With no requirement for coding anymore, visual builders are taking the top of the list as they provide the best drag & drop builders suitable for eCommerce owners and digital marketers.
Oftentimes, pre-built templates offer very little to no adjustability. When was the last time you wished you could quickly change the simplest things on your product page?
In this post, I will review two of the best drag & drop builders on the market. The choice won’t be easy, but by the end of the article, you’ll know exactly which builder fits your needs better – so keep on reading!
What is PageFly and What is GemPages?
PageFly is a drag & drop builder app that’s available for the Shopify platform, but it’s much more than that. PageFly can teach you how to design pages that will convert much better than standard Shopify themes.
Shopify is great for its simplicity and easy access, but when it comes down to themes, even some of the premium themes just can’t fit the needs of every store out there.
However, PageFly is built to provide a great user experience, combine it with useful material that will help you optimize your conversion rate while not costing you a single penny to start with.
On the other hand, we have GemPages which is definitely near the top of the drag & drop builder list for Shopify users. It gives a tough fight to most of its alternatives.
GemPages is most known for its combination of drag and drop builder with a library full of pre-made templates that are just waiting for you to optimize them. So if you’re starting from scratch, this might be a far better option than settling for a pre-built Shopify theme that might look attractive but will end up being hardly optimizable.
Keep on reading to find our comparison between the most important elements of each builder so you know exactly how each one of them will fit your unique situation.
Also Read: Clickfunnels vs Shopify
PageFly vs GemPages: Supported Platforms
You might have noticed that I mentioned Shopify a couple of times so far. But what if you’re not on Shopify?
Even if you are currently using Shopify, what if something forces you to make the change and find a new platform? Find out which builder is better when it comes down to compatibility below.
PageFly
While PageFly keeps a high position on the list and can easily beat out most of its competitors – the thing about PageFly is that it’s only reserved for use with the Shopify platform.
If you aren’t a Shopify user yet, if you sign up with PageFly, you will have to open a Shopify account.
So if you aren’t a Shopify user – unfortunately PageFly might not be the right choice for you as it’s tightly tied to the Shopify platform.
Will this change in the future?
It seems that PageFly was designed as a Shopify app so it’s built-into Shopify and it doesn’t have any other version of the app so the answer is no. I don’t think that you should be very optimistic about using PageFly on any other eCommerce platform.
However, if you’re just starting you shouldn’t be afraid of being tied to Shopify as it’s the number one eCommerce platform so it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
GemPages
When it comes down to GemPage’s compatibility the story is different. GemPages is optimized to work best with the Shopify platform and Shopify themes.
However, you can also use it with third-party themes that are coded by various publishing companies or even by yourself.
But keep in mind, GemPages says that third-party themes have a bigger rate of causing a conflict in your store because of the random coding style.
I found that the GemPages’ support team is more than willing to work with GemPages users to remove any conflicts & glitches to eventually make GemPages compatible with certain themes.
This is great news and this means only one thing. As GemPages works on third-party theme compatibility, more and more third-party apps will be supported.
So if you aren’t using Shopify or you are afraid that you might end up suddenly moving away from Shopify any time in the future, GemPages seems to be a better choice.
This also means that you will be able to fully use GemPages features on third-party themes which include access to a library full of templates, drag and drop builder, responsive gadgets and widgets, and conversion-focused tools to optimize any page for a higher conversion rate.
Check Out: Alidropship vs Shopify
PageFly vs GemPages: Templates
Drag and drop builders are becoming increasingly popular, but while most believe the reason is the highly customizable interface, that’s not quite right.
PageFly and GemPages users love the drag & drop feature, but it’s the templates that allow you to save time, be less creative, and make unique designs from existing templates.
I’ve mentioned the library of templates before, but which app offers more options?
PageFly
PageFly offers 70+ templates which are actual Shopify page templates. All templates are designed and well-optimized for search engines. If you are focusing on the paid traffic, these templates can help you optimize your whole store for search engines which can be another traffic stream.
All templates combine functionality with style so the result is a very attractive-looking theme that’s just waiting for you to work on it further.
A great advantage to PageFly templates is that they’re built for almost any industry. When you’re searching for the perfect template, you can sort templates by industry.
Here are the industry categories:
- Art & photography
- Books & magazines
- Electronics & gadgets
- Fashion & apparel
- Food & drink
- Gift & collectibles
- Health & beauty
- Home & furniture
- Professional services
- Sport & recreation
- General
When it comes down to page type, you won’t only see homepages/landing pages. You will also have a choice between the following pages:
- Home page
- Product page
- Collection page
- Sales page
- About/Contact page
- Password protected page
- Blogroll page
- Others
Also, keep in mind that any of the templates are highly customizable, but I like that PageFly considered this as they have pre-built templates for all pages an eCommerce store would need.
