August 19, 2023

Shopify Competitors: Alternative Ecommerce Platforms

Discover top Shopify competitors & alternatives. Compare leading ecommerce platforms for your online business. Make the right choice today!
Shopify Competitors: Alternative Ecommerce Platforms
Shopify Competitors: Alternative Ecommerce Platforms

Shopify is one of the most popular ecommerce platforms for many reasons. Apart from its ease of setup, Shopify is a scalable platform with sleek templates and rich features that make it easy for users to sell online. However, Shopify comes with its drawbacks. 

If you’re thinking of exploring Shopify alternatives, there are a whole bunch of ecommerce platforms available in the market. 

Read on as we explore some of the best Shopify alternatives you can try today. 

10 best Shopify alternatives to try

Let’s dive right into some of the best Shopify alternatives you can opt for: 

  1. Wix
  2. WooCommerce 
  3. BigCommerce 
  4. Shift4Shop
  5. Squarespace 
  6. Volusion 
  7. Square Online 
  8. BigCartel
  9. Ecwid
  10. Sellfy

Wix

With over 100 attractive templates, customizable themes, a sleek editor, and a vast number of apps, Wix gives you everything you need on an easy-to-use interface.

Wix allows you to set up your ecommerce store using two methods. You can use their Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) which functions like an automated assistant. This technology simplifies the process by building a website for you based on the information you provide in a questionnaire. 

If you want to have full control of your website-building process, you can opt for using the Wix editor, a drag-and-drop tool that allows you to customize your website however you like.

Wix comes with an App Store that features over 200 apps, add-ons, and plugins, all at an affordable rate. 

Price range: $17 to $35 per month 

Pros

  • An easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor, design templates, and other rich features.
  • Comes with stock management capabilities 
  • Can integrate with many third-party payment gateways
  • Great value for your money

Cons

  • You can’t make changes once your website goes live.
  • Limited apps compared to Shopify.
  • Limited multi-channel integration.

See also: Shopify Vs. Wix: Which is the Best Ecommerce Platform?

WooCommerce

 

If you’re acquainted with WordPress, WooCommerce is a free open-source platform that may be the perfect fit for you. 

It comes with a free package that allows you to build your website although without all the bells and whistles. If you want more features, you will have to switch to their paid plans. WooCommerce comes with tons of plugins and add-ons that you can pay for at once or annually.

It is ideal for businesses that run a hybrid model (both physical and online stores) and want full control of the process. 

Price range: Free to use 

Pros

  • Complete control over your website content 
  • Free open-source platform 
  • A large number of plugins and add-ons 
  • Great for SEO and content marketing 

Cons

  • Requires some technical skills
  • May be slow to use 

See also: WooCommerce Vs Shopify: A 2023 Comparison

BigCommerce

 

Another popular Shopify alternative you can opt for is BigCommerce. BigCommerce is an easy-to-use ecommerce platform well-suited for large businesses. 

It comes with a drag-and-drop tool for a seamless website-building experience. You can also choose from a variety of stunning themes and designs. However, you can only access a few free themes. Just like Shopify, the navigation is straightforward and seamless. 

Marketing is easy with BigCommerce thanks to some built-in marketing features like shopping cart abandonment emails. Also, you can easily manage other marketing channels and sync inventory across all channels from your BigCommerce dashboard. 

Price range: $29 to $299 per month billed annually. They also offer custom pricing based on your business needs. 

Pros

  • Drag and drop tool and other built-in features for easy website building. 
  • Supports multichannel selling 
  • Strong SEO function and customizable URLs
  • Supports multiple payment gateways with no additional transaction fees. 
  • Works for various business models 

Cons

  • May be a bit expensive
  • Only a few free themes 
  • Speeds are inconsistent 
  • A bit complex to setup

Shift4Shop

Shift4Shop is a cloud-hosted platform that comes with robust features at affordable prices. The platform comes with an unlimited product storage option which means you can scale your business easily. You also have access to abandoned cart emails, coupons, subscriptions, personalized products, Facebook sync, and a host of other attractive features. It also comes with an in-built web design service to help you customize your store’s UI, UX, and SSL certificate at an affordable cost. If you’re on a budget and looking for a Shopify alternative, Shift4Shop is a very viable option. 

Price range: $0 to $29 per month

Pros

  • Good store speed and load times 
  • Robust features 
  • Unlimited product listings
  • Supports several payment gateways
  • No additional transaction fees

Cons

  • The support system isn’t top-notch 
  • Issues may come with upgrading 
  • May be slightly difficult to set up for beginners
  • User experience isn’t as good as Shopify

Squarespace

 

Squarespace is an easy-to-use ecommerce platform that doesn’t require any tech skills. It comes with a variety of templates and features that make it easy for anyone to build an impressive store. 

