Top 15 Shopify Alternatives in 2025: Find the Best Fit for Your Business

For most eCommerce sellers, Shopify is a familiar name. As of September 27, 2024, there are over 2.4 million live stores on the platform. However, Shopify isn’t perfect. Some sellers, after using Shopify for a while, may find it doesn’t quite fit their needs and decide to explore other options. With over 500 e-commerce platforms available, there’s no shortage of alternatives that might be a better fit for your business.

In this blog, I’ll walk you through the top 15 Shopify alternatives to help you find the platform that works best for you.

Reasons why Looking for a Shopify Alternatives

Before diving into the top 15 Shopify alternatives, let’s explore why you might consider switching from Shopify.

Seeking More Affordable Pricing Options

Shopify’s basic plan costs $29 a month, but as your business grows, you may need to upgrade to advanced higher-tier plans at $79 or $299/month. These costs can add up quickly, especially for merchants on a budget. Plus, adding third-party apps to expand functionality often leads to extra subscription costs, which increase the overall expense.

Shopify’s SEO Features Not Meeting Your Needs

Shopify’s SEO tools are basic and suitable for beginners, but they have limitations for advanced users. For example, URL customization is restricted, and while Shopify allows partial edits to the robots.txt file, it doesn’t let you fully customize it.

Transaction Fees Add Up

One common complaint about Shopify is its transaction fees.  If you don’t use Shopify Payments, you’ll pay an additional 0.5% to 2% per transaction. This can be a significant cost for merchants with large order volumes. For example, a merchant with $10,000 in sales in a month might pay an additional $50-$200 in fees. Additionally, Shopify payments are only available in certain countries.

Desire for Flexible Expansion and Customization

Shopify operates as a closed platform, which means merchants are often limited by platform restrictions. While Shopify’s app ecosystem is extensive, certain features or expansions may feel too controlled or restrictive, limiting creativity or operational freedom.

Read more: Top 15 Best Shopify Dropshipping Suppliers in 2025

Top 15 Shopify Alternatives in 2025

Once you’ve identified why you no longer want to use Shopify, now it’s time to find a platform that checks all your boxes. Here are 15 Shopify alternatives, each with their own pros and cons.

1. BigCommerce

Founded in 2009, BigCommerce has become one of the leading platforms that includes online store creation, SEO, and marketing to help retailers manage their stores effectively. Since BigCommerce runs on its own servers, sellers don’t need to buy web hosting. They only need an Internet connection and to pay a monthly fee to build their store. 

Price: 

• Standard plan: $39/month
• Plus plan: $105/month
• Pro plan: $399/month
• Enterprise plan: pricing varies

Pros: 

• Easy to use,  even without any programming knowledge
• Customizable store with multiple store templates available
• Supports multiple payment methods, including PayPal, Stripe, and credit/debit cards
• A robust inventory management system
• SEO and marketing tools to drive traffic to your store

Cons:

• Fewer apps compared to Shopify
• Limits on retailers’ annual online sales.
• No built-in multilingual capabilities, although plugins can address this

Interface:

Compared to Shopify, Bigcommerce’s backend interface is slightly more complicated. However, it offers more integrated features, better SEO tools, and flexible API and development options, making it a solid Shopify alternative. Additionally, none of BigCommerce’s plans charge transaction fees.

2. WooCommerce

WooCommerce is the world’s leading e-commerce software platform, holding a 39% market share. 

Unlike Shopify, it’s accessible as long as you have Internet access. WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin, meaning it can be used only if you already have a WordPress website. 

This free, open-source software comes with tons of plugins, allowing you to enhance functionality with features like payment methods and logistics. It transforms a basic WordPress site into a fully functional online store.

Price: Free

Pros:

• Completely free to use
• Full control over your website data
• Extensive store customization options
• Allows sellers to sell in multiple languages
• No transaction fees are charged by WooCommerce
• Greater flexibility in technical SEO

Cons:

• Security issues and updates must be managed if not paying a developer
• Payments, promotions, and logistics rely on third-party plugins or services
• Limited customer support compared to Shopify

Interface:

The customizability and free use of WooCommerce could be very attractive. However, there are hidden costs, like hosting fees, SSL certificate purchases, and premium plugin fees. Managing a WooCommerce store also requires technical skills and a reasonable budget. If you already have a WordPress site, WooCommerce can definitely be a great choice.

3. Squarespace

Squarespace, founded in 2003, initially focused on building blogs. By 2014, it expanded its offerings to include e-commerce tools, allowing users to create online stores selling physical products, digital goods, and subscriptions.

Compared to Shopify, Squarespace has a more user-friendly interface. You can drag and drop content in a very user-friendly way.  It also offers seamless mobile and desktop versions of your store. 

