VTEX vs Shopify
Scale beyond B2C without replatforming in two years
When your commerce operation grows into B2B, multiple brands, and global markets, you shouldn't need a new platform. VTEX is built so you don't have to start over.
Get startedVTEX by the numbers
- +21%
- revenue in VTEX vs Shopify A/B testInternal test: VTEX vs. Shopify, client migration
- +11%
- higher conversion rate in head-to-head testInternal test: VTEX vs. Shopify, client migration
- 42
- countries with native multilingual support
- 1
- platform for B2C, B2B & Marketplace
The core difference
Run B2C, B2B, and Marketplace from one platform, without splitting your team or your budget.
With VTEX, you run B2C, B2B, and Marketplace from a single platform, with native order management, omnichannel fulfillment, and advanced promotions built in. No separate contracts, no app sprawl, no architectural ceiling. In a direct A/B test with a client migrating from Shopify, VTEX drove +11% higher conversion, +5% higher average order value, and +21% more revenue. Internal test: VTEX vs. Shopify, client migration
Enterprise B2B without workarounds
RFQ, punchout, contract pricing, org hierarchy, and approval workflows, all native in VTEX. Shopify has no punchout support and relies on draft orders for B2B quotes.
Order management included
Run BOPIS, ship-from-store, and omnichannel fulfillment without procuring a separate OMS. At enterprise scale on Shopify, that becomes a mandatory and costly addition.
Go global without a separate platform
Operate natively across 42 countries with multilingual support built in. Shopify's admin covers 4 languages, built primarily for US, UK, AU, and CA markets.
GTmetrix comparison
VTEX outperforms Shopify on Google's own speed metrics
Public GTmetrix reports for two live sites in the same segment (fashion retail, Brazil), tested from the same server location under the same conditions: one on VTEX, one on Shopify.
- A vs B
- GTmetrix grade
- +15 pts
- higher Performance score (99% vs 84%)
- 2.4x
- faster Largest Contentful Paint (678ms vs 1.6s)
- +13 pts
- higher Structure score (96% vs 83%)
Levi's
levi.com.br
- Performance
- 99%
- Structure
- 96%
- LCP
- 678ms
- TBT
- 65ms
- CLS
- 0
Gregory
gregory.com.br
- Performance
- 84%
- Structure
- 83%
- LCP
- 1.6s
- TBT
- 72ms
- CLS
- 0
Source: GTmetrix performance reports, Aug 4, 2026. Test server location: São Paulo, Brazil. Chrome 142.0.0.0, Lighthouse 12.6.1. Both are live production sites, reproducible independently at gtmetrix.com.
Side by side
Shopify Plus compared with VTEX
| Shopify Plus | VTEX |
|---|---|
| B2C-first architecture, B2B is a later add-on | Native B2C, B2B, and Marketplace on one platform from day one |
| No native OMS, BOPIS and ship-from-store require workarounds | Full order management and omnichannel fulfillment included |
| Self-declared B2B ICP: $12M–$200M GMV, minimal integrations, no punchout | Enterprise customers operating above $200M GMV, including complex ERP+CRM stacks |
| Separate Plus contract per brand, no native multi-tenant management | Native multi-tenant: manage all brands, regions, and channels in one platform |
| Admin in 4 languages; built for US/UK/AU/CA primarily | 42 countries natively, 3,000+ clients globally, full multilingual throughout |
| No promotions by payment method, cluster, or traffic source | Advanced promotions by payment method, sales channel, source, and customer cluster |
| App sprawl at enterprise scale pushes TCO toward Salesforce levels (Gartner 2025) | Commerce + OMS + Marketplace bundled, no hidden app fees at scale |
Platform limitations
Where Shopify struggles at scale
No native OMS
BOPIS, ship-from-store, and omnichannel fulfillment at enterprise scale require third-party workarounds. This becomes a major integration and cost item.
No native quote-to-order
Relies on draft orders for B2B. No punchout catalog, no procurement approval workflows, no CPQ without third-party apps.
Multi-brand overhead
Separate Plus contract per brand, no native multi-tenant management. Enterprise multi-brand operations become expensive to run.
App sprawl drives TCO
Enterprise customers require external search (e.g. Algolia, which can cost $500K+/year at $100M GMV), OMS, B2B tools, loyalty, and more, each is a separate contract and risk. Gartner (Feb 2025) noted that after all costs, Shopify prices like Salesforce. Gartner, Digital Commerce Platforms Market Guide, Feb 2025
Weak outside core markets
Admin supports only 4 languages. Limited support for LATAM, SEA, and other high-growth markets where VTEX has deep native presence.
Advanced promotions not supported
Cannot create discounts based on payment method, customer cluster, sales channel, or traffic source natively, critical capabilities for enterprise commerce.
Single price table per SKU
No support for multiple price tables per SKU across B2C and B2B scenarios where the merchant needs different pricing per channel or customer segment.
Feature comparison
What you get out of the box
| Capability | Shopify Plus | VTEX |
|---|---|---|
| Native OMS | Not included | Full OOTB |
| B2B: punchout & RFQ | No punchout; draft orders only for RFQ | Full B2B Suite OOTB |
| Native Marketplace | Requires third-party | Included |
| Multi-brand / multi-tenant | Separate contract per brand | Native |
| Advanced promotions | Basic discounts only | By payment, cluster, channel, source |
| Multiple price tables per SKU | Not supported | Supported |
| Global multilingual | 4 languages in admin | 42 countries natively |
| AI-powered search | Requires Algolia ($500K+/year at scale) | VTEX Intelligent Search included |
Source: Internal test: VTEX vs. Shopify, client migration
Evaluation questions
Frequently raised during platform evaluations
“Shopify is much cheaper than VTEX.”
Full response
$2,300/month looks simple until you add the enterprise apps required: AI-powered advanced search, personalization engine, OMS, B2B suite, multi-language tools, loyalty, and returns management, plus a 0.20% fee on external gateways. Gartner noted that, after all first-party and third-party costs are included, Shopify is priced comparably to Salesforce Commerce Cloud, but clients often realize this only after committing. VTEX’s commerce + marketplace + OMS bundle replaces 3+ separate platforms.
Key evaluation questions: What is the 3-year TCO including all required apps and implementation? What happens when GMV growth exceeds the platform’s stated B2B ICP? How will your team manage promotions and pricing without developer support?
“Shopify is faster to launch. We need to be live in 3 months.”
Full response
Enterprise rollouts with ERP, WMS, and CRM integrations regularly exceed timeline estimates on any platform. VTEX ships pre-built connectors for major ERP and WMS providers, reducing integration scope significantly and accelerating time-to-value. A relevant metric for the evaluation: time-to-revenue, not just time-to-launch.
“Shopify is doing B2B now, company accounts, price lists, payment terms.”
Full response
Real progress since 2022, company accounts, price lists, and payment terms are now live. However, Shopify's own partner materials self-define their B2B ICP as $12M–$200M GMV, minimal integrations, no complex ERP/CRM/PIM/CPQ stacks, and no punchout or EDI. Their admitted self-gaps include: B2B subscriptions, multi-destination single checkout, quote-to-order beyond draft orders, and punchout catalog integrations. If your requirements include any of these, Shopify B2B is not the right fit today.
Questions to ask Shopify before you decide
- Does Shopify have rights over my customer data?
- Do Shopify third-party apps have access to or rights over my data?
- As we scale across brands, regions, and channels, can you handle that complexity natively, or will we need to stitch together apps and workarounds?
See it for yourself.
Talk to a VTEX expert and explore what your commerce operation looks like on the platform.
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