What’s the deal with Shopify? \ud83e\udd14<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
We all know that Shopify<\/a> helps you build a website and display products in an eye-catching manner using stunning, fully responsive templates. It allows you to sell across multiple channels, collect payments via multiple gateways, and grow your online store. All without having to go back to school to learn code. And to top it all, Shopify has different plans to suit you, whatever the size of your business: <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are three main Shopify plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Basic is $29.00 per month<\/strong>, Shopify is $79.00 per month<\/strong>, and Advanced is $299.00 per month<\/strong>. All prices reflect annual billing. Month-to-month billing is also available, but naturally costs more. The plans include web hosting, an SSL certificate, and a domain name. There is also an additional Starter Plan<\/a>, which lets you sell from your existing website or social media pages for only $5.00 per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This sounds all fine, so why look for alternatives?<\/p>\n\n\n Here are a few reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, let’s sift through some of the best Shopify alternatives out there:<\/p>\n\n\n Now that we\u2019ve shared a few reasons for considering Shopify alternatives, let\u2019s look at six of the best. Each option offers you an opportunity to build a successful ecommerce store, so the best one for you will depend on your budget and the special options you’re after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let’s start with BigCommerce, a cloud based ecommerce platform that lets you start small and scale up later. It’s a fine fit if you’re growing and looking for everything in one place. The tons of built-in features ensure you’ll not be paying for additional apps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Start with a 15-day free trial when you use our link – no credit card required. According to the size of your business, you can then choose from three annual plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Standard $29.00 is per month<\/strong>, Plus is $79.00 per month<\/strong>, and Pro is $299.00 per month<\/strong>. These plans are also available on a month-to-month basis, but at a higher per month cost. They allow online sales of up to $50K per year, $180K per year, and $400K per year, respectively. Beyond this, you can request a custom quote for Enterprise-level plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BigCommerce is a good fit if you need all core ecommerce features in one place. Shopify is better if you’re looking for versatile features. BigCommerce keeps its focus on online selling, while Shopify supports multiple selling channels.<\/p>\n\n\n WooCommerce (an ecommerce plugin) teams up nicely with WordPress to create a popular platform option for online stores. Both are free and open-source. They allow you to sell both physical and digital products<\/a>, and customize extensively. At the same time, you have total control over your website. Moreover, if you have the technical chops, you can code your way to design a website that you dream up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The basic WordPress software and WooCommerce plugin are free. And though you can very well get by without having to open your wallet at all, there are free\/paid official extensions that enhance functionality. However, keep in mind that you’ll still need to find a web host, install WordPress and WooCommerce, and then modify or extend<\/a> it to suit your requirements. These costs can add up, but you’ll find web hosts who offer specialized WooCommerce packages<\/a> for reasonably low prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While WooCommerce offers a reliable platform that’s more affordable, Shopify is the better option if you want everything taken care of in a single place. There’s also only community support available for WooCommerce (unless, of course you purchase paid extensions). On the other hand, WooCommerce gives you full control over your website, you can also add a Shopify button to your WordPress site<\/a>. This is something you don’t get with Shopify.<\/p>\n\n\n Third on our list of Shopify alternatives is PrestaShop, a platform that helps businesses create and develop their ecommerce stores. Similar to WooCommerce, PrestaShop is open-source and you can download it for free<\/a> from the PrestaShop website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are two different plans available<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Classic allows you to use the plugin for free<\/strong>. However, hosting, your domain, and other associated costs aren\u2019t included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Hosted plan includes hosting, support, and ecommerce services to help you launch your website. Hosted plans start from \u20ac24 (about $26) per month, billed annually<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both plans include unlimited employee accounts, SEO capabilities, PrestaShop checkout with PayPal, and the ability to sell unlimited products. If you have additional needs, you can contact the team for a custom quote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Affordability is one of the biggest drawing factors for PrestaShop. If you want to use it for free, you can simply download the plugin and then use it with a hosting company of your choice. For example, A2 Hosting has some attractive PrestaShop hosting packages<\/a>. If you’d rather not bother with buying hosting separately, the PrestaShop paid plan comes with a 14-day free trial that lets you test it out to see if it\u2019s a good fit. In contrast, as highlighted earlier, Shopify doesn\u2019t have a free plan and the free trial is only for three days.<\/p>\n\n\n The only Wix plan that does not<\/em> allow you to accept online payments and build a basic online store is the entry-level Light plan. As soon as you jump up one level to the Core plan, you can start an ecommerce business with relative ease, thanks to Wix’s user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface. As you’d expect, higher level plans unlock additional functionalities like multi-currency support, and the ability to display customer reviews. Though to be fair to the Core plan, it really is robust and offers many of the features that even the pricier plans support, such as the ability to sell up to 50,000 products. Overall, Wix is a great Shopify alternative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Three plans are available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Core is $29.00 per month<\/strong>, Business is $39.00<\/strong> per month<\/strong> and Business Elite is $159.00 per month.<\/strong> All plans are billed annually. There’s a free domain voucher for one year. Wix branding is also removed with any of their paid plans and you get 24\/7 customer support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the heart of it, Wix is a general-purpose builder, while Shopify keeps its focus on ecommerce. Therefore, stores with a bigger budget that need strong ecommerce features will prefer Shopify as a long term option. However, you’ll be able to manage all transactions and accept payments securely from the Wix dashboard. <\/p>\n\n\n Square started off as a tool to help business owners accept credit card payments. It has since gone on to build a broad set of flexible tools that can do a lot for any business. It doesn’t matter if you’re starting a new website, accepting payments on your current website, or accepting orders for your restaurant, Square has tools to help out. And conveniently, you pay only for what you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There’s no start up cost with Square, and you can launch your online store for free. However, you pay 2.9% + $0.30 for each transaction<\/strong>. To remove Square branding, choose the Plus plan for $29.00 per month (+ transaction fees)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Square can take over all the functions of a small business. If your business revenue comes chiefly from in-store sales, Square with no monthly fees and exclusive Square payment processing is a good choice.<\/p>\n\n\nWhy would you look for Shopify alternatives?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
The best Shopify alternatives \ud83c\udfc6<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
BigCommerce<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n
![\"Best](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/bigcommerce-1.png\")
\n\n\n\nPricing \ud83d\udcb5<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Why is BigCommerce a good Shopify alternative? \ud83e\udd14<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
WooCommerce<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n
![\"WooCommerce\"](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/WooCommerce.png\")
\n\n\n\nPricing \ud83d\udcb5<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Why is WooCommerce among the best Shopify alternatives? \ud83e\udd14<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
PrestaShop<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n
![\"Best](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/PrestaShop-1.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nPricing \ud83d\udcb5<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Why is PrestaShop a good Shopify alternative? \ud83e\udd14<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
Wix<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n
![\"Best](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/wix.jpg\")
\n\n\n\nPricing \ud83d\udcb5<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Why is Wix Ecommerce a good Shopify alternative? \ud83e\udd14<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
Square<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n
![\"Best](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/square-online.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nPricing \ud83d\udcb5<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Why is Square among the best Shopify alternatives? \ud83e\udd14<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"Best](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/weebly.png\")
\n\n\n\n