12 Shopify Alternatives That Are Superior (Free + Paid) in 2022
Shopify is an extremely popular e-commerce platform that is used by millions of merchants. However, there are a few issues that turn people off from staying on the platform. Many merchants churn due to the expensive monthly subscription, particularly when the store hasn't made a profit yet. Some leave due to too many other costs like app purchases increase and chip away at profits. And some find the site difficult, particularly for people who aren't experts. While Shopify could be a great option for certain types of customers but it's a great suggestion to explore other Shopify alternatives to make sure that you've picked the best e-commerce platform that meets your requirements as the owner of your business. So, let's get a closer look at some Shopify competitors.
What is Shopify?
Shopify is an e-commerce platform that specializes in selling physical products. Whether you dropship or wholesale it is possible to find Shopify applications that permit you to find products to sell through your store, so that you can become an online seller the very next day. Shopify offers ecommerce features including web hosting, a complimentary subdomain domain and more than 100 payment gateways, unlimitable merchandise, and many additional. There's not a plan for free with Shopify, just a 14-day no-cost trial. This means that this project can cost quite a bit at the beginning.
Four Reasons to Choose Shopify Rivalry Instead
1. For a less expensive alternative
In their standard pricing tiers, Shopify's most accessible plan is the Basic plan which begins at $29/month. However, Shopify also offers a 9-month subscription, but it doesn't come with an online store; you'll need to market your products through social media, a third-party website, or some other way. However, Shopify doesn't offer an inexpensive plan for businesses that haven't generated revenue. With the cost of themes, a monthly subscription as well as apps and marketing, you'll be investing a lot of money into starting out, but there is the nil chance of success if you pick the appropriate product or niche to market. Unfortunately, not everyone builds an empire as large as Kylie Cosmetics or Fashion Nova. Therefore, alternatives like Shopify could be an excellent option to those seeking a less expensive option.
2. For a greater profit
Another reason that people consider Shopify alternatives is that they can earn greater profits in online sales. Alongside your monthly payment, you have monthly charges for apps, as well as transaction charges that are 2.9 30% + 30 cents on the Basic plan. If you purchase your products, you may need to pay for the shipping costs, products as well as the app subscription. This is before you can begin marketing your products. Since there are many charges paid before you've made the first couple of dollars, it will eat away at your margins. Then, you begin advertising. It has an expense for marketing that is higher than other forms of marketing to get the sales. But ads don't always convert profitably. The process requires the trial and error method, product market ability, and knowledge to run a successful ecommerce store. This can be a huge burden for novices who just want to earn some extra money to supplement their income. You can certainly succeed, but some ecommerce platforms are too expensive upfront charges, which may cause financial harm to a person.
3. Find a platform that is easier to use
Shopify features drag-and-drop functions, which makes the platform quite simple for novices. Although, creating a site isn't necessarily the toughest aspect of operating an online shop. Marketing your products is perhaps the most difficult part of being the proprietor of an online store. The amount of eCommerce tools a platform has is always a bonus However, it is the marketing aspects that matter. Connecting with your customers more efficiently and faster is the thing that the majority of e-commerce platforms don't take into account. However, it is possible to find an ecommerce platform that acts as a marketplace to let your customers can come to you instead of you doing a lot of the work. For store owners searching to find a reliable marketing platform such as Shopify, the Shopify alternative could be an ideal choice.
4. So that you can ease your pain
From writing many product descriptions and challenges with transferring from one platform to the one that follows, and the absence of a high-quality content management system (CMS), to too many costs There are a variety of reasons to search to a Shopify alternative. A store that sells online isn't just a website; it's a business. The easier it is to manage your business instead of just creating it, the more likely people select the option that is most suitable for them. Shopify offers customer support for its sellers of all kinds however for some they don't have enough support to help them generate sales.
12 Shopify Alternatives that Are Better (Free + Paid)
1.
On , you can accept sales from anywhere. If you wish to market through social media platforms, your blog, or another site, you are able to. Its checkout system is optimized for conversions, so you convert better when you're selling on your site. Plus, when customers order from you, they'll receive immediate download. This means you can put an end to lengthy shipping wait times.
Your content is securely hosted, and they'll only receive your file after they've been on your download page after purchase. And, unlike those big ecommerce platforms, you won't need to wait for payment. Instead, customers earn money from PayPal or Stripe instantly.
2. BigCommerce
Alternatives to Shopify similar to BigCommerce are great options for building an online store. BigCommerce provides a variety of options, including hosting for websites. However, the biggest benefit BigCommerce offers over Shopify is the fact that they charge no transaction fees in their pricing plans. BigCommerce lets you add as many as 600 different variations to every product, whereas Shopify can only allow 100 variations per product. BigCommerce also offers a longer free trial period as compared to Shopify to enable you to investigate the platform as well as build an online store. BigCommerce also has a greater drag-and-drop feature that lets you build your website with any elements easily. BigCommmerce offers more free themes and paid themes than Shopify offers, making it one of the Shopify alternatives to look into.
3. WooCommerce
Alternatives to Shopify like WooCommerce can be a great choice for people seeking to set up an online store that has the highest flexibility for customization. If you're determined to create an ecommerce business, WooCommerce is an open-source platform which makes it completely available for free. In addition, WooCommerce can be an WordPress plugin. So, if you've been planning to build out your site to include the largest blog available for organic traffic to it, this is the best Shopify solution to achieve this. You'll need to pay for the hosting for your website however. But that also means you're in control of choice. WooCommerce is one of the most popular Shopify competitors as it has more than 3 million users than that green bag of shopping.