To remind you again of the possible downside, these templates will only work with the Shopify platform.
You Might Want To Read: Best Page Builders For WordPress
GemPages
GemPages offers 50+ fully responsive templates where you can customize almost anything you see within the template.
While this might seem like a pretty low number of templates, you should consider that on top of the templates, GemPages also offers:
- Basic elements
- Shopify elements
- Visual presentation elements
- Sales booster elements
- Various integrations
This means that you can choose any of the 50 templates, but get creative as much as you like and take full advantage of GemPages elements.
The result can be a Shopify page that has no similarity to the template you’ve used. This is a combination I am a big fan of for two reasons:
- You get a quick head start with a pre-built template
- You can get as creative as you wish and create a unique page from a pre-built theme using the elements
If you were using WordPress and WooCommerce, you would need to install various plugins to achieve half the things GemPages elements can achieve, and that’s the biggest advantage of GemPages templates.
GemPages vs PageFly: Drag and Drop Builder
As I’ve mentioned earlier, a drag and drop builder wouldn’t be as efficient if there weren’t templates available.
But now that you know you’ll have plenty of choices when it comes down to templates, let’s have a look at the quality of both drag and drop builders.
After all, they’ll be the main point of template optimization so you should pay attention to it and try to choose the builder that will fit your needs and technical knowledge the most.
PageFly
Since PageFly only works with Shopify templates, its builder is well optimized and allows you to click on any element within the template.
Adding an element, deleting an element, changing its position, or resizing its box are just some of the possibilities of the PageFly builder.
To ensure that your website stands out and looks nothing like the template you’ve started with, the drag and drop builder allows you to add elements such as:
- Forms
- Pop-ups
- Calls to action
- Trust badges
- Videos
- Social media inserts
- QR codes
- Map locations
- Testimonials
- Timers
- Collections
Even though PageFly might seem a bit limited to users who aren’t pleased with Shopify, the good thing about PageFly elements is that you can create your own by using the custom code.
Of course, this will require a bit of coding experience so if you don’t know anything about coding, I recommend either sticking to the existing elements or hiring someone to write a specific code for an element that doesn’t exist within PageFly.
Visual editor works smoothly with the drag and drop builder so you won’t experience and slow reactions and delays. You will also be able to see real-time visual edits you make across multiple devices.
This is one of the biggest benefits of PageFly’s drag & drop builder in combination with its elements.
GemPages
GemPages features a very flexible drag and drop builder that allows you to customize any of the 50+ templates with dozens of elements available with GemPages.
Every page you edit with a drag and drop builder automatically adapts to the responsive web design without any coding requirements.
This means that you can edit any of the following pages:
- Landing pages
- Product pages
- Home pages
- Subpages
On top of that, you can add/remove elements as everything within the theme is split into elements. Also, you get to resize, adjust, replace, and switch on the go without needing any experience.
Even though GemPages doesn’t feature as many templates as PageFly, keep in mind that you can also use third-party templates, but be aware that this might create conflicts.
Sticking to the Shopify theme using GemPages’ builder seems to be the most effective solution as there are pre-designed elements (the ones I’ve mentioned earlier) that will help you create unique pages throughout your store.
So if you want to add a video pop-up, banner, product list, price, or just the title all it takes is two clicks.
PageFly vs Gempages: eCommerce
Both platforms have a lot to offer but which one is a better fit for eCommerce store owners? With the pros and cons of both PageFly and Gempages, keep on reading to find out what I believe is the best for you!
PageFly
If you’re using Shopify, PageFly is probably the best option out there. With its drag & drop builder combined with pre-built templates and elements, you won’t ever have to hire someone else to fix up your store’s design.
Its builder lets Shopify users get as creative as they wish without having to write a single line of code.
But probably the biggest benefit of PageFly is the ability to focus on design and not have to worry about the conversion rate, responsiveness, or the initial framework structure as this is everything PageFly takes care of.
Every PageFly template is optimized for search engines, responsiveness, and is built to increase the conversion rate of any store, no matter if it’s a single-product store or multi-product store.
The greatest benefit of PageFly is that it also supports dropshipping and you can also integrate other Shopify apps within PageFly’s templates.
For example, you can integrate Ali Reviews, Mailchimp, Parcel Panel, Subscriptions by Recharge, and many other apps.
The one possible downside for some marketers is that PageFly is only useable with Shopify. While this might not be an issue for most marketers, it could potentially be a deal-breaker for others so it’s something to consider.
GemPages
GemPages is among the top 5 options for eCommerce stores and what differentiates it the most from PageFly is its compatibility.
With GemPages, you can rely on Shopify themes, but you can also use third-party templates which gives you a bit more freedom.
It might not be the easiest route to take, but knowing that GemPages’ support is more than willing to work with eCommerce owners who use third-party templates is great.
