When thinking about an eCommerce platform, Shopify might be the first name that comes to mind. For a good reason, Shopify is on the list of the most reputed eCommerce platforms, powering more than 4.5 million active stores, according to BuiltWith.
Despite its great popularity, Shopify is not the only solution for eCommerce enthusiasts. There are various selling platforms to choose from if you search for Shopify competitors.
To help you better compare and make an accurate choice, here are the top eCommerce platforms that are similar to Shopify, including:
Embrace the power of multichannel selling and sell more on marketplaces and social media. LitCommerce is here to help you effortlessly connect and manage your inventory, orders, and customer data across different platforms.
Before going through several Shopify competitors, let’s find out the basics and investigate the Shopify review, which might be helpful for your future consideration.
What is Shopify?
Shopify’s reputation has been ubiquitous as a software as a service (SaaS) that allows businesses of all sizes to start selling online. In detail, the platform offers merchants plenty of abilities to build a website, list items, and sell to buyers.
As a hosted solution, Shopify frees sellers from the responsibility of maintaining their websites. Therefore, it is always easy to sell with Shopify, even though you do not have any coding skills.
Shopify is also a comprehensive selling platform since they offer multiple pricing plans that fit any size of business, including but not limited to Basic, Shopify, Advanced, and Shopify Plus. New sellers can sign up for a three-day free trial to test any tier. After that time, Shopify still offers an appealing deal of only$1/month for 3 months.
What makes Shopify a great eCommerce platform?
Firstly, the biggest advantage of selling on Shopify is its ease of use. The platform is user-friendly and easy to navigate, which helps store owners with no prior experience in building an online store to start without being nerve-racking.
Another significant strength of the platform is Shopify Apps Store.There are over 8,000 apps provided by Shopify and third-party firms, and these apps are well-designed to be mobile responsive and strictly evaluated by the Shopify team. Therefore, sellers can install and upgrade these apps from the Shopify Apps Store to unlock more abilities without affecting the store’s performance. Moreover, Shopify will recommend the most proper apps for your store on the Shopify App Store thanks to the powerful search algorithm.
Furthermore, Shopify offers over 110 free and paid themes at the Shopify Themes Store that can be used to customize the look of eCommerce sites. These themes are professionally designed and optimized for mobile and desktop devices, providing a polished and professional-looking online store.
Subsequently, the platform also offers a range of powerful features that help sellers to sell, manage and grow their online stores. These features include Shopify analytics, tracking and managing inventory, mobile apps, and many more, which can cater to the needs of both small and large businesses.
Regarding customer support, Shopify is also reputed for its responsive services through various channels, including email, live chat, and a knowledge base. This makes it easy for merchants to get help with any issues or questions they may have while using the platform.
Why is everyone looking for Shopify alternatives?
Although mentioned merits, why people are still looking for other options?
When choosing a selling platform, pricing is an essential part that directly affects the final decision. Regarding Shopify’s pricing plans, the platform provides different tiers for small businesses to large enterprises. However, besides the subscription fees of $29 upwards, Shopify also charges sellers many extra fees, including transaction fees (2.9%), domain name, and payment processing fees (up to 2.9%). As a result, sellers have to pay more than the package. Therefore, they might want to find Shopify competitors without hidden fees.
While Shopify does a good job of handling basic SEO tasks, sellers seek more control over their websites, especially if their businesses rely heavily on organic search. For instance, sellers want to access and edit robot.txt files for a higher rank when indexing, but Shopify does not enable the configuration of these files.
Shopify is a hosted platform, which means that sellers do not have complete control over the platform’s infrastructure or underlying code. This can limit what sellers or developers can customize their online stores when they want to modify the themes or add more functions. Hence, merchants who require extensive customization may consider using Shopify alternatives that offer greater flexibility and control over customization.
Top 6 Shopify Competitors
From an expert’s point of view, this article will mention the top 6 websites like Shopify. In each section, there will be detailed analysis and recommendations to help you figure out the best choice, whether you’re a Shopify user searching for alternatives or a newbie wandering to learn about eCommerce platforms.
If you’re in a rush, we have briefly listed the top Shopify competitors below.
