Shopify Alternatives | The Top 7 Competitors Compared
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If you need a good Shopify alternative, we recommend Wix or Squarespace – Wix offers indispensable features tailored to smaller businesses, while Squarespace lets you sell unlimited products while sporting fantastic designs.
Our Top 6 Shopify Alternatives
The best Shopify competitors on the ecommerce scene are:
Shopify is one of the best ecommerce website builders on the market, but that doesn’t mean that it’s the best platform for you. If you’re looking for other alternatives to Shopify, let’s explore Shopify competitors to consider.
Wix is best for small businesses looking for greater creative freedom – Wix earns 5 out of 5 in our research for its website features compared to Shopify’s 4 out of 5. When it comes to design, Squarespace earns gold with 4 out of 5 in our research, leaving Shopify in second place with 3.9 out of 5. And for value of money, Shopify’s 3 out of 5 can’t hold a candle to Square Online, which scores 4.5 out of 5 in our research – the best value builder we’ve tested!
Now that you know what you’re dealing with, let’s keep moving so we can delve into the differences between each platform, what that means to you, and which one you should test out.
Further Information
Ecommerce Website Builder Comparison Chart – you can also see our comparison chart of online store builders here.
Best Ecommerce Platforms – check out the best of the best in the market today
Shopify Competitors: The Comparison
See how the top Shopify competitors compare in all the key areas with our handy table below…
 |  |  |  |  |  |
| Wix | Squarespace | Square Online | BigCommerce | Volusion | WooCommerce |
| Overall rating 4.8 | Overall rating 4.4 | Overall rating 4.0 | Overall rating 4.1 | Overall rating 3.3 | Overall rating 4.2 |
| Starting Price | Starting Price $23 | Starting Price $29 | Starting Price $29.95 | Starting Price $29 | Starting Price Depends on web host |
| Transaction Fees 2.9% plus $0.30 | Transaction Fees 0% – 3% | Transaction Fees 2.6% + 30c | Transaction Fees None | Transaction Fees None | Transaction Fees None |
| Payment options 11 including: Paypal, Wix Payments, Stripe, Square | Payment options 3: Stripe, Paypal, Square | Payment options 4: Credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Square | Payment options 36 including: Paypal, Square, Stripe, Klarna | Payment options 25 including: Authorize.net, Paypal, Stripe | Payment options Stripe, PayPal, Square, WooCommerce Payments |
| Multichannel integration | Multichannel integration | Multichannel integration | Multichannel integration | Multichannel integration | Multichannel integration |
| Sales features 4.5 | Sales features 3.7 | Sales features 3.6 | Sales features 4.6 | Sales features 3.7 | Sales features 4.0 |
| Not yet reviewed |
We carried out in-depth research into every platform on this list. The ease of use and customer scores come from real people testing out each builder, and we analyzed every price plan to calculate value for money. So you can be sure we didn’t just pull these numbers out of thin air!
Shopify Competitors for Online Stores Selling Less Than 10 Products
For smaller stores that require easier to use ecommerce tools.
If you don’t need a very advanced or flexible platform like Shopify, and prefer to use something simpler, more user-friendly, cheaper and offers 24/7 support, then here are a few recommendations.
1. Wix
Best for small online stores
Price Range: $27 – $500/month
See it in action: Coal and Canary
| Wix Pros | Wix Cons |
|---|---|
| •Helpful tools: In-house SEO and design tools can do the heavy lifting for you •Simple drag-and-drop builder: You get lots of design flexibility without having to touch any code •Great features for small businesses: Get abandoned cart recovery, a free custom domain name, and automatic backups | •Cluttered editor: While Wix is stuffed to the brim with great features, it can be a little overwhelming for beginners. •Stock alerts: No email notifications when stock levels are low •No switching templates: You can’t switch templates after your site is live |
Wix is a pure drag and drop website builder, meaning that you can literally place any content anywhere on your website. It’s also becoming one of our favorite ecommerce platforms too.
