This review is sponsored by Zyro. Our advertisers have no influence over rankings, however.
When it comes to starting an online business, having the right ecommerce platform can make or break you. Of course, when you research site builders, all of them are out there vying for your attention with killer marketing materials that make them sound like the best option out there. That’s not to say that each tool doesn’t have its own strengths – but not every ecommerce platform is right for every customer and business model.
That’s why we’re giving you an objective Zyro review. We’ll look at things like features, design, performance, integrations, and ease of use so you can get an idea of what it’s like to use the platform before you sign up.
We don’t just give out rankings to the highest bidder. While it’s true we get affiliates, we take pride in the fact that our reviews are based on data, and developed in such a way that prevents our advertisers from having any influence over their score. All of our ecommerce platform reviews are rated against the same set of criteria to keep things fair.
Why do we put in all the work?
Because we know how important it is to have a platform that works for your business. Choosing one because it’s the cheapest, or because it has a few features you need now, but won’t scale with you as you grow is only setting yourself up for a headache later.
It’s hard to decipher some of the finer details between one platform and another. Our reviews are meant to help you with a thorough like-for-like comparison.
Spending the extra time on research upfront stops you from spending your resources on a platform that will not work for you in the long run. Switching isn’t just a hassle – it costs time and money – and could do some damage to your brand if it’s not done correctly.
Does Zyro live up to its reputation? Keep reading our Zyro review to find out how it compares to similar website builders on the market.
With so many ecommerce platforms out there and major brands like Shopify and BigCommerce dominating the best-of lists, Zyro may not have been on your list of options to consider.
Zyro Website Builder Overview
The Zyro website builder may be a relative newcomer to the ecommerce platform scene, but as far as site builders go, it can definitely keep up with the major players. Like some other site builders, it’s a cloud-based solution, otherwise known as software as a service (SaaS) so all you need is an internet connection. You’ll be able to access the site builder from any device.
Your subscription fee, whether you pay monthly or annually, covers the cost of your hosting and maintenance (and on some plans, even includes your domain for the first year), so you don’t have to worry about hiring experts to help you get your site up and running. The Zyro editor is designed for those without any technical or coding experience to use.
Zyro makes it easy for small businesses to build an online presence, which makes it an ideal option for small online stores and those looking to sell digital products or services.
Zyro History
Zyro is a website builder from Hostinger. Hostinger International was founded in 2004 and owns several other brands, including Hosting24, 000WebHost, Niagahoster, and Weblink.
Zyro is a relatively new product, first hitting the market in 2019. Since then, it has grown to power more than 20K websites across the globe. Besides the website builder, they offer AI tools such as a:
- Logo maker
- Image resizer
- AI Image upscaler
- Image background remover
- Favicon generator
- AI heat map
- AI writer Update: Februrary 22, 2022: The AI writer now supports multiple languages, which is great for international ecommerce businesses.
- Business name generator
- Blog title generator
- Slogan generator
Is Zyro Right for Your Needs?
Zyro is great for basic websites and ecommerce stores. Like other website builders, it’s an easy-to-use platform that offers a drag-and-drop builder. Though there’s not a free trial, you don’t need a credit card to sign up, so you can build out your full store before you commit to a payment. You’ll, of course, have to choose a plan before you can publish your store.
Zyro offers a variety of options to get an online store up and running in a matter of hours. Depending on your needs, you may need to invest in the highest tier plan, but even at the monthly price, you’ll still pay less than what you would for the entry level plan with Shopify or BigCommerce. Zyro costs at most $25.90/month. (You can bring the costs down even more with annual plans, too.)
Businesses Powered By Zyro
Zyro Comparisons
The Zyro platform is a cloud-based solution like Shopify and BigCommerce. You don’t have to install anything on your computer, and Zyro maintains all the technical aspects of the platform for you, in exchange for your monthly subscription fee.
In return, you get a website builder (and in Zyro’s case, access to extra tools like a logo maker) that makes it easy for you to manage your own site. The tradeoff is that you’ll be limited in what you can do for customization. With cloud-based platforms, it’s as simple as connecting your domain name, choosing your theme, and adding content to your pages.
