Shopify Alternatives: Top Picks for Ecommerce Entrepreneurs

Shopify is a prominent e-commerce platform, but it is not the only one. Whether you want greater customization, better price, or unique features, looking into Shopify alternatives will help you expand your online business. 

This article identifies top competitors who may be the ideal fit for your needs. 

For business owners wishing to launch their online stores, Shopify has long been the go-to platform in the world of e-commerce. But as the market gets more diverse, a lot of entrepreneurs are looking for substitutes that provide special features, adjustable prices, and customised solutions to fit their particular requirements. 

Looking at Shopify alternatives might show a number of strong solutions to improve your e-commerce operations, regardless of your brand’s size or experience. Numerous platforms offer strong solutions for online shopping, ranging from the extensive features of BigCommerce to the intuitive Wix interface. WooCommerce is popular among content-driven businesses because of its smooth WordPress integration. Squarespace is ideal for people who value aesthetics above everything else. 

Whether it’s better scalability, cost-effective plans, or SEO tools, each of these platforms offers something different. Businesses can discover the best match that fits their operational objectives and budget by taking these options into consideration. 

Read More: How to Create a Best Website for your Business in 7 Steps

Reasons You’re Looking for Shopify Alternatives

1. Cost Considerations

• Subscription Fees: Shopify’s progressive pricing model gets pricey, particularly for new or small enterprises. Higher-tier plans might cost substantially more per month. 

• Transaction costs: Additional transaction costs, which vary from 0.5% to 2% per transaction, apply if you don’t use Shopify Payments. 

• App Costs: A lot of Shopify’s core features necessitate the use of third-party apps which frequently have separate subscription prices. 

2. Limited Customization and Flexibility

• Design Restrictions: Although Shopify provides a range of themes, the degree of customization available within those themes may be restricted for users who do not possess a deep understanding of  Shopify’s templating language. 

• Limited Flexibility: When it comes to backend customization, Shopify’s platform might be a little inflexible. This might be a significant barrier for companies that need particular features or special workflows. 

3. Scalability Issues

• Performance with High Traffic: Some consumers discover that unless they upgrade to more expensive plans, Shopify’s performance may slow under extreme demands. 

• International Expansion: Shopify has the ability to operate in multiple currencies and languages but not as extensively as some of its rivals. 

4. SEO and Marketing Limitations:

• SEO Flexibility: Shopify has SEO skills, however they may not be as strong as those of competing platforms. For example, there is less flexibility when it comes to customising URLs, sitemaps, and meta tags, which might affect SEO performance. 

• Marketing Tools: While Shopify offers integrated marketing tools, they may not be as sophisticated as those provided by certain rivals. 

5. Control Over Data and Ownership

• Data Portability: Leaving Shopify behind might be difficult, particularly in terms of data portability. 

• Platform Dependency: Because Shopify is dependent on a proprietary platform, any modifications it makes to its features, price, or policies would have an immediate impact on your company. 

Even though Shopify is a reliable and popular e-commerce platform, its expenses, restrictions on customization, scalability problems, limitations with SEO and marketing, and worries about data control may prompt companies to look into other options that might better suit their unique requirements and expansion strategies.

Read More: 9 Best Ecommerce Accounting Software

7 Best Shopify Alternatives

BigCommerce 

Pros

• It guarantees that your online store remains operational even during periods of high demand by providing a high degree of performance and uptime. 

• It facilitates multi-channel sales which enables companies to list their products on websites like Facebook, eBay, and Amazon. 

• The platform comes with built-in social network integration, email marketing, and SEO optimization. 

• BigCommerce offers an extensive selection of themes and design options that may be customised. 

• The drag-and-drop Page Builder makes it simple for users to change the look of their store. 

• Bulk pricing, product variations, and choices are just a few of the capabilities that BigCommerce provides for advanced product administration. 

• BigCommerce offers comprehensive analytics and reporting capabilities to assist companies in monitoring sales, client behaviour, and other important indicators. 

Cons 

• More expensive than some rivals, particularly for sophisticated features. 

• Limited ability to modify designs in contrast to open-source systems. 

• The extensive feature set may be daunting for novices. 

• Integrations with external services can be expensive and have a limited variety.

• Extra transaction costs are a part of some programs. 