Price: 

• Basic plan: $16/month
• Core plan: $23/month
• Plus plan: $39/month
• Advanced plan: $99/month

Pros:

• Access to a much wider range of free templates.
• Multiple design features are ideal for beautifully designed stores
• Easy-to-use content management tools
• Lower pricing for abandoned cart recovery than Shopify
• Nearly all the pricing plans allow unlimited contributors, while Shopify has stricter limits

Cons:

• Limited control over website code
• Only accept three payment methods: Squarespace Payment, PayPal, and Stripe.
• Offers only 37 apps and integrations, compared to Shopify’s 13,000+

Interface:

If you want an attractive website for your products, Squarespace offers sleek templates and easy customization with strong e-commerce features. However, it lacks some advanced e-commerce tools compared to other platforms.

4. Wix

Wix was founded in 2006. Like Squarespace, its initial purpose is to help users build content-based websites. Now with more selling features, it has become a platform for both creating content-based websites and online stores. Users can create websites with simple drag-and-drop operations, no programming knowledge is required.

Price: 

• Light plan: $17/month
• Core plan: $29/month
• Business plan: $36/month
• Business Elite plan: $159/month

Pros:

• Offer a free plan and no time limit for use.
• No transaction fees when using third-party payment gateways
• Provide three modes of site building: Wix ADI, Wix Editor, and Velo by Wix.
• Allows up to 6 product options and 1,000 variants
• Translates the site into over 180 languages

Cons:

• The free version has many restrictions, including ads for Wix and no ability to sell goods
• Once a template is selected, it cannot be changed, whereas Shopify makes it easy to switch templates
• Fewer online payment gateways available for Wix compared to others

Interface:

Wix is a comprehensive website-building platform for beginners. It’s more affordable than Shopify, easy to use with no technical expertise required, and allows you to quickly build your own website. 

However, its lack of scalability and advanced features may make it less suitable if you’re looking to create a more professional online store. In that case, you might want to consider other options.

5. Ecwid 

Ecwid is an e-commerce platform founded in 2009. Unlike Shopify, Ecwid doesn’t allow users to build a new website from scratch but adds e-commerce functionality to an existing site by embedding a snippet of code. However, you can now also create an online store directly within Ecwid, although it’s not as feature-rich as Shopify.

Price: 

• Free Plan: $0
• Venture Plan: $21/month
• Business Plan: $39/month
• Unlimited Plan: $89/month

Pros:

• Free plan available
• Simple, easy-to-use interface that requires no programming knowledge
• No transaction fees for using third-party payment gateways
• Automatic translation and multilingual interface
• No restrictions on product options

Cons:

• Not as powerful as Shopify if you need a standalone e-commerce site
• Limited templates and design options
• Fewer integrations and apps compared to Shopify

Interface:

If you already have a website, Ecwid is often the smart choice. It lets you easily add full sales functionality to your existing platform, whether it’s WordPress, Wix, or another site.

6. Prestashop

PrestaShop is an open-source e-commerce platform launched in 2007, with over 300,000 online stores using it worldwide. It offers two versions: PrestaShop Classic and PrestaShop Hosted. The Classic version is free, though users need to cover hosting, domain names, and plugins, while PrestaShop Hosted requires a monthly fee.

PrestaShop Classic gives users full control over their store, including design and backend management. However, this flexibility can make operations more complex.

Price: 

• Free (PrestaShop Classic)
• From $29/month (PrestaShop Hosted)    

Pros (PrestaShop Hosted):

• Over 250 third-party payment gateways
• More flexibility when it comes to product options and variants
• Unlimited users can access one account
• More methods for exporting content
• A wider selection of themes

Cons (PrestaShop Hosted):

• The interface feels a bit dated
• Fewer apps and integrations are available
• No built-in blogging tool or email marketing features

Interface:

The Classic version is designed for users who require a high level of freedom and deep customization, making it ideal for those with technical expertise. On the other hand, the Hosted version is better suited for smaller businesses, particularly those without technical staff.

7. Square

Square has been around since 2009 and is a comprehensive payment and commerce management platform, initially known for its mobile payment terminals. As the company has grown, it introduced Square Online, which allows users to easily build online stores.

Price: 

• Free plan: $0
• Plus plan: $29/month
• Premium plan: $79/month

Pros:

• Offers free plans
• Square Online is an extension of the Square POS system for merchants with physical stores looking to expand online
• Square’s online store builder is user-friendly
• More product options and variant limits

Cons:

• Square Online is basic and lacks advanced e-commerce features
• No multilingual capabilities
• Fewer shipping options
• Limited template selection

Interface:

Overall, Square Online is a simple and efficient e-commerce platform, especially for beginners or small merchants on a budget. However, for international selling, Square Online lacks multilingual tools and is not well suited for cross-border e-commerce.

