Shopify Competitors: 14 Best to Consider

In this blog article, we’ll look at the best Shopify competitors, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of each ecommerce platform.

Since its inception in 2006, Shopify has accomplished some truly remarkable things.

Shopify is more than simply an ecommerce platform. It makes it easier to keep track of the performance of your digital campaigns, improve your ecommerce solutions, and increase conversions. Shopify has gained the attention of many entrepreneurs, both seasoned and new, as one of the most rapidly expanding SaaS solutions for internet firms.

Fortunately, Shopify isn’t the only viable option for an online store.

According to Statista, there were 2.3 billion users worldwide for shopify in 2021. Since the inception of online selling, numerous software firms have entered the market offering more robust features, open-source technology, and other amenities.

However, just because something is popular doesn’t imply it’s always the best alternative for you. As you’ve undoubtedly noticed since you’re seeking alternatives to Shopify.

Whether you’re a current Shopify user looking for alternate solutions for shopify or simply starting to learn about ecommerce platforms, we can help.

Here’s your ultimate guide to some of the top Shopify competitors for 2022.

What is Shopify? 

Shopify is an ecommerce platform that allows you to operate an online store. The Shopify platform can be used for a variety of purposes, including managing products, calculating shipping costs, selling across multiple channels, and more.

You don’t have to worry about maintaining Shopify since it’s a cloud-based, hosted solution (also known as a SaaS or software-as-a Service).

Shopify offers a wide range of services for both small and large businesses, including Shopify and Shopify Plus.

1. Shopify: This is for small companies. With three pricing levels Basic Shopify, Shopify, and Advanced Shopify you get access to different features based on the package you pick.
2. Shopify Plus: This is for big businesses. Shopify Plus users get more sophisticated capabilities, aimed toward bigger operations, as a result of custom pricing (a percentage of revenue with a minimum of $2,000 per month).

They also offer Shopify Lite, which is their cheapest paid plan (currently it is $9/ month) that includes a buy button to include on your existing website or blog.

4 Reasons Why You’re Probably Searching For Shopify Competitors

Let’s take a look at why you might want to consider using a different platform to run your ecommerce business now as we already covered the basics.

1. You dont want to use Shopify Payments. 

Another advantage is the option to select your payment gateway without incurring additional costs. If you don’t utilize Shopify Payments (which is powered by Stripe), a fee of up to 2% of each transaction may be levied.

You won’t be able to access them if you don’t use Shopify Payments, but do keep in mind that you’ll lose access to certain functionalities, such as the ability to make transactions in multiple currencies. You also can’t utilize Shopify Payments if you sell a high-risk product like vaporizers, even if you want to.

2. You want more control over site SEO. 

eCommerce solutions with ecommerce marketing capabilities include SEO, which is a key component of internet marketing. Shopify does an excellent job of basic SEO chores, but you might want more control over your website especially if you rely heavily on organic search.

Users of Shopify can’t access or modify robot.txt files, for example. This is the file you use to instruct Google how to index your site so that only the web pages you desire appear in search engine results.

However, if you’re brand new to content marketing and have no prior experience working with Google Search Console, don’t be scared. If anything goes wrong, simply log back into your account through the same login information that you used previously.

3. Have a large complex catalog. 

Let’s say you own a clothing shop and want to be as inclusive as possible. So, for example, you may propose: 

• There are a variety of sizes available, from extra small to 6XL.
• Each item has different color alternatives.
• Tank tops and long sleeves are just a few of the many styles available.
• Men, women, children, and infants have a variety of distinct selections.

Your product catalog is going to get increasingly complex and Shopify may not be able to keep up because you’re limited to a hundred SKUs per item and only three alternatives.

4. You’re frustrated in some form or fashion. 

Maybe you’re searching for another ecommerce platform because there’s something else you’re dissatisfied with. You might feel overwhelmed or dissatisfied with the Shopify Help Center’s design, you’re frustrated with customer service, or you’ve heard about someone else’s negative experience and are concerned something similar could happen to you. Whatever the reason, you have a number of alternatives open to you.