Wix eCommerce is very easy to use (no coding or technical skills required whatsoever), has an excellent dedicated support team (phone or email), and has a team of developers to manage all the technical details for you, so you don’t have to worry about anything but building and running your ecommerce store.
Features are where Wix stands out. It earns 4.4 out of 5 for website features in our research – the best of any ecommerce platform we’ve tested, including Shopify. Features like Wix Corvid and Wix SEO Wiz can even help you grow your online store quickly through dynamic page creation (think individual pages for every product you sell all created with just a few clicks) and help potential customers find it through search engines.
The thing that Wix does great as an ecommerce platform is that it simplifies everything. You’ll save a lot of time and effort using Wix as the easy-to-use editor makes it painless to tweak existing, professionally designed ecommerce templates into a beautiful, fully functioning online store for your business.
Wix’s selection of ecommerce features is not quite as advanced or comprehensive as pure ecommerce website builders (including Shopify), but it’s not far behind – in our research Shopify scores 4.5 out of 5 for its sales features, while Wix scores 4.4. Wix is easy to use and covers all the basics you need to build a functional store to sell products.
As the number of ecommerce stores on Wix grows, the company is turning its focus more and more toward these users and regularly adding more features. This can be seen in our research, where we gave Wix a 4.4 out of 5 for its amazing sales features. Wix has a great reputation for innovation and so a greater focus on the ecommerce side of things can only be good news!
If you are a small business owner and want to build an online store, without messing around with techie stuff, then Wix is an excellent option for you to try out.
Further Information
- See our comprehensive Review on Wix eCommerce
- Which is best for you? Read our Wix vs Shopify Comparisonto find out
- Find out how Wix Code can push your website to reach its potential
2. Squarespace
Easiest to use
Price Range: $23 – $49/month
See it in action: ARTIPS
| Squarespace Pros | Squarespace Cons |
|---|---|
| •Strong inventory management: Upload products in bulk and track stock levels with email alerts •Best template designs: Stunning templates make design mistakes nearly impossible •Unlimited products: Squarespace lets you sell unlimited products on every ecommerce plan | •Small extensions store: Not as many apps to choose from as Wix •Scalability: Not as powerful as other builders for long-term growth •Limited payment options: You can accept via PayPal, Stripe, and Apple Pay, but not much else |
Squarespace is a website builder which supports strong ecommerce features. You don’t need to know coding or have a degree in web design to build a stunning store with Squarespace. It has seen the most dramatic increase in ease of use in our research, jumping a whole point to 4.2 out of 5! That’s the best we’ve ever tested!
This is a sleek and streamlined builder. You don’t need to find your own hosting or worry about running your own updates. This is all handled for you, making it quick and easy to start selling.
You can add custom code if you want to, but with the top quality of Squarespace’s online store templates, it’s not needed. It’s no surprise Squarespace scores highly for design flexibility in our research with a 4 out of 5 – you can switch templates anytime and even work on multiple designs at once.
Squarespace isn’t just a pretty face either. Considering it’s a website builder first and foremost, with ecommerce functionality included, it’s got some high-quality sales tools.
SSL security is included, making your site safe for visitors to trust. Abandoned cart recovery and customer accounts make for a speedy and easy shopping experience in your store.
Squarespace’s inventory system is just okay if we’re being honest. It has a fair amount of depth, letting you upload products one at a time or in bulk, and track your stock levels through email alerts. In our research, we gave it a 3.4 out of 5 for sales tools, so not quite on the level of its competitors, Wix and Shopify
Squarespace’s ecommerce plans range from $23 – $49 a month (billed annually). This makes it one of the best value for money on the higher end from sites we tested, earning an impressive 4.4 out of 5 in our research.