8. Shift4Shop

Shift4Shop is an e-commerce platform, formerly known as 3dcart, designed to help merchants build websites, manage products, process payments, track orders, and more.

Price: Free (requires a minimum of $1,000 processed per month) or starts from $39/month

Pros:

• No subscription fee if monthly sales exceed $1,000
• Open-source and fully customizable
• Supports unlimited product uploads with extensive options and variants
• Built-in multilingual tools
• No transaction fees when using Shift4 Payments

Cons:

• Relatively outdated template design
• Slightly complicated user interface
• Payment services lack sufficient internationalization compared to Shopify

Interface:

Shift4Shop’s free plan is appealing to small businesses on a tight budget. It also offers features to meet various needs. However, it might not be the best option for managing large-scale businesses compared to Shopify.

9. Volusion

Volusion, founded in 1999, is a SaaS platform that allows users to pay a monthly fee to create an online store. Users don’t need to buy hosting or any additional software to use it. Compared to modern platforms like Shopify, Volusion focuses on providing comprehensive built-in functionality with less reliance on third-party plugins.

Price: 

• Personal plan: $35/month
• Professional plan: $79/month
• Business plan: $299/month

Pros:

• Provides many built-in features that can be used directly without relying on third-party plugins.
• Transaction fees are cheaper than Shopify.
• Unlimited product options and variants.
• 24/7 customer support.
• Detailed data analysis tools.

Cons:

• Only supports selling physical items, not virtual items.
• Fewer templates and design styles compared to Shopify.
• Limited support for third-party apps and plugins, with no rich app store like Shopify.

Interface:

Using Volusion as a platform is a good choice if you have a simple website, and it can be a solid Shopify alternative. However, for larger industries, it may struggle to handle the complexity of selling product variations effectively.

10. Magento

Magento is a powerful e-commerce platform originally launched by Varien in 2008 and later acquired by Adobe. By now, more than 150,000 online stores have been created on this platform.

Magento allows sellers to modify the code and add features according to their needs. This makes it a popular choice for medium and large businesses, but at the same time, it is technically demanding and not very suitable for small-time sellers with no development experience at all.

Price: 

• Magento Open Source is free of charge.
• Adobe Commerce will charge $40,000–190,000/year

Pros:

• Provides great flexibility to build personalized e-commerce websites for specific businesses.
• Ability to easily handle thousands of items for large-scale operations.
• Multi-language and multi-currency support for cross-border e-commerce.
• A wealth of marketing tools.

Cons:

• The open-source version requires users to have some technical background.
• High server configuration requirements.
• Adobe Commerce is expensive, not suitable for small and medium-sized businesses, and is generally an annual fee model.

Interface:

Magento is suitable for merchants with complex needs and larger-scale businesses. If you have a technical team or a good budget, it’s a great choice.

11. Big Cartel

Big Cartel is an e-commerce platform designed for small businesses, independent creators, and artists, such as those who sell crafts, paintings, clothing, and other creative goods. It was founded in 2005 with the aim of making it easy for people to open their own online stores without needing to be too tech-savvy or spend too much money.

Price: 

• Gold Plan: Free
• Platinum Plan: $15/month
• Diamond Plan: $30/month

Pros:

• For merchants on a budget or those just starting out, you can open a store for free (upload up to 5 items).
• No transaction fees, you only need to pay the processing fee of the payment platform (e.g., PayPal).
• Simple features and a basic interface are suitable for some sellers.
• All templates are free.

Cons:

• Only minimal functionality, no multi-channel sales or marketing tools.
• The free plan is limited to 5 items, and the paid plan is limited to 500 items, which may not be sufficient for larger merchants.
• No plugin marketplace like Shopify, so you can’t extend the functionality as much as you’d like.

Interface:

Big Cartel’s three plans are extremely affordable and lightweight compared to e-commerce platforms like Shopify, making it a strong Shopify alternative. It is focused on “small and beautiful” users, such as those who only want to sell a small amount of goods or small merchants who are just starting their businesses.

12. Sellfy

As a Shopify alternative, Sellfy is an e-commerce platform designed for sellers of digital goods. Simply put, it helps creators and small merchants quickly set up an online store without much technical knowledge.  

You can sell eBooks, music, videos, courses, and even physical goods on Sellfy. Its biggest draw is its simplicity, making it especially suitable for sellers who are just starting out or don’t want to spend a lot of time on technology.

Price: 

• Starter Plan: $22/month
• Business Plan: $59/month
• Premium Plan: $119/month

Pros:

• Sellfy’s subscription costs are low compared to other platforms.
• The platform’s interface is intuitive, and stores can be set up in minutes.
• Easier to market with discounts and promotions.
• Product links can be embedded in blogs, YouTube, or social media to increase traffic.
• Built-in features are richer and don’t rely too much on various plugins.