If you get stuck while building your store, Squarespace has a great support system to guide you. It also comes with great marketing and sales features like abandoned cart recovery, MailChimp, Google AdWords, multichannel integration capabilities, and much more for higher conversions and sales. 

Squarespace is limited to Stripe and PayPal for payments. However, it doesn’t charge any additional transaction fees.

Price range: $16 to $49 per month to be billed annually 

Pros

  • Intuitive drag-and-drop website builder 
  • Easy to use 
  • Powerful marketing and sales features 

Cons

  • Limited integrations and add-ons 
  • Limited customer support

See also: Shopify vs. Squarespace: Which is Best for Your Business?

Volusion 

Volusion is a powerful Shopify alternative that has served more than 200,000 businesses. Volusion is popular among small businesses thanks to its ease of use. The platform features add-ons and plugins that you can integrate into your online store. You don’t have to worry about hosting or adding any other applications. When it comes to templates, Volusion has an extensive library available on all its packages. Unlike Shopify, you won’t need to pay any additional transaction fees. 

Price range: $31 to $269 per month to be billed annually. You can also access their Prime plan which allows you to sell unlimited products. 

Pros

  • Easy-to-use interface 
  • Supports multichannel selling
  • Tutorials to get started 
  • An in-house marketing team
  • Multiple payment processors 

Cons

  • Integrations are limited
  • Requires some coding skills

Square Online 

Popularly known for its POS systems, Square Online has evolved to become an all-inclusive ecommerce platform designed as a solution for all your ecommerce needs. 

The onboarding process is seamless even for those who don't have any coding skills. The platform offers guides that help users through the entire setup process. 

If you’re on a budget, Square Online offers a free plan for building your store. However, the free plan includes a transaction fee with every payment and doesn’t come with all the bells and whistles. 

If you don’t want a full ecommerce store, Square Online comes with checkout page functionalities you can add to your website. 

Their payment processor is limited to Square on their free plan. To use other payment processors, you will need to upgrade to higher plans. 

Price range: $0 to $29+ per month and custom pricing based on your business needs. 

Pros

  • Comes with a free plan 
  • Directly integrates with Square
  • Great for in-store owners

Cons

  • Supports only Square on the free plan
  • Some functionalities are only available on paid plans. 

BigCartel

If you’re an artist, content creator, or artisan, here’s an ecommerce platform you would love.  

While BigCartel doesn’t come with as many features as Shopify, it works well for small businesses. It comes with unlimited bandwidth, CSS customization, inventory tracking, and other basic features. 

You can set up your online store without any coding experience. It also comes integrated with Facebook, PayPal, and Google Analytics and doesn’t charge any additional transaction fees. 

Price range: $0 to $19.99 per month

Pros

  • Built-in integration with PayPal, Facebook, and Google Analytics 
  • No additional transaction fees
  • Easy to setup and use
  • Affordable 

Cons

  • Not suitable for large businesses
  • Limited features and no inventory search function
  • Doesn’t come with phone or live chat support

Ecwid

If you’re looking for an affordable Shopify alternative with great features, Ecwid is one ecommerce platform you can try. You can use their plugin to set up a store built on WordPress. 

Ecwid also works as an extension to existing platforms and sites like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Amazon. In addition, you can sell digital products on Ecwid. 

Ecwid offers several payment gateway options and POS tools to assist users with sales and payments. 

Price range: $0 to $82.50 per month to be billed annually.

Pros

  • Can integrate with existing sites
  • Offers a mobile application for easy store management 
  • Easy to navigate

Cons

  • The free plan is limited to a few items and functionalities 
  • Limited support for third-party tools 

Sellfy

If you sell physical products and digital products, this is one platform designed to cater to your needs. 

Sellfy is a cloud-based platform great for selling digital products like music, videos, ebooks, courses, and so on. 

Sellfy offers a basic free plan that allows you to set up your store but only list ten products. To list more items, you will need to upgrade to their paid plans. 

Much like Shopify, Sellfy offers a basic solution that allows you to embed buy buttons and products into an existing website.  

Price range: $22 to $119 per month to be billed annually. 

Pros

  • Easy to set up and use
  • Sell both physical and digital products
  • Several integration options
  • Includes a Wix app for easy downloads (if you have a Wix website)

Cons

  • Limited payment processors - PayPal and Stripe
  • Limited design options 

Final thoughts 

If you’re looking for Shopify alternatives peculiar to your business needs, you’re not short on options. Some of the ecommerce platforms listed come with a free plan while others come with a free trial. 

At the end of the day, picking the best ecommerce platform comes down to understanding your business needs. 

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