Open source systems like Woocommerce give users the ability to change the source code, making adjustments to suit their needs. Development is collaborative. If you’re missing a feature, you can build it yourself, or hire a developer to do it for you. With this approach, you start from scratch, but due to the size of the WordPress and Woocommerce community, you can find a ton of ready-made options to get your website where you want it to be.
Should you go with cloud-based or open-source? It all comes down to your budget, level of comfort with technology, and website requirements.
Cloud-based platforms are the better option for:
- People who aren’t tech-savvy and need something easy to use
- Those who don’t need any kind of special features
- Anyone looking for a set-and-forget system
- People who want some flexibility in the tools they use with their site
- Businesses with a limited IT budget.
While it’s true that most open-source software is free, it’s only one piece of the puzzle. You’ll still have to invest in a web hosting plan and SSL certificate. Some plans may include a free domain, while others may not. Some hosting companies allow you to pay on a monthly basis, while others require annual commitments. If something goes wrong, you’ll have to fix it yourself, or pay someone to do it for you. These expenses could easily add up to more than what you’d pay in cloud-based subscription fees.
Open-source ecommerce platforms are the better choice for:
- Users who want to avoid monthly fees and profit-sharing arrangements
- Businesses that need more control over their development roadmap
- People who know how important it is to own hosting and customer data
- Those who want to choose their hosting provider – whether on-premise or a managed solution.
- Businesses who want more control over their customer experience.
With open-source software, you can map out the features and integrations you want to include on your website. Your development agency or in-house team will then select open-source modules to customize according to your needs. You’ll only use the things you need, and release changes and updates according to your own schedule. You won’t have to wait for your provider to release security updates – you can do it whenever your team is ready.
Zyro Pricing
Update: In January 2022, Zyro revamped their pricing plans. The information below reflects the new plans and pricing structure.
Zyro offers four plans to choose from. Each plan can be billed monthly, annually, and every four years. You save the most money by opting for a 48-month plan, but if you’re not sure you’ll use it that long, it may not be the best investment.
All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Zyro doesn’t charge any commission or transaction fees on your sales. However, you will still be responsible for any payment processing fees that your gateway charges.
Website
The Website plan is as low as $2.90/month ($2.61/month with discount code ECOMMERCECEO).
With this plan, you get:
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Unlimited storage
- A free domain for a year (on the annual plan and above)
- Free email for 3 months (available to activate at any point during your plan)
- SSL security
- Search engine optimization (SEO) tools
- AI tools to help you brand your business – your business name, slogan, and logo
- Blogging tools
- Free web hosting
- Messenger live chat
- WhatsApp live chat
- Google Analytics
- Facebook Pixel
- Google Tag Manager
- Visitor remarketing
- Embed code
Business
The Business plan is a new offering from Zyro, ideal for business owners who need an instant ecommerce solution. For as low $4.90 a month (or $4.41/month with discount code ECOMMERCECEO), you get everything from the Website plan, plus:
- The ability to sell up to 100 products
- Payment processing via Stripe
- Add up to 5 shipping options to choose from so customers can choose what works best for them.
Online Store
The Online Store plan is as low as $8.90/month ($8.01/month with discount code ECOMMERCECEO).
With this plan, you get everything on the Website plan, plus:
- The ability to accept online payments with more than 70 payment options
- Shipping and tax management
- All ecommerce functions – inventory management, third-party shop integrations, order management
- Email notifications
- Discount coupons
- Gift cards
- Facebook Shop
- Instagram Store
Advanced Store
The Advanced Store plan is as low as $15.90/month ($14.31/month with discount code ECOMMERCECEO).
With this plan, you get everything on the Online Store plan, plus:
- Additional products for 2,500 total products
- Product filters
- Abandoned cart recovery
- Amazon integration
If you’re not sure which plan is best for your needs, you can use the Zyro Pricing Wizard to help you choose the right one.
Zyro Features
If you’re considering a Zyro website, you may be surprised at what all they offer. You can sell tangible products, as well as digital products and services. If you run a print-on-demand business, you can take advantage of the integration with Printful.
