The time has by no means been higher for opening your on-line retailer. With over 5 billion folks related to the web globally, it’s no shock that extra individuals are purchasing on-line.

The truth is, ecommerce is projected to account for 20.2 % of all retail gross sales in 2023. Which means that out of each $100 shoppers will spend, $20 will probably be used for an internet buy.

For these seeking to capitalize on the rising on-line purchasing pattern, one fashionable ecommerce answer you could have heard of is Shopify. It permits customers to create and handle an internet ecommerce enterprise and is at the moment utilized by over 6 million web sites.

However regardless of its reputation, Shopify is probably not the best choice for you. Fortunately, there are a couple of options you’ll be able to think about for organising your on-line retailer. As we speak, we’ll check out some causes you need to skip Shopify and the highest Shopify options you should utilize to construct an ecommerce answer that’s best for you.

5 causes to modify from Shopify

When constructing an internet retailer, your selection of an ecommerce answer may have a big effect on the expansion of your on-line enterprise. Every platform has execs and cons, and it’s good to weigh them to search out the choice that works greatest for you.

Right here are some things about Shopify which will make you rethink it as an ecommerce answer.

1. Cost gateway limitations

The default technique of accepting funds on a Shopify on-line retailer is Shopify Funds. This fee gateway will work for almost all of Shopify customers, however it’s not supported in some international locations.

Additionally, some kinds of companies are prohibited from utilizing Shopify Funds. For these customers and others who wish to use one other fee technique, there are some issues you need to learn about.

When you determine to make use of a fee gateway that isn’t Shopify Funds, you may be charged as much as 2 % in transaction charges on each sale your store makes.

2. Superior performance locked behind higher-priced tiers

For shops that require greater than the essential performance that comes with most ecommerce shops, Shopify requires that you simply pay much more to achieve entry to those options.

This consists of assist for real-time delivery charges from third events, estimating import duties and taxes on product shipments, and assist for ecommerce advertising and marketing automation.

These superior options are saved behind a paywall and are solely out there to clients that pay for higher-tier plans. This isn’t ideally suited for companies with smaller budgets that want these options for his or her on-line retailer.

3. Have extra management over your website positioning

Search engine marketing (website positioning) is essential to the long-term success and visibility of your ecommerce web site. Shopify presents some fundamental performance for bettering the website positioning of your product pages, however for something extra superior, you’ll have to look elsewhere.

As an example, retailer house owners can not modify their product web page URL construction, making it troublesome to create product hierarchies. Shopify customers may expertise issues coping with duplicate content material, URL redirection, and brief title tags.

Whereas there are workarounds for a few of these issues, the hassle required to implement them is probably not one thing you wish to spend money and time doing.

4. Higher customization choices

Shopify has dozens of themes for customers to customise the feel and appear of their on-line retailer. Nonetheless, this doesn’t examine to the multitude of customization choices provided by different ecommerce platforms like WooCommerce and Magento.

The truth that Shopify is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform additionally limits what sorts of customizations you may make to your on-line retailer. You might be able to change your retailer’s visible design with its templates and theme editor, however you’ll be able to’t create your personal design from the bottom up, utilizing your personal code and design parts with Shopify.

5. Completely different pricing plans

Essentially the most reasonably priced plan from Shopify begins at $29/month (when paid for yearly). That’s not precisely an reasonably priced value level for a small enterprise that’s simply beginning its on-line retailer.

Additionally, some customers might wish to use Shopify apps that add performance to their on-line retailer, like delivery administration and e-mail advertising and marketing. The month-to-month subscription charges for a few of these providers can rapidly add up and develop into unmanageable.

One of the best Shopify options in 2023

Now that you simply’re acquainted with the explanation why you need to select an ecommerce answer aside from Shopify, it’s time to check out the highest Shopify options out there right now.

1. WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a free WordPress ecommerce plugin and among the best Shopify options. It’s open supply, which signifies that programmers all all over the world are always engaged on extending its performance and including new options.

The important thing WooCommerce options are:

• Compatibility with the most well-liked content material administration system: WooCommerce was constructed to be totally appropriate with WordPress, which runs 43 % of the web sites on the web.
• Free and open supply: WooCommerce is free to put in and use in your WordPress web site. You’re additionally free to customise it as you want, and your retailer and buyer knowledge stay totally beneath your management.

Advantages of WooCommerce vs. Shopify

Flexibility

WooCommerce is way more versatile than Shopify. If you wish to change the design or performance of your Shopify retailer, you’ll want coding information.

Then again, WooCommerce, which is open supply, presents you superior web site optimization and customization choices, equivalent to themes and plugins, that don’t require any prior net design expertise.

