Shopify is a great platform for anyone wanting to start an online store. However, there are also numerous Shopify alternatives for merchants seeking ecommerce solutions tailored to their specific needs.
While Shopify boasts 13,000+ apps and powers over four million live websites, it won’t always be the perfect fit for every business.
Several ecommerce platforms similar to Shopify provide unique benefits, including diverse app marketplaces, better customization options, and scalable pricing plans to cater to varying business needs.
Exploring these Shopify competitors can help you find a platform that perfectly matches your requirements, ensuring the success and growth of your online store.
5 reasons you might look for a Shopify alternative
For all of its benefits, some ecommerce store owners prefer the numerous alternatives to Shopify. Some of the most common reasons are:
Price
Shopify’s paid plans are $39/month for Basic, $105/month for Shopify, and $399/month for Advanced. Ecommerce stores with complex needs can upgrade to Shopify Plus, which starts at $2,300 per month for a three-year term.
Alternative solutions for businesses include the Starter plan, which allows selling through social media or a simple online store, at $5/month. For $89/month, the Retail plan provides in-person selling tools with inventory and loyalty features. There’s also an Enterprise commerce plan, with custom pricing, available on request.
These prices are competitive, but there isn’t a free plan except for a trial. For newer businesses trying to keep costs down while they get established, free Shopify alternatives may be preferable. Others may simply prefer features offered on alternative platforms for a similar price.
Payment processing
Shopify’s plans come with Shopify Payments, its built-in payment processor. The good news is that Shopify charges no transaction fees if you use this processor, which can save a considerable amount of money. However, it’s only available in around 20 countries, and if you choose to use a different payment processor, Shopify charges up to 2% on each transaction.
Tech accessibility
Shopify is famous for its ease of use, so it’s no surprise that its users don’t need to be tech experts. However, it also doesn’t allow the source code to be edited directly, so if you’re someone who likes to make changes then you’ll be disappointed. Nor does Shopify always make the raw data accessible, which is another reason why some store owners prefer to find a Shopify alternative.
Consistent product images
Good design is a critical component of a successful ecommerce store, which is why choosing a nice theme is important. One feature that Shopify doesn’t offer is automatically adjusting product images with different aspect ratios. Without this image consistency, which is offered by websites similar to Shopify, your store’s design will suffer.
Currently, you’re required to adjust the photos manually, either before uploading or using Shopify’s built-in photo editor.
Product variants
As you’d expect of an ecommerce platform, Shopify lets you create variations of each item. It allows 100 variations per item but limits you to just three different options.
This means that your most popular item of clothing can have 100 variants listed but you can only add three options such as color, size, and style. If you need more than this, you’d need to use a third-party app, add some code, or look at the best Shopify alternatives.
7 best Shopify alternatives: Quick comparison
Not every business thrives in the same environment, which is why it’s a good idea to check out what other websites similar to Shopify have to offer.
Here’s a breakdown of the leading Shopify alternatives to help find the ideal ecommerce solution for your business.
Free enterprise-level plan for US users, CRM and SEO tools, fraud protection
Best Shopify alternative for WordPress websites
WooCommerce
Unlike Shopify, WooCommerce isn’t a standalone ecommerce platform. Rather, it’s a free plugin that transforms any existing WordPress blog or website into a store and is the leading ecommerce platform.
Being a WordPress plugin is both a good thing and a drawback: on the one hand, if you have an existing website, are familiar with WordPress, or want access to the vast library of WordPress plugins, then WooCommerce is a great option. On the other hand, if you want an all-in-one solution or to get up and running with minimal work, WooCommerce may not be your preferred choice, particularly in comparison with Shopify.
WooCommerce gives significantly more freedom and control than Shopify and has a large library of plugins to help you make your store exactly what you want.
The main difference is that Shopify is an all-in-one platform and it’s built to make your life easier. So it’s no surprise that it’s generally easier to build a store on Shopify than WooCommerce, and the security included in Shopify’s list of features gives you peace of mind.
The extensive customization options and flexibility that WooCommerce offers will be extremely appealing to any store owner who wants things to be exactly as they want them, and WooCommerce also offers far more themes and templates to dial in your perfect design. But the tradeoff is that you have to do a lot of work yourself — for example, WooCommerce stores can be extremely secure, but that responsibility falls on your shoulders. Similarly, you need to have a domain and hosting before installing WooCommerce.
One of the most compelling aspects of WooCommerce is that it’s free to use, with costs coming in the form of paid themes and premium extensions. If you’re looking for free alternatives to Shopify, WooCommerce is a worthy contender.
Pros
Access to WordPress’ massive library of plugins
Free to use, controllable costs for premium plugins and themes
Extensive flexibility
Supports a wide range of payment gateways/processors
BigCommerce, like Shopify, is an all-in-one ecommerce platform. It offers a drag-and-drop interface that allows you to build a beautiful, responsive store, and it boasts high levels of security and 99.99% website uptime.
BigCommerce’s pricing structure is similar to Shopify’s and among its extensive library of addons are various payment processing options. And, unlike Shopify, BigCommerce doesn’t charge any transaction fees when using third-party payment services.
Although BigCommerce doesn’t offer as many add-ons as Shopify, there are still plenty to choose from and they’re helpfully categorized by function and the stage of your business, from just launching to firmly established. There are also numerous free and paid themes to choose from to help you get the perfect look and feel for your store.
Pros
All-in-one platform, handling hosting and security
Extensive library of add-ons
No transaction fees for third-party payment services
Cons
Requires a paid subscription
Has fewer unique templates than Shopify
Best Shopify alternative for beginners
Wix
Wix has a strong reputation as a comprehensive and easy-to-use website builder. This reputation may mean it doesn’t always spring to mind for an ecommerce store, but it actually has plenty of features to compete with Shopify.