Pricing and Plans

Standard	$29 per monthBilled Yearly
Plus	$79 per monthBilled Yearly
Pro	$299 per monthBilled Yearly
Enterprise	Contact BigCommerce Team

Squarespace

Pros

• Squarespace its easy-to-use interface, even individuals with little technological knowledge may establish and manage a polished online presence. 

• Squarespace provides a large range of totally configurable designed templates. 

• It enables people to develop aesthetically pleasing web storefronts. 

• Users can easily develop and maintain their online stores with this platform’s well-known drag-and-drop interface. 

•  Squarespace combines robust blogging and content management tools with eCommerce capabilities. 

• Squarespace comes with a number of built-in marketing tools including social network integration, email marketing, and SEO functionality. 

• Squarespace gives users access to powerful reporting and analytics tools that provide information about website traffic, revenue, and user behaviour. 

Cons 

• Compared to specialist platforms, e-commerce functionalities are not as powerful. 

• For huge websites with alot of data, it may be slower.

• More expensive for e-commerce plans and sophisticated features. 

• Restricted ability to access code and make modifications.

• In comparison to competitors, there are less integrations accessible. 

Pricing and Plans

Personal	$16 per month
Business	$23 per month
Commerce Basic	$28 per month
Commerce Advanced	$52 per month

Read More: What Is Squarespace: Exploring its Features?

Wix

Pros

• Users do not need to know how to code in order to alter the layout of their online store or add products, photos, and text using Wix’s user-friendly drag-and-drop editor. 

• Wix offers a large selection of expertly created templates especially for e-commerce.

• It is simple for customers to build aesthetically pleasing online storefronts. 

• Wix provides extensive features for managing products such as the ability to display product videos, maintain inventories, and offer numerous product variations.

• To promote your eCommerce business and boost sales, Wix offers integrated marketing services including email marketing, social network integrations, and SEO tools. 

• Wix facilitates easy transactions by supporting a number of payment methods, including PayPal, Stripe, and Square. 

• Users can configure real-time shipping rates and bespoke shipping criteria. 

Cons 

• Big, content-rich websites may load more slowly. 

• Restricted ability to modify templates and make them responsive to mobile devices. 

• Because of scalability limitations, it is less appropriate for large-scale enterprises. 

• Free plans show ads which might take away from the expert appearance of the website. 

• Challenge of extracting site data and transferring it to alternative platforms. 

Pricing and Plans

Starter	Free
Light	$17 per month
Core	$29 per month
Business	$36 per month
Business Elite	$159 per month
Enterprise	Contact the Wix team

WooCommerce 

Pros

• WooCommerce facilitates simple product management such as adding, modifying, and classifying products. 

• It offers comprehensive inventory management tools in addition to supporting a wide range of product kinds including digital, physical, and affiliate products.

• WooCommerce offers a wide range of customization choices, so users may adapt their online stores to suit certain requirements. 

• With thousands of themes and plugins available, users may build distinctive and incredibly useful eCommerce websites. 

• WooCommerce provides a wide range of shipping choices and determines shipping charges based on weight and location. 

• PayPal, Stripe, Square, and other payment gateways are just a few of the ones that WooCommerce supports. 

• WooCommerce comes with built-in capabilities for tracking sales, keeping an eye on consumer behaviour, and obtaining information about how well your online store is performing. 

Cons

• Setup and maintenance need for a higher degree of technical proficiency.

• Because it must be self-hosted, there are varying hosting rates and the possibility of extra charges. 

• Ongoing maintenance is necessary due to frequent changes and the possibility of plugin incompatibilities. 

• For novices in particular, the initial setup can be difficult and time-consuming. 

• Without adequate optimization, it may be sluggish, particularly when using a lot of plugins. 

Pricing and Plans

	Basic Site	Mid Range Site	Advanced Site
Hosting	$6.95 per month	$8.95 per month	$12.95 per month
Domain	$15 per year	$15 per month	$15 per year
Theme	Free	Free	$35 – 129 per year
Plugins	Free	$25 – 100 per year	$100 – 150 per year
Security	$10 per year	$150 per year	$150 – 450 per year

Big Cartel 

Pros

• Big Cartel is renowned for its ease of use, which enables you to easily set up and maintain online stores without the need for technical knowledge. 

