It’s almost impossible to discuss e-commerce without mentioning Shopify, as the platform dominates the sector. It powers over 5.1 million businesses across more than 175 countries. Despite that, just because it’s the most famous platform worldwide doesn’t mean it’s the best. That’s certainly why you’re looking into alternatives. In the 6 best Shopify alternatives, we will cover why you might want an alternative to Shopify and which platforms are the best options for you. We’ll go through the pros and cons of each platform. That way, you can make the best and most informed decision regardless of whether you’re just starting your e-commerce or an existing Shopify customer looking to make a change.
What is Shopify?
Shopify is a cloud-based e-commerce platform that enables you to create and manage an online shop. You can build your website, manage products, compute shipping rates, sell across different mediums, and scale your business. It’s one of the best solutions for both small businesses and larger companies, as it offers various plans tailored to each. The plans are as follows:
- Shopify: With Basic, Grow, or Advanced, you can access different features and scale your business as it grows. It’s the perfect option for small businesses.
- Shopify Plus: Geared for larger and more significant companies, Plus gives you access to many more features, but it costs a minimum of $2,300 per month in addition to a percentage of your sales in the form of fees.
Shopify does not offer free plans. But you can get a few days of free trial.
4 reasons to use Shopify alternatives
Shopify has many features and advantages. But no e-commerce platform is perfect. Let’s look into the main reasons why you might be interested in an alternative to Shopify.
1. Shopify payments
Shopify payments are subject to a fee based on your plan. The fees range between 5% and 2.5%. There’s also a currency conversion fee that ranges from 1.5% to 2%. All these fees can add up and impact your profit margin. If you don’t use Shopify payments, you give up access to some features, like the capability of handling transactions in multiple currencies.
This control Shopify has over your payment options methods can be frustrating and impact your revenue. Some alternatives give you more freedom.
2. SEO limitations
Search engine optimization (SEO) is essential for any business to succeed. It’s one of the key aspects e-commerce platforms must cover. Shopify has decent SEO tools and covers basic SEO topics. But if you’re a business that relies heavily on organic search, there are better alternatives. The key thing here is having more control over your SEO.
One example of this is how Shopify doesn’t give its users permission to access or edit robot.txt files. This file is essential to explain to Google how it should index your website so only the pages you choose appear in search engine results.
For small businesses and people with no SEO knowledge, this is not a problem at all. But as your business grows and gets bigger, you will need to have more control over how Google indexes and crawls your site.
3. You have a complicated or vast product catalog
The more variations of products you have, the more complicated it will be to manage your e-commerce store. Variations like sizes, colors, different designs, and other options all impact your catalog. With Shopify, you’re capped at 100 SKUs per product and three options per product. Those limitations are difficult to reach, but some businesses reach them.
4. You have experienced some frustrations with Shopify
There can be many small frustrating things that occur as you use a platform over the years, and frustration builds up. The help center, unhelpful customer service, bad experiences, and other issues are all honest reasons to be frustrated. No matter the reason for your frustration, there are alternatives for you.
Important features Shopify alternatives should have
Regardless of the issues you’re dealing with while using Shopify, you need to ensure the alternative you choose offers a solution to those problems without bringing new issues. There are some key elements to consider, regardless of your business plan and style.
1. Access to multiple payment methods
Every online store needs to offer multiple payment methods because every customer has their preferred payment method. Some people prefer using PayPal for convenience, while others prefer Visa because they win points when they spend money. When you look for a new e-commerce platform, make sure you choose one that is flexible and supports many different payment methods. Some accept over 50!
In addition, you can do some more research to find a platform that can offer beneficial rates as you scale your business. You may be selling in one country and currency right now, but consider plans for the future and potential development in different countries. Choosing an option that supports multiple currencies and payment options for various countries can save you from a headache in a few years.
2. Flexible catalog options that enable growth
Regardless of your current catalog size, you don’t know how big your catalog will be in the future. Having the option of having a bigger and more flexible catalog is empowering, as it gives you more breathing room when you want to scale your business and explore new growth opportunities.
It’s the same with tools and features. As a business owner, you constantly need to find new ways to grow. So, ensure you use a platform that can support growth by seamlessly connecting with various tools.
3. Personalization features
Never compromise your brand’s image and branding. They are your principal weapons to build a successful business. You need to be able to personalize the design of your business however you see fit. Basic design options are not enough. You need to be in control.
Take that into consideration when you look for a Shopify alternative and choose one that caters to your design needs. The same goes if you have a coder in your team or if you’re one yourself. You can find a platform that supports coding. But also consider the opposite. If you have no technical capabilities, find an easy-to-use platform that will help you navigate technical difficulties. A drag-and-drop website creation option is essential to help you build your website pages smoothly. You’ll have all the elements at your disposal to design pages exactly how you want them to be. And you won’t need any coding knowledge to build them.
4. Marketing features
To succeed, you’ll need to effectively market your business and brand. Marketing features and tools are essential to help you grow. Whether it’s built-in tools, integrations, or apps that easily connect, marketing features will enable you to acquire more clients seamlessly.
There are many different marketing integrations and tools to consider. SEO, email marketing, social media marketing, advertising, and more mediums will help you grow your brand’s visibility, acquire more website visitors, and grow sales.
The 6 best Shopify alternatives
1. Magento
Launched in 2007, Magento is another open-source built e-commerce platform. The company was acquired by Adobe in 2018. There are now two versions of Magento available. Magento Open Source for small businesses and Magento Commerce for larger companies. If you’re familiar with other Adobe tools and have web development skills, Magento is one of the best Shopify alternatives.