Further Information
- Read our Squarespace Ecommerce Review for more information
- See how it compares: read our Squarespace vs Shopify Comparison
3. Square Online
Best value for money
Price Range: $0 – $72/month
See it in action: Oakdale Nature Club
| Square Online Pros | Square Online Cons |
|---|---|
| •Clean dashboard: Easily manage product sales and customer journeys •Sell for free: You can sell products on the free plan •Ideal if you sell in-person too: Combines seamlessly with Square’s famous POS system | •Difficult to customize: Templates aren’t very flexible or creative •Limited payment options: Doesn’t offer customers as many options like Shopify or Squarespace •Learning curve: Square Online is still finding its feet |
Square Online offers great sales features on an easy-to-use platform.
The payment processing giant Square bought Weebly back in 2018, and the ecommerce platform Square Online was the result. We won’t lie, Square Online’s platform is very similar to Weebly’s – they’re two sides of the same coin, with Square Online serving users’ ecommerce needs. Square Online stands out from Weebly for its superior sales features which is why it’s made this list, and is no surprise when you consider the company’s initial focus on finance.
Square Online’s user dashboard and website editor are easy to use and will let you set up your store in just a few clicks. What’s more, it’s virtually impossible to make a design mistake while setting up your store – the layouts offered are too simple for that, and it expertly emphasizes your products without distraction (those products are super easy to upload through Square Online’s item library, by the way).
Square Online’s dashboard keeps track of product sales, customer journeys, and abandoned cart recoveries, all in one place. Other noteworthy sales features include easy inventory management, shipping options, automatic tax calculation, and email marketing tools. That said, it’s worth noting that Square Online isn’t as powerful as Wix or Shopify – it scores 3.5/5 for its sales tools in our research
The drawback of such ease and simplicity is that Square Online gives you less design freedom than other builders. But it is brilliant at being a platform for stores that already have a physical presence. Be that restaurant, pet store, or clothing boutique, Square Online excels in this niche.
Square Online earns the title of the best value for money, because of its affordability combined with its sales features. In our research, it scores 4.5 out of 5 for value, which is the highest of all the ecommerce sites we tested. You can sell items on Square Online’s free plan, or you can upgrade to a paid plan for just $12/month.
Further Information
- Read our Square Online Review for an in-depth look at this platform
Shopify Competitors for Online Stores Selling More Than 10 Products
If you need an ecommerce platform that is a bit more advanced, and has a lot of tools and flexibility (just like Shopify), here are a few alternatives for you to consider.
These are ideal for you if you want to build larger stores (very roughly speaking, more than 10 products), if you have a high sales volume business, or if you need the ability and flexibility to customize your ecommerce store.
1. BigCommerce
Best for a purely online business
Price Range: $29 – $299/month
See it in action: Ben & Jerry’s
| BigCommerce Pros | BigCommerce Cons |
|---|---|
| •Built-in features: You don’t have to rely very much on third-party apps for full functionality, and they won’t drive up the cost •Scalability: Beginner plans start under $30/month, while the top plans can support brands like Toyota and Ben & Jerry’s •Multi-channel integration: It’s easy to sell across multiple marketplaces and still keep products organized | •Fewer apps than Shopify: Because so much functionality is built into BigCommerce, you won’t have as many apps to choose from •Not the easiest to use: BigCommerce’s powerful platform means that there’s a learning curve involved, and customizing your design can be tricky •Complex terminology: This one is no big deal – just have Google handy in another tab! |
BigCommerce is the ideal website builder when it comes to helping your store grow. It offers more built-in sales tools than Shopify, earning an incredible 4.6 out of 5 in our research, more than any other competitor on this list. BigCommerce also doesn’t limit your payment processing options, whereas Shopify takes an extra commission of 0.5 – 2% for purchases not made with Shopify Payments.
Plus, for all that scalability, BigCommerce still doesn’t require any coding knowledge at all (although you can delve into coding if you want to!).