GemPages has about 50+ templates only, which is less than what PageFly offers, but where GemPages stands out is its elements.
There are over 65+ elements in 5 different categories that will cater to any eCommerce store owner.
Combine this with the effortless drag and drop builder and you can design your whole store in only a day or two.
I should also mention that GemPages templates are well-optimized for high conversion rates as for search engines. On top of that, you won’t have to worry about responsiveness either.
Just like PageFly, GemPages is good at integrating third-party apps such as Mailchimp, Oberlo, Bold, and other useful apps.
While both platforms are made for eCommerce – it will be a hard choice that will come down to personal preference and your current eCommerce experience/situation.
PageFly vs GemPages: Pricing and Trial
I know that eCommerce requires an initial investment set aside for the operation of the store, so I believe that price and membership models can also be pretty crucial when making a decision.
Down below, I’ll go through pricing and membership types of both PageFly and GemPages so you know what to expect right from the start, but even down the road as no one likes unexpected fees, right?
PageFly
The reason PageFly is at the top of the list when it comes to drag & drop builders is its price.
PageFly offers a free forever plan which means that you can use PageFly for as long as you wish (it’s not a trial) – but keep in mind that it’s a bit limited.
In the free plan, you’ll be able to:
- Use all page elements
- Use all website templates
- Create & save only one template to use when building pages
- Create only one page per page-type
If you’re only looking to polish your store, add a couple of pages, or improve existing pages you can get away with the free plan.
However, upgrading to paid PageFly pricing plans will allow you to create more pages without any limitations, save more templates, and see more history versions of your updates.
But if your store is already making a profit, or you simply need to unlock the limitations to get everything done exactly the way you want it, upgrading to the following pricing plans makes sense:
- Silver – $19/month
- Gold – $39/month
- Platinum – $99/month
The Silver plan is still a little restricted, but it seems that it doubles the number of pages you can make per page type and the number of sections you can save.
Gold is the most optimized plan as it’s well-priced which fits both beginners and advanced marketers. Yet it unlocks the restrictions, giving you the ability to build out 30 pages per page type.
The Platinum plan is the most expensive, but it’s also the least restrictive plan as it fully unlocks the ability to create as many pages per page type as you wish. It’s best for multiple eCommerce owners or large brands who sell online through their stores.
GemPages
GemPages doesn’t offer a free starter plan, but it offers a 10-day trial at no cost. While 10 days might not be enough for everyone, at least it’s good to know that you won’t have to use your credit card to acquire the trial.
Each pricing plan offers a free trial so you will be able to fully experience GemPages for the first 10 days, which isn’t a bad deal.
When it comes down to pricing plans, GemPages has 3 different pricing plans that fit everyone’s needs:
- Starter – $15/month
- Professional – $29/month
- Advanced – $59/month
The Starter plan is a bit limited as it doesn’t allow you to design all page types, yet you only get to design some of the page types available for an eCommerce store.
Professional is an ideal plan as it doesn’t cost a lot and yet it unlocks almost all options. The only thing it doesn’t offer is access to advanced setting options.
If you’re looking for full access (even advanced setting options), the priciest plan is Advanced which offers everything the Professional plan does, with additional access to the advanced setting options.
While the prices are cheaper than PageFly prices, you won’t be able to enjoy a free membership as you would with PageFly. Therefore, this is just another aspect you should consider when making your choice.
If you’re only starting, the Starter membership offers more than you might need at the beginning, which is a great deal considering the price.
The most ideal plan is Professional which is well-priced and yet it offers almost everything a fully functioning store would need.
When you reach great profits and you know that your store is there to stay, switching to an Advanced pricing plan makes sense. II believe you shouldn’t rush as there’s very little difference between a Professional and an Advanced plan.
While it might be important for some, it might not be important for you or your store, so this is something to consider!
Similarities and Differences
| Features | PageFly | GemPages |
| Shopify Integration | Yes | Yes |
| Third-Party Templates | No | Yes |
| Third-Party Apps | Yes | Yes |
| Number of Templates | 70+ | 50+ |
| Cheaper Prices | No | Yes |
| Free Plan Available | Yes | No |
Wrapping it Up: Which is Better, PageFly vs GemPages?
If you’re on a budget or only creating your first store that’s not bringing in any revenue yet, PageFly is the best choice because of its free pricing plan.
However, if you’re thinking of upgrading to a paid plan, GemPages has a bit cheaper pricing and yet it unlocks more features for the price.
When it comes down to the drag and drop builder, integration, and various options, both PageFly and GemPages are great options and the choice is a tie. I recommend you to take your time and make a decision based on the review that will meet your needs and personal preference.
Tom loves to write on technology, e-commerce & internet marketing.
Tom has been a full-time internet marketer for two decades now, earning millions of dollars while living life on his own terms. Along the way, he’s also coached thousands of other people to success.