There may be numerous reasons to look for Shopify Alternatives. You might be someone who wants to migrate from Shopify or someone who is looking to build a new online store. If you are looking for the best substitute for Shopify, here is the list that you can check out. I have curated this list of the 14 best Shopify Alternatives on basis of its features, ease of use, pricing, etc. to help you with your research.
So choose the platform wisely as it is a foundation for your online store. Also, once you choose a platform, it is difficult to migrate to another.
Shopify Overview- When to go for Shopify alternatives?
In recent years, Shopify has been the buzzword when starting an online store. If you are new to the E-commerce world, you might not be aware of why Shopify stays at the top of the list.
Shopify has the power to manage your entire online store from start to end. You only need to follow simple steps to create your account and build your online store. Many individuals find it convenient to use because of its easy-to-use functionality. Even though it offers everything an online store needs, people prefer other platforms. It is due to some unusual requirements that cannot be satisfied by Shopify. In the next section, you can find the 11 best platforms you prefer instead of Shopify.
When do Merchants Look for Shopify Alternatives?
Flexibility and personalization options
Shopify’s themes are difficult to customize for non-techy people. You need to go through the complex procedures if you want to customize the themes. If you are a design freak who expects tailor-made designs, Shopify cannot go well with your website.
Budget is low
Shopify may be good for people getting started with an online business with a low budget. Also, people with small businesses do not require all the features. Considering all these factors, we can claim that Shopify may become pricey for some businesses.
Shopify apps and themes pricing
You must choose and download dedicated apps if you need extra functionality apart from inbuilt ones. These third-party apps from the Shopify app store will do their job and charge you extra. In addition, there will be added expenses if you decide to use paid themes along with the cost of your chosen plan.
Transaction fee
Shopify supports most of the payment gateways including Shopify payments. If you use a payment gateway other than Shopify offers, you will be charged 2% per transaction. Additionally, Shopify payments do not support all nations.
Those mentioned above are the prime factors for considering Shopify options. In the following section, we will deep dive into the Shopify alternatives.
14+ Best Shopify Alternatives (2023)
The table below provides a quick overview of the top 14 Shopify alternatives, which you can use to make your selection based on your needs:
| S.No. | Alternatives | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Squarespace | 4.6 |
| 2 | BigCommerce | 4.5 |
| 3 | WooCommerce | 4.5 |
| 4 | Wix | 4.7 |
| 5 | Prestashop | 4.3 |
| 6 | Magento | 4.5 |
| 7 | Zyro | 4.5 |
| 8 | Weebly | 4.1 |
| 9 | PinnacleCart | 3.7 |
| 10 | Shellfy | 3.7 |
| 11 | Volusion | 2.5 |
| 12 | Shift4Shop | 4.1 |
| 13 | Ecwid | 4.2 |
| 14 | OpenCart | 4.0 |
1. Squarespace E-Commerce
Squarespace is the perfect alternative to Shopify. It is a powerful website builder with tons of free templates for every type of business. If you want to build an attractive website, Squarespace can be a perfect choice.
Main highlights of Squarespace website builder
- Squarespace includes built-in marketing tools like blogging, email marketing, and SEO.
- They provide a variety of website design templates.
- You can create content-based websites with service provider booking options.
- The best thing about Squarespace is they have quick customer support functionality.
- Squarespace also lets you create different categories of websites including Portfolio, Membership, Blog, etc., along with E-Commerce stores.
Pricing
Squarespace has four pricing plans Personal, Business, Basic Commerce, and Advanced commerce, which you can choose according to your requirements. And they cost you $16, $23, $27 and $49 respectively.
2. BigCommerce
BigCommerce is the most popular choice for enterprise-level businesses, including B2-B and B2C. BigCommerce is the ideal option if you’re searching for powerful features that will enable you to expand your business.
Main highlights of BigCommerce website builder
- BigCommerce is flexible for customization options.
- You can get various sales features like POS(Point of Sale), multiple currencies, Multilanguage, etc.
- Bigcommerce will not charge any transaction fee.
- In Bigcommerce, you can also write a product review on the website.
Pricing
BigCommerce users can choose between four pricing plans based on the size of the business.: Standard, Plus, Pro, and Enterprise. The prices for the plans are $29.95, $79.95, and $299.95, and you can customize the pricing for last.
3. WooCommerce
WooCommerce is an open-source WordPress plugin you can use for building E-Commerce stores. People who want to create highly personalized online stores prefer it. You can get to integrate with several platforms using WooCommerce. If you expect flexibility in pricing with more customization options, WooCommerce is your go-to option.
Main highlights of the WooCommerce platform
- You must select the website hosting and create the domain on your own.
- Even though WooCommerce is not beginner friendly, You can build any website within your budget.
- You can design the store from various customizable free and premium themes.
- WooCommerce does not charge the transaction fee for third-party payment gateways.