● Built-in blogging platform included with every plan
● Affordable pricing with many features
● Many online payment solutions, including international processors
● Limited of staff users
● Difficult to navigate the store builder and find the right tools
BigCommerce
Overview of BigCommerce
Being one of the Shopify competitors, BigCommerce is also an industry-leading SaaS platform that allows beginners without advanced technical skills to start selling online.
Mentioning pricing plans, BigCommerce has 4 different options, including Standard, Plus, Pro, and Enterprise. Sellers may pay from $39 to $399 per month or a custom pricing. About the free trial, BigCommerce offers a 15-day free trial, which is longer than Shopify.
What does BigCommerce do better than Shopify?
Customization
Compared to Shopify, merchants and developers are given more access to customize with BigCommerce. In detail, the platform is packed with powerful APIs, so sellers can quickly access these APIs and implement new features or tools easily.
There are many ways for you to utilize the peak of BigCommerce APIs. Based on your business needs and appropriate strategies, you can decide what is going to work well. Herein are some essential APIs that you can implement within your eCommerce store:
Orders API helps you to synchronize your BigCommerce order, shipping, distribution, and inventory data;
Storefront API allows you to manage customer carts or checkouts, access and modify data from the storefront;
Widgets API is used to create modular blocks of content for modification;
Payments API enables you to process payments through the connected payment gateway.
Rich built-in features
While Shopify merchants are required to upgrade or pay for third-party apps to access the best functions, BigCommerce offers adequate built-in features for everyone to start selling on this platform. The platform includes a plethora of built-in toolsets that can be accessed with a single click, from management, and payment, to marketing.
One of BigCommerce’s advanced features is SEO, which unlocks more potential for sellers to generate great profits. BigCommerce SEO features give sellers the ability to optimize URLs and snippets, redirect 301, and increase the site’s speed with the content delivery network (CDN).
No hidden fees
Besides subscription fees, BigCommerce does not charge any hidden fees, like transaction fees, on every plan. Therefore, sellers can actively control what they are going to pay for when selling with BigCommerce.
The verdict
All in all, BigCommerce is a worthy consideration if you are looking for Shopify alternatives. The platform offers an extended free trial time of 15 days. Moreover, BigCommerce’s customizing abilities, apps, SEO, and comprehensive fees can surpass Shopify. In addition, the platform might be ideal for tech-savvy sellers who are really into customizing or expanding into other marketplaces.
WooCommerce
Overview of WooCommerce
WooCommerce is a Shopify open-source alternative or simply a WordPress eCommerce plugin. This savvy eCommerce plugin turns any WordPress site into a great online store, and it’s totally free to install.
What does WooCommerce do better than Shopify?
1. SEO
Being a free Shopify alternative, WooCommerce is built on WordPress, which is a highly SEO-friendly content management system (CMS). This means that WooCommerce sites have a stronger foundation for SEO, including features like customizable URLs, meta descriptions, and title tags.
Additionally, WooCommerce sellers can install SEO plugins like Yoast SEO, which can help optimize product pages and improve search engine rankings.
2. Payment options and Transaction fees
For payment options, sellers can choose credit and debit cards or install an extension from the numerous payment gateways that are available for WooCommerce. There are many options, including famous payment methods such as PayPal, Stripe, Apple Pay, or Google Pay.
Additionally, WooCommerce does not charge transaction fees, whereas Shopify is claimed to charge a lot on this.
3. Plugins
WooCommerce has a larger selection of plugins than Shopify. There are over 55,000 plugins available. This allows WooCommerce merchants to add a wide variety of features to their online stores, from social media integration to advanced analytics tools.
The verdict
Although both Shopify and WooCommerce are doing great, WooCommerce might be a better choice for technically competent merchants who prioritize SEO, want a wider range of payment options, and require more flexibility with plugins and integrations. However, sellers who do not have many technical skills might prefer using Shopify.
Wix
Overview of Wix
Next on the list of Shopify competitors, Wix is a leader in website creation and a cloud-based eCommerce platform established in 2006. With Wix, everyone can design professional websites with ease that look amazing.
Wix offers 3 different eCommerce plans, including Business Basic, Business Unlimited, and Business VIP, ranging from $27 to $59 monthly. Moreover, sellers can also choose website plans for building a professional site or enterprise plans for large-scale businesses.
What does Wix do better than Shopify?
