12 Shopify Alternatives Which Outperform (Free or Paid) in 2022
Shopify is an extremely popular e-commerce platform used by millions of sellers. There are some drawbacks that can turn people off from staying on the platform. A lot of merchants fail due to the high cost of the monthly subscription particularly when the store isn't profitable yet. Others leave because too many expenses, like app purchase increase and chip away at profits. And some find the site difficult, particularly for those who are new to the site. While Shopify could be a great choice for some but it's a great option to consider some Shopify alternatives to make sure you've chosen the right ecommerce platform to meet your requirements as the owner of your business. Let's take closer to some Shopify rivals.
What is Shopify?
Shopify is an online marketplace which focuses on selling physical items. If you are a wholesaler or dropshipper it is possible to find Shopify apps that allow you to find products to sell through your store, so that you can become an online seller the very next day. Shopify provides e-commerce services like web hosting, a free subdomain domain, over 100 payment gateways, unlimitable products, and additional. But there's no free plan and only a 14-day trial trial, so this endeavor could cost a lot at the beginning.
4 Reasons to Use Shopify Alternatives to Shopify
1. For a less expensive option
From their typical pricing structures, Shopify's affordable plan is its Basic plan which begins at just $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 social media, a third-party website, or another method. Unfortunately, Shopify doesn't offer an affordable plan for merchants who haven't generated revenue. If you're paying for themes, monthly subscriptions, apps, and marketing it is lots of cash into getting started, with little guarantee that you'll pick the appropriate niche or products to sell. However, nobody can build brands as huge like Kylie Cosmetics or Fashion Nova. So, alternatives to Shopify can be a great choice for people who are looking for a budget-friendly option.
2. In order to make a bigger profits
One reason why people might be interested in Shopify alternatives is the possibility of earning a more significant profit margin when selling online. Alongside your monthly payment and charges for apps, as well as transaction charges of 2.9% + 30 cents with the basic plan. Based on the source of your goods, you could need to pay for the shipping costs, products along with the app's subscription. And that's all before you start marketing your items. With so many fees being taken before making your first few dollars, it could reduce your profit margin. Then, you begin advertising, which has more expensive marketing costs than other forms of marketing to get sales. But ads don't always convert profitably. You'll need the trial and error method, product market fit, and experience to successfully run an ecommerce store. The costs are often overwhelming for beginners who simply want to make some additional money to supplement their income. It's not impossible to succeed, but some ecommerce platforms have too many initial expenses, which could be detrimental financially to someone.
3. To find an easier platform
Shopify offers drag-and-drop capabilities making the platform relatively easy for beginners. However, building a website isn't necessarily the toughest aspect of operating an online shop. The process of marketing your merchandise is perhaps the most difficult part of being the owner of an online store. The variety of options a platform provides is always an advantage, but the marketing features have a significant impact. Connecting with your customers faster and efficiently is what many ecommerce platforms fail to make up for. It is, however, possible to locate an platform that acts as a marketplace, allowing buyers are drawn to your store instead of you performing all the lifting. If you are a store owner looking for a good marketing platform, a Shopify option could be a good fit.
4. For easing your stress
From writing many product descriptions and issues with the transfer of information between platforms to the one that follows, and the absence of a reliable Content Management System (CMS), to excessive costs There are a variety of reasons why someone would look for an alternative to Shopify alternative. A store that sells online isn't only a site, it's a business. It's easier to manage your company rather than just making it in the first place, the more likely it is that people select the option that is most suitable for them. Shopify provides customer service for all merchants on its platform, but for some people it's not enough to make sales.
12 Shopify Alternatives that Are Superior (Free or Paid)
1.
On , you can accept sales from anywhere. Therefore, if you'd like to promote your business via social media, on your blog, or any other website, you can. The checkout on your site is designed for conversions, so you will see better conversions in your online store. Plus, when customers order from you, they'll receive the item immediately. This means you can say goodbye to long waiting times for shipping.
Securely hosts your content files They'll be able to download the file once they've landed at your download site following purchasing. In addition, unlike those big ecommerce platforms, you don't have to wait to get paid. Instead, customers earn money via PayPal or Stripe instantly.
2. BigCommerce
Alternatives to Shopify such as BigCommerce are great options to build an online store. BigCommerce provides a variety of options, including hosting for websites. But the best advantage BigCommerce has over Shopify is the fact that they charge zero transaction charges for the pricing plans. BigCommerce allows you to add up to 600 variations for each product, while Shopify only allows 100 variations on each item. BigCommerce has a more trial time over Shopify so that you can investigate the platform as well as build an online store. BigCommerce additionally has more extensive drag-and-drop functionality which lets you design your online store using any component easily. BigCommmerce is also a better choice for free themes and paid themes than Shopify offers, making it one of those Shopify alternatives to look into.
3. WooCommerce
Shopify alternatives like WooCommerce are perfect for anyone looking to build an online store with maximum customization functionality. If you're looking to build an online store, WooCommerce is an open-source platform, making it free to use. Additionally, it's a WordPress plugin. So, if you've been contemplating building your site with a massive blog on it for organic traffic to it, this is the ideal Shopify solution to achieve this. The only thing you'll have to do is pay for the web hosting you use however. This means you're free to make your choice. WooCommerce is one of the largest Shopify competitors as it has more than 3 million users than that green bag of shopping.