For many small businesses, the Zryo website builder has all the tools and features you need. For larger businesses, however, you need to rely on integrations with Zapier, a third-party provider. This can make things complex.
Zyro Features and Plans
Drag-and-Drop Editor
Zyro features an easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor that makes it easy to change the structure of your webpage. You can add elements to the page as needed. When you create a new page, you can choose to start with a template in the theme, or start with a blank page.
AI Website Builder
The AI website builder is one tool that sets Zyro apart from the competition. Simply log in to your Zyro account, click Create New Website. Then click Generate Website.
You’ll answer a few questions:
Do you want to sell products online? Yes/No
What type of website are your building? Once you start typing, you’ll get some suggestions.
Then you’ll choose your button style, which you can always change later.
From there, you’ll choose a color pallet. You can also skip this step.
Then, you’ll choose your font styles for headlines and body text. You can skip this step, too.
From there, you’ll choose the features your website should have. Options include:
- Online Store
- Blog
- Gallery
- Slideshow
- Contact Form
- Subscription Form
- Instagram Feed
- Maps
- Video
Some features may already be selected, depending on how you answered the previous questions.
Once you’re finished with the wizard, you’ll have a website that’s ready to go with your edits.
As of July 2022, Zyroi has also added a mobile layout option that makes it possible for users to put elements next to each other or on top of each other, for easier mobile editing. An image copping option gives users more control over how images display on the website.
Basic SEO Tools
Controlling the page title, URL, and meta description is an important part of search engine optimization. Like most site builders, Zyro gives you the ability to edit these on a page-by-page basis.
Built-In Blogging Feature
Like Shopify, you’ll have a built-in blog on your Zyro site. You’ll be able to take advantage of the AI blog title generator when you’re lacking inspiration. Use the blog feature to target new keywords and provide visitors with more information related to your products and services. You can write blogs in advance and schedule when you’d like them to go live on your site, like with WordPress.
Sell Digital Products and Services
Zyro makes it easy to sell digital products and services. Whether you’re a designer looking to sell printables, or a coach looking to sell courses and consultations, this platform can handle it all.
Update July 2022: Zyro has added a Bookings functionality to make it easier for people to schedule meetings and appointments directly on their website.
Lacking in Some Ecommerce Features
One thing that stood out while we reviewed the Zyro platform is that while you can sell unlimited products, there isn’t any kind of subscription billing or recurring billing option. This feature is built-in to Sellfy, and available with Shopify via a third-party app.
Update February 22, 2022: The team at Zyro is really paying attention to feedback. They’ve added subscription and recurring billing on the Advanced Store Plan. Users with this plan can sell products with daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual billing using Stripe.
While there is a product search function, it lacks “smart” features. That means if someone misspells or otherwise has a typo in whatever it is they are looking for, the search results won’t return anything. Smart search corrects spelling and can recognize common typos, so it will still make suggestions.
Zyro Performance
When it comes to performance, Zyro is in the middle of the pack. It’s crazy fast on a desktop, but could use improvement on mobile devices. It’s also got room for improvement in terms of average SEO traffic.
| Platform | Performance | Load Time | Mobile Speed | Desktop Speed | Avg SEO Traffic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | 3.9 | 1.3 | 63 | 75 | 11717 |
| Sellfy | 3.1 | 1.4 | 46.8 | 72 | 134 |
| Zyro | 3.3 | 2.1 | 51 | 89 | 128 |
| Nexcess StoreBuilder | 4.0 | 1.93 | 53 | 72 | 58,645 |
| ShopWired | 4.3 | 1.38 | 56 | 80 | 717 |
| Pixpa | 2.3 | 1.6 | 22.66 | 65.5 | 72 |
| Freewebstore | 3.5 | 1.89 | 53 | 79 | 927 |
| Ecwid | 3.5 | 5.0 | 50 | 82 | 15,517 |
| Square Online | 2.8 | 2.03 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 65,317 |
| BigCommerce | 4.5 | 2.2 | 63 | 80 | 33626 |
| Woocommerce | 3.1 | 3.4 | 42 | 52 | 72968 |
| Shift4Shop | 3.0 | 2.8 | 50 | 58 | 9703 |
| Volusion | 2.9 | 3.5 | 48 | 56 | 15779 |
| Adobe Commerce | 2.8 | 4.8 | 39 | 43 | 19408 |
| Prestashop | 2.9 | 4.62 | 50 | 52 | 33851 |
| SquareSpace | 3.5 | 3.5 | 42 | 63 | 5678 |
| Wix | 3.9 | 3.2 | 69 | 81 | 543 |
| Weebly | 2.6 | 3 | 49 | 59 | 186 |
Load Time
Internet users today want things fast, and they want them now. To keep everyone (including the search engines) happy, business owners must ensure their websites are usable. Load time is a major part of usability, since people want to access their information as quickly as possible. Research has shown that the stress response in mobile speed delays is like watching a scary movie or solving a math problem. Waiting in the checkout line at the store is less stressful than a speed delay!
