Today, eCommerce is a common concept in every trader’s calculative approach. Window shopping isn’t the only way to do business. If you want to widen your horizon while expanding your revenue, you need to adapt to the ABC of online shopping today. There are thousands and thousands of platforms, such as Shopify and Shopify alternatives, that will help you launch your online store.
Either as a fresher or as an experienced merchant, it is prudent to adapt yourself to the updating technology, and that is which eCommerce platform to rely on. After all, it would help if you took a calculative risk to keep up your business.
What is Shopify?
Shopify is a top eCommerce platform with comprehensive and plug-and-play features. If your online marketing skills are basic, Shopify will be the perfect mentor for you to enter the world of eCommerce.
Shopify Pros
- Platform- Scalable and user-friendly
- High-speed performance with no uptime
- Highly reliable and flexible with its intuitive and impressive themes.
- Works in support with certified partners to guide you through every phase.
- Ordoro integrated.
Shopify Cons
- SEO tools aren’t customer-friendly
- Additional transaction fees are applicable when paid without using Shopify’s in-house services.
- Better advanced features available in the pro version.
Considering the above points, it is wise to look around for some reliable Shopify alternative platforms. In this article, we will cover ten best Shopify alternatives, including free, paid, and open-source.
Check Out the 10 Best Shopify Alternatives:
1. Prestashop (Free)
Prestashop is the best free and open-source Shopify alternative. The e-marketing solution is similar to Magneto when it comes to buying a domain and web hosting, if not the website. This Shopify alternative lets you set up an online store with minimum investments. All you need is to follow the free manuals and guides.
Prestashop Pros
- It supports multiple languages and currencies
- No additional transaction costs
- Easy switching process from any other eCommerce platform
- Designed to serve all type of businesses
- Prestashop has partnerships with Google, PayPal, eBay, etc
Prestashop Cons
- Advanced features require premium charges
- Requires tech skills
- Limited themes and designs
Prestashop Pricing
- Prestashop is totally free for all type of businesses. There are no monthly fees or commission on sales.
2. Magento (Free, Open-source)
During the research, we found Magento is a free and open-source Shopify alternative, best for mid-sized firms constituting in-house programmers and resources that customize according to the needs.
Magento Pros
- Excellent flexibility, optimization, scalability, and efficiency
- Inventory management
- Features include- SEO tools, flexible payment mechanism, API, and intuitive designs.
Magento Cons
- Requires basic skills of coding and IT security.
- Since it is freely downloadable, it requires third-party hosting.
- It is not ideal for novices, unlike Shopify.
Magento Pricing
- Magento is an open-source Shopify alternative available for free. However, its development is quite expensive as it requires experts who can deliver high-end products.
3. BigCommerce (Paid)
BigCommerce is the most popular Shopify alternative with more advanced features. Like Shopify, it has a simple and basic design with straightforward navigation and is suitable for small to large businesses. It is a paid platform but offers a free trial.
BigCommerce Pros
- It includes advanced marketing features such as Cart Abandonment and Google AMP pages.
- A significant difference as compared to Shopify is the absence of any extra transaction fees, no matter which payment gateway you choose.
- BigCommerce has support with third-party partners and addons.
- It offers a 15-days free trial.
BigCommerce Cons
- The Pro model is quite expensive ($79.95 to $299.95).
BigCommerce Pricing
- BigCommerce Plus plan starts at $79.95 per month and lets you enjoy the automated cart recovery feature.
4. Pinnacle Cart (Paid)
Pinnacle Cart is a growth-focused eCommerce platform often qualifying as a Shopify alternative. It is both a marketing and a conversion tool and is the best-fit choice for shopkeepers who require services of in-house designing and marketing. So, it is worth trying this paid Shopify competitor.
Pinnacle Cart Pros
- Features include- cart recovery, SEO tools, and other marketing tools
- The interface is intuitive and user-friendly
- In-house designing and services are available.
