Shopify has become a craze.
Shopify has been used by over 1.7 million merchants. Shopify can be used by up to 500,000 users. However, there are many reasons to move to another platform or open a store on another platform.
Shopify may be a better Shopify alternative, especially if your budget is limited and you don’t want sales commissions.
Many e-commerce platforms offer different functionality. We have you covered. This article will talk about the best Shopify alternatives, their strengths, and their weaknesses.
These 8 top options for Shopify are
- WooCommerce
- BigCommerce
- Wix
- Squarespace
- Weebly
- PrestaShop
- Ecwid
- Big Cartel
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What You Need To Know
Pros
- Storefront Designs
- Shopify App Store
- 24/7 Support and Community
- Built-in Marketing and Discount Tools
Cons
- Not Open-Source
- Transaction fees
- Subscriber Fees
- Third-Party Paid Apps
- Need for Writing on Forum
- Fee for Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP)
Shopify Alternatives: Common Reasons
Transaction fees
Shopify Payments has an additional fee of 0.2%, 0.5%, and 0.5% for payment gateways that are not part of the Shopify Payments platform.
SEO requires more control.
Shopify provides some SEO tools and third-party apps to optimize search engine results. However, Shopify doesn’t allow users to modify Shopify’s robot.txt files.
Too dependent upon third-party applications
Shopify App Store has tons of third-party extensions. However, these add-ons can slow down the site and increase security risks.
You might think that you could use it without any apps, but the truth is that third-party tools are needed to add popups to Shopify, dropship products, and cross-sell.
Not open-source
Shopify, a hosted platform, doesn’t allow you to modify its source code.
This is proprietary software and is the property of its authors. You cannot modify or inspect its code.
Top Shopify Alternatives (Free & Paid)
1. WooCommerce
WooCommerce is an open-source WordPress plugin that makes it easy to create an online store.
Do you want to know if WooCommerce is right for you? Here are the pros and cons of using WooCommerce.
Pros
- It’s free. You don’t have to pay anything for hosting.
- WooCommerce is an open-source plugin. You can view the source code. This makes it very easy to modify the code if needed.
- WooCommerce makes it easy to sell anything. You only need inventory and a product feed to make your website more functional.
Cons
- You can download the WooCommerce plugin for free. You should consider domain hosting and SSL certificates as well as other costs associated with the plugin.
- WooCommerce is open-source. To help you with CSS or HTML, you might need to hire a designer or developer.
- Similar to Shopify’s plugin system plugins, you will need more plugins to add features to your store. This could eventually slow down your website.
Suggested Article: WooCommerce SEO Review.
Pricing & Costs
Both WooCommerce and WordPress are open-source. You will need a WordPress site to use WooCommerce. Hosting is included in the price.
- You can get standard storefront themes free of charge, but you can also buy new themes.
- Store management fees may also be charged. Advanced shipping options will incur additional charges. All options are available for free on the platform.
- Payment Gateways: These gateways enable you to securely accept online payment. It charges 2.9% + 0.30c for each sale, and there are no monthly fees.
- Additional costs may be incurred if extensions are used for security, communication, or SEO.
2. BigCommerce
BigCommerce Another Shopify alternative is
Pros
- BigCommerce’s core functions include cart abandonment, AMP page pages, and
- Offers omnichannel Sales such as Instagram In-App Checkout
- URLs are customizable.
- Full-hosting is completely free domain hosting.
- BigCommerce has over 55 payment gateways and there is no transaction fee.
Cons
- Shopify offers more customization options.
- It has fewer templates and integrations than Shopify.
- Editing free themes is time-consuming and difficult.
- This is not an open-source project so you have limited options to customize the design and code of your website.
Pricing
BigCommece offers a 15-day free trial. Prices are not included in the price plans. The price plans do not include unlimited API calls.
3. Wix
Wix is a popular Shopify alternative. Wix is a web design company that provides customers with the tools to create their website, blog, or online store.
You can manage your online store and add product information from anywhere.
The drawback to Shopify’s alternative to Shopify is its inability to work well with large stores Your site’s navigation might feel restricted as your store grows.
Wix is a great ecommerce platform for small and medium-sized businesses. It has basic capabilities and an affordable price.
Pros
- Wix has many templates for you to choose from.
- It’s easy to use and simple for beginners.
- Get premium features free of charge.
- No sales fee
- You can sell both digital and physical products.
- All ecommerce plans include an email address for abandoned cart recovery.
- Wix App Market
- SKUs are available for addition.
- Secure SSL encryption
Cons
- Wix is not recommended for advanced users who need more customization options.
