12 Shopify Alternatives that are Better (Free or Paid) by 2022
Shopify is a popular ecommerce platform used by millions of retailers. But a few drawbacks make people turn off with the site. There are many merchants who fail because of the expensive monthly subscription, particularly when their business isn't yet profitable. Some leave due to too many expenses, like app purchase increase and chip away at profit margins. Many find the website to be too complex, particularly for beginners. Therefore, even though Shopify may be an excellent platform for some users, it's an excellent option to consider some Shopify alternatives in order to be sure you've chosen the right ecommerce platform for your needs as an owner of a business. So, let's get a closer look at some Shopify alternatives.
What exactly is Shopify?
Shopify is an e-commerce platform that specializes in selling physical products. No matter if you want to dropship or wholesale or wholesale, there are Shopify apps that allow you to locate products that you can offer on your website in order to become an online retailer the within the same day. Shopify has ecommerce options including hosting on the web, a no-cost domain on their subdomain as well as over 100 payment gateways, unlimitable products, and other. There's not a plan for free and only a 14-day trial trial. This means that this project can cost quite a bit early on.
4 Benefits of Using Shopify Alternatives to Shopify
1. Find a cheaper solution
From their typical pricing structures, Shopify's accessible plan is the Basic plan which begins with a price of $29 per month. However, Shopify also offers a $9/month option, however you won't have your own online store. You'll need to sell products via the internet, through a third-party website, or some other way. However, Shopify doesn't offer an budget-friendly plan for retailers who don't have any revenue. If you're paying for themes, monthly subscriptions as well as apps and marketing it is an enormous amount of money getting started, with little guarantee that you'll select the best product or niche to market. However, nobody can build a brand as big as Kylie Cosmetics or Fashion Nova. And so, Shopify alternatives can be a great choice when you're seeking a less expensive plan.
2. In order to make a bigger profits
Another reason people may look towards Shopify alternatives is the possibility of earning an even higher profit margin for selling on the internet. Alongside the monthly fee and app fees, and transactions fees in the amount of 2.9% + 30 cents on the basic plan. Depending on where you source the products you sell, you might need to pay for delivery, costs for the product along with the app's subscription. That's before you can begin marketing your products. Since there are many charges taken before making the first couple of dollars, it could eat away at your margins. So, you start advertising, which has a higher marketing cost as compared to other methods of marketing to get the sales. But ads don't always convert profitably. You'll need trials and errors, market ability, and knowledge in running an effective e-commerce store. The costs are often overwhelming for novices who just want to make some additional money on the side. There is no reason to be unable to make it, but some ecommerce platforms are too expensive upfront charges, which may hurt someone financially.
3. Find a platform that is easier to use
Shopify features drag-and-drop functions, which makes the platform fairly easy for newbies. But, creating a website isn't the most challenging aspect of operating an online shop. The process of marketing your merchandise is perhaps the most difficult part of being an online store owner. The variety of tools a platform has is always an advantage however, the features for marketing matter. Connecting to the people you want to reach faster and efficiently is what many ecommerce platforms fail to make up for. But, it's possible to locate an platform that acts as a marketplace to let buyers come to you instead of you having to do all the lifting. If you are a store owner looking to find a reliable marketing platform such as Shopify, the Shopify alternative could be an ideal choice.
4. To ease your frustrations
From writing hundreds of product descriptions to challenges with transferring from one platform to the one that follows, and the absence of a reliable Content Management System (CMS) with the excessive cost There are many motives to look at an alternative to Shopify alternative. An ecommerce store is not just a website; it's a company. The easier it is to run your business instead of just creating it, the more likely people are likely to choose the one that works best for them. Shopify provides customer service for its sellers of all kinds, but for some people, that's not enough for them to generate revenue.
12 Shopify Alternatives that Are Better (Free or Paid)
1.
You can take the sale from any place. Therefore, if you'd like to sell through social media platforms, your blog, or another website, you're able to. The checkout on your site is designed for conversions. This means that it will convert more customers on your store. Furthermore, when buyers place orders from you, they'll receive an Instant Download. You can finally put an end to lengthy shipping wait times.
Your content is securely hosted The users will only be given the files once they've arrived on the download page following purchasing. In addition, unlike these major platforms for e-commerce, you won't need to wait until you receive your money. Instead, users earn income through PayPal or Stripe instantly.
2. BigCommerce
Shopify alternatives similar to BigCommerce are great options for creating an online shop. BigCommerce provides a variety of services, like hosting for websites. But the best advantage BigCommerce offers over Shopify is that there are zero transaction charges on the pricing plans. BigCommerce allows you to add more than 600 variations on every product, whereas Shopify can only allow 100 variations on each item. BigCommerce also offers a longer trial time over Shopify to enable you to investigate the platform as well as build your own online store. BigCommerce additionally has larger drag-and-drop function that allows you to design your website with any elements effortlessly. BigCommmerce also has more than just free themes as well as paid ones than Shopify has, which makes it one of the Shopify alternatives to look into.
3. WooCommerce
Shopify alternatives like WooCommerce can be a great choice for people seeking to set up an online shop with the most customisation capabilities. If you're serious about building an online business, WooCommerce is an open-source platform that is available for free. Plus, WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin. If you've been thinking of building out your website to have the largest blog available to drive organic traffic, this is the best Shopify option to accomplish that. It is necessary to purchase your own web hosting but. However, this also means that you're free to make your making your own. WooCommerce is among the most popular Shopify competitors , having over 3,000,000 customers than Shopify's green bags.
