offers a free plan and multiple paid options, providing flexibility and scalability for different user needs. Shift4shop also offers a free plan but primarily focuses on a single comprehensive paid plan that includes all features, making it simpler but potentially more costly for users needing advanced functionalities.

Which platform offers better customer support, Siter.io or Shift4shop?

Shift4shop provides more comprehensive customer support with 24/7 availability, including US chat and phone support. Siter.io offers support mainly through help articles and email, with less emphasis on real-time assistance.