- You can use add-ons and plugins for extra functionality, which are much more reasonable.
Pricing
The cost of WooCommerce depends on the website you plan to build. You must spend on Domain registration, hosting, themes, and plugs/add-ons. You can customize your pricing from $10 to $100 per month based on the themes and add-ons you use.
4. Wix eCommerce
This can be a perfect choice if you are looking for the best online store builder at reasonable pricing. Wix offers over 800 premium themes with a drag and drops editor.
Main highlights of the Wix platform
- If you choose the Wix annual plans, you get a free domain name for one year.
- It is generally suitable for small and medium-sized organizations due to its inability to expand.
- Wix supports all the major payment gateways except Apple Pay and Amazon Pay.
- Wix offers the best customer service.
- Wix has options for different types of websites other than E-Commerce like personnel websites, blogging, portfolios, creative websites, etc
Pricing
Wix eCommerce offers three pricing options for Business and eCommerce Plans- Business Basic, Business Unlimited, and Business VIP. These plans are $27, $32, and $59, respectively.
5. Prestashop
This is a free, open-source E-Commerce platform. You need to spend on web-hosting and additional features to function your website. If you are looking for a fully customizable platform with reasonable pricing, Prestashop can be a better choice.
Main highlights of the Prestashop platform
- Prestashop is free and easy to install.
- It allows you to sell internationally using multi-currency and multi-language features.
- Prestashop requires technical expertise to build the website, or you need to hire professional website designers.
Pricing
Anyone can use and download Prestashop for free. Web hosting, add-ons, marketing tools, and other online store elements come at an additional cost.
6. Magento(Adobe Commerce)
Magento is an open-source E-Commerce platform with an additional hosting, domain, and security charge. Both small-scale and large-scale industries prefer it for B2-B and B2C businesses.
Main highlights of the Magento platform
- Magento has flexible customization options with themes. You need the technical knowledge to customize the website.
- It is the best option for growing brands; it helps to scale all types of businesses.
- Magento has impressive sales and marketing features with several payment gateways.
Pricing
Even though Magento is an open-source platform, you need to spend for hosting, domain, extensions, etc. If you want to build a fully fledged E-Commerce store for small businesses, it might cost you between $15,000–$50,000+
7. Zyro
Zyro is mostly suitable for small-scale businesses willing to spend less on online stores. It is easy to use platform which includes the best customization options using drag and drop builder.
Main highlights of the Zyro platform
- Zyro provides Domain Name and Free SSL for minimum pricing
- Offers AI Tools like Logo Maker
- It provides Blogging functionality with SEO tools
- They provide 24/7 support with a knowledge base from where you can find answers to all your questions.
- The only disadvantage with Zyro is its limited storage for every plan.
Pricing
The three pricing plans offered by Zyro are website plan, business plan, online store plan, and advanced plan. The pricing for each plan is $2.90, $4.90, $8.90, and $15.7. Zyro offers a 30-day refund policy. Furthermore, 15 days of free trial is available.
8. Weebly
Weebly is generally preferred by small businesses that need fewer features. It is also easy to use with less maintenance.
The main highlight of the Weebly platform
- It offers E-commerce tools even for the free plan as well.
- It also includes marketing tools(blogging, SEO, newsletter) and analytics.
- One limitation about Weebly is that it doesn’t provide attractive design templates
- Weebly has its AppStore from where you can download apps if you need extra functionalities.
Pricing
Weebly has three pricing plans such as Connect, Pro, and Business. The pricing for these plans is $5, $12, and $25, respectively. The best part about Weebly is it provides a free plan with E-Commerce functionalities.
9. PinnacleCart
Pinnacle cart is used by newbies who want to build their online store and scale up gradually. It provides you the option of hosting on your own or hosting taken care of by them.
The main highlights of the PinnacleCart platform
- You can have access to a huge number of marketing tools such as SEO, Email marketing, etc
- There will be no transaction fee.
- It offers 24*7 Phone Support and Live Chat support
- It offers less number of themes when compared to other platforms.
Pricing
The three pricing plans of Pinnaclecart are the Standard plan, Advanced plan, and Enterprise plan. The pricing for these plans is $79.95, $199.95, and you can customize the last plan according to requirements.
The best part of Pinnaclecart is they also offer a free plan. To use Pinnaclecart’s free plan, one must use their payment gateway, PruPay.
10. Sellfy
Sellfy is easy to build and use E-Commerce website builder suitable for digital products.
It is possible to sell physical, digital, and print-on-demand products like t-shirts and mugs.
The main highlights of the Sellfy platform
- Sellfy provides a mobile-optimized website as most online sales come from mobile phones.
- You also get an Embedded feature for sharing products on social media.
- It has the best Marketing and analytics features.
- Sellfy does not offer good customization options.
Pricing.
The three plans of Sellfy are the Starter plan, business plan, and enterprise plan. These plans are $19, $49, and $ 99, respectively. It also offers a free plan where you can sell only .ten products in the store.
