When we talk about e-commerce platforms, Shopify is one of the most sought-after E-Commerce platforms out there. Sellers from all industries create their online stores on Shopify as it allows various features such as complete customization, web maintenance, affordable subscriptions, easy payment integrations, and many more. It’s easy to work with and provides a wide range of integrations to grow your business and manage sales online.
Howеvеr, onе of its major drawbacks is that it does not offеr any frее spacе and, for some small businеssеs, thе cost might bе on thе highеr еnd. Hеncе, a lot of pеoplе еnd up looking for altеrnativеs to Shopify onlinе shopping. If you arе also looking to еxplorе morе options in thе markеt, you arе at thе right placе.
Aftеr thorough rеsеarch, wе havе listеd bеlow somе of thе most popular free and paid Shopify altеrnativеs out thеrе.
Choose an E-commerce platform that’s right for you by exploring our top alternatives to Shopify!
A Brief Comparison of Common Shopify Alternatives
Here’s a tabular comparison of major Shopify alternatives —
| Platform | Features | Pricing | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BigCommerce | Scalable | Starts at $29/month | Powerful features, reliable performance, excellent customer support | Can be complex to set up and customize |
| Squarespace | Easy to use | Starts at $16/month | Beautiful templates, drag-and-drop editor, integrated analytics | Limited e-commerce features, can be expensive for large stores |
| Wix | Easy to use | Starts at $14/month | Drag-and-drop editor, wide range of templates, affordable pricing | Limited e-commerce features, can be slow for large stores |
| Ecwid | Easy to add to existing websites | Starts at $15/month | Flexible and customizable, affordable pricing | Not as scalable as other platforms, can be slow for large stores |
| WooCommerce | Powerful and customizable | Free (open-source plugin) | Requires WordPress hosting, can be complex to set up and customize | |
| Sellfy | Ideal for selling digital products | Starts at $19/month | Easy to use, affordable pricing | Limited e-commerce features, not as scalable as other platforms |
| Shift4Shop | Affordable and easy to use | Starts at $29/month | Affordable pricing, easy to use, good customer support | Limited features, not as scalable as other platforms |
| Magento | Powerful and customizable | Free (open-source platform) | Scalable, customizable, wide range of features | Complex to set up and customize, requires technical expertise |
| OpenCart | Free and open-source | Free (open-source platform) | Customizable, scalable, wide range of features | Complex to set up and customize, requires technical expertise |
| PrestaShop | Free and open-source | Free (open-source platform) | Customizable, scalable, wide range of features | Complex to set up and customize, requires technical expertise |
| Drupal Commerce | Flexible and customizable | Free (open-source platform) | Flexible and customizable, wide range of features | Complex to set up and customize, requires technical expertise |
Best Shopify Alternatives of 2023
Let’s have a look at the 10 best alternatives to Shopify online store and choose the right one for your e-commerce business:
- WIX
- SQUARESPACE
- SQUARE ONLINE
- BIG COMMERCE
- GO DADDY
- WOOCOMMERCE
- ADOBE COMMERCE
- PINNACLE CART
- WEEBLY
- SHIFT4SHOP
1. WIX
Wix was founded in 2006, by Avishai Abrahami, Nadav Abrahami, and Giora Kaplan. Thеy curatеd a crеativе еcosystеm by providing a global usеr basе, opеn SDK, and unparallеlеd dеsign capabilities.
Features:
- Wix offers more than 500 designer-made templates to help you find the one you need
- Smart drag-n-drop editor enables easy navigation and seamless interaction
- It offers you a custom domain, logo, and many other brand tools to make your work easy
- Full-stack web development tools enables custom functionality
Pricing:
- Business Elite – ₹1,599/month(15 Collaborators)
- Business – ₹799/month(10 Collaborators)
- Core – ₹399/month(5 Collaborators)
- Light – ₹199/month(2 Collaborators)
Also, check: Wix vs Shopify
2. SQUARESPACE
Anthony Casalana created Squarespace with a vision to make every person an entrepreneur and help them stand out and succeed. SqaureSpace was awarded the Best Company Culture 2022 amongst the top 100 highest-rated companies. With a wide range of teams, Suarqespace offers a wide range of features to help itsusers.