Pinnacle Cart Cons
- Limited bandwidth (Standard Plan- up to 20GB)
- Limited integration
Pinnacle Cart Pricing
- The Standard Plan begins at $79.95/month, which allows no transaction cost, unlimited products, and up to five administrative accounts.
- Requires no credit card
5. BigCartel (Paid)
Undoubtedly, BigCartel is a unique Shopify alternative, especially for artists and makers who would wish to run their creative business through online stores and sell their products.
BigCartel Pros
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Inventory tracking
- HTML and CSS customization
- Integration with Facebook, Google Analytics, and Paypal
- No additional charges.
- BigCartel has a free plan that lets you sell up to five products. You can give this a shot before buying an advanced plan.
BigCartel Cons
- No live chat or phone support
- No inventory search feature, thus, best for retailers with a fewer number of products
BigCartel Pricing
- BigCartel Platinum plans start from $9.99/month, which allows up to 50 products.
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6. Squarespace (Paid)
If products are limited, and resources are scarce, Squarespace is one of the best Shopify alternatives as an eCommerce solution for small business organizations. The site offers a significant number of themes and customization options, especially if you want a simpler and smaller product catalog. It is a paid platform.
Squarespace Pros
- An easy and simple solution for small stores.
- Easy installation
- No additional costs.
Squarespace Cons
- No multiple-channel feature, like that of Shopify
- Lack of addon features
Squarespace Pricing
- Squarespace Business plan is the most popular pricing model with $26/month (and $18/month, if paid annually).
7. Simvoly (Paid)
Simvoly is a website and funnel builder and a unique Shopify alternative and is a perfect eCommerce solution for enterprises with multiple products. It is a paid platform alternative to Simvoly.
Simvoly Pros
- Simple UI
- Fully functional funnel-builder- funnel analytics, funnel sharing, etc.
- Impressive page builder with 200+ templates, drag & drop builder, 30+ widget elements, and many more features.
- Calendar connection, smart widgets.
Simvoly Cons
- It offers limited features of marketing analytics and reporting.
Simvoly Pricing
- Simvoly Business plan starts at $24/month when billed annually. It allows up to one website and five funnels.
8. Sellfy (Paid)
A simplistic Shopify alternative, Sellfy is apt for artists and makers where they can build their online store and carry on their trade without difficulties. It is safe, flexible, and customizable.
Sellfy Pros
- 14-days free trial is available
- Easy to install and use
- In-built marketing features- discounting codes, tracking pixels, etc.
- Sell from your website anytime, anywhere.
Sellfy Cons
- Basic marketing and analytical features are present.
Sellfy Pricing
- Sellfy Business plan starts from $39/month when billed annually. It offers additional features such as free migration, self-image branding, and up to 10,000 email credits.
9. Volusion (Paid)
A website store and shopping cart, eCommerce platform, Volusion is a Shopify alternative focusing on small and medium enterprises. It is a paid solution with an in-built marketing service to guide you.
Volusion Pros
- CRM support
- Interactive UI
- Supports multiple channel business partners
- Step-by-step tutorial to guide you.
- It offers a 14 days free trial period.
Volusion Cons
- Limited integration.
- Advanced features require Business plan subscription.
Volusion Pricing
- Volusion Business plan costs $299 per month with unlimited products and up to 15 staff.
10. WooCommerce (Free)
A self-hosted Shopify alternative, WooCommerce is a free and open-source platform that lets its users gain complete autonomy of their content.
WooCommerce Pros
- A large variety of free and paid themes
- Free plugins and extensions
- Complete ownership and control over the content
- Uses the best of WordPress for content writing and SEO.
WooCommerce Cons
- It requires a dedicated WooCommerce host to function effectively.
WooCommerce Pricing
- WooCommerce is totally free to use. You only need a website and a web host.
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Conclusion
So, if you are a novice, go for BigCommerce. If you want a free Shopify alternative, go for Prestashop or WooCommerce. And the paid platforms listed in this article will offer you an advanced mechanism that will help you grow your entrepreneurship skills.