On Your Next Ecommerce Platform, Here Are the Features to Look For

You should always choose a new platform that can address the issues you’re having with Shopify, whether it’s because of technical difficulties or layout conflicts. While every internet company is unique, the following are some characteristics to think about.

1. Multiple payment options are available.

Not only that, but people have differing opinions on how they want to pay. One individual may wish to use their Visa since it allows them to earn points while another may prefer PayPal since they can make a purchase without having to type in their card number manually.

When looking at new platforms, be sure they provide a wide range of payment processing alternatives. BigCommerce, for example, supports over 55 payment options. Furthermore, as your business grows, you may typically get better rates, resulting in lower expenses.

If you aren’t currently selling across borders, don’t shut the door on future international expansion. Consider platforms that allow you to conduct transactions and settle in a variety of currencies.

2. Customization opportunities.

You want to let your customers know that you’re unlike anyone else in the business. Plus, how you run your business is most likely not the same as how someone else runs theirs. That’s why personalization in web design is so crucial.

When picking an ecommerce platform, make sure it’s straightforward to make changes that are customized for your company model and your specific clients. If you’re a coder who wants to build unique features, do it first.

On the other side, if you’re not a website designer, think about how simple it will be to use your site. So, exactly how much time and effort will it take for you to make modifications?

Should you build a display-style page or a vertical site? What if you have an about us page but no text elements to include? Is it possible to quickly reorder photos and videos?

If you don’t want to spend all of your time building your website, a drag-and-drop website builder can provide you with all of the functionality you need to make these modifications without requiring any additional code.

3. An online store that can expand with you.

We’ve already addressed the case of having a large catalog, but what if it’s quite little? Shopify may then be ideal for you. Don’t let where you now determine where you’ll end up in the future.

As a company owner, you must be able to plan for growth. Consider the many technologies you’ll need to put in place. Then consider whether your ecommerce platform can accommodate them.

How to Choose Shopify Competitors?

Shopify’s competitors include everything from free services designed exclusively for small businesses to well-known ecommerce platforms with shopping cart capabilities and payment gateways already integrated. Choosing the appropriate ecommerce solution for your business may be difficult due to the range of options available.

The Top Shopify Competitors

1. Wix
2. Yo!Kart
3. Square Online
4. Squarespace
5. Volusion
6. Shift4Shop
7. Ecwid
8. Big Cartel
9. WooCommerce
10. Weebly
11. BigCommerce
12. Magento
13. Prestashop

So, what if you’re looking for a Shopify alternative for a small firm that isn’t as well known?

Maybe you’re just getting started with blogging and selling online, and you’d want to know how to generate a quick profit with your digital presence. If that’s the case, your focus when establishing an ecommerce business will be on cost-effectiveness, simplicity, and adaptability.

The Good News?

There are several excellent tools to select from. Here are a few of our favorites.

Shopify Competitors #1: Wix

Finally, we have Wix on our list of Shopify competitors for small companies. Similar to Shopify, this popular website-building solution is hosted.

That means you won’t have to worry about maintaining your back-end security and compliance.

Wix also provides a drag-and-drop builder that makes it simple to develop the finest unique websites.

Wix is a popular Shopify competitor that offers many useful features at an affordable price. However, there are certain transaction costs to be aware of, including a 2.9% plus 0.3 cents fee for every US purchase.

On the bright side, Wix connects to a variety of popular payment systems, including Stripe and PayPal.

Wix also provides an SSL certificate for free – you get one for as long as you remain a customer of the Wix brand.

Shopify Competitors #2: Yo!Kart

Yo!Kart is one of the best ecommerce platforms if you are looking to start a multi-vendor marketplace. The platform was launched in 2015 and has been used to launch thousands of online marketplaces across the world. It comes with diverse features enabling a marketplace owner to offer its buyer & sellers a personalized experience with readily available mobile apps and pre-integrated third-party APIs. 

Unlike Shopify, it is a self-hosted multi-vendor platform that provides source code ownership. Also, Yo!Kart has a one-time pricing model and zero recurring charges that make it a good alternative to Shopify. 

Recently, Yo!Kart team has launched another solution with the name Tribe to help small & medium business owners in setting up their online store for FREE.