As a site loads, there’s a few moments while content loads, and until that happens, there’s no actual user experience. With fast connections, the sites may load so fast people don’t notice the delay, but with slow connections, that wait may be long enough to send visitors straight to the competition.
Our research found that Zyro sites, on average, load within 2.4 seconds. Many sites load faster than this, while several load slower. That average puts Zyro right in line with many other website builders on our list.
It’s a bit slower than BigCommerce, but beats several platforms on the list like Volusion, Adobe Commerce, Squarespace, and Wix. It has a way to go before it ranks among the top with Shopify and Sellfy.
Desktop Site Speed
While it’s true lots of people use their mobile devices to browse and make purchases, there are still many who opt for their desktops. Zyro knocks desktop speed out of the park, beating out all other platforms we’ve tested.
Mobile Site Speed
In terms of mobile site speed, Zyro has a lot of room for improvement. Many of the sites that load lightning fast on desktop have a low score for mobile. While the site owners can make some adjustments to make it faster, there’s a lot out of their control, too.
All that said, Zyro still beats platforms like Adobe Commerce, Squarespace, and Woocommerce.
Average SEO Traffic
Zyro doesn’t do well here. However, we had a very small sample size to work with, and the sites are fairly new, since the Zyro platform isn’t as established as website builders like Shopify and BigCommerce. We’ll continue to monitor this and update it periodically.
Zyro Apps and Integrations
This is an area where Zyro could use improvement. Zyro doesn’t have a large app store of its own like many other website builders.
Zyro Integrations and Plans
Some integrations are included as part of your membership, at no additional fee, including:
- Google Analytics
- Google AdSense
- Google Tag Manager
- Facebook Pixel
- HotJar
- Messenger Live Chat
- JivoChat
You also have access to the code so you can add code into the <head> section of your website. You can use iframe elements to embed code into the body section of your website for additional integrations.
When you sign up for an ecommerce plan, you’ll get access to a variety of ecommerce integrations to help with marketing, product reviews, store design, dropshipping, shipping, payments, analytics/reporting, etc. Many of the apps are free, while others offer free trials so you can be sure you want to use them before you pay.
Zyro also offers an App Market with a selection of other apps you can use to add functionality to your store. While there are fewer apps than you’d find with Shopify or BigCommerce, there are a variety of options to choose from across the following categories:
- Marketing: Kliken Marketing, Gratisfaction, Affiliately, Zotabox, Trustami, Rare.io, Stamped.io
- Store Design: Imajize: 360 Product Views, Random Project Widget, HelpfulCrowd, Checkout Notices, Recently Viewed Products
- Dropshipping: Spocket, Syncee, Printful
- Catalog & Order Management: Codisto Channel Cloud: Amazon, eBay, & Walmart Multichannel, Gift Up! Digital Gift Cards, Bulk Gallery Upload
- Shipping: ShipStation, Sendcloud, Printout Designer
- Analytics & Reporting: Kliken Stats
- Customer Support & Rewards: Gratisfaction, Tidio: Live Chat
- Tools: Zapier, Required Longin for Storefront Access, Discount Coupon Importer, Import Customers, TrustedSite Certification
The good news is, if you need to integrate something that you cannot find an app for, you can invest in a Zapier plan (with a free trial) to connect apps to Zyro without a native integration.