Affordable pricing plans
One of the biggest advantages of Wix over Shopify is its pricing. Wix offers a range of pricing plans, including a free plan, which makes it a more accessible option for small businesses or individuals who are just starting out.
Additionally, Wix’s paid plans for business and eCommerce are also more affordable, which start from only $27 per month to build an eCommerce website.
Marketing features
Wix has a wide range of built-in marketing features that can help merchants promote their online stores, including email marketing, social media integration, and SEO tools. With Wix’s SEO Wiz, you will go through the key steps for optimizing your website for search engines, which is even easier for a starter.
Moreover, these features are primarily included in Wix’s pricing plans, making it a more cost-effective option than Shopify.
Great templates with flexibility & creativity
The platform is also well-known for its 800+ visually stunning and customizable templates, which offer users flexibility and creativity when designing their online stores. UsingWix Editor – a classic drag-and-drop building tool, everyone can modify their web pages without any coding skills. On the other hand, if store owners want to take it to another level, Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) allows them to create a website in just a few minutes.
The verdict
Ultimately, the choice between Wix and Shopify depends on your specific needs and priorities. If affordability and flexibility are your main concerns, Wix may be the better choice. Moreover, Wix also provides more advanced SEO features that help sellers to increase traffic to their online stores.
Squarespace
Overview of Squarespace
Being one of Shopify top competitors, Squarespace also allows creative minds to build stunning sites without coding knowledge. Initially, Squarespace is developed for designers, artists, photographers, and others in the creative space.
Besides Squarespace website building pricing plans, the platform also has different plans for eCommerce, which start from $27 per month for an annual subscription. Sellers can sign up for the 14-day free trial before choosing a tier.
What does Squarespace do better than Shopify?
Brilliant blogging features
With the blogging features, Squarespace is an ideal platform for businesses that prioritize content marketing. By using content marketing, sellers are able to engage more with customers, tell them the story about the products and convince them to buy.
The blogging function also offers a range of customizable features, including social media integration, commenting, and post-scheduling, which is convenient for you to produce content even within a small team.
Ideal for creative industries
Initially, the platform is particularly developed for businesses in creative industries, such as design, photography, or art. This is because Squarespace’s templates are visually stunning and offer a high degree of customization. Therefore, Squarespace unlocks more abilities for sellers who might be interested in creative fields.
The verdict
Squarespace may be a robust platform for sellers who prioritize blogging features and creative freedom when it comes to design. Mentioning creativity in building a selling site, Squarespace’s templates surpass Shopify options with higher customization.
Ecwid
Overview of Ecwid
Coming last but not least on the list of platforms like Shopify, Ecwid is also a promising platform as it has no additional transaction fees and provides a free plan. Besides providing a unique website option, Ecwid is long reputed as a widget on a current site. That’s how the platform got the name Ecwid – a combination of eCommerce and widgets.
With the drag-and-drop dashboard function, it is always easy to start selling with Ecwid. Sellers can pick the free plan, which might be limited to 10 products but has unlimited bandwidth. Furthermore, paid plans of Ecwid are Venture, Business, and Unlimited. The price of mentioned plans ranges from $15 to $99 monthly with comprehensive points, such as a 6-month free Venture plan for non-profit businesses or free customization for higher tiers.
What does Ecwid do better than Shopify?
Free plan
Ecwid offers a free plan that allows sellers to set up a basic online store with limited features. This makes it an attractive option for small businesses or individuals who are just starting out and don’t want to commit to a paid plan immediately.
Integrate with current site
As mentioned, Ecwid can be used as a widget to integrate seamlessly with various websites, content management systems, and social media platforms. Hence, merchants can add Ecwid as an eCommerce functionality to their existing websites. This function gives a more flexible option for businesses with an established online presence.
The verdict
Ecwid may be a good shortcut for sellers to integrate the eCommerce functionality with their existing websites. Moreover, the available free plan can be a great option for small businesses or individuals to start selling online.
Shift4Shop
Overview of Shift4Shop
Shift4Shop is another free Shopify alternative that provides the best features for eCommerce starters, such as a drag-and-drop interface, social media integration, email tools, inventory management, API, and SSL certificate.
The platform only costs $0 initially, with all built-infundamental apps to start selling. However, when selling with Shift4Shop, you might pay the normal fees required by your payment processor. For example, if you choose PayPal as your payment gateway, PayPal will charge you around $29 per month.
