Best Shopify Alternatives in 2024 (Compared)

Shopify is the fastest-growing e-commerce platform, with a staggering 8.8% annual increase in 2024. With good reason, Shopify now empowers over one million businesses worldwide.

However, despite its impressive track record and widespread popularity, Shopify may not be the best solution for every business. That’s why it’s important to explore all the available Shopify alternatives. Whether you’re currently using Shopify or considering it for a new website, exploring other options is always a wise move.

We have carefully picked the industry’s leading web builders and tested them out for you. Take a quick tour of this blog and find the option that’s right for you!

• WooCommerce – Best for WordPress Users
• BigCommerce – Best for Volume Sellers
• Adobe Commerce (Magento) – Best for Developers
• Ecwid – Best for  Existing Websites
• OpenCart – Best for Marchant
• Squarespace – Best for Visuals and Designs
• Prestashop – Best for Smaller Businesses

Why Consider Shopify Alternatives?

Shopify is a great platform, but you might wonder why you should look for an alternative. Here are a few reasons to consider Shopify alternatives.

• Pricing: Shopify has a unique pricing plan; you need to pay a transaction fee for every plan. If you use any payment provider other than Shopify Payments, you’re required to pay a high fee, which is often too much for some users.
• Dependency on Third-Party Apps: Websites made with Shopify are stunning; there is no doubt about that, but most of its credit goes to the owner for choosing the right third-party apps. Shopify requires adding multiple third-party apps to achieve the desired functionality and result.

• Scalability Issues: Shopify might not be a great choice for scaling a business with large and complex product catalogs. This platform has limited SKUs and product variations, which can be a bottleneck for large operations.

• Limited Control Over SEO: Search Engine Optimization is a major aspect when it comes to marketing. Shopify has some limitations in SEO tasks and is capable of handling only basic SEO tasks.

Shopify Alternatives: Quick Overview

Platform	Ease of Use	Customization	Pricing	Transaction Fees	Payment Gateways	SEO Features	Integrations
Shopify	Intuitive, all-in-one	Moderate	Starts at $39/month	0-2% (depending on plan)	100+	Built-in	6,000+ apps
WooCommerce	Requires WordPress setup	High (via plugins/themes)	Free (hosting costs)	None (varies by gateway)	100+ (via plugins)	Extensive (via plugins)	50,000+ plugins
BigCommerce	User-friendly, scalable	Moderate to High	Starts at $39/month	None (varies by gateway)	65+	Built-in	1,000+ apps
Adobe Commerce	Advanced, for developers	High (advanced customization)	Custom pricing	None (varies by gateway)	100+	Advanced (via plugins)	Extensive (via Adobe suite)
Ecwid	Simple, quick setup	Moderate (limited themes)	Free plan, paid from $21/month	None (varies by gateway)	50+	Built-in	250+ apps
OpenCart	Requires technical knowledge	High	Free (hosting costs)	None (varies by gateway)	20+	Limited (requires plugins)	Limited
Squarespace	Drag-and-drop builder	Moderate to High	Starts at $25/month	None (varies by gateway)	Limited	Built-in	100+ integrations
PrestaShop	Requires technical knowledge	High	Free (hosting costs)	None (varies by gateway)	250+	Built-in (requires plugins)	Limited (requires modules)

7 Best Shopify Alternatives

1. WooCommerce

WooCommerce is an open-source plugin launched in 2011. It is designed to transform your WordPress space into a full-fledged e-commerce website. With a user-friendly interface and easy drag-and-drop functionality, WooCommerce has gained massive popularity over the years. 

This impressive plugin uses all the default features of WordPress, which makes it the best Shopify alternative for WordPress users. This offers all the essential features needed to fully run an e-commerce business. It also has a massive plugin ecosystem, where you can find all your necessary extensions to add advanced functionalities. 

What are the Pros?

• Easy Integration: WooCommerce easily integrates with existing websites, allowing you to use all the powerful WordPress plugins along with the e-commerce functionality. 
• Completely Free: This is an entirely free plugin, and no hidden charges are available. 
• Instant Deposit: You can make instant deposits if you are using WooCommerce Payments. 
• Detailed Sales Report: WooCommerce provides a detailed sales report, which is great for sales insights.

What are the Cons?

