6 Best Shopify Alternatives for Your Ecommerce Store

Netflix, Fashion Nova, Decathlon, ColorPop. What do these giant brands have in common?

If you had guessed Shopify, you would have been right.

There’s no denying that Shopify is a force to reckon with in the world of eCommerce. It powers more than 7.4 million stores globally, allowing countless entrepreneurs to set up and manage their eCommerce sites.

As impressive as that may be, Shopify may not be the right fit for your business goals. You probably have your reasons for it. This guide explores the 6 best Shopify alternatives worth exploring.

The Best Shopify Alternatives at a Glance

What is Shopify?

Shopify is an eCommerce platform that manages every aspect of your online business, regardless of how big or small it is. It boasts an intuitive dashboard that lets you design your digital storefront, manage products, track order fulfillment, and handle customer support. You don’t have to be a coding guru to build your online store from scratch.

Its built-in tools are designed to offer optimal support to you and your customers at every stage of the purchasing cycle — order fulfillment, exchanges, upsells, etc. The best thing about the platform has to be how scalable it is. Shopify’s app store is chock-full of apps and plugins you can install to enhance the features and functionality of your business as it grows.

Reasons Why You’re Probably Looking for a Shopify Alternative

As powerful as Shopify might be, here are some common reasons why you might opt for a different eCommerce platform to run your business.

You Can’t or Don’t Want to Use Shopify Payments

Shopify has its own proprietary payment gateway known as Shopify Payments, which runs on Stripe’s native payment processor. As an incentive for merchants to use Shopify Payments as their primary payment gateway, the provider doesn’t charge any third-party transaction fees for orders processed through it.

On the other hand, if you opt not to use it and instead prefer a different payment gateway, you will have to pay all the associated third-party transaction fees that Shopify charges. These fees don’t include the credit card rates these third-party payment providers levy.

With that in mind, what would compel you to use a different payment gateway other than Shopify Payments?

For starters, if your country doesn’t support it, you would have no choice but to opt for a different provider altogether. Likewise, if you sell a product that the platform deems high risk, such as vaporizers, you would have to rely on a different payment processor, even if your country supports Shopify Payments.

You Crave More Control Over Your Website’s SEO

While Shopify offers some basic SEO capabilities, these may not be enough to propel your online store to the #1 spot on Google. If you intend to use organic search as your primary source of traffic, Shopify might not be the best option as far as search engine optimization goes. For one, the platform bars users from accessing and editing robot.txt files, which is a pretty big deal-breaker in the SEO realm.

Robot.txt is the file that tells Google how to index your website. That way, only the pages you want featured among search results actually show up on search engine results pages (SERPs). While this may not be an issue when you’re first starting, you will eventually want to have more control over how search engines like Google crawl and index your website.

Your Product Catalog is Large and Complex

Shopify has a limit on the number of options and SKUs for each product featured on your online store. Merchants get a maximum of three options and 100 SKUs per product, which can be problematic if your eCommerce store has a wide range of options for customers to choose from.

Here’s what we mean.

Suppose you have a women’s clothing store, and you have made it your mission to be as inclusive as possible to cater to every type of customer you’re targeting. It might mean:

• Featuring clothes in a wide spectrum of sizes starting from X-Small (XS) all the way to 8 X-Large (8XL)
• Having multiple color options for each size category in every clothing item
• Offering a host of designs such as short and long-sleeve shirts, tank tops, tunics, camisoles, crop tops, dresses, etc.
• Providing options for various occasions such as formal wear, casual, outdoors, summer wear, hiking, etc.

The possibilities are endless. You can see how complex your product catalog can become. Your best bet would be to find an alternative for Shopify that is capable of handling such a large catalog.

You’ve Had a Sub-Par Experience With the Platform

If you previously had a less-than-ideal experience with Shopify that left a bad taste in your mouth, that might prompt you to find an alternative that meets your needs. Maybe you’re unhappy with customer support or perhaps are unsatisfied with the Help Center resources with regard to the particular issues you’re facing. Maybe someone shared a negative experience they had with Shopify, and now you’re afraid the same thing might happen to you.