With so many selections, it’s principally inconceivable to exhaust WooCommerce’s optimization potentialities, making it a wonderful selection for individuals who desire a utterly distinctive on-line retailer.

Easy set up

Whereas migrating your present web site to Shopify may take hours to days, turning your WordPress web site into an internet retailer with WooCommerce solely takes a few minutes. It solely takes a couple of clicks to put in and arrange the WooCommerce plugin.

WooCommerce pricing

Rating as among the best free options to Shopify, the WooCommerce plugin prices nothing to put in. However take note you’ll nonetheless should pay for issues like a internet hosting plan on your web site, an SSL certificates to maintain your web site safe, and a fee gateway to deal with transactions.

2. Magento

One of the fashionable Shopify options, Magento is an ecommerce platform provided by Adobe. You may select from two Magento choices: Magento Open Supply and Magento Commerce (additionally known as Adobe Commerce).

The highest Magento options are:

• Knowledge analytics and reporting: One of the vital components of an ecommerce enterprise is having the ability to monitor your retailer’s analytics. Magento consists of Google Analytics assist and supplies you with totally different sorts of reviews, equivalent to most considered merchandise, gross sales reviews, and deserted purchasing cart reviews.
• Scalability: Whether or not you run a small on-line retailer, or an enormous B2B ecommerce operation with hundreds of merchandise and clients in several international locations, Magento is able to scaling to satisfy your wants.

Advantages of Magento vs. Shopify

Intensive assist for customizations

As an open-source ecommerce answer, Magento grants customers the liberty to make main modifications to their on-line retailer. From the visible design to the backend performance and even the purchasing expertise for patrons, the whole lot could be personalized to make your retailer distinctive.

Managed internet hosting choices

Some net hosts additionally supply managed internet hosting plans which might be specifically made for ecommerce companies and include Magento pre-installed and configured. The managed Magento internet hosting plans from Nexcess begin at $37.20/month. And whereas that prices just a little greater than the essential plan from Shopify, the added options that include a managed internet hosting plan supply a lot better worth.

Magento pricing

Magento Open Supply is on the market to put in without charge to you, making it one other glorious free Shopify different. All you want is a appropriate internet hosting plan and a website title on your on-line retailer.

3. BigCommerce

BigCommerce is an ecommerce platform that gives you an entire packet of providers, together with internet hosting, website positioning, and funds. You should have your on-line retailer up and operating just by subscribing to one of many BigCommerce plans.

Listed here are the important BigCommerce options:

• Excessive number of customization choices: BigCommerce helps all kinds of ecommerce retailer varieties and use circumstances. So whether or not you wish to host a number of storefronts or construct an internet retailer for healthcare or automotive merchandise, BigCommerce has an answer that’s tailored for you.
• Analytics and website positioning optimization: Constructed-in website positioning options will make it easier to attain out to extra clients. BigCommerce’s analytics dashboard supplies you with priceless insights and reviews on product gross sales, stock ranges, advertising and marketing efficiency, and buyer conduct.
• Cost choices: BigCommerce presents a wide range of fee gateways, together with PayPal, Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, and Venmo.

Advantages of BigCommerce vs. Shopify

Assist for a number of fee gateways

BigCommerce consists of assist for as much as 55 fee gateways out of the field. Prospects can use any of those fee gateways with none transaction charges collected by BigCommerce.

Exterior functions integration: BigCommerce helps connections and integrations with over 1,000 exterior functions and providers. The functions that allow these integrations improve the performance of your on-line retailer, enabling a greater purchasing expertise on your clients.

Omnichannel assist

Omnichannel retail permits BigCommerce shops to promote merchandise to their clients by way of a number of channels, like bodily shops, social media, and messaging. This permits clients extra methods to get this purchasing completed, with much less effort on their half.

BigCommerce pricing

The most well-liked BigCommerce plan is BigCommerce Plus which prices $79/month while you pay for 12 months upfront. The Commonplace Plan prices $29/month, whereas the Professional Plan prices $299/month.

4. StoreBuilder by Nexcess

StoreBuilder was launched in February 2021 and is a superb answer for anybody with out technical information to make use of for creating an ecommerce web site. StoreBuilder has an incredible set of options, together with:

• Zero transaction charges: All gross sales made on an internet retailer constructed with Nexcess StoreBuilder don’t have any transaction charges included with them. So your clients don’t have to fret about hidden costs when purchasing.
• Managed internet hosting: As a StoreBuilder consumer, you get entry to managed internet hosting from Nexcess. This consists of enhanced safety monitoring, 24/7/365 buyer assist, automated updates, and quick web page loading occasions.