What does Shift4Shop do better than Shopify?
Numerous SEO tools
While Shopify offers basic tools for SEO, Shift4Shop has a comprehensive suite of SEO tools. In general, the SEO functions of Shift4Shop include customizable URL structures, advanced meta tags, and an automatic XML sitemap generator.
With these tools, sellers can promote their items better and drive more traffic to their online stores. By doing that, the store can reach more customers and potentially earn more sales.
Affordable pricing
The pricing plans from Shift4Shop are usually more affordable than Shopify’s. Sellers can start with the $0 plan with fundamental features or paid plans starting from $29/month. Therefore, Shift4Shop is a better option for small businesses or individuals on a budget. Additionally, the platform does not charge transaction fees, whereas Shopify charges extra fees for using any payment gateway other than Shopify Payments.
The verdict
For people who prioritize SEO and affordability, Shift4Shop, which is one of the top Shopify competitors, might be a better choice. The platform offers comprehensive SEO tools such as SEO-Friendly URLs, automated XML Sitemap, and customizable Meta Descriptions. Mentioned tools are helpful for sellers in improving their search engine rankings. Furthermore, the price to start selling on Shift4Shop is also more accessible for new sellers.
How Do You Choose a Shopify Alternative?
Reasonable prices with built-in features
Pricing is an essential factor to consider when looking for a site like Shopify. It is suggested that sellers should pick a platform that offers reasonable pricing plans that suit the budgets while also having essential built-in features.
If you don’t want to spend much money on monthly subscriptions and third-party applications, some free Shopify alternatives like WooCommerce or Shift4Shop can be significant.
Customization
Mentioning other criteria to choose a platform of many Shopify competitors, sellers also need to pay attention to the customization ability of the platform. Customization can help sellers to reflect the brand’s unique identity and add more favorable features.
The platforms might offer customizable templates and give merchants access to underlying code like APIs to configure their stores. You should consider BigCommerce or WooCommerce if you are a tech-savvy seller and want to modify your store.
Advanced SEO features
SEO plays a vital role in driving traffic and in building a successful online store. A lucrative platform might provide many SEO features to help sellers implement appropriate promoting strategies such as customizable URL structures, meta tags, and sitemap generation.
By implementing sufficient SEO strategies, your store will be optimized for search engines so you can approach more buyers. The Shopify alternative with advanced SEO features that you should consider are BigCommerce, Wix, and Shift4Shop.
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LitCommerce supports you in easily connecting various sales channels and managing them in one dashboard. All your order and inventory data are synced, eliminating inaccurate data across channels.
The top 6 Shopify competitors are BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Wix, Squarespace, Shift4Shop, and Ecwid. In general, these sites like Shopify have several features that can cover the disadvantages of Shopify, such as hidden fees, limited SEO abilities, or low customization.
What companies are top Shopify competitors?
Despite its great popularity, Shopify is not the only solution for eCommerce enthusiasts. There are enormous options to choose from if you search for Shopify alternatives. Here are the top 6 sites like Shopify that you can take a look at:
BigCommerce;
WooCommerce;
Wix;
Squarespace;
Ecwid;
Shift4Shop.
What are the disadvantages of Shopify?
Shopify’s reputation has been ubiquitous as a SaaS that allows businesses of all sizes to start selling online. However, the platform is not always perfect for every seller. There are several drawbacks or limitations that might be the main obstacle for Shopify sellers to sell their products successfully, including:
Extra and hidden fees;
No advanced SEO functions;
Low customization and scalability.
Final Words
In the rising era of eCommerce, choosing the right platform may help sellers hit all the right spots to become a 6-figure business. In general, Shopify may not be the only choice for every merchant. There are numerous Shopify competitors that can satisfy your needs with some unique features.
We hope this article can help you come up with a fine decision on choosing where to sell. Additionally, we also provide more eCommerce information, insights, sharing, and tips that might be helpful for you on this competitive journey. Take a look at LitCommerce retailers’ blog and our elite community!
Last but not least, with an appropriate multichannel selling strategy, you can even grow beyond a site like Shopify. Drop us a message to figure out how you can expand your selling site into top eCommerce marketplaces at a glance with LitCommerce. Happy selling!