• Runs on WordPress: WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin that only runs on WordPress. On other platforms, you cannot use WooCommerce.
• Self-hosted: E-commerce websites made with WooCommerce are not hosted; you need a hosting and domain to run an e-commerce business.
• Need Developer: If you want to build a complex website using WooCommerce, you need help from an experienced developer. Some of the areas require knowledge of HTML or CSS.
• Paid Support: WooCommerce offers documentation and forums for free; however, you need to pay for customer support.

Price

WooCommerce is free, but you must pay for Hosting domains and paid plugins.

2. BigCommerce

BigCommerce is a cloud-based platform known for its scalability and performance. Founded in 2009, it has become home to businesses of all sizes and offers various features, from product management to marketing. Shopify is great for starting your business, but if you want to scale it to a higher level, then BigCommerce is the way to go. 

The best part is that you can create a website directly from BigCommerce or simply integrate it with WordPress. It’s a game changer for creating fast-loading websites and providing a smooth experience. 

What are the Pros?

• Easy Product Management: It provides easy product management by providing all the features needed in one place.
• Safe Transaction: BigCommerce has built-in security features that ensure safe transactions and data protection.
• Refined Searching: The platform’s search function is powered by Elasticsearch, which provides the most refined searching experience.
• Sell on Multichannel: With BigCommerce, you can sell products on multiple channels, from Amazon to Walmart; every social media platform would be within your zone.

What are the Cons?

• Paid Templates: BigCommerce offers many templates and themes, but most are paid.
• Pay for Essentials: Various essential features, like abandoned cart recovery, only come with higher-paid plans.
• Unmanageable VAT MOSS: When selling digital products on BigCommerce, managing VAT MOSS rates is almost impossible.

Price

BigCommerce has three premium plans, starting with the standard plan at $39/month and going up to $399/month for the pro plan.

3. Adobe Commerce (Magento)

Adobe Commerce (Magento) is a powerful e-commerce platform known for its customization options. It was first released in 2007 and was acquired by Adobe in 2018. People who love Adobe products and skilled developers prefer this platform over Shopify.

This e-commerce platform offers two different types of platforms for different businesses. Magento Commerce is designed with enterprises in mind, and Magento Open-Source is perfect for small businesses. By looking at the pricing, you can easily understand why this platform rose to such great heights and still considered as one of the standout alternatives to Shopify.

What are the Pros?

• Extensive Network: Magento is very popular among developers; it has a massive network of over 260,000 developers worldwide, creating additional user functionality.
• Flexibility and Customization: It is open-source, so you can easily access and customize the backend to your needs.
• Responsive Designs: With an expansive collection of responsive e-commerce designs, it’s a solid option to help make your website attractive.
• Partner Ecosystem: Adobe Commerce (Magento) has a large ecosystem where you can choose from a wide variety of add-ons and extensions.

What are the Cons?

• Not beginner-friendly: This platform is great for developers and experienced users, but it is not a great option for absolute beginners.
• Self-managed: Adobe Commerce (Magento) is an open-source platform, meaning you have to manage every aspect of it. You need to buy hosting and upgrade it timely to keep up a good performance.
• Extensive Setup: This platform’s extensive setup can lead to high costs for completing builds.

Price

It is an open-source platform and can be extended for a custom price of $19,88/year.

4. Ecwid

Ecwid by Lightspeed is a great platform with a built-in hosting solution. Launched in 2009, Ecwid has shown to be a flexible, easy solution for e-commerce businesses of all sizes. Ecwid is best for existing websites; you can integrate it, and it works smoothly on your website. It’s compatible with most of the CMS platforms, which means you can switch to Ecwid from almost any platform anytime.

What are the Pros?

• Beginner-Friendly Dashboard: Ecwid’s dashboard is beginner-friendly and easy to understand. Anyone can start working in Ecwid just by signing into the platform.
• Seamless Integration: Ecwid seamlessly integrates with any website without any hassles. Almost all CMS platforms are compatible with Ecwid.
• Mobile Application: It has a mobile application for managing your website directly from your mobile, which makes it ten times easier to use and allows you to get your work done as soon as possible.
• Auto Detect and Translate:  Ecwid can automatically detect and translate more than 51 languages, making it suitable for all languages.

What are the Cons?

• Limited Free Plan: The free plan has various limitations. You can only sell ten products, and there is no SEO editing tool. So, you need to upgrade to a paid plan to make your website SEO-friendly.
• No URL Edits: You cannot edit your product’s URLs for SEO, which is a bummer considering the recent need for SEO in e-commerce.
• Required App: You must download the app to edit the shopping cart on your website, which can be a hassle for some users.