- Wix is not mobile-friendly and SEO optimization has limitations.
- Wix was not created for ecommerce.
- Dropshipping is possible through apps, but it requires Business Unlimited or higher plans.
Pricing
Wix offers less expensive monthly plans, but they do offer ecommerce features like product reviews and dropshipping, label printing, label printing, subscriptions, different currencies, and advanced shipping applications.
There are no sales fees and unlimited bandwidth.
4. Squarespace
Squarespace is essential when looking at Shopify alternatives. The platform offers the most flexible design and template options.
Squarespace is well-known for its ability to help photographers and artists showcase their work through its elegant templates.
But, Squarespace eCommerce has competitive capabilities that enable you to sell digital products and subscriptions.
This allows you to manage payments, taxes, and checkout. You can also link your store with paid/free extensions
Pros
- Many professional templates are available with many customization options.
- Commerce plans include no transaction fee
- SEO features
- Squarespace Video Studio App Full Access
- Built-in banners and popups
- Great inventory system
- Fully integrated eCommerce (inventory, order management, product catalog management, payment, taxes, and shipping tools)
Cons
- Shopify extensions are more limited than other Shopify options.
- The Business Plan has a 3% transaction fee.
Pricing
Squarespace’s Basic Commerce plan costs $26 per month. Advanced Commerce is $40/mo
5. Square E-Commerce (Formerly Weebly).
Square E-Commerce can be used in a similar way to Shopify. It used to be known as Weebly.
Weebly can be a great option for small businesses and portfolios. It features a drag-and-drop editor with pre-made templates.
Pros
- Weebly provides a free plan with basic features.
- Design elements and templates that are perfect for aesthetic storefronts
- SSL Security FREE
- A website can be created in just minutes
- Hosting is free
- Google Ads Credit is granted based on your plan
Cons
- This domain is available for free under the Weebly branding
- No ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence)
- Weebly provides an email newsletter tool. It costs $8 per month.
- Shopify offers fewer extensions than other Shopify alternatives.
Pricing
Square provides a free website design service. Square charges $12/mo for online store creations.
6. PrestaShop
PrestaShop may be another option to Shopify that you might not know about. PrestaShop’s open-source code is also available for download.
Prestashop Addon is also available. You can also download themes and modules for your store from this page.
This open-source Shopify alternative does not charge any monthly or commission fees. However, you will need to pay.
The hosting partner ($8-15), and the modules to expand the store will be charged to your account.
It can also be considered as an alternative to WordPress/WooCommerce.
Pros
- Open-source: Your shop is yours.
- The checkout solution is GDPR-compliant
- The currency that can be customized
- It’s easy to create multiple shops or sub-sites
- Secure payment
Cons
- Add-ons on this platform can be more expensive than those on other platforms.
- Premium themes may be required. So, consider the cost.
- Multiple add-ons can slow down your store and cause glitches.
- To process payments, a third-party processor is necessary. A merchant account is required for PrestaShop Checkout Plans.
- Every payment method comes with a small commission.
- Shopify, WordPress, and other platforms offer fewer templates than Shopify, WordPress, and many others.
- Community support
Pricing
PrestaShop is 100% free to download. Hosting, themes, support, and add-ons may be required
7. Ecwid
Ecwid follows next. Ecwid store plugin can be used on any existing website, unlike other ecommerce platforms.
There are no transaction fees. It is one of the most cost-effective and efficient e-commerce solutions on the market.
Pros
- It’s easy to navigate
- No transaction fee
- This is an excellent option if you already have a website.
- Multilingual stores
- It can sync with Amazon marketplaces, and allow you to sell across social networks (Facebook, Instagram, etc.). ).
- Centralized inventory
- Mobile access for the Ecwid app
- Get up to 10 items free
Cons
- Ecwid can be great for people who already have websites. Ecwid works as a standalone, standalone website builder.
- Limited design options are available, making it difficult to design a store.
- Inadequacy in third-party support
- Although there is an app store, some tools can be very expensive.
Pricing
Ecwid provides a free plan that lets you add up to 10 items but has limited capabilities.
8. Big Cartel
Big Cartel is a great way to get started in a creative industry or to sell your arty products.
BigCartel, however, is not like Shopify. It was designed for musicians and artists.
It does not offer endless options. But, it comes with premade templates that you can customize using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Also, see Big Cartel Vs. Shopify Comparison.
Pros
- It is easy to set up and use
- This is the best option for small, creative companies
- Intuitive dashboard
- You can choose to sell online or in person
- Custom themes can be created using HTML, CSS, or JavaScript
- Mobile management for your store
- Shopify costs less than Shopify
Cons
- Big Cartel may not be the best option for multifunctional online shops.