11. Volusion
It is one of the well-known and oldest E-Commerce store builders. With Volusion, you can access more than 100 templates to customize your store.
Main highlights of the Volusion platform
- Volusion offers several payment gateways.
- Depending on your chosen plan, the transaction fee may vary between 0.5% and 2%.
- It offers Sales, marketing, and analytics features to help increase the store’s revenue.
- Volusion prohibits selling digital products.
Pricing
Volusion offers three different personal, professional, business, and prime plans. The pricing for these are $35, $79, $299, and the last plan can be customizable.
12. Shift4Shop
Shift4Shop was previously known as 3DCart, but back in 2022, it was acquired by Shift4 company and rebranded as Shift4Shop. Similar to Shopify, Shift4Shop is also a self-hosted eCommerce platform and is loaded with plenty of eCommerce features which makes it worthy of being a Shopify alternative. It also offers a free plan for US citizens, but they must have Shift4 as a payment gateway.
Main Highlights Of the Shift4Shop Platform
- You get the option to connect your store with more than 300 payment gateways.
- SEO features of Shift4Shop can easily help you get noticed on any search engine, even in the beginning.
- You get complete control of your online store on Shift4Shop.
- Get an SSL certificate for your store at an affordable price.
- Build your store on different niches and sell products like arts & crafts, furniture, subscriptions, electronics, and so on.
Pricing
Shift4Shop comes with an end-to-end free plan which is only available for US citizens. Apart from US citizens, they also have standard plans for international store owners, which costs from $29/mo to $299/mo. They also offer enterprise plans which cost $2000+/mo based on your requirements.
13. Ecwid
There are two types of eCommerce platforms: first is a web-hosted solution that allows you to create an online store from scratch, and the second is a self-hosted solution that gives you more flexibility in designing your online store. Ecwid is neither of them, it is like a mid-solution for those who already have a website. They can directly add an eCommerce store to their website with Ecwid and sell products seamlessly.
Main Highlights of The Ecwid Platform:
- It integrates really well with social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, making it easier for you to sell through social channels.
- Integrate Ecwid into your existing website to create a storefront and add eCommerce features.
- Ecwid works really well with all WordPress themes, so you don’t have to worry about having design issues on your websites.
- Manage your eCommerce store directly from Ecwid’s mobile application.
- Ecwid has a free plan that allows you to sell up to 10 products in your store without paying transaction fees.
Pricing
Ecwid has three premium plans. The cost of the venture plan is $19/mo or $169/year, the business plan is $39/mo or $349/year, and the unlimited plan is $99/mo or $990/year. We also have an exclusive Ecwid coupon code here to help you save a few bucks on your purchase.
14. OpenCart
OpenCart is a free and open-source Shopify alternative that is quite new to the eCommerce market. This modern platform allows you to create a professional-looking website using customizable templates. You will get all the essential eCommerce features to run your store, but you will need to take care of hosting and domain situations all by yourself. One of its popular features is Multi-Vendor Marketplace, which allows multiple sellers to sell products under one marketplace.
Main highlights of the OpenCart platform
- It is an ideal eCommerce platform for businesses of all sizes.
- Unlike other platforms, the design and eCommerce tools are beginner-friendly.
- It supports popular payment gateways so sellers can accept payment from customers’ preferred methods.
- It supports multiple languages and currencies, so businesses from various regions can use this eCommerce platform.
- With no setup or selling plans, it gives a platform for individuals and businesses with low budgets to start an online store.
Pricing
OpenCart is an open-source platform, so you don’t need to pay for a plan in order to create a platform. However, you need to purchase a domain and hosting services and install paid third-party apps to increase your store’s performance.
How to Choose the Shopify Alternatives Based on the Requirements?
When looking for Shopify alternatives, it is better to understand your requirements, budget, and how the website should look. I have written a quick summary of which platform to choose based on the necessities.
| S.no | Purposes | Platforms |
| 1 | Creative and appealing website | Squarespace and Wix |
| 2 | Enterprise level business | BigCommerce |
| 3 | Cost-effective website builder | Weebly and Zyro |
| 4 | Free website builder | Pinnacle cart, Sellfy, OpenCart |
| 5 | Medium scale business | Magento |
| 6 | Customized website | WooCommerce |
| 7 | Easy to build and use | Sellfy and Shift4Shop |
| 8 | Open source E-Commerce platforms | WooCommerce, Prestashop, Magento, Ecwid |
Conclusion: Best Shopify Alternatives (2023)
I’ve listed the top 11 Shopify alternatives to choose from to your needs. In addition, I have also explained how to pick the appropriate platform for your requirements. I believe that now you clearly understand whether to go for Shopify alternatives. All the platforms are built for specific types of businesses. By making the right choice, you can achieve success. I hope this article helps you find the best platform to build your online store.