Unlike Shopify, BigCommerce won’t make you install extra third-party apps to add advanced features to your site. This means that the price you pay up front covers all of those bases, and you won’t have to worry about paying extra for features down the line. The only feature Shopify provides on its cheapest plan that BigCommerce doesn’t provide on its cheapest plan is abandoned cart recovery.
Everything from checkout customization to social media integration is built into the BigCommerce platform. It will even help you get started with product fulfillment and other shipping necessities. And if you ever do need to add extra functionality to your site, BigCommerce’s app marketplace offers over 1,100 apps! While maybe not as much as Shopify’s 1,500+ apps, keep in mind that BigCommerce gives you much more tools built in from the get-go, such as being the only platform that allows you to send transactional emails. And let’s be honest, you won’t be using ALL 1,100+ apps, so having that variety is crucial for building the perfect site! (If you do manage to use all 1,100, let us know!)
BigCommerce even helps you expand your customer base through partnerships – users in the US can now sell products directly on Walmart Marketplace, which means access to the 120 million+ customers visiting Walmart.com each month. BigCommerce merchants receive an expedited application review to start selling on the marketplace as quickly as possible.
BigCommerce is super powerful and great for growth, but there’s a tradeoff: it’s not as easy to use as Shopify, particularly when it comes to editing your design, which can be quite a frustrating process. But if you don’t mind a small learning curve and some fancy terminology, then you should be fine – especially since BigCommerce’s 24/7 dedicated support team is available over phone, live chat, and email if you need any help.
Further Information
- BigCommerce Review – see our comprehensive review here
- Shopify vs BigCommerce – see our detailed comparison between the two ecommerce platform
2. Volusion
Best analytics features for tracking your store’s data
Price Range: $26.10 – $269.10/month
See it in action: Notch
| Volusion Pros | Volusion Cons |
|---|---|
| •Strong analytics: You can monitor stock and revenue, and even track conversions •Payment tracking: You can personalize invoices, packing slips, and POS receipts to keep everything organized. | •No support: Volusion has one of the worst knowledge centers we’ve tested with a 1.7 out 5! •Poor ease of use: Volusion takes a lot more getting used to than Shopify •Limited phone support: Not available on the cheapest plan |
Volusion is a hosted ecommerce platform which is designed to help get your store up and running. It’s not as easy to use or powerful as BigCommerce, but it has a lot to offer for the right business!
Like BigCommerce and Shopify, Volusion is a specialized ecommerce platform. It’s hosted for you and has the tools to make your start in online selling as easy and successful as possible. However, its overall score of 3.2 out of 5 should tell you everything about how limited the platform is when compared to the likes of BigCommerce and Shopify. When it comes to features, it really falls down.
It’s not all bad news though. These features include abandoned cart recovery and the ability to personalize invoices, packing slips, and POS receipts. This is a great example of how Volusion wants its customers to succeed and stand out from the crowd.
Volusion’s biggest strength is in its impressive analytics and data reporting tools. You can analyze customer behaviors, monitor stock levels, record revenue and total orders, and track conversions.
It’s easy to keep track and analyze all your data because Volusion pulls all your sales into one location. This is especially useful if you’re selling across multiple channels like Facebook. Basically, Volusion’s big data tools allow you to easily analyze and organize your business.
With four price plans to choose from offering a range of features and support options, Volusion’s got something for everyone. However, when running the same prices as Shopify and bringing a whole lot less to the table, it makes it harder to recommend. For the same $26/month starting plan, Shopify gives you unlimited products to sell versus Volusions 100…We gave Volusion an abysmal 2.5 out of 5 for the value of money in our research.
Volusion isn’t the easiest builder to use, so if you’re looking for something more simple to set up you’re better off with Wix, Squarespace, or Square Online. But if you’re ready to roll your sleeves up and are excited about tracking the success of your store, Volusion is worth checking out.