• Big Cartel offers product management options such as the ability to add prices, photos, and descriptions. 

• Users can define inventory levels and categorise products. 

• With customizable themes and design options, users may effectively highlight their distinctive brands and items on their online storefronts. 

• Big Cartel offers mobile-responsive designs that make sure online stores work and look great on a range of gadgets including tablets and smartphones. 

• Big Cartel provides users with basic inventory tracking tools such as the ability to keep an eye on stock levels and get alerts when inventory is about to run low. 

• It’s adequate for small-scale operations even though it’s not as sophisticated as some other platforms.

Cons 

• In comparison to other e-commerce platforms, these functions are basic. 

• Scalability is not optimal for large businesses. 

• Restricted alternatives for customization and design. 

• Fewer features and tools for SEO. 

• Compared to competitors, there are less integrations of payment gateways. 

Pricing and Plans

Gold	$0
Platinum	$9.99 per month
Diamond	$19.99 per month

Volusion

Pros

• Without any coding experience, customers can establish visually attractive and fully configurable online stores with Volusion. 

• It offers a range of professionally designed templates and user-friendly drag-and-drop editor. 

• By integrating with well-known payment gateways, Volusion enables users to safely take payments from clients all around the world. 

• For a smooth checkout process, it accepts a number of payment options such as credit cards, PayPal, Amazon Pay, and more.

• Volusion makes it simple for users to add, edit, and organize products in their product catalogue. 

• To assist users in increasing traffic to their online businesses and sales, Volusion provides built-in marketing solutions. 

• In order to make data-driven decisions and maximize their eCommerce initiatives, they can measure sales, observe visitor behavior, examine traffic sources, and create reports. 

Cons 

• In comparison to other platforms, there is less flexibility in terms of design and customization possibilities. 

• There is a chance that the admin interface is less user-friendly and obsolete. 

• Overage bandwidth and other transaction costs might pile up. 

• Occasionally, users report reliability and performance problems. 

• Having fewer SEO tools than rivals may have an impact on search engine rankings. 

Pricing and Plans

Personal Plan	$29 per month
Professional Plan	$79 per month
Startup Plan	$179 per month
Business Plan	$299 per month

Magneto 

Pros

• Magento is incredibly flexible and adaptable, making it appropriate for companies of all sizes from start-ups to multinational corporations. 

• It provides customizable versatility, enabling customers to modify their online stores to suit unique requirements and support expansion. 

• Using a single backend interface, Magento users may establish and oversee numerous web stores.

• A variety of product types, attributes, and variants are supported by Magento’s powerful product management tools. 

• Product addition, editing, and organization are all simple to use, and users may also handle price, promotions, and inventory. 

• Users can enhance the functionality of the platform and alter the appearance and feel of their online stores with Magento’s broad ecosystem of extensions and themes. 

• Email marketing, promotions, targeted advertising, and SEO features are just a few of the effective marketing tools that Magento offers. 

Cons 

• Expenses associated with development, hosting, and maintenance are high, particularly for Magento Commerce. 

• Setup and management require a high level of technical competence. 

• Needs a strong server architecture for best results, as it might be resource-intensive.

• Less customization possibilities than other ecommerce platforms.

• Regular maintenance is required due to frequent upgrades and security patches. 

Pricing and Plans

	Magento Open Source	Magento Commerce	Magento Commerce Cloud
Domain	$10 to 400 per year	$10 to 400 per year	$10 to 400 per year
Hosting	$100 per year	$500 per year	0
SSL Certificate	$50 to 300 per year	$5 to 300 per year	$50 to 300 per year
SEO & Marketing	$10, 000 to 40,000 per year	$10, 000 to 40,000 per year	$10, 000 to 40,000 per year
Maintenance	$50 to 100 per hour	$70 to 140 per hour	$70 to 140 per hour

Read More: Ecommerce Marketing Strategies that Drive Results

Conclusion

Even if Shopify continues to be a major player in the e-commerce industry, there are a wide range of substitutes that may be used to suit different company requirements and tastes. The best ecommerce platform for you will depend on your needs, your technical proficiency, and your financial constraints. 

By weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each option, companies can identify a solution that not only satisfies their immediate requirements but also fosters innovation and future growth.

FAQ’s