Pros
- You can customize and personalize everything on your online store because Magento is open-source.
- You gain access to an extensive partner ecosystem offering third-party apps and add-ons.
- There’s a massive 260,000-plus developer network around the world developing new features for the platform.
- With Magento Commerce, businesses can access a cloud-hosted solution hosted on AWS or use a self-hosted solution.
Cons
- You need to constantly make sure you download and install the latest updates.
- Since Magento is a more technical solution, you always need a developer or development team to maintain your website and manage it.
- The setup is extensive and costs a lot of money to complete.
- Even though Magento is open-source, you have to find a hosting solution. You can host it yourself or use a third-party hosting solution.
2. Wix
Released in 2006, Wix is the polar opposite of Magento as it makes it simple for anyone to create a website. There are business plans that are perfect for e-commerce websites. Wix is the ideal option if you have minimal experience and need a simple website builder. It’s much easier to use than Shopify, making it one of the perfect Shopify alternatives for people with less technical skills.
Pros
- An easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor that enables you to build a website quickly, even with no experience.
- The help center is helpful and easy to navigate.
- The premium plans for e-commerce websites all include a free domain for one year.
- You have some flexibility with products, as you can have 300 different products in your shop, and each can have 6 options.
Cons
- You’re limited to 50GBs of storage space. Unless you use the enterprise plan with a personalized storage space.
- There’s no chat support. You can only reach support by submitting a ticket or calling them.
- There are no Apple Pay or Amazon Payments as payment methods.
- Wix proposes a wide range of website options, which makes it complicated to browse their app store.
3. WooCommerce
Woocomerce is an open-source plugin that enables you to turn a WordPress website or blog into an e-commerce. It was launched in 2011 and has been gaining in popularity. It’s the perfect alternative to Shopify if you already have experience and knowledge using WordPress.
If you think Woocomerce only works with WordPress blogs, think again. There are all kinds of extensions to integrate your e-commerce into your WordPress site.
Pros
- It’s entirely free to use the plugin with a WordPress site.
- You can integrate the plugin with an already existing WordPress site.
- There are hundreds of paid and free extensions to get the most out of WooCommerce.
- You can use all the custom code you want to build your e-commerce because WooCommerce is open source.
Cons
- If you don’t know CSS and HTML yourself, you will need the help of a developer.
- The plugin is free, but you still have to pay for domain hosting, your email platform, an SSL certificate, and other features.
- You need to leverage plugins to add more functionalities, which can slow down your site and impact its performance.
4. Shift4Shop
Shift4Shop has been offering an e-commerce platform with a strong focus on SEO since 1997. If you’re heavily reliant on SEO to grow your business, this is the ideal platform for you. Shift4Shop is one of the best Shopify alternatives for SEO.
Pros
- They have many payment methods with over 100 options.
- There are many SEO tools. Including 301 redirects and AMP for products.
- If you have a small e-commerce website, this alternative is cheaper than Shopify’s basic plan.
- Blogging is built-in with each plan.
Cons
- There is a limited amount of seats for staff. Each extra spot costs an additional $10 per month.
- Free themes are helpful, but they are limited and don’t look as modern as the themes available on Shopify or other platforms.
- You’ll need to invest some time in the platform to learn how to leverage it.
5. PinnacleCart
PinnacleCart is a shopping cart platform for small to medium-sized companies. It was founded in 2003 and has a strong focus on marketing. It’s a solid alternative to Shopify because it gives you more control over your e-commerce website and has extra SEO features.
Pros
- You have control over hosting. Whether you choose PinnacleCart’s hosting solution or your own.
- Regardless of the plan you’re on, you can have an unlimited amount of categories and products.
- There are SEO-friendly features like custom URLs to help you get the most out of your SEO efforts.
Cons
- In case you decide to use PinnacleCart’s hosting solution, you will have limited storage and bandwidth. So you will have to pay more money as your traffic increases.
- You need to read plans carefully and manage plans well.
- There aren’t many app integrations (less than 100).
- There are only 12 themes you can use to design your e-commerce. That’s a very limited number compared to other platforms.
6. BigCommerce
BigCommerce is another powerful e-commerce platform that enables businesses to create, manage, and grow their online e-commerce websites. It’s a great option to grow and scale your company as it offers many features. It’s one of the best Shopify alternatives.
Pros
- Many useful features are included with each plan.
- An easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor is available to help you build a great website without code.
- SEO tools to help you get better results.
- Over 55 payment methods are covered with no extra transaction fees.
- Cross-channel selling capabilities. Notably, an in-app checkout for Instagram.
- Many partners and agencies are available to provide help.
- 24/7 support is available by chat, phone call, and email.
Cons
- Fewer free themes than on other platforms like Shopify.
- Takes time to adapt to the platform.
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Conclusion: The 6 best Shopify alternatives
Now you know the 6 best Shopify alternatives to grow your business and find solutions to the limitations you are experiencing with Shopify. With the information provided, you can make an informed decision. Don’t forget to make sure the new solution you find does not generate new problems for your business. Each platform comes with pros and cons, so focus on the most essential ones for you. Make a list of what’s most important to your business and find the alternative that offers the best solution.
With ComeUp, you can access the help of freelance professionals to complete all kinds of projects. For instance, you can hire an e-commerce expert to help you create your website. Try ComeUp today and complete all your projects with the best results.