Whatever your reason for frustration, it might prompt you to explore other Shopify alternatives that align with your business needs and expectations.

Features to Consider on Your Next Ecommerce Platform

Picking an eCommerce solution for your online store isn’t a decision you should take lightly. It could be the thing that makes or breaks your business. Here are some important things to keep in mind when choosing the best alternative to Shopify.

Pricing

Price is arguably one of the most important factors to consider when choosing an alternative for Shopify. While most eCommerce platforms typically offer a free plan, most of them have varying price points, with some on the higher end of the spectrum compared to others.

If you aren’t quite sure which platform is right for you, it might be a good idea to pick one with a free plan. As your business grows and you’re clear about your short- and long-term business requirements, you can eventually upgrade to a paid plan.

The other thing you need to think about is fees. Does your preferred Shopify alternative charge a recurring monthly fee? How much are the transaction fees on each purchase? Is a built-in payment gateway a non-negotiable for you, or are you okay with using one that’s completely separate? The answers to these questions will help you make an informed decision when evaluating your next eCommerce platform based on pricing.

Ease-of-Use

Shopify is one of the most user-friendly platforms around. That said, if you’re still not over the learning curve after a month or so of using the platform, it might be worth exploring a different provider altogether. Before you make the switch, evaluate how easy-to-use the new platform is, how long the setup takes, how easy it is to add new products and product categories to your store, and how easy it is to navigate using the platform’s interface.

The same thing applies when it comes to migrating your store to a new platform. If you’ve identified an eCommerce solution that’s more up your alley, you should also think about how easy it will be to move your existing store to it. While store migration apps like Cart2Cart can help you move your online store to a provider of your choice in a simple, automated, hassle-free way, it’s important to check that these third-party tools support your preferred platform.

Hosting

Like Shopify, some platforms include hosting in their monthly subscription fee. Wix falls into this category of eCommerce providers. On the other hand, other platforms, such as WooCommerce, require merchants to set up their store on a hosting platform like WordPress.

If you’re not entirely sure which route to take, it all comes down to how hands-on you want to be or intend to be with regard to your website’s back end. If you want a platform that takes care of the hosting and everything else involved in the nitty-gritty of your store’s backend, a hosted solution would be a better choice. If you prefer to handle the hosting yourself, consider picking a self-hosted solution like WooCommerce.

Payment Processing Options

The other factor you need to consider is the number of payment processing options your preferred eCommerce solution supports. Shopify is compatible with pretty much all payment processors. For this reason, the Shopify alternative you pick should support popular payment providers like PayPal, Apple Pay, and Stripe.

Additionally, check that the new eCommerce platform offers additional features. Does it allow merchants to set up recurring orders or subscription-based payments? These are especially important for businesses that sell products on a periodic basis.

Security

To keep your customer and business data safe from hackers and other bad actors, you want to pick a platform with SSL encryption and PCI compliance, at the bare minimum. You also want to choose a platform that’s up-to-date with the latest security patches to protect your website from emerging security threats.

Design Options

Your online store should look branded and professional. For this reason, your new eCommerce platform should offer a broad range of themes and design options. Platforms like Wix have a surprisingly large number of themes, while others like Ecwid only have a handful of templates.

This, however, shouldn’t be a deterrent. If you find a theme you like, that’s all that matters. If you can code, it might be a good idea to choose an open-source platform or API so you can customize your online store to your liking.

SEO Capabilities

A critical component of your store’s success is visibility. How easy is it for prospective customers to find your website? That’s where SEO comes in. Optimizing your site for Google boosts traffic to your store.

Evaluate your next eCommerce platform by looking for basic SEO features. Think — a blog, the presence of social sharing buttons, meta tags, customizable URLs, etc. Check whether it has any additional features that can boost your site’s ranking on SERPs, including the ability to add structured data or create custom pages.

Customer Support

Regardless of how hands-on you are when it comes to managing your online store, things will inevitably go wrong at some point. When this happens, you’ll need to reach out to your platform’s customer support team to help you resolve these issues.