Cons:

• Fewer design templates are available.
• Simpler functionality, which may not meet the needs of some merchants.
• Although it supports selling physical goods, the features are not as complete as Shopify’s, such as the lack of multi-channel inventory synchronization.

Interface:

Although Sellfy may not be as powerful as other platforms, it stands out because of its cost-effectiveness and intuitive design. If you just want to open a store and start selling quickly, Sellfy would be a good starting point. However, if you need more complex features, you might want to consider other platforms.

13. Opencart

OpenCart is an e-commerce platform that helps merchants create and manage their own online stores. It has two versions. The open-source edition is free, allowing users full control over the code, design, and extensions of the site. In April 2023, OpenCart Cloud was launched, which eliminates the hassle of merchants having to host and maintain their own online store.

Price: 

• OpenCart is free for all users.
• OpenCart Cloud charges from $59 to $199/month.

Pros（OpenCart）:

• Allows users to manage multiple online stores from a single backend and set different themes for each store.
• Supports over 50 payment gateways.
• Multi-language and multi-currency support for international sellers.
• Provides reporting tools.
• OpenCart doesn’t charge any transaction fees.

Cons（OpenCart）:

• If the store has a lot of products or high traffic, the loading speed may slow down.
• Importing inventory lists can be difficult.
• Conflicts may occur between different plugins, especially if the user installs multiple third-party plugins at the same time.

Interface:

Overall, OpenCart is a flexible, open-source, and affordable e-commerce platform for sellers who want full control of their store and are willing to invest the time and technical effort to do so.

14. Weebly

Founded in 2006 and acquired by Square in 2018, Weebly offers website creation for small businesses and individuals. Users can quickly build a professional website or online store with simple drag-and-drop operations.

Price: 

• Free Plan: $0
• Personal Plan: $10/month
• Professional Plan: $12/month
• Performance Plan: $26/month

Pros:

• Weebly is affordable, with cheap pricing across all paid plans.
• A free version is available for online stores just starting out.
• Sell an unlimited number of products and receive abandoned cart emails.
• Integration with Square supports both offline and online payments.

Cons:

• The number of templates available is limited, and most are outdated.
• Fewer new tools and features, which may not meet the needs of some users.
• Limited code editing capabilities.

Interface:

Weebly is a simple, intuitive website builder that’s great for beginners, offering free plans, hosting services, and more. As a Shopify alternative, it works well for startups or simple business needs, though its basic features and limited customization make it less ideal for complex e-commerce or cross-border businesses.

15. PinnacleCart

Founded in 2003, PinnacleCart is an all-inclusive e-commerce software that offers tools to help users sell products online. 

PinnacleCart provides both hosted and self-hosted options. The hosted version is for merchants who want to save money, while the self-hosted version is for users with a technical team. Users can choose according to their technical level and budget needs.

Price: 

• Standard Plan: $79.95/month
• Advanced Plan: $199.95/month

Pros:

• No transaction fees.
• Unlimited products and product categories.
• Support for selling on social media and other third-party platforms.
• Effective marketing tools, such as trackable coupon codes.
• Multi-language and multi-currency support.

Cons:

• Limited template options.
• Lack of built-in social media tools.
• Functionality may be insufficient for large organizations.

Interface:

If you’re looking for a full-featured platform that can be deployed flexibly, PinnacleCart is worth considering. However, it has a limited selection of templates and plugins, and its pricing is on the higher side.

FAQ bout Shopify Alternatives

1. Is there a free Shopify alternative?

Yes, there are free options. WooCommerce, Magento, OpenCart, and PinnacleCart are open-source, so you only pay for hosting. Platforms like Ecwid, PrestaShop, Square, Big Cartel, and Weebly offer free plans, but with limited features. Shift4Shop is free if your monthly sales exceed $1,000 and you use their payment processor. Each has its trade-offs.

2. Hosted and Self-Hosted, which one is better?

Hosted platforms (like BigCommerce) handle hosting and maintenance, making them easier to set up. Self-hosted platforms (like WooCommerce) give you full control but require technical skills and hosting management. If you value simplicity, go hosted. If you want flexibility and control, self-hosted is the way to go. It depends on your skills and business needs.

Conclusion

As we’ve seen, there are plenty of Shopify alternatives out there, each with its own set of strengths and weaknesses. It’s all about finding the one that fits your needs and helps you grow your store smoothly.

If you’re exploring new platforms and considering dropshipping, Sup Dropshipping could be a great partner for you. We seamlessly integrate with platforms like Shopify, Ecwid, WooCommerce, PrestaShop, and more, providing you with reliable products and efficient shipping. No matter which platform you choose, we’ve got you covered. Contact us today!