Advantages of StoreBuilder vs. Shopify

Newbie pleasantStoreBuilder was designed for people who find themselves new to website hosting and ecommerce. Your complete consumer expertise has been designed to get an internet retailer up and operating with minimal effort. You don’t have to know the right way to write code to create a novel ecommerce retailer with StoreBuilder.

StoreBuilder pricing

StoreBuilder begins at simply $5/month for the primary three months. After that, the value rises to $19/month. This makes it one of many most cost-effective choices on this listing for designing web sites like Shopify.

5. OpenCart

Counting among the many free options to Shopify, OpenCart is nice for constructing and managing your on-line store. The options OpenCart presents are:

• Multi-store: OpenCart lets you run a number of on-line retailers from a single interface. Moreover, it is possible for you to to decide on a distinct theme, title, configurations, and merchandise for every retailer you might be operating.
• Affiliate system: It is possible for you to to create an affiliate system to be able to promote particular merchandise.
• Multi-user administration: OpenCart enables you to create a number of customers with totally different units of permissions.
• Backup and restore: Simply create a backup and restore your earlier settings and content material.

Advantages of OpenCart vs. Shopify

Open supply

Like the opposite open-source choices on this listing, OpenCart is a free different to Shopify. You may benefit from its present options and write code to create and customise new options on your on-line retailer.

Multistore assist

OpenCart lets you create and host a number of on-line shops from the identical internet hosting platform. This function is helpful if you wish to run a market that enables a number of distributors to have their very own on-line shops.

OpenCart pricing

OpenCart prices nothing to obtain and use, which is why it’s fashionable among the many free Shopify options. Nonetheless, you’ll have to pay for internet hosting and any further extensions you may have to construct out your retailer’s performance.

6. PrestaShop

PrestaShop is one other open-source ecommerce platform that makes use of a freemium mannequin. It has over 300,000 clients and is ideal for customers who need full management over their on-line retailer.

One among its key options is:

• Freemium mannequin: PrestaShop operates a freemium enterprise mannequin. This implies you’ll be able to have your on-line retailer up and operating free of charge with the essential version. However in the event you want further performance, you’ll be able to go to the add-on market to buy apps that can add new options to your retailer.

Advantages of Prestashop vs. Shopify

Customization choices

PrestaShop definitively wins with regards to customization choices. Contemplating that it’s an open-source platform, just about the whole lot discovered in your web site could be modified as much as probably the most appropriate level for your small business.

Superior website positioning

PrestaShop’s website positioning options help you enhance the search engine visibility of your on-line retailer and particular person product pages. The website positioning choices can be utilized to configure meta titles and descriptions, search-friendly URLs, and web page redirects for all of your product pages.

PrestaShop Pricing

Downloading and putting in Prestashop is free. However you’ll should pay for internet hosting, themes, and extensions to make your on-line retailer your personal.

7. Shift4Shop

Shift4Shop is a customer-oriented ecommerce platform that’s designed to allow store house owners to simply carry their enterprise on-line. A number of the most vital options are:

• Fraud safety: Shift4Shop consists of synthetic intelligence (AI) pushed fraud safety for all retailers utilizing its platform. This ensures the protection of buyer knowledge all through the shopper’s journey from account creation to checkout.
• Migration help: For present ecommerce retailer house owners who swap to Shift4Shop, the platform presents free migrations of your retailer knowledge. This consists of product info, gross sales data, and consumer info.

Advantages of Shift4Shop vs. Shopify

Cheaper platform charges

For ecommerce companies within the U.S., you will get began with Shift4Shop without charge, in comparison with $32/month with Shopify, making it one other nice free different to Shopify. At that value, you continue to get entry to a ton of options to create, handle, and develop your on-line retailer.

Assist for a number of ecommerce companies

Dropshipping, furnishings, downloadable ebooks, occasion tickets, service subscriptions, workplace provides, music, and band merchandise — these are simply among the totally different classes of services and products that Shift4Shop can assist on its ecommerce platform.

You may create web sites like Shopify to promote any of these items with none further code modifications or customizations.

Shift4Shop Pricing

Shift4Shop has a $0/month plan that’s out there to clients in the USA. All that’s required to qualify for this plan is to make a minimal sale of $500 each month out of your on-line retailer.

Pricing for different clients begins at $29/month.

8. Sq. On-line

The important thing options Sq. On-line supplies are:

• On-line retailer builder: This offers customers dynamic styling instruments that they’ll use to construct their dream on-line retailer. All of the designs created with the shop builder are mobile-friendly, and you’ll add high-quality photographs from the Sq. picture studio app.
• Importing objects and classes: Sq. On-line supplies you with layouts and fields completely suited to promoting a wide range of merchandise, together with digital merchandise, merchandise, and memberships.
• Cost processing: By default, Sq. On-line makes use of Sq. to course of funds. It helps all the main fee choices, like bank cards, PayPal, and Apple Pay.