When evaluating a platform’s customer support, the buzzwords to look for include 24/7 support, live chat, and email support. As a bonus, it should have a well-stocked, up-to-date knowledge base and a community support forum where you can seek answers for your specific issue.

Additionally, look for reviews from other platform users to learn about their experiences. Were their issues resolved promptly and to their satisfaction?

6 Great Shopify Alternatives

So far, we’ve explored some of the potential reasons why you might be looking for a Shopify alternative and the features to consider when choosing your next eCommerce platform. We tried and tested the top-rated eCommerce platforms to bring you the six best Shopify alternatives worth considering.

1. Best Shopify Alternative for WordPress Users: WooCommerce

WooCommerce is not a standalone eCommerce platform per se. It is a plugin that can be installed on an existing WordPress website to convert it into an online store. Since WordPress is built on an open-source platform, merchants have full control over the development and design of their WooCommerce store.

Unlike Shopify, WooCommerce is free to download, install, and use. That said, there are some associated costs you need to keep in mind as far as having a fully functional online store goes. For starters, the costs of purchasing a domain name, SSL certificate, and hosting provider are not included in the final cost of setting up your WooCommerce store. However, it is a great Shopify alternative for individuals with an already-existing WordPress website who want to convert it to an online store.

Pros

• No recurring monthly fee
• Merchants have instant access to deposits when using WooPayments
• Unlimited customization capability due to its open-source nature

Cons

• Only works on WordPress websites
• Not easy-to-use compared to Shopify

See also: Shopify vs. WordPress: Which is the Better Platform for Your Business?

2. Best Alternative of Shopify for Small Businesses and DIY Sellers: Wix

If you have a small business or are a DIY seller, Wix is a great Shopify alternative to consider. It lets you create a mobile-responsive store using its powerful drag-and-drop editor. All eCommerce plans support abandoned cart recovery, unlimited products, social selling, 24/7 customer support, and an online booking platform for service-oriented businesses.

If you sign up for the higher-tiered plans, you get unlimited storage, unlimited video hours, automated sales tax, customized reports, and a loyalty program. While Wix has a free plan, you will not be able to accept payments online, remove Wix ads, or connect your store to your domain unless you subscribe to a premium plan.

Wix is a great Shopify alternative for sellers looking to build a basic but highly functional online store.

Pros

• Powerful and intuitive drag-and-drop editor
• User-friendly interface
• Free domain name with annual payment
• 900+ free, customizable templates

Cons

• Merchants on the free plan cannot accept payments
• Most lower-tiered plans have a cap on storage

3. Best Cheaper Alternative to Shopify: Shift4Shop

If you want to start selling online but aren’t prepared to spend a lot of cash to set up your online store, Shift4Shop is an alternative of Shopify worth exploring. The platform boasts an easy-to-use website builder and dozens of customizable templates specific to various industries. The templates are mobile and SEO-friendly and allow you to edit the CSS and HTML yourself if you’re tech-savvy. If that’s not your strong suit, you could always hire one of Shift4Shop’s web design gurus to customize your website for you.

One thing that makes Shift4Shop so budget-friendly is that its native payment processor doesn’t charge any monthly subscription fee. All you have to do is pay the standard credit card fee charged on every sale you make. Alternatively, you can use your preferred payment processor, such as PayPal. Plans start at $29 for the latter.

Pros

• Zero subscription fees when using Shift4Shop’s native payment processor
• Comes with a free domain name
• 24/7 customer support
• Offers merchants lucrative incentives to migrate from another platform

Cons

• Online reviews point to a lack of knowledge among tech support staff
• Customizing the templates requires users to be well-versed in CSS or HTML

4. Best Shopify Alternative for Large-Scale Sellers: BigCommerce

If your business has outgrown Shopify and you’re looking for an alternative that can handle large sales volumes, BigCommerce is the answer. The platform is built for established online enterprises that want to step up their operations.