Features:
- With an incredible range of sales tool, you have easy access to various essential features for your online store
- SqaureSpace facilitates you with a wide range of high-quality stock images
Pricing:
- Personal: $16 per month (paid annually) or $23 per month (paid monthly)
- Business: $23 per month (paid annually) or $33 per month (paid monthly)
- Basic Commerce: $27 per month (paid annually) or $36 per month (paid monthly)
- Advanced Commerce: $49 per month (paid annually) or $65 per month (paid monthly)
Also, check: Shopify vs Squarespace
3. SQUARE ONLINE
Square Online is all you need when it comes to your online store needs and fulfilments, as they provide personalized plans according to the services you are looking for. This robust platform provides omnichannel solutions to help sellers in many suitable ways.
Features:
- Freedom to work with any third-party technologies to grow business conveniently.
- Extremely seamless interface to help you easily customize your online store and lead the business
Pricing:
- Free: No monthly fee, but you pay 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction.
- Plus: $29/month + 2.6% + 30¢ per transaction. Includes abandoned cart recovery, real-time shipping rates, and premium customer support.
- Premium: $79/month + 2.5% + 30¢ per transaction. Includes all Plus features, plus advanced customization options and priority support.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing. Includes all Premium features, plus dedicated account management and custom integrations.
4. BIG COMMERCE
As a leading open SaaS solution, BigCommerce with its fullest potential focuses on its consumers. They have earned many awards from G2, Trustradius, and Expert’s Choice. Moreover, their wide range of features enables users to seamlessly optimize their online store.
Features:
- Every new user needs to go through the captcha once, offering robust security.
- Big Commerce’s SaaS and open API features allows business with many powerful integration and customization tools
- Big Commerce offers its users with many great in-buit features enabling them to seamlessly create exclusive e-commerce platforms
Pricing:
- Standard: $39 per month (paid annually) or $49 per month (paid monthly)
- Plus: $79 per month (paid annually) or $99 per month (paid monthly)
- Pro: $299 per month (paid annually) or $399 per month (paid monthly)
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Also, check: BigCommerce vs Shopify – Which is Better for You?
5. GO DADDY
Go Daddy gets your business ready in the fastest way as it includes plans that provide all the free domains and tools to work within a single dashboard. Moreover, GoDaddy provides flexible plans starting from free websites and marketing to many small and big offers. WordPress is also managed and handled by them where you get all the solutions and benefits related to WordPress.
Features:
- GoDaddy’s Free chat box allows you to deal with queries 24×7 with ease
- Responsive mobile design that makes the work seamlessly fast
- It’s easy click-and-drag interface enables you to makes your domain look more captivating
Pricing:
- Basic: $11.99 per month (paid annually) or $14.99 per month (paid monthly)
- Standard: $15.99 per month (paid annually) or $19.99 per month (paid monthly)
- Premium: $22.99 per month (paid annually) or $29.99 per month (paid monthly)
- Ecommerce: $26.99 per month (paid annually) or $34.99 per month (paid monthly)
6. WOOCOMMERCE
Woocommerce paves the way to build your business with open-source solutions. Starting with curating themes in their initial years, the founders Mark Forrester, Magnus Jepson, and Adii Pienaar took to developing it into a full-fledged e-commerce platform. The promising company was later acquired by Automattic, which is best known for creating WordPress.com and Jetpack. Hence, quality services are guaranteed!
Features:
- Flexible payment methods that are compatible with more than 30+ currencies
- Wide range of newly developed themes, making ti easy to develop exclusive designs
Pricing:
- Free Plans: $49 – Stripe, PayPal, Amazon Pay, etc.
- Paid Plans: $50 – $99 – GoCardless, Clover, WorldPay, etc; $100 – $199 – Woocommerce Pre-Orders, Chase Paymentech; $200 – $299
Also, check: WooCommerce vs Shopify
7. ADOBE COMMERCE
Adobe Commerce offers significant creativity, productivity, and digital experience for the B2B and B2C industries. They use their tool for digital transformation which benefits in many ways.
Features:
- Allows you to align the user’s shopping experience across all geographical channels, all in one platform
- With product recommendations, catalog services, and live search, it is easier to manage and deliver an end-to-end shopping experience
- Adobe Commerce provides strong IT support enabling users to eliminate technical data hurdles with central solutions
- You have worldwide customer support
Pricing:
- Standard: $29 per month (paid annually) or $39 per month (paid monthly)
- Plus: $79 per month (paid annually) or $99 per month (paid monthly)
- Pro: $299 per month (paid annually) or $399 per month (paid monthly)
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
8. PINNACLE CART
Pinnacle Cart was developed by Craig and Mike with the idea of handling marketing-based e-commerce solutions. Soon after engaging 1 or 2 people in their startup, they built an e-commerce platform, when PinnacleCart was born. They are one of the top e-commerce platform for small-medium businesses.