Price

Ecwid offers a free plan and three premium plans. The paid plans start with Venture for $21/month and go up to $89/month in the Unlimited plan.

5. OpenCart

Create professional, modernized websites for free with OpenCart. Launched in 1999, it offers a wide range of extensions, themes and makes customizations easy. OpenCart is excellent for creating a user-friendly storefront without the need for coding. However, if you’re aiming to build a more complex website, you may still need a developer for certain aspects.

OpenCart is great for merchandisers as it has dedicated features for e-commerce. You can easily start your journey in OpenCart, completely free of cost.

What are the Pros?

• Payment Gateways: OpenCart is very flexible and supports a range of payment gateways. That comes in handy when you have a user base worldwide.
• Easy Setup: The setup is straightforward and fast. Without going around any technical hassles, you can start your OpenCart journey.
• Multi Currencies: OpenCart supports multiple languages and currencies, a unique feature to turn your website into a merchandising store.
• Add Unlimited Products: OpenCart allows you to add unlimited products for free, giving you the flexibility to have many products.

What are the Cons?

• Requires Developer: Opencart is easy to start but not easy to handle all the tasks by yourself. You need a developer to make a complex website.
• Customer Support: There is no customer support in OpenCart, which can be an issue during an emergency. 
• Limited Add-ons: This platform has limited add-ons compared to Shopify.

Price

This is an open-source platform, and you only need to pay for hosting.

6. Squarespace

Squarespace is an easy drag-and-drop platform that offers an incredible website-building experience. Squarespace is known for its intuitive designs and interface, which looks good on mobile. If you are looking to create a beautiful, professional-looking website, then Squarespace is your platform. 

What are the Pros?

• Easy Setup: Squarespace is straightforward to set up and start operations.
• No Coding Required: you can work on Squarespace without coding, making it very beginner-friendly.
• Beautiful Templates: Squarespace has a collection of stunning templates that are easily integrated with your website.
• SEO Features: Every Squarespace plan consists of adequate SEO features.

What are the Cons?

• No API Tracking: You cannot track code API to track store visitors.
• Limited Multichannel: The multichannel features are limited and insufficient for an e-commerce business.
• Limited Video Storage: Squarespace supports videos, but it can only feature 30 minutes.

Price

The Annual plans start at $16 and go up to $52. You can also pay monthly, which will cost $25 to $72.

7. PrestaShop

PrestaShop is an open-source e-commerce platform that was first launched in 2007. It is widely known for its flexibility and easy-to-use features and is an excellent Shopify alternative for small businesses. PrestaShop itself is free, but like any other platform, you need to invest in hosting, domain, and SSL.

Although it has limited templates and themes, PrestaShop stands out in terms of usability. Its partnerships with Azure, 1&1, WebHostingHub, and multilingual support make it a great choice for website owners.

What are the Pros?

• No Additional Cost: PrestaShop is entirely free and an open-source platform; no additional transaction is added to your payments.
• Support Multi-languages: It supports multiple languages, and your website can be available in over 25 languages when made with PrestaShop.
• Built-in Marketing Tools: It has built-in marketing tools, making it easy to market and sell your products on the website.

What are the Cons?

• Limited Templates: PrestaShop has limited templates when compared to other open-source platforms.
• Require Tech Skills: You will need an in-house developer to make complex websites and enlarge your business.

Price

It’s a free and open-source platform.

Bottom Line

Shopify is one of the finest platforms for creating e-commerce websites, but this does not mean it’s an all-in-one platform. In this blog, we have found the best Shopify alternatives for you. We have tried and tested and presented all the pros and cons for each platform, so you can make an informed decision.

With a perfect platform for your business, you can find success easily and make your business soar to new heights!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Can I migrate my existing store from Shopify to another platform?

Yes, you can migrate your store from Shopify to another platform. Most platforms offer tools or services to help you transfer your products, customers, and order data. It’s important to back up your data and check if any customizations need to be adjusted during the migration.

Q2. Do Shopify alternatives support multiple languages and currencies?

Many Shopify alternatives do support multiple languages and currencies. Platforms like WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Adobe Commerce offer built-in features or plugins to help you reach global customers. Be sure to check the specific capabilities of the platform you choose.

Q3. Are Shopify alternatives suitable for large-scale businesses?

Yes, some Shopify alternatives are very suitable for large-scale businesses. Platforms like Adobe Commerce and BigCommerce are designed to handle large inventories, high traffic, and complex needs, making them a good fit for larger enterprises.