It supports unlimited products and offers unlimited bandwidth, unlimited storage, and unlimited staff accounts. You can sell on multiple channels, including your online storefront, POS, eBay, Amazon, Walmart, Instagram, Facebook, and Google Shopping. Each BigCommerce plan supports multiple currencies and even features a built-in blog to help with SEO.

Pros

• Supports multichannel sales
• All plans allow merchants to add a blog for SEO
• Offers several promotional tools such as discounts, gift cards, and coupons

Cons

• Abandoned cart recovery is only available on the higher-tiered plans
• Most of the themes look similar

5. Best Free Shopify Alternative: Ecwid

If you’re selling 10 products or less, you can do so via Ecwid at no cost. That’s right — for free. One of the great things about this Shopify alternative is the fact that you can integrate it into an existing website by simply incorporating a few lines of code. It is remarkably easy to use, features a powerful drag-and-drop editor, and is compatible with several platforms like WordPress, Joomla, Tumblr, and Blogger.

While Ecwid is free for up to 10 products, you would have to upgrade to a premium plan to leverage some of its handy features, including inventory management, live chat support, discount coupons, and digital product sales. If you’re looking to integrate Shopify-like features into your website without having to code, Ecwid is a great option to consider.

Pros

• All paid plans offer mobile POS
• The platform is GDPR-compliant
• Unlimited bandwidth is standard with all plans
• Lets users convert an existing website into an online store

Cons

• Customer support is only available on the premium plans
• Merchants can only create custom orders on the higher-tiered plans

See also: Ecwid vs. Shopify: Which is Better for Your Online Store?

6. Best Shopify Alternative for In-Person Sellers: Square

If your business involves both online and in-person sales, Square is the best Shopify alternative. The platform features an intuitive POS system that helps you manage your sales and process transactions even while offline.

Square also provides merchants with access to card readers and even has a Tap-to-Pay feature to collect customer payments quickly and conveniently. As powerful as Shopify’s eCommerce features are, its capabilities are somewhat limited if you’re running a physical, brick-and-mortar store or pop-up shop. If most of your sales occur in the real world, Square is a great option to consider.

Pros

• Free to start
• Comes with several advanced features, including marketing tools, sales analytics, a loyalty program, and payroll processing
• Free access to card readers and the Tap-to-Pay feature
• Built for in-person sales

Cons

• Advanced features cost extra
• No phone support
• Expensive for high-volume transactions

Final Thoughts

There you have it. The 6 best Shopify alternatives for your online store. When choosing the right one for your website, you must first take stock of where your business is and where you envision it to be both in the short and long term. If you’ve established that Shopify isn’t meeting your specific needs, only then should you switch to a platform that aligns with your business goals. The platforms detailed in this guide would be a great place to start.

When you’re ready to migrate your online store from your current platform to a different eCommerce provider, Cart2Cart can help you do that fast and seamlessly. Our automated shopping cart migration tool will transfer your storefront with no downtime or risk of losing data.

Want to see it in action? Sign up to Cart2Cart for a free demo today.

FAQ

What is a better option than Shopify?

Below are 6 best Shopify alternatives worth looking into:

• WooCommerce is best for WordPress users
• Wix is best for small businesses and DIY sellers
• Shift4Shop is a great Shopify alternative for business on a budget
• BigCommerce is ideal for large-volume sellers
• Ecwid is great for merchants looking for a free eCommerce platform
• Square is best for in-person sellers

Who is Shopify’s biggest competitor?

Shopify’s biggest competitor is undoubtedly WooCommerce, which has a market share of 39% compared to Shopify’s 10%.

Is there a free alternative for Shopify

If you’re selling 10 products or less, you can do so via Ecwid at no cost. That said, you would have to upgrade to a premium plan if you want to leverage some of the platform’s advanced features, including inventory management, live chat support, discount coupons, or digital product sales.

Is Wix better than Shopify?

Not necessarily. Wix offers powerful AI tools that Shopify doesn’t. However, Shopify is more scalable than Wix, which is better suited to small businesses and DIY sellers.