Shopify, founded in 2004, is an e-commerce platform that is ideal for use by small-to-medium-sized businesses. As of September 2024, Companies Market Cap reported that Shopify was worth $102.95 billion, ranking 169th in the world’s most valuable businesses.
However, there are plenty of other e-commerce platforms that offer services that may be preferable to certain companies in light of Shopify’s relative downsides.
So, whether it’s Shopify’s monthly subscription fee that’s getting a little pricey or the fact that it uses a relatively unpopular coding language, Shopify isn’t necessarily the perfect fit for everybody.
Pros and Cons of Using Shopify
Shopify, both as a business and an e-commerce service, has been remarkably successful over the last 20 years, and a lot of that can be chalked up to the company’s ability to scale up, its exceptional selection of tools and plugins, its focus on security and its generally good services.
Some more advantages of using Shopify include:
- It’s suitable for a broad range of businesses.
- Easy to use.
- Quick to set up.
- Ideal for dropshipping companies.
- Top-rated customer service.
- Variety of themes available.
- Mobile friendly.
- Plenty of SEO and marketing features.
- Supports reliable and secure payment gateways.
- Loads of plugins.
- Lots of choice for apps to connect with.
- It’s secure.
All these things are super important components of a good e-commerce platform, and there’s no doubt about the fact that Shopify is an excellent option.
However, just like with any business or platform, there are a few things that are less than ideal:
- Limited options for customisation.
- Monthly subscription fee can get expensive.
- It doesn’t offer an email hosting service.
- The use of Liquid as opposed to other more popular coding languages.
- Limited content management services, especially for large companies.
- The best themes can be expensive.
- Migrating store data from Shopify can be difficult.
So, depending on how big your company is and what your priorities are, you may very well find that Shopify is perfect for your needs.
However, if that’s not the case, the good news is that there are plenty of other options to choose from that may suit you better.
Alternatives to Shopify
Online shopping has absolutely boomed in recent years, and while the novelty started off with being able to purchase a few things via the internet that you may not have had access to in your location, it’s now grown into an entirely different beast.
Now, online shopping pretty much knows no bounds. There is very little that you can’t buy online.
Whether you’re revamping your closet, buying kitchen appliances or wanting to do some grocery shopping, you can buy almost anything on the internet. And if you do, you’ll be doing it by means of an e-commerce store.
Some businesses go ahead and design their own website and e-commerce stores from scratch, but most often, businesses and individuals wanting to start online stores tend to opt for e-commerce website builders just like Spotify.
And now that online shopping has taken the world by storm, especially after the pandemic, there are loads of different options to choose from.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce was founded in 2011 and it’s an open-source e-commerce plugin that is designed for use via WordPress websites. Essentially, the plugin is intended to transform blog-style websites into e-commerce websites – or add sales as a feature – so that businesses or individuals don’t have to start from scratch.
Not only is it great for those who already have functional WordPress websites, but it’s also ideal if you’re already familiar with how WordPress works in general.
And the bonus is that if you’re already using a WordPress site, the plugin is totally free and easy to integrate with your site, you’ll just have to cover the costs of the SSL certificate and find an email provider.
Since it’s open source, you can easily customise the code to suit your needs. However, it’s not necessarily that easy to make modifications if you don’t know what you’re doing, so WooCommerce tends to require the skill of a web developer.
SquareSpace
Squarespace, currently valued at $6.9 billion, is the provider of a website-building platform that services small business and entrepreneurs. It’s a subscription-based service, and it also offers a range of add-ons and tools, including things like design tools (for social media), a scheduling service, email marketing, opportunities for paid content and more.
In 2021, SquareSpace acquired Tock, and since then, it’s been able to expand into servicing hospitality customers by allowing them to make reservations, manage events and order takeaway food.
BigCommerce
Based in Austin, Texas, BigCommerce offers a SaaS e-commerce platform that engages in the creation of online stores. Its focus is on providing flexibility, ease of use and the best functionality for businesses.
BigCommerce powers both the customer’s e-commerce store as well as their cross-channel connections to popular online marketplaces, social networks and their offline point-of-sale system.
This extended offering (the cross-channel connections) sets BigCommerce apart from some of its competitors, making its services particularly attractive to those wanting to branch out further.
Magento
Magento is the operator of a digital e-commerce platform that integrates both physical and digital shopping experiences. Essentially, it provides open-source and cloud commerce innovation services. These services are geared towards both merchants and brands across business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) industries.
Based in Los Angeles, Magento Commerce was founded by Yoav Kutner and is now a publicly owned enterprise with a valuation of $1.6 billion.
Pinnacle Cart
PinnacleCart is the ideal solution for online businesses, suitable for both startups and well-established brands. Its e-commerce platform allows businesses to build their online storefronts through technology designed to increase visibility and