4. Etsy
If you're seeking marketing features, Etsy is one of the Shopify alternatives worth a look. Etsy operates as an internet-based marketplace in which people can purchase and sell their products. Even though you don't have an shop on the internet, buyers will discover you by searching through Etsy which makes it a great choice to those who struggle with marketing. There's no subscription for a monthly period However, it does not mean Etsy is free of charge. There are charges for listing in the amount of $0.20 for every product you add as well as an additional 6.5 per cent transaction fee. Plus, you'll be required to cover processing costs for payments depending on the chosen company that you choose to use for your payment. But considering you won't need to pay for expenses for marketing, it's an worthy Shopify alternative for those selling physical items.
5. PinnacleCart
Like Shopify, PinnacleCart offers a free service for customers with a salary of between $250,000 and $250,000. There is the option of adding more than five accounts for admin in this free plan as well. This eCommerce platform comes with more than 400 eCommerce features which allow you to modify your online store to suit your needs. They offer zero transaction fees on all of their plans. The Shopify alternative plans like this provide a QR code generator, reviews feature, a wish list for customers, and even gift messaging when you place an order. You don't have to download an application to include these features in your online shop.
6. Wix
Wix is among the only Shopify alternatives that offer ad vouchers in their monthly subscription so that you can manage your online store while focusing on what is important: making sales. You can run subscription services within your Wix account, which makes it one of the top features that online merchants can incorporate into their stores. E-commerce businesses can allow you to install more than 250 items while dropshipping with Modalyst. Beyond sales of products, ecommerce solutions such as Wix allow the creation of individual websites, small businesses, and freelance ones or even to sell tickets for occasions. Restaurants typically make use of Wix because it allows customers to place orders online for food. Hotels can also make reservations through Wix as well. It goes further than simply creating an online store.
7. PrestaShop
Another Shopify alternative, which uses an open-source platform for ecommerce is PrestaShop. Because it's an open-source, self-hosted solution, it's available for free online shops. There are however business expenses with running online stores, even with ecommerce platforms such as PrestaShop. However, the platform is user-friendly and permits customization of the store. You can edit all of the source files. However, on Shopify altering your theme's code could render your business not eligible for upgrades in the future. PrestaShop offers over 2,000 templates available on their website, and Shopify offers only 100.
8. Elementor
Elementor, an online storefront solution Elementor is an alternative to Shopify alternative that you can consider. With over 300 professionally designed templates available, you'll be able to have a stunning online store. Shopify is a great choice for businesses. Shopify option also permits you to do responsive editing which means you can alter your site from up to seven different devices simultaneously. You can also live edit your website for quick fixes. With auto-save, you won't need to update your website manually when you change something on it. Also, unlike Shopify you are able to create many pages such as websites with landing pages and pop-ups block templates, about us pages, and much more using distinctive features in design.
9. Square
Shopify alternatives when it comes to point-of-sale systems include the only one that is Square. Square is popular for small-scale restaurants, brick-and-mortar stores as well as smaller retail stores. If you use the Square application to manage your business, it's absolutely free. You'll only need to pay 2.65 percent for each card tap. Contrary to Shopify it is possible to purchase a register for the physical location for the cashiers at your shop to put into orders. businesses that make more than $250,000 annually can even get discounts on running their POS solution through Square.
10. Squarespace
Alternatives to Shopify like Squarespace allow you to create more features for your online store. Squarespace offers better blog capabilities as compared to Shopify in order to add blogs to their online store. Additionally, you can find more free templates on Squarespace than on Shopify, giving you more choice for a theme. This Shopify option also lets you to add more variants for each product. This can be up to 250, as opposed to Shopify's only 100. Additionally, you can get your domain name for free with your annual purchase of the Squarespace plan.
11. Poshmark
Poshmark is an ecommerce platform that lets you market to its customers. So if you're looking for Shopify alternatives, with their own marketplace, Poshmark is a great choice, mainly when you are selling brand name clothing and cosmetics. Retailers who are brick and mortar or online that have excess inventory may use Poshmark for selling their items at more affordable prices. This ecommerce platform even has Posh Stories, where you can promote your items by using images and videos through their app. So while you won't own your own store online on Poshmark however, you'll have the ability to connect with Poshmark's customer base.
12. WordPress
Shopify alternatives similar to WordPress offer e-commerce features through making use of plug-ins. If you're trying to launch an online shop for example, like an Amazon affiliate site, WordPress could be a excellent alternative. The most effective CMS available online is WordPress. A lot of people utilize WordPress to build a website and, while they may not have a specialization in ecommerce, there are many ways to go about it. In fact, there are more WordPress themes than the other eCommerce platform, as it's by far the most popular. The Shopify alternative is open source and allows you to customize your site to suit your needs for a truly unique online store. While Shopify boasts more than one million users, WordPress manages over 455 million websites.
FAQ
Do you know of any alternatives that are free to Shopify?
Yes! is a cost-free alternative to Shopify. It is possible to sign up for the Free Forever plan. This plan allows you only pay a 5 per cent transaction cost when you make a sale. Even on this Free Forever plan will you have access to every feature of the site which allow you to create your own online store in the way you like.
Who are Shopify's main competitors?
Shopify's main competitors include for digital items, Square for point-of-sale solutions, Etsy for marketplace sellers, and BigCommerce and WooCommerce for physical items.
Is Shopify worthwhile?
It depends. Shopify is an excellent e-commerce platform for some people However, newbies often face the costs too high when creating a business using Shopify. Examples include alternatives that have a free plan for one month that comes with all of the features needed to create your online store.