Shopify comparison table
Last updated
Pick the comparison closest to yours. The plan, and the real widget it would become, appear below.
Choose one of the three comparisons above. You get the layout that fits, the rows to keep in order, and anything worth a second look before it goes on your store.
The parts of a comparison table
A Shopify comparison table lines up two or more options, such as your own sizes, your product against the usual alternative, or a set of bundles, so a shopper can see in one glance where they differ and pick the one that suits them.
The advice on this page draws on Baymard Institute research into product comparison, the FTC policy on substantiating advertising claims and UK CMA guidance on comparative claims. No conversion figure is quoted, because none comes with a sample we could check. Every layout is in the store widget gallery, and the comparison table help article walks through building one in the app.
A comparison earns its space only when it answers the question a shopper is stuck on. These are the pieces the planner above sorts for you.
- Columns
- The options being compared, one per column. Up to 5 stay readable on a phone; past that, shoppers lose track of which column they were reading.
- Rows
- The questions a buyer weighs, one per row, with the deciding ones at the top. The planner keeps at most 8, because a long table turns a quick choice back into research.
- Check and cross
- For a plain yes or no. Anything with a condition attached, a limit, a length or a price, reads better as a few words in the cell.
- Highlighted column
- One column set apart so the eye lands there first. On a you-against-them table it is yours; between your own options it is the one most buyers should pick.
- Table or cards
- A table keeps every option side by side. Cards give each row its own block on a small screen, so a wide comparison never runs off the edge of a phone.
- Stated once
- Shipping, delivery and returns are usually identical across your own products. A row where every cell matches cannot help anyone choose, so it moves to a single line under the table.
Nudgesmart adds widgets like this one to your store from the theme editor, in your theme’s fonts and colours by default, and is available on the Shopify App Store. See every widget layout or see what it costs.
Five comparisons, planned
Invented stores and settings. The layout, the rows kept and every flag come from the same planner the tool above runs.
| Scenario | Layout | Rows, in order | Said once or left out | What the planner flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three mattress sizesOwn options, 3 options | Table | Best for, Price, Size or capacity, Warranty | Delivery time | Nothing to flag |
| Your bottle against a typical plastic oneYou vs alternative, 2 options | Table | Price, Materials, Warranty, Care | Saving against buying separately | Every cell about the alternative must be true today and something you can back up. The FTC and the UK CMA both expect comparative claims to be substantiated, so keep evidence for each one and re-check it when they change. |
| Mini, full-size and gift skincare bundlesBundles, 3 options | Cards | Price, What is included, Saving against buying separately | Shipping, Returns | A check should mean yes, fully. If the honest answer is only on some sizes or for a limited time, write those words in the cell instead. |
| Five coffee subscription tiersOwn options, 5 options | Cards | Best for, Price, Size or capacity, What is included | — | A check should mean yes, fully. If the honest answer is only on some sizes or for a limited time, write those words in the cell instead. |
| Six phone case modelsOwn options, 6 options | Cards | Price, Materials | — | Over five columns gets hard to read on a phone in any layout. Keep the five options people really choose between and link to the rest. |
Where a comparison goes wrong
Claims about someone else need evidence
Putting your product next to another one is advertising about both. The FTC expects any objective claim to be backed by evidence before it runs, and the UK CMA treats a comparison as misleading if it is inaccurate, out of date or compares unlike things. Keep a note of where each fact about the other side came from.
Out of date is the same as wrong
Another seller can change a price, a warranty or a material without telling you, and your table goes on saying the old thing. Check a you-against-them table on a schedule, or keep it to facts that rarely move.
A tick that needs a footnote is not a tick
If the true answer is yes, but only on some sizes or for a limited time, a check mark overstates it. Write the condition in the cell where the shopper will read it, not in small print below.
Bundle savings must be real savings
A saving row compares the bundle with the items bought on their own. Use the prices those items actually sell for in your store today; a separate total they never sold at is a misleading reference price under UK and EU consumer rules.
It cannot see what your shoppers ask
The planner orders rows from what usually decides a purchase. Your support inbox knows better: if people keep asking about one thing, that row belongs near the top whatever the planner says.
Comparison table questions
How many columns should a comparison table have?
Two to five. Two suits a you-against-the-alternative table, three is the classic good, better, best, and five is about the most a phone can show before shoppers lose their place. With more options, compare the ones people really choose between and link to the rest.
Should I use a table or cards on mobile?
A plain table works for two or three columns. From four columns up, or when the rows are mostly words, cards read better on a phone because each row gets its own block. Baymard Institute has long described shoppers struggling to keep several products in their head at once, so whichever layout you choose, keep the options few and the rows short.
Can I compare my product with a named competitor?
Comparative advertising is allowed in the US, the UK and the EU, but every claim about the other product must be accurate, current and something you can prove, and the products must meet the same need. Many stores compare against a typical alternative instead, which still has to be described fairly.
Which rows should go first?
The ones that decide the purchase. For your own sizes or plans that is usually who it is for and the price; for bundles it is the price and what is inside; against an alternative it is where you really differ. Rows that read the same in every column can go in one line underneath.
Will the table match my store?
The preview shows the comparison widget from the Nudgesmart app with sample rows. A new widget in the app uses your theme fonts and colours by default, and you can switch to one of the palettes shown in the preview instead.
Do I need an account to use this?
No account, no install and no store connection. The plan is worked out in your browser, and the preview runs in a sandboxed frame on this page.
Shoppers compare anyway. A table lets them do it on your page.
Nudgesmart has a comparison table widget, as a table or as cards, and its Store details form can fill the shipping and returns rows for you.