4. Etsy
If you're seeking advertising features, Etsy is one of the Shopify alternatives you can look into. Etsy operates as an internet-based marketplace that allows users are able to buy and sell items. Even though you don't have an online store, customers will find you organically when searching through Etsy, so it's convenient for people who are struggling to market. There's no monthly subscription, but that isn't a guarantee that Etsy is fee-free. There are listing fees of $0.20 for every added product as well as an additional 6.5 percent transaction cost. Additionally, you'll have to cover processing costs for payments dependent on your chosen payment service. However, if you don't have pay a lot of marketing costs, it's a worthwhile Shopify option for businesses selling physical goods.
5. PinnacleCart
Unlike Shopify, PinnacleCart offers a free service for customers who earn between $250,000 and $250,000. You can add up to five admin accounts with this plan for free too. This ecommerce platform is stacked with more than 400 features for ecommerce, allowing you to customize and build your shop to your own specifications. They offer zero transaction fees for all their plans. Alternatives to Shopify like this include a QR code generator, reviews feature, a wishlist for customers as well as gift message for orders. It's not necessary to download an application to have those features on your online shop.
6. Wix
Wix is among the only Shopify alternatives that includes ad vouchers in their monthly service so you can run your online shop and concentrate on the most important thing: generating profits. You can run subscription services within the Wix account, which makes it one of the most advanced options online retailers can add to their stores. The e-commerce company you run can allow you to install as many as 250 items when dropshipping with Modalyst. Beyond product sales, ecommerce solutions like Wix allow you to build your own websites, businesses that are freelance, and even selling tickets to events. Restaurants often use Wix as it permits ordering food online. Hotels can also make reservations via Wix also. This goes beyond just building your online store.
7. PrestaShop
Another Shopify alternative, which uses an open-source ecommerce platform is PrestaShop. Since it's an open source and self-hosted service, it's completely free to use for online shops. However, there are cost of running shops, even with e-commerce options like PrestaShop. Nevertheless, this platform is easy to use and permits customization of the store. It is possible to edit the of the source files. However, with Shopify altering your theme's code can make your online business ineligible for future upgrades. PrestaShop also has over 2,000 templates on their website, whereas Shopify offers just 100 templates.
8. Elementor
Elementor is an e-commerce platform. Elementor is an alternative to Shopify alternative that you can consider. With more than 300 professionally-designed templates, you'll have the ability to have a stunning online business. This Shopify solution also lets the user to make edits that are responsive that means you are able to adjust your website's appearance from seven devices at once. You can also live edit your website for quick fixes. Additionally, thanks to auto-save technology it is not necessary to maintain your website manually as you make changes to the site. Also, unlike Shopify you are able to create many pages such as landing pages, pop-up templates block templates, about us pages, and more with distinctive design elements.
9. Square
Alternatives to Shopify when it comes to point-of-sale solutions include the only one that is Square. The Square app is loved by local eateries, brick and mortar businesses, and smaller retailers. If you're using the Square app for your transactions, it's completely cost-free. You'll only need to pay 2.65 percent for each card tap. In contrast to Shopify, you can also buy a register to your physical store for your store's cashiers to punch into the orders. Companies that earn more than 250,000 dollars annually could receive additional savings for managing their POS solution via Square.
10. Squarespace
Shopify alternatives like Squarespace allow you to create more features for the online shop you have created. Squarespace is more blog-friendly over Shopify and Shopify for customers looking to add blogs to their ecommerce store. You'll also find many more templates for free on Squarespace in comparison to Shopify, giving the customer more choices for a design. This Shopify alternative allows the user to include more options per product, up to 250, versus Shopify's 100. It is also possible to get your domain name for free with your annual purchase of a Squarespace plan.
11. Poshmark
Poshmark is an e-commerce platform which allows you to offer your products to their customers. Therefore, if you're searching for Shopify alternatives, with their own marketplace, Poshmark is a great choice, mainly for brands that sell clothing and cosmetics. Retailers who are brick and mortar or online who have surplus inventory can utilize Poshmark to sell their products with lower prices. The e-commerce site even offers Posh Stories, where you are able to promote your products with images or videos via their application. While you don't have your own online store on Poshmark however, you'll have the ability to communicate with the Poshmark customer base.
12. WordPress
The Shopify alternative like WordPress allow ecommerce functionality by the use of plug-ins. But, if you're planning to start an online store for example, like an Amazon affiliate website, WordPress could be a excellent alternative. The most effective CMS that you can find on the internet is WordPress. A lot of people utilize WordPress to create websites, so while they might not be specialized in the e-commerce aspect There are numerous options to approach the process. For example, there are more WordPress themes than the other platform for e-commerce, since it's the biggest one. This Shopify alternative is free and allows you to customize your website in any way to create a unique online shop. While Shopify boasts over 1,000,000 users, WordPress manages over 455 million websites.
FAQ
Do you know of any alternatives that are free to Shopify?
Yes! is a no-cost alternative to Shopify. Sign up to's Free Forever plan. This plan allows there is only a five% transaction fee when you make a sale. Even on this Free Forever plan, you'll have access to every feature of the site that allow you to design your own online store in the way you want.
Who are Shopify's main competitors?
The primary competitors of Shopify include digital items, Square for point-of-sale solutions, Etsy for marketplace sellers as well as BigCommerce and WooCommerce for physical items.
Does Shopify worthwhile?
It depends. Shopify is a good ecommerce service for some customers, but beginners often find the costs too high when creating a business using Shopify. For example, alternatives like have a free plan for an annual subscription that includes all of the features needed to build your online shop.