Shopify Competitors #3: Square Online

Square is the best choice for small businesses seeking to expand their online presence. This is the store-building solution that comes with the Square Point of Sale system. Square Online gives you the option to design your website for free using different themes, with plenty of customization options. You will, however, be required to use Square’s order fulfillment and point-of-sale solutions.

If you have a Shopify store and also sell items online and in-person, Square’s online shop is an excellent choice. The firm is great at providing a variety of in-person selling tools. Furthermore, Square connects your online purchases, items, and inventory data automatically.

Even though the Square shop is free to use, there are some costs to consider. You must pay 2.5% of each transaction, and you will be responsible for other costs such as hosting, expert services, and security measures. However, if you’re already using the Square portfolio to promote your business, it may be a fantastic addition.

Shopify Competitors #4: Squarespace

Squarespace is a well-known web design firm that competes with Shopify. With Squarespace, you can have a platform that’s simple and accessible to everybody, even if you don’t have strong technical abilities.

Shopify is a popular choice among small company owners because it’s inexpensive, simple to use, and boasts a wealth of plugins that can be used to improve performance.

Perhaps the greatest advantage of this option is that it allows you to easily drop in your website pages.

Anyone can construct a nice-looking website, regardless of experience. Furthermore, there is free access to more sophisticated features such as abandoned cart recovery, marketing tools, and analytics.

SquareSpace is an excellent shopping cart and content management solution. Furthermore, you may try it out for free if you wish to learn more about the benefits before making a purchase.

Shopify Competitors #5: Volusion

If you’re searching for a good, reliable service to help you grow your online business without having a lot of money to spend, Volusion may be the answer.

The pricing for this service is comparable to Shopify, with entry-level plans costing roughly $15 per month.

Volusion also includes all of the back-end customizations that Shopify does, such as responsive theme options for your online store. It’s worth noting that Volusion has a much longer track record in ecommerce than Shopify.

Shopify, on the other hand, has not received as much attention due to Shopify’s frequent claims that it is the finest service for small and medium-sized businesses. Instead of trying to be everything for everyone, Shopify attempts to be all things to all people.

As a hosted solution, Volusion relieves you of much of the stress associated with developing your website, including platform upkeep, secure checkout experiences, and more. One disadvantage is that Volusion does not have as many community members as Shopify.

Shopify Competitors #6: Shift4Shop (formerly 3dcart)

Shift4Shop is a Shopify alternative that’s well suited for small enterprises that want to be able to use add-ons and other services, such as dropshipping assistance.

One of the finest aspects of Shift4Shop for small company owners is that it includes a plethora of unique capabilities at a price that is comparable to Shopify.

Shift4Shop is another fully-hosted ecommerce solution, like Volusion. That means you won’t have to spend as much time dealing with the backend since all of the complicated elements are taken care of for you.

Shift4Shop also offers a number of different packages to choose from, with choices for various types of businesses.

Furthermore, although Shift4Shop has a variety of different plans to meet various customer needs, each plan comes with unrestricted product capacity, hundreds of payment method alternatives, and outstanding customer service.

The benefit of utilizing the Shift4Shop platform is that it enables you to combine your store with your sales and marketing efforts in a simple manner.

You may link your store to MailChimp for email marketing, Amazon, Google analytics, and Facebook, among other things. As a result, finding new conversion-encouraging methods is far easier.

Shopify Competitors #7: Ecwid

Ecwid is a simple, feature-rich platform that’s ideal for beginners selling all types of items online. Ecwid stands apart from similar Shopify competitors because it connects to your existing CMS.

If you already own a website, you don’t have to start from the ground up. Instead, you may utilize your current website’s marketing capabilities to begin selling right away.

Ecwid is adaptable and customizable, with a variety of features, such as the ability to personalize your checkout pages and improve the transaction process.

There are no product limitations to provide to clients, and the user-friendly backend integrates with your existing CMS, so there’s no need to learn new techniques from the ground up.

Elegant and efficient, Ecwid may not have as many advanced features as other leading store solutions, but you’ll still get all the help you need for a successful selling experience.