Advantages of Sq. vs. Shopify

Built-in fee gateway

Sq. is well-known for its monetary providers, which embrace fee gateways and point-of-sales terminals. All of those monetary providers are deeply built-in with its on-line retailer, enabling clients to make use of a wide range of fee strategies to buy merchandise out of your ecommerce store.

Omnichannel retail assist

With Sq. On-line, your clients can view and purchase your merchandise throughout numerous channels, together with bodily retail shops, social media pages, emails, and weblog websites. You may fulfill orders from all these channels, offering clients with a seamless purchasing expertise no matter the place they encounter your model.

Sq. pricing

Sq. On-line has three subscription plans:

• Free Plan: You may prolong your small business on-line free of charge, however you can be charged 2.9 % + $0.3 per transaction.
• Plus Plan: $29/month, plus 2.9 % + $0.3 per transaction.
• Premium Plan: $79/month plus 2.6 % + $0.3 per transaction.

9. Wix

Wix is likely one of the hottest Shopify options. You can begin constructing your on-line retailer instantly free of charge. Wix’s key options are:

• A lot of templates: Constructing your ecommerce web site with Wix grants you entry to over 800 design templates you should utilize as the muse of your retailer.
• Drag-and-drop editor: When it’s time to change your chosen design template, the Wix drag-and-drop editor makes it straightforward to visualise the modifications as you’re making them. You don’t should know the right way to write code to revamp the design and structure of your ecommerce retailer.

Advantages of Wix vs. Shopify

Larger flexibility with web site content material

Wix presents customers a extra strong platform for creating net content material along with constructing and internet hosting an internet retailer. This makes it a super selection for patrons who need their core enterprise web site to exist on the identical infrastructure and area title as their ecommerce web site.

AI-assisted web site design

Wix takes benefit of current developments in synthetic intelligence to simplify the method of making your ecommerce web site with its Synthetic Design Intelligence (ADI) software. After asking a couple of questions on your model particulars, web site aims, and design preferences, the ADI software will generate a ready-made web site for your small business.

Wix pricing

You may obtain rather a lot when it comes to designing your web site with Wix’s free plan. However this selection is basically solely appropriate for making a small private web site.

When you determine to develop your small business, you might have three ecommerce plans to select from:

• Wix Enterprise Fundamental plan begins at $27/month.
• Enterprise Limitless begins at $32/month.
• Enterprise VIP prices $59/month.

10. Squarespace

Squarespace’s key options are:

• Commerce choices: Squarespace lets you, amongst different issues, promote your merchandise via an internet store, level of sale (POS) system, or subscriptions.
• Nice design: You could have entry to a wide range of templates for several types of on-line shops. Whether or not you’re promoting garments, ebooks, meals, or music, Squarespace has a design theme you’ll be able to customise to suit your retailer.
• Detailed analytics: Squarespace lets you monitor gross sales, fashionable content material, and visitors.
• Newbie-friendly web site editor

Advantages of Squarespace vs. Shopify

Advertising and marketing instruments

As a part of its subscription, Squarespace consists of a number of instruments you should utilize to construct your model and improve advertising and marketing efforts on your on-line retailer. These embrace a video enhancing app, a emblem maker, and a software for creating social media content material.

Free design templates

All of the templates for customizing your ecommerce web site can be found at no additional price to Squarespace clients. Which means that when you’ve paid your subscription payment, you should utilize any of the tons of of design themes to fashion your web site.

In distinction, Shopify solely has a couple of free themes, and it’s important to pay additional to make use of any of the premium design themes.

Squarespace pricing

Squarespace presents three fundamental plans:

• Private Plan: $16/month (annual funds).
• Enterprise Plan: $23/month (annual funds).
• Fundamental Commerce Plan: $27/month (annual funds).
• Superior Commerce Plan: $49/month (annual funds).

Last ideas: Choosing the proper Shopify different for your small business

With so many nice paid and free Shopify options on the market, it may be laborious to know which one is correct for your small business.

Discovering the one which works greatest on your model will take a while, because it’s vital to think about the components that matter most to your scenario.

When you’re looking out for an reasonably priced, high-performing ecommerce internet hosting plan, you’ll be able to’t go improper with our managed WooCommerce internet hosting plans beginning at $17.50/month.

Or, in the event you’ve determined to design your ecommerce web site with Magento, Nexcess presents scalable managed Magento internet hosting plans ranging from simply $37.20/month.

Lastly, you’ll be able to construct your first on-line retailer very quickly and with no coding required utilizing the Nexcess StoreBuilder for simply $5/month for 3 months.

Every of our feature-rich ecommerce internet hosting choices comes with 24/7/365 professional buyer assist.