Selling Online with Zyro
Zyro offers some pretty solid features in their ecommerce plans. But, if you want Amazon integration, you’ll have to pay for the Advanced Online Store plan, which is the highest tier.
With Zyro, you can sell digital and physical products. There are never any transaction fees, except for what your chosen payment processor charges. There’s a small app marketplace to help you extend your store’s features, but it is limited to compared to other website builders.
The platform doesn’t have a dedicated mobile app, but because it’s responsive, it will work on any tablet , smartphone, or computer.
Customer Support
You can reach Zyro support via email or live chat. They also have a helpful knowledge base of articles and FAQs to help you find answers on your own. At this time, there is no customer support available via phone.
Zyro Templates and Design
Zyro may not have a variety of third-party theme developers like Shopify and BigCommerce, but there’s still plenty to work with. Beyond the templates, they also have an AI logo maker to help with branding.
| Platform | Design & Themes | Visual Design | Mobile UX | Cost Of Premium Themes | # of Free Themes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | 4.0 | 5.0 | 97 | $140 | 9 |
| Sellfy | 5.0 | 5 | 93 | $0 | 5 |
| Zyro | 5.0 | 5.0 | 92 | $0 | 50+ |
| Nexcess StoreBuilder | 4.3 | 3.0 | 94 | $20-$100 | 4 |
| ShopWired | 4.3 | 5 | 93 | $3495+ | 20 |
| Pixpa | 4.3 | 5 | 94 | 0 | 131 |
| Freewebstore | 4.3 | 5 | 92 | 0 | 100+ |
| Ecwid | 4.3 | 5.0 | 93 | $60 | 1 |
| Square Online | 3.7 | 5.0 | 92 | $0 | 1 |
| BigCommerce | 3.8 | 5.0 | 94 | $150 | 12 |
| Woocommerce | 4.3 | 3.0 | 97 | $39 | 1000+ |
| Shift4Shop | 4.3 | 4.0 | 95 | $200+ | 50+ |
| Volusion | 3.7 | 4 | 92 | $180 | 18 |
| Adobe Commerce | 3.7 | 5.0 | 5 | $300+ | 1 |
| Prestashop | 3.2 | 4 | 94 | $29+ | 0 |
| SquareSpace | 4.3 | 5.0 | 5 | 100.00% | 14 |
| Wix | 4.7 | 5.0 | 92 | 0 | 72 |
| Weebly | 4.3 | 5 | 97 | $45 | 15 |
Template Selection
Zyro offers a variety of responsive templates. Since the site builder also focuses on general websites, you’ll find plenty to choose from. When it comes to the ecommerce section, though, you’ll have 18 choices. The AI generator can help with inspiration if you’re struggling to find one you like and don’t really want to build something from scratch.
Each theme has the option to preview it in action, so you can see what it looks like before you start working with it. You can keep track of your favorite themes by clicking the heart button.
Limited Customization Options
The drag-and-drop editor makes it easy for you to move things around, but the elements you can use are fairly limited. Options include:
- Text blocks
- Buttons
- Images and Image Gallery
- Video
- Map
- Instagram Feed
- Contact Form
- Email Opt-In
- Social Icons
- Embed Code
This list has grown as the platform has made updates and improvements, as in the past, it was only possible to include text, buttons, images, videos, and maps.
Zyro Ease of Use
Zyro is fairly easy to use and set up because you can build a website without any technical or coding knowledge. You can even use AI to build your website. You can have the basic structure of your site ready to go in a matter of minutes.