You may also take credit and debit cards, as well as certain payment options, to offer more alternatives to customers.

Shopify Competitors #8: Big Cartel

For a number of reasons, Big Cartel stands out as an exciting Shopify competitor. The first and most important advantage of this solution is how adaptable it is.

Big Cartel also offers free and paid plans for those who sell fewer than five items and more than 300, respectively.

Big Cartel is a great option if you’re a one-of-a-kind small company that requires a storage solution that’s specific to you. This service may be especially useful for artists and fashion enthusiasts since it is particularly well suited to them.

The program has downloadable themes that you may use to sell anything. Furthermore, you are free to modify the appearance and feel of your store.

Big Cartel also provides a number of useful tools on the backend to help you manage your web store, including a performance monitor, campaign management, product creation, and addition, and order tracking. You may even check in on your store in real-time on any device.

Shopify Competitors #9: WooCommerce

If you own a WordPress site or have considered using it to start your business, WooCommerce is probably familiar to you.

WooCommerce is the most popular ecommerce plugin for WordPress websites. It can help you to monetize your business without requiring any prior technical skill.

WooCommerce is a free and open-source Shopify alternative that stands out among other Shopify alternatives because it allows merchants to modify, edit, and customize their code. You may fine-tune your platform’s capabilities if you have developers on your small company team.

Shopify and other hosted platforms can’t give the same level of customization. However, because WooCommerce is open, you must accept more responsibility for your website’s hosting, compliance, and security.

On the plus side, WooCommerce has a large community of individuals who can assist you in developing and maintaining your store.

WooCommerce is compatible with a variety of other WordPress plugins, including Google Analytics and SEO management. You may also purchase add-ons that let you handle shipping and tax calculations.

Shopify Competitors #10: Weebly

If the only thing you want from a Shopify competitor is something that you feel comfortable using right out of the box, Weebly may be the ideal option.

Weebly is one of the most user-friendly solutions for businesses wanting to get started online. It allows you to launch your brand swiftly and simply.

Weebly is also much easier for newbies to use than Shopify’s basic plan. Weebly also comes at a lower price than the Shopify standard plan, so you may save money. Unlike other low-cost solutions on the market, Weebly does not limit customization options.

You can customize your interface to your liking, including replacing the fonts, themes, background images, and more. There’s also a free trial available to help you get started.

Weebly isn’t the most feature-rich Shopify alternative, and it lacks a few ecommerce capabilities. However, for most small company owners, it should be more than enough.

Shopify Competitors for Large Businesses

Big businesses require a distinct set of features for their ecommerce website than small enterprises. For example, if you’re a larger business, you may want more than just a simple payment gateway and shopping cart.

Instead, you may need a solution that allows you to exchange currencies for global buyers or compute shipping expenses for long-distance shipments rapidly and simply.

Some ecommerce systems are better suited for huge enterprises than others. For big businesses, our top picks are BigCommerce, Magento, and Square Online (if you’re searching for a free option).

Shopify Competitors #11: BigCommerce

BigCommerce is a comprehensive ecommerce software package that has everything you need to start an effective online business, as well as some extras.

The basic plan, which is available for $29.95, includes all of the features listed above, as well as 24/7 live agent assistance, single-page checkout procedures, discounts, coupons, point of sale systems, and more.

Out-of-the-box capabilities – ideal for B2B e-commerce – distinguish BigCommerce from its competitors in the market.

Unlike other Shopify alternatives, the ecommerce plugin doesn’t rely as much on applications and plugins to provide a comprehensive experience for customers.

Recently BigCommerce released a WordPress plug-in that allows ecommerce sites to utilize a content-first and blogging approach in order to grow their sales.

BigCommerce can be integrated into a company’s website as well as the checkout process, allowing it to use one of the world’s most popular CMS platforms for both. This is known as headless commerce.

BigCommerce also offers a host of free services, from enhanced security to American Express integration and so much more.

More importantly, the more you’re willing to spend for BigCommerce, the more features you’ll get, including abandoned cart saving and recovery, back-end marketing tools, and limitless product listings. There are also no transaction costs.