Further Information
- Read our Volusion Review for a full look at this ecommerce builder
- See how Volusion compares side by side with Shopify in our Volusion vs Shopify Review
3. WooCommerce with WordPress.org
Best for customization and control
Price Range: $0/month (plus hosting fees)
See it in action: AeroPress
| WooCommerce Pros | WooCommerce Cons |
|---|---|
| •Free software: WooCommerce’s website management software is free. You’ll just have to pay for hosting, which can be as cheap as $2.95/month with Bluehost •Tons of apps: Countless free and paid extensions will add so much functionality to your store •Design flexibility: You get more control over page layouts and content elements than you would with a regular builder | •Coding knowledge required: WooCommerce is not a website builder, so it requires a little more technical knowledge •Not self-hosted: You’ll have to outsource your web hosting and manage it separately WordPress-specific: WooCommerce only works with WordPress – other CMSs, like Magento, are a no-go. • Add-ons: Despite being “free”, you will have to pay not only for hosting but a domain, a theme, and any extensions, which could lead to an on-average extra $100 a year! |
Providing WordPress sites with ecommerce functionality is the WordPress plugin, WooCommerce, which currently powers 29% of all online stores across the world.
WordPress.org is an open-source platform, which means you’ll need some coding knowledge if you want to build the ecommerce site of your dreams, or you’ll need the capacity to hire a web developer to build one for you. Don’t despair though! WooCommerce’s help and support are the best we’ve tested, earning a perfect 5 out of 5!
To install WooCommerce, your website has to be built on the WordPress platform. You’ll also need to organize your own security, domain, and web hosting when installing WordPress and WooCommerce.
From our extensive research, we can confidently recommend using Bluehost to host your WordPress website. It scored top marks in research for server uptime, value for money, and customer support. It even has WordPress-specific price plans, so it’s no wonder that Bluehost is also recommended by WordPress itself. Lofty praise, eh?
How much does WooCommerce cost? Well, the basic WooCommerce framework is free to download, and it also offers you a lot of free extensions. But if you want more advanced features, you can also purchase premium extensions. The apps and add-ons are all reasonably priced, helping WooCommerce score an impressive 4.4/5 in our value for money research.
At the end of the day, you can build a very advanced and capable ecommerce store with WooCommerce, but you’ll need to commit to the technical aspects of operating your store.
Further Information
- Read our WooCommerce vs Shopify Comparison to find out more about which is best for you
How Do You Choose a Shopify Alternative?
There are a lot of options out there, so this choice can quickly start to feel overwhelming. But the best way to choose a Shopify alternative is to identify what you really don’t like about Shopify – once you have a specific weakness in mind, it’s just a matter of choosing the platform that’s really strong in that area.
For example, say you find the process of having to download new apps just to add extra functions to your site frustrating. In this case, Shopify’s reliance on third-party apps is a hassle for you, so you’ll want to choose a Shopify alternative with as many features as possible built in from the start. In this scenario, BigCommerce would be the best Shopify alternative for you.
In our conversations with users, five key categories emerged as the most important deciding factors for a user. Here’s a quick summary of the strongest platforms in each category:
- Website features: Wix
- Ease of use: Squarespace
- Value for money: Square Online
- Sales features: BigCommerce
- Customer support: WooCommerce with Bluehost
This list should help speed up your decision-making process.
And there’s just one more thing to remember: Choosing the right Shopify alternative also depends on your tech skill level. If you’re a coding pro, then you should go with an open source platform like WooCommerce which gives you unlimited customization when designing your online store. However, website builders like Wix, Squarespace, Square Online, and even BigCommerce are for tech beginners, offering everything you need for building an ecommerce store all in one place.
Conclusion - Shopify Alternatives & Competitors
If you have tested Shopify and didn’t find it a good fit for you, or if you are still in the initial research stage, there are a few other Shopify alternatives for you to consider.
6 of the Best Shopify Competitors:
- Wix – best for small online stores: from $27/m.
- Squarespace – best for stunning storefront designs: from $23/m.
- Square Online – best value for money: from $0/m.