| Platform | Ease of Use | Phone Support | 24/7 Support | Chat Support | Community Rating | # of Apps/ Plugins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | 4.9 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 | 5,000 |
| Sellfy | 3.5 | No | Yes | No | 4 | 4 |
| Zyro | 3.7 | No | Yes | Yes | 4.7 | 30 |
| Nexcess StoreBuilder | 4.5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3.6 | 50,000+ |
| ShopWired | 4.5 | No | No | Yes | 4.9 | 72 |
| Pixpa | 3.7 | Yes | No | Yes | 4.7 | 103 |
| Freewebstore | 3.4 | No | No | Yes | None | 25+ |
| Ecwid | 3.6 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 100+ |
| Square Online | 4.0 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 25+ |
| BigCommerce | 4.8 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 4.0 | 1000 |
| Woocommerce | 3.3 | No | No | Yes | 4.0 | 250+ |
| Shift4Shop | 4.3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3.0 | ~250 |
| Volusion | 4.1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 2 | ~20 |
| Adobe Commerce | 2.2 | No | No | No | 4 | 3000+ |
| Prestashop | 2.9 | Yes | No | No | 3 | 3000+ |
| SquareSpace | 3.8 | No | Yes | Yes | 3.0 | 10+ |
| Wix | 4.2 | Yes | Yes | No | 4.5 | 700 |
| Weebly | 3.6 | Yes | No | Yes | 2 | ~350 |
After you create your account, all you have to do is choose a template, add your content, adjust your colors and logo, and you’re good to go. You can add pages and adjust the layouts, or work with the layouts provided int he theme. With the AI tool, you can easily include templates for every type of page you’ll have on your site.
You’ll spend a bit more time adding products to your Zyro store unless you’re using one of the platforms like Printful or Spocket that integrates with it and makes it easier to import products. Then, it’s as easy as choosing your payment gateway, setting up the necessary information, and making sure you have billing information on file. Once all that’s done, you can publish your site.
Update February 22, 2022: The Zyro dashboard got a facelift, to make things even easier to use. Everything related to site management is on a single dashboard.
If you ever need to change the site and don’t want people to use it while you do so, you can mark your store front closed, and then reopen it when you’re ready.
Zyro Alternatives
If, as you’re reading this review, you’re thinking that Zyro may not be the best option for your online store, look at these alternatives:
Shopify
Shopify is one of the ecommerce platform industry leaders. Zyro is priced slightly more affordably than the basic Shopify plan, so it’s natural to see them as a major competitor.
Shopify beats Zyro in terms of apps and integrations. They have a bigger marketplace with more options to choose from. The big difference is that many of Zyro’s apps and integrations don’t cost extra. While Zyro doesn’t load quite as fast compared to Shopify overall, it does have a better desktop speed score.
BigCommerce
Zyro and BigCommerce are neck and neck with load speed, but BigCommerce beats their overall score slightly, because of the larger app store and additional features.
Bigcommerce is the better option for brands with larger inventories or private label B2C businesses. Zyro works well for content-based websites and small ecommerce operations.
Wix
Wix is a similar platform to Zyro, and their overall scores reflect that. Both Wix and Zyro are great options for small stores, boutiques, and print on demand. Zyro beats Wix because it doesn’t charge any additional transaction fees, and the overall pricing is lower.
For small businesses on a budget, Zyro is the better option because you get a similar feature set for less money, and the added benefit of no additional transaction fees.
Zyro Website Builder Reviews and User Ratings
If you currently use Zyro or have used it in the past, we’d love for you to leave a review. Our goal here at Ecommerce CEO is to provide unbiased reviews, and we can’t do it without you.
If you’re thinking about using Zyro for your online store, reading user reviews should be part of your research. We hope our objective Zyro review and the data we include helps your decision process.
Zyro FAQs
The Bottom Line: Does Zyro Live Up to the Hype?
For many small businesses on a budget, Zyro is worth the investment. It’s priced more affordably than Shopify, but still offers many of the same features. It doesn’t take long to get your store up and running, and you can even use AI to build the core of your website in a few clicks. While it lacks the design customization features you see in other website builders, Zyro is an effective solution for many ecommerce business models.
Zyro is great for those who want to sell products or services. While the app marketplace is not as robust as Shopify, you can still accomplish many of the same things at a fraction of the cost.
Zyro is a great website builder, but it will not be the best option for every online store. And that’s okay. The right ecommerce platform depends on many factors, including your technical background and desired level of involvement, your business model, and budget. Hopefully, you’ve found this Zyro review useful. Don’t forget to check out other platform reviews before making your final choice.