- You can only upload a few products.
- If you don’t have HTML knowledge, it might be difficult for you to customize your store.
- While the number of product images you can upload is limited they recently announced an increase.
- Shopify has fewer features than the other options.
Pricing
BigCartel offers a free plan which allows you to use up to 5 products. BigCartel offers a free plan that allows you to use up to 5 products.
9. as
Vikas is a less-known online store builder. It allows you to create multi-currency online stores and connect with other marketplaces in minutes.
For multi-currency visitors, the ikas automatically redirect them to currency and regional shops
Pros
- Multilingual store option with built-in translation
- Multi-currency
- Integration with online markets such as Facebook or Instagram Shop
- Built-in POS screen
- Manage Etsy marketplaces using as
- It includes all the core features that you need to create an online store without having to install any additional apps
- One-page checkout
Cons
- It is great that ikas come with the same features and plugins as plugins. Users will need to wait for dropshipping capabilities to be added.
- No source code is required. The design options and templates are unlimited.
- Shopify offers a smaller theme store than BigCommerce.
- It’s not as cost-effective as its competitors. It has a higher monthly subscription fee than other options and offers fewer features.
Pricing
Get started with ideas by signing up for a free plan. The free plan includes ikas branding to your store domain.
Monthly plans start at $39 with a monthly plan.
Add 250 items to your shop.
Upgrade to the Grow plan to launch an online store for professionals. The monthly cost of this plan is $79 with a monthly payment.
10. OpenCart
OpenCart is a PHP-based open-source Shopify alternative. Multiple online shops can be managed from one backend.
A hosting service is required. Extensions can be purchased.
Pros
- Loads on each Server (shared server and VPS)
- You will have full access to any raw files as long as you back up your data.
- It’s easy to customize your storefront and theme with basic PHP knowledge.
- You can download it for free.
- Many extension and integration options
- Open-source
Cons
- Sometimes updating can be difficult.
- OpenCart extensions may be too expensive.
- Basic programming knowledge is required for
- Very few themes
Pricing
OpenCart can be downloaded completely for free. You may have to pay extra for hosting or add-ons.
G2 Rating: 4.3/5 (92)
11. Sellfy
We see new features every day on platforms like Shopify. You can sell digital and physical products online with Shopify.
Pros
- Unlimited sales and no transaction fees for a free plan
- The free plan even offers discount codes
- All paid plans include email credits.
- Shopify integrations, apps, and tools required for print-on-demand sales
- Digital products and subscriptions can also be sold
- Cart abandonment emails
Cons
- You can sell unlimited products per year with the platform’s free plan. However, you cannot sell more than 10.
- Branded domains cannot be used under the free plan.
- To get rid of Sellfy branding you’ll need to upgrade to the $79 plan
Pricing
Offers a free plan with no transaction fees. Prices start from $29 per month with a monthly payment.
12. Volusion
Volusion is another similar platform to Shopify.
It provides e-commerce functionality right out of the box. It supports many payment options including Stripe and Amazon Pay.
Side note – Unfortunately there’s not much positive feedback about this platform. You can still try it with the free trial.
Pros
- Search using the order number
- No transaction fees
- CSS editor
- SSL included
- Barcode generator
- Similar products can be displayed right out of the box. This is in contrast to Shopify, where you will need a Shopify App to upsell.
Cons
- Very few themes
- No app markets or add-ons
- Volusion price plans include a GMV (Gross Material Volume) quota.
- There are few customization options
- Integrations cannot be done
- Shopify is less feature-rich than Shopify.
- This isn’t the best choice for small- to medium-sized companies
- Expensive e-commerce website templates
Pricing
Volusion offers a free trial, prices start at $29/month and a monthly payment. It should have more capabilities and features than Shopify.
13. PinnacleCart
PinnacleCart is also available on Shopify. It’s an all-in-one online store solution. It can be hosted on your server or you can choose to have it hosted by PinnacleCart.
The biggest problem is the cost. There are no transaction fees like Shopify.
Pros
- No transaction fees
- Live Chat & Ticket for your website
- It is easy to use for beginners.
Cons
- It is prohibitively expensive for small businesses.
- The standard plan (79$) covers only PayPal and PrePaid.
- Not enough templates
- The standard plan has limited disk space and bandwidth
Pricing
Pinnacle Cart starts at $79 per Month and includes a free trial.
Shopify’s Best Alternative?
After considering all the pros and cons, WooCommerce has emerged as the best Shopify replacement. BigCommerce is the best Shopify option if you want more features and support.