Features:
- You can host your store on your own with the help of PCI-compliant cloud-based servers
- You have a choice to move your store to your data center or can use theirs as well
- Allows you to list your product in the most visited sites on the web
- Pinnacle Cart provides a professional service team to work with your existing staff to build a successful business
Pricing:
- Free: No monthly fee, but you pay 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction.
- Standard: $79 per month (paid annually) or $99 per month (paid monthly)
- Advanced: $199 per month (paid annually) or $249 per month (paid monthly)
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
9. WEEBLY
Weebly is an e-commerce platform by Square that takes your business from idea to growth. This comprehensive platform gives you the power to work openly with squares and provides a combination of features to work with and have more ability to grow.
Features:
- Powerful drag-and-drop tool gives your business an authentic feature to attract clients
- Responsive website customization features to build your way and make your online store stand out
- Allows third-party integrations for your site with a custom domain
Pricing:
- Free – $0/month(Free SSL security)
- Personal – $10/month(Connect a custom domain)
- Professional – $12/month(Phone support)
- Performance – $26/month(Priority Support)
Also, check: Weebly vs Shopify
10. SHIFT4SHOP
Shift4Shop is an e-commerce platform with end-to-end payments for a better customer experience. It gives you a combination of all the features you want with a wide range, helping you to make your business more robust. Shift4Shop is currently available for United States merchants only.
Features:
- AI-driven fraud protection by Kount lets you be assured of unwanted online threats
- It also provides free marketing for your current e-commerce website
Pricing:
- Free: Forever free, but limited to US merchants and requires using Shift4Shop’s payment processing.
- Basic: $29 per month (paid annually) or $39 per month (paid monthly).
- Plus: $79 per month (paid annually) or $99 per month (paid monthly).
- Pro: $229 per month (paid annually) or $299 per month (paid monthly).
- Enterprise: Custom pricing.
Other Shopify Competitors Comparisons:
Conclusion
As wе еxplorе thе bеst Shopify compеtitors and altеrnativеs for 2023, it’s clеar that thе е-commеrcе landscapе is vibrant and divеrsе. Each platform has its uniquе strеngths, catеring to various businеss nееds. Whеthеr you prioritizе еasе of usе, scalability, affordability, or spеcific fеaturеs, thеrе’s a solution out thеrе for you. BigCommеrcе, WooCommеrcе, Wix, and Magеnto arе all robust contеndеrs, offеring flеxibility and functionality. It’s crucial to assеss your businеss’s individual rеquirеmеnts and budgеt to makе an informеd choicе.
Best Shopify Competitors & Alternatives – FAQs
Q. What is the best e-commerce platform?
The best e-commerce platform for you will depend on your specific needs and requirements. Some factors to consider include scalability, features, ease of use, pricing, and customer support.
Some of the most popular e-commerce platforms include:
- Shopify
- BigCommerce
- Squarespace
- Wix
- Ecwid
- WooCommerce
- Sellfy
- Shift4Shop
- Magento
- OpenCart
- PrestaShop
Q. What is the most affordable Shopify alternative?
Some of the most affordable Shopify alternatives include:
- WooCommerce (free)
- Ecwid (free plan available)
- Shift4Shop ($29/month)
- BigCommerce ($29/month)
- Squarespace ($16/month)
- Wix ($14/month)
Q. What is the best Shopify alternative for dropshipping?
Some of the best Shopify alternatives for dropshipping include:
- WooCommerce
- Ecwid
- Shift4Shop
- BigCommerce
- Squarespace
- Wix
Q. Are there any free alternatives to Shopify?
Yes, there are a few free alternatives to Shopify, such as WooCommerce and Ecwid. However, these platforms may require more technical expertise to set up and manage.
Q. Why would I need an alternative to Shopify?
There are a few reasons why you might choose to use a Shopify alternative. Here are a few examples:
- You may be on a tight budget and looking for a more affordable e-commerce platform.
- You may need a platform with more features or customization options than Shopify offers.
- You may prefer an open-source platform that gives you more control over your online store.
- You may be unhappy with Shopify’s customer support.