Shopify Competitors #12: Magento

Another alternative for Shopify is Magento, which also wants to compete for the title of the best Shopify competitor. In reality, before BigCommerce and Shopify existed, Magento was the preferred option for creating an effective internet store.

Magento, open-source software that enables online retailers to build and operate their businesses, has established a reputation for being one of the most reputable SaaS choices in the world.

With Magento’s ecommerce platform, merchants may generate amazing purchasing experiences that are unrivaled in the industry, with limitless product uploads, exceptional security, and outstanding performance.

You can leverage the power of Adobe Experience Cloud when you sign up for a free, 30-day trial. After you’ve completed your account creation, you’ll have access to hundreds of features and tools that will help you manage your ecommerce site, including Magento Commerce. You’ll gain access to the Adobe Experience Cloud’s ecosystem of partners, developers

Magento is a well-known, open-source eCommerce platform that enables global companies to expand globally. It’s especially beneficial for firms with more than 500 employees and enormous catalogs.

The Magento e-commerce platform is one of the most popular, with access to a variety of products and services from leading ERP systems, to CRM solutions like WordPress.

Unfortunately, Magento is among the more expensive Shopify alternatives on the market today.

Free Shopify Competitors

Finally, let’s look at some of the best Shopify alternatives available to assist you in starting your company with little initial investment.

If your company’s budget is so tight that it can’t afford both an eCommerce website and other costs like shipping rates, marketing expenses, and transaction fees, a free Shopify competitor may be a good option.

Free alternatives to Shopify, on the other hand, are more than likely to lack important capabilities that you might anticipate from rivals.

There’s also no assurance that you won’t have to pay for anything, such as website hosting, premium tools on app stores, or expert help. These free software solutions, on the other hand, maybe a huge improvement over listing your items on eBay.

Our top two candidates are Square Online and Prestashop.

Free Shopify Competitors #13: Prestashop

PrestaShop is an excellent open-source platform that is ideal for today’s smaller companies.

Designed to enable anybody with little or no prior eCommerce experience to open their own internet business in minutes, Prestashop has all you need for digital retail.

Display your products on a variety of themes, use Google Adwords to track customer behavior and sales, and utilize CRM solutions for better management.

Prestashop, like WooCommerce, has a lively and devoted developer community. However, you don’t have to use WordPress to benefit from Prestashop. You can utilize any CMS system to access this service.

The internal code of PrestaShop is available to everyone without restriction. However, you must design your own security, hosting, and compliance standards.

While the service is free to use, there are additional fees to consider in order for your business to function. You’ll need to be sure you have the knowledge or ability to utilize an open-source platform successfully.

Free Shopify Competitors #14: Square Online

Square Online is a comparable provider that isn’t restricted to Shopify. This is the exciting store-building solution that comes with the Square Point of Sale system.

You may create a free website using Square Online with various themes and lots of customization options for no cost. You must, however, use Square’s order fulfillment and point-of-sale services.

If you sell items both online and in-person, Square’s online shop is a fantastic alternative to Shopify. The firm provides several selling aids for face-to-face sales.

Square additionally automatically keeps track of your online purchases, goods, and inventory data.

Even though the Square store is completely free to use, there are a few things to consider.

You’ll need to pay 2.5 percent each time you make a purchase, and you’ll be responsible for other costs like hosting, expert services, and security precautions.

This is a good option if you’re already using the Square portfolio for your selling approach.

Which Shopify Competitor Should You Choose?

Choosing the appropriate ecommerce solution may be a time-consuming process.

Many of the ecommerce tools on this list come with free trials that let you try out the drag-and-drop functionality and back-end performance before purchasing. Testing technologies before buying them may help you make a more informed selection.

At the same time, you should make sure you have a strategy in place for narrowing down your choices.

Do you need a service that is hosted so that you don’t have to worry about security and hosting providers? Do you want the variety of customization possibilities available with an open-source solution?

If you’ve never used Shopify, it might be difficult to know where to start. But if you’re aware of your business and how you want to sell it, finding a Shopify alternative that fits your brand should be considerably easier.