- BigCommerce – most scalable ecommerce website builder, best for growing businesses: from $29.95/m.
- Volusion – best analytics features for tracking your store’s data: from $29/m.
- WooCommerce powered by Bluehost – an easy-to-use and cost-effective platform: from $0/m plus hosting fees.
Wix is the best choice for stores selling less than 10 products. It’s extremely beginner-friendly and cost-effective, and its ecommerce features cover everything that a smaller store could need. It’s no surprise it scores the highest overall score of all the platforms we tested with a 4.7 out of 5!
BigCommerce is the best Shopify alternative for stores selling more than 10 products. It has tons of sales and marketing features conveniently built in from the start. This means you can focus on growing your site, without messing around with too many third-party apps.
All platforms on this list apart from WooCommerce come with a free trial, so that you can find out which is best for you totally risk-free. We highly recommend jumping on a free trial (or two) to find out which Shopify competitor is best for you!
FAQs
We recommend Squarespace to anyone who is looking to create an online store simply and quickly. Its editor is extremely easy to use so your online store can be up and running in a matter of hours. But if you want to pair Squarespace’s ease of use with some more advanced selling features, look no further than Wix, which will give you the best of both worlds!
Square Online and WooComerce are the cheapest Shopify alternatives as they’re free to use.
With WooCommerce, however, what you have to bear in mind is that this is a self-hosted ecommerce platform, which means you have to pay for hosting yourself. This could be from $5-$15 a month. You will also need to connect your own domain name, which is around $10 a year. If you’re not technically savvy or run into difficulty building your store, you might also have to hire a developer to help you. This can become quite expensive.
Square Online is a hosted, drag and drop website builder that offers plans from $0 to $72 a month. This makes it a great choice if you’re a non-technical person looking for a very reasonably priced option.
But there’s a difference between the cheapest and the best value for money. Square Online provides the latter. While Square Online also has a free plan that you can sell on, it stands out even more for its affordable $12 starting price and great sales features. Square Online isn’t the most feature-rich platform, but it does give you the biggest bang for your buck.
Squarespace has the best quality designs of any builder on the market. You can create a truly stunning store with any of these, without knowing a single line of code! All Squarespace templates have ecommerce functionality, so you have over 70 to choose from.
If you want a bigger range of choices without sacrificing quality, take a look at Wix. Wix has a huge range of stunning templates that allow your store to look professional and polished with hardly any effort from you at all! And the choice you get with Wix is amazing – it has over 800 templates for you to choose from!
For online stores that are going to be selling under 50 products, we recommend Wix as the best Shopify alternative.
Wix’s ecommerce tools allow you to create a professional and fully-functional online store in no time at all! Read more about it in our full Wix eCommerce Review to see if it’s right for you.
If you’re a non-technical person and you’re hoping to sell more than 50 products on your online store, BigCommerce is the best Shopify alternative. It’s a “one-stop shop” ecommerce website builder.
You can read more about its features, sales tools, and more in our BigCommerce Review, or see how it compares to Shopify in our BigCommerce vs Shopify comparison.
If you’re looking for a more advanced and technically challenging platform, you could consider either Magento or WooCommerce.
It depends on your level of tech skill. WooCommerce is an open-source platform which means you’re required to code everything yourself and organize web hosting and security. On the other hand, Shopify is a website builder which means all the tools you need for creating an online store can be found in one place, making it super easy for anyone to build an ecommerce store.
Website Builder Expert aims to provide you with honest data. That’s why we conduct our own research and obtain direct, personal insight. Analyses and graphics in this article are based on authentic sources cross-validated by our in-house experts.
We take great care to ensure the information we publish is reliable and accurate. However, WBE takes no responsibility for any inaccuracy in information supplied to us by users, research participants, or other entities.
Please note the insight contained within this article is for general information purposes only. We’re glad to answer any questions you may have about this article and its supporting research. For further information, please contact Website Builder Expert directly via email at info@websitebuilderexpert.com.
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