Wix is famous for its design flexibility, giving users a lot of customization options to make their site look exactly how they want it. And if you thought ecom wasn’t well represented, think again: Wix offers more than 130+ ecommerce-specific templates, and each one is free to use. In contrast, Shopify only offers around 12 free themes.
Given that ecommerce is Shopify’s sole focus, it’s no surprise that it’s more sophisticated than Wix’s ecommerce functionality. For example, its product and inventory system allows a store to be populated faster, and there are more add-ons available in its extensions library.
However, the website builder from Wix is much easier to use for the average store owner and the platform is typically considered more intuitive than Shopify. Its Light plan is just $17/month, which is less than half the price of Shopify’s starting price of $39/month. Also, its Business plan costs $36/month.
Pros
Excellent design flexibility
14-day free trial
130+ free templates designed for ecommerce
Cons
Inventory and product management features aren’t as advanced as Shopify’s
Ecommerce features aren’t the most robust e.g. product variants
Ecwid by Lightspeed
Ecwid by Lightspeed is a powerful ecommerce platform that allows businesses to effortlessly create an online store and sell products anywhere—on any website, social media, marketplaces, mobile, and more.
Ecwid stands out with its user-friendly interface and flexibility, offering a wide range of features catering to both new and experienced online sellers. Whether you’re looking to add a store to your existing site or build a website, Ecwid provides all the tools you need to succeed in the ecommerce space.
Designed for simplicity and easy scaling, Ecwid is a great choice for businesses of all sizes looking to expand and grow their online presence without the complexity of traditional ecommerce platforms. Unlike other Shopify alternatives, Ecwid offers a forever-free plan and doesn’t charge any transaction fees, or commissions. Plus, the platform prides itself on its unparalleled support, with a team that’s invested in your long-term success.
Pros
With the quickest go-live time, Ecwid is the obvious choice if you want to get to work quickly and sell online
Easy to sell and integrate on existing websites, social media, and marketplaces
Always-on support—available via chat, email, or phone
Affordable pricing, with a forever-free plan and no transaction fees
Cons
Advanced features require higher-tier plans
Fewer built-in website design features compared to other platforms
Adobe says that its platform is “powering commerce for brands of all sizes and all industries” including Hewlett-Packard. Among its features is the ability to host multiple stores on one platform, and it natively integrates with other Adobe products including Analytics, Experience Manager, and Creative Cloud. Businesses that want to manage different stores in different languages will be interested in Adobe Commerce’s ability to do exactly that.
The platform uses a freemium model, and its high uptimes will give you confidence that your site will have minimal disruptions.
Pros
Robust multi-store management features
Freemium business model
Adobe Connect takes security seriously, releasing patches periodically to ensure that your website is protected by the latest technology
Cons
Only offers 10 official themes, seven of which are paid
If you want a free alternative to Shopify, Square Online Store is worth looking at. It can provide free access to the platform with no monthly or annual fee, and although the features are significantly lighter than Shopify’s, it still offers plenty to make it worthy of consideration.
The main difference between Square Online Store and Shopify is that the former is primarily a payment processor. It offers point-of-sale and hardware solutions for physical shops, so its online offerings are fairly minimal — but it does integrate with other platforms, like Wix and WooCommerce, to boost its functionality.
Like Shopify and BigCommerce, it also offers hosting and domain names. This means it can be a one-stop shop for starting your store, and you can be up and running very quickly.
Unlike some other Shopify free alternatives, Square doesn’t charge any subscription fees — this isn’t just a free trial. Instead, and much like its physical products, it earns its money through transaction fees. This does mean that it could cost more overall, depending on your sales volume and prices, but you also won’t pay anything if you aren’t making sales. That can be a compelling option for new businesses, with a trade-off of the platform offering fewer features than Shopify.
Pros
Offers hosting and domain name registration
Very quick setup time
No subscription fees
Cons
Doesn’t have as many features as Shopify and other alternatives
If you have significant sales volume, it could cost more than competitors charging a flat subscription
Best Shopify alternative for cost-effective solutions
Shift4Shop
Shift4Shop, formerly 3dCart, is a robust and feature-rich platform. In fact, it claims to have the most feature-rich ecommerce software available.
If you’re based in the US and use Shift4Shop’s own payment processor, you can have an enterprise-level plan with no monthly fee. If you’re outside of the US or prefer to use a different payment provider then you can choose from the three paid tiers, which are $29, $79 and $229 per month. It also offers hosting, SSL, and a free domain name if you need one.
Shift4Shop has impressive features, including Facebook dynamic ads, a reward program, store credits, support for dropshipping, an affiliate program, CRM and SEO tools, and gift wrapping. There are more than 100 free, SEO-optimized themes, along with industry-leading fraud protection, all of which make this platform a worthy contender to Shopify.
Pros
Boasts a lot of features including fraud protection
US users have the option of an enterprise-level plan for free
Over 100 free themes
Cons
A free plan isn’t available to people outside of the US
Website builder isn’t as intuitive as some rivals
Wrap up
Shopify has earned its position as a popular ecommerce platform. It’s feature-rich, easy to use, and offers a lot of extensions to customize your store.
But if for whatever reason you aren’t completely satisfied with its options, the good news is there are plenty of excellent Shopify alternatives that will allow you to create the store you want at the price you can afford. There’s even a good chance that the one you want can integrate with Omnisend.
Drive sales on any ecommerce site, Shopify or its alternatives, with Omnisend’s email + SMS automation
Richard is a Content Marketing Manager at Omnisend. An avid writer, he's said to have been born holding a pencil. Fascinated by all things handmade, if he's not reading or writing he can often be found practicing leathercraft.
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