Shopify vs Amazon Seller 2025
Shopify vs Amazon Seller 2025: Which platform is better for online sellers? Compare fees, control, bans, and success rates.
Key Findings
Which brand leads in AI visibility and mentions.
Amazon Web Services dominates over Shopify with surging 100% growth
AI Recommendation
Brands most often recommended by AI models
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Top Choice
6/6
Models Agree
Popularity Ranking
Overall ranking based on AI brand mentions
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Rank #1
7/7
Total Analyzed Answers
Trending Mentions
Recent shifts in AI model responses
Instagram (Meta)
Rising Star
10.5%
Growth Rate
Brand Visibility
Analysis of brand presence in AI-generated responses.
AI Visibility Share Rankings
Brands ranked by share of AI mentions in answers
AI Visibility Share Over Time
Visibility share trends over time across compared brands
Topics Compared
Key insights from AI Apps comparisons across major topics
"Which gives more control: owning a Shopify store or selling on Amazon?"
Shopify offers more control than selling on Amazon across most AI models due to its emphasis on customization and independent branding, despite Amazon's ecosystem strength.
Grok shows a balanced visibility share for Shopify (2.6%) and Amazon Web Services (AWS) (2.6%), with a neutral tone, suggesting neither platform overtly dominates in control but Shopify is associated with tools like ShipStation and Klaviyo that imply customization control.
ChatGPT heavily favors Shopify (9%) over Amazon Web Services (AWS) (9% but tied), with a positive tone towards Shopify, emphasizing its user empowerment through independent store ownership and ecosystem tools like Stripe for payment control.
Perplexity equally represents Shopify (2.6%) and Amazon Web Services (AWS) (2.6%) with a neutral tone, indicating no strong preference but acknowledging Shopify's platform autonomy versus Amazon's structured marketplace rules.
Gemini leans slightly towards Shopify (3.2%) over Amazon Web Services (AWS) (3.2% tied), with a positive tone for Shopify, highlighting its flexibility in user experience and branding control compared to Amazon's rigid seller policies.
DeepSeek presents Shopify (2.9%) and Amazon Web Services (AWS) (2.9%) equally, with a neutral tone, suggesting Shopify offers more direct control over storefronts while Amazon provides control within a larger, restrictive ecosystem.
"Which requires more upfront investment: Shopify or Amazon FBA?"
Amazon FBA requires more upfront investment compared to Shopify due to higher costs associated with inventory, storage, and marketplace fees as highlighted across model perceptions.
Gemini shows a balanced visibility for Shopify (2.9%) and Amazon-related services like AWS (2.9%), with a neutral tone, but leans slightly toward Shopify for its lower entry barriers. It implies Shopify may require less upfront investment due to its focus on customizable storefronts without mandatory inventory costs.
ChatGPT favors Shopify with a significant visibility share (9.5%) alongside AWS (9.5%), adopting a positive tone toward Shopify’s accessibility for new entrepreneurs. It suggests Shopify has lower upfront costs compared to Amazon FBA due to flexible subscription models over inventory-heavy commitments.
Perplexity equally represents Shopify and AWS at 2.6% visibility each, maintaining a neutral tone and not explicitly favoring either. Its limited data implies a balanced view but subtly nods to Shopify for potentially lower initial investment due to scalable setup costs.
Grok equally weights Shopify and AWS at 2.6%, alongside Amazon FBA tools like Jungle Scout (2.6%), with a neutral-to-skeptical tone on costs. It hints that Amazon FBA demands higher upfront investment due to ecosystem tools and inventory requirements compared to Shopify’s lighter infrastructure.
Deepseek prioritizes Shopify and AWS at 2.9% visibility each, with a neutral tone, suggesting Shopify might have a lower entry cost. It subtly positions Amazon FBA as requiring more investment due to operational complexities versus Shopify’s streamlined platform setup.
"Which platform makes more money: Shopify or Amazon?"
Amazon, primarily through its AWS segment, appears to lead over Shopify in terms of perceived revenue generation across the models due to its consistent visibility and broader ecosystem association.
ChatGPT shows equal visibility share for Shopify and Amazon Web Services (AWS) at 9.5%, indicating no clear favoritism but acknowledging both as significant players in revenue contexts. Its neutral tone suggests a balanced perception of their financial impact with no explicit bias toward either.
Perplexity equally represents Shopify and AWS at 2.6% visibility share, reflecting a neutral sentiment with no distinct preference in revenue generation. It perceives both platforms as comparably relevant in financial discussions without deeper differentiation.
Gemini equally highlights Shopify and AWS at 2.6% visibility but uniquely includes multiple Amazon-related brands like Amazon Prime and Audible, suggesting a slight tilt toward Amazon’s broader ecosystem as a revenue driver. Its neutral-to-positive tone underscores Amazon’s diversified presence as a financial strength.
Deepseek mirrors the equal 2.6% visibility share for Shopify and AWS, maintaining a neutral sentiment with no evident favoring of either in terms of revenue potential. Its perception lacks differentiation, treating both as equally relevant in financial contexts.
Grok assigns equal visibility to Shopify and AWS at 2.6% but includes Amazon Prime (0.6%) and references to financial sources like Yahoo Finance, implying a subtle lean toward Amazon’s ecosystem for revenue dominance. Its neutral-to-positive tone suggests confidence in Amazon’s broader market impact.
"Which has better seller protection: Shopify or Amazon?"
Shopify edges out Amazon in terms of seller protection based on the models' visibility data and implicit associations, primarily due to its stronger focus on merchant-centric tools and ecosystem support as reflected in higher visibility shares across most models.
Grok shows equal visibility for Shopify and Amazon Web Services (AWS) at 2.9%, with no explicit favoritism, but includes a broad ecosystem of seller tools like Jungle Scout and Helium 10, suggesting a slight lean towards Amazon's seller environment; sentiment tone is neutral.
Perplexity equally represents Shopify and AWS at 2.6% visibility, with no clear preference, though the inclusion of Signifyd (a fraud protection tool) hints at attention to seller security; sentiment tone remains neutral.
ChatGPT strongly favors Shopify and AWS with equal visibility shares of 9.5%, significantly higher than other models, and associates Shopify with protective tools like Signifyd and NoFraud, implying robust seller protection mechanisms; sentiment tone is positive.
Gemini splits visibility evenly between Shopify and AWS at 2.6%, showing no clear bias, with minimal focus on protection-specific tools, indicating a balanced but unremarkable view on seller protection; sentiment tone is neutral.
DeepSeek equally ranks Shopify and AWS at 2.6% visibility, but highlights Signifyd alongside them, suggesting a subtle nod to fraud prevention and seller protection mechanisms for both platforms; sentiment tone is neutral.
"Which is easier to scale: Shopify stores or Amazon listings?"
Shopify stores are generally considered easier to scale than Amazon listings due to greater flexibility in customization and control over branding, as perceived across most models.
Grok shows a balanced visibility share between Shopify and Amazon Web Services (AWS) at 2.6% each, with a neutral sentiment tone, suggesting no strong favoritism but recognizing Shopify’s ecosystem with associated tools like Oberlo (1.4%) as potentially aiding scalability through integrated solutions.
Deepseek equally weights Shopify and AWS at 2.6% visibility share with a neutral tone, indicating no clear preference, but the mention of diverse supporting platforms like Oberlo and Printful for Shopify hints at a broader ecosystem that could facilitate easier scaling compared to Amazon’s more centralized structure.
Perplexity assigns equal visibility share (2.6%) to Shopify and AWS with a neutral tone, lacking deeper reasoning or associated tools, thus providing no distinct insight into scalability but implying a comparable baseline presence for both platforms.
ChatGPT strongly favors both Shopify and AWS with an 8.7% visibility share each, exhibiting a positive sentiment tone, and its broader data scope (30 questions) alongside mentions of supporting tools like ShipBob (0.3%) suggests Shopify offers more user-friendly scaling options through customization and partnerships compared to Amazon’s listing constraints.
Gemini equally represents Shopify and AWS at 2.6% visibility share with a neutral tone, showing no clear bias, but the inclusion of complementary social platforms like Facebook (1.4%) for Shopify implies a scalability edge through stronger marketing and community integration potential over Amazon listings.
FAQs
Key insights into your brand's market position, AI coverage, and topic leadership.
Which is more profitable: Shopify or Amazon?
Amazon sellers average higher revenue due to traffic but lower margins (15%+ fees plus FBA costs). Shopify sellers make less revenue but keep more profit (lower fees, own pricing). Amazon: easier to hit $10K/month but keep 30% after costs. Shopify: harder to get traffic but keep 60%+ margins. Most profitable strategy: sell on both simultaneously.
Why do sellers get banned on Amazon?
Amazon suspends accounts for: policy violations (often unclear), selling restricted products (even unknowingly), performance metrics drops (late shipments, defects), suspected inauthenticity, inauthentic reviews, and sometimes for no clear reason. Appeals are often rejected. Money frozen 90 days. No customer service helps. Thousands of sellers lose entire businesses overnight with no real recourse or explanation.
Does Shopify provide traffic like Amazon?
No, and this is the critical difference. Amazon has 200M+ Prime members actively searching for products. You list on Amazon, you get traffic immediately. Shopify provides zero traffic - you must drive every visitor through ads, SEO, social media. Amazon: instant sales, high fees. Shopify: no traffic, low fees. Budget $1000+/month for Shopify marketing to compete with Amazon's free traffic.
What are the hidden costs of Shopify vs Amazon?
Should I start with Shopify or Amazon?
Start Amazon if: you have capital ($5K+ inventory), want fast cash flow, can handle competition, okay with no brand control. Start Shopify if: you want to build a brand, have marketing skills, willing to wait 6-12 months for profit, prefer control over sales. Honest advice: most beginners fail on Shopify due to traffic costs. Amazon is easier initially but more brutal long-term.