4. Etsy
If you're seeking advertising features, Etsy is one of the Shopify alternatives worth a look. Etsy is an online marketplace in which people are able to buy and sell items. Although you do not own an website, your customers are likely to discover you by searching through Etsy and it's a good choice to those who struggle with marketing. There's no monthly subscription, but that isn't a guarantee that Etsy has no fees. There are the listing fee that amount to $0.20 per added product as well as an additional 6.5% transaction fee. In addition, you'll need to cover processing costs for payments according to the company that you choose to use for your payment. However, if you don't have pay a lot of expenses for marketing, it's an worth considering a Shopify alternative for companies selling physical products.
5. PinnacleCart
Unlike Shopify, PinnacleCart offers a free service for customers earning up to $250,000. There is the option of adding as many as five administrator accounts in this free plan as well. This ecommerce platform is stacked with more than 400 features for ecommerce which allow you to modify and design your online store your way. They offer zero transaction fees on all of their plans. The Shopify alternative plans like this provide an QR code generator, testimonials feature, a wish list for customers, and even gift messaging to customers who place orders. And you don't need to install an app in order to include these features in your online store.
6. Wix
Wix is among the very few Shopify alternatives that includes ad vouchers in their monthly plan so you can manage your online store while focusing on the most important thing: generating the sales. You can run subscription services within your Wix account, which is one of the advanced features that online merchants can incorporate into their online stores. E-commerce businesses can permit you to add more than 250 items while droppingshipping through Modalyst. Beyond product sales, ecommerce solutions such as Wix will enable you to build individual websites, small businesses, and freelance ones or even to sell tickets for occasions. Restaurants often utilize Wix since it lets them take ordering food online. Hotels can also make reservations via Wix also. This goes further than simply creating an online store.
7. PrestaShop
Another Shopify alternative using an open source e-commerce platform is PrestaShop. Since it's an open source and self-hosted solution, it's accessible for use in online stores. But there are still associated costs for running business stores, even when using e-commerce platforms such as PrestaShop. But, it is easy to use and permits customization of the store. The ability to modify all the source files, whereas with Shopify editing your theme's code will render your website not eligible for upgrades in the future. PrestaShop offers more than 2,000 themes on their site, while Shopify offers less than 100.
8. Elementor
The ecommerce solution Elementor is a Shopify alternative that you can consider. With over 300 professionally designed templates, you'll be able to have a stunning web-based business. Shopify is a great choice for businesses. Shopify option also permits users to edit your website in a responsive manner which means you can alter your website from seven different devices simultaneously. Additionally, you can live edit your website to make quick adjustments. Plus, with auto-save it is not necessary to update 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 much more using distinct design elements.
9. Square
The Shopify alternatives to point-of-sale systems include none other than Square. It is popular with local eateries, brick and mortar businesses as well as smaller retail stores. If you use the Square application for transactions, it's completely cost-free. It's only 2.65 percent for each card tap. In contrast to Shopify it is possible to get a cash register installed in the physical location for your store's cashiers to punch into the orders. Businesses that generate over $250,000 in annual revenue can receive additional savings for operating their POS solution via Square.
10. Squarespace
Alternatives to Shopify like Squarespace let you expand the online shop you have created. Squarespace is more blog-friendly than Shopify for those looking to incorporate blogs into their ecommerce store. Additionally, you can find numerous free templates available on Squarespace than on Shopify and give the customer more choices for a template. It's a good thing that the Shopify option also lets the user to include more options for each product. This can be up to 250, as opposed to Shopify's only 100. You can also get your domain name for free with your annual purchase of a Squarespace plan.
11. Poshmark
Poshmark is an ecommerce platform that allows you to sell to its customer base. So if you're looking for Shopify alternatives, with their own marketplace, Poshmark is a great option, particularly when you are selling brand name fashion and beauty. Retailers who are brick and mortar or online with excess inventory can use Poshmark for selling their items at more affordable prices. This ecommerce platform even has Posh Stories, where you are able to promote your products using videos and images via their application. Although you'll not have your own store online on Poshmark, you'll be able 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 create an online store like one that is an Amazon affiliate website, WordPress could be a suitable option. The best CMS available online is WordPress. Millions of people choose WordPress to build a website even though they may not have a specialization in ecommerce, there are many options to approach it. In fact the number of WordPress themes than any other ecommerce platform since it's the largest. It's because this Shopify alternative is open-source which allows you to modify your site in any way to create a unique online store. While Shopify boasts more than one million users, WordPress manages over 455 million websites.
FAQ
Are there any free alternatives for Shopify?
Yes! is a no-cost alternative to Shopify. Sign up to's Free Forever plan. It's a free option, and you pay only a 5% transaction fee when you make a sale. With the Free Forever plan you'll be able to use every feature of the site which allow you to create your online store the way you'd like.
What are Shopify's primary competitors?
The primary competitors of Shopify include digital items, Square for point-of-sale solutions, Etsy for marketplace sellers and BigCommerce and WooCommerce for physical products.
Does Shopify worthwhile?
It depends. Shopify can be a great e-commerce option for some however, beginners may encounter excessive costs when starting a business on Shopify. For example, alternatives like have a free plan for one month that comes with every feature you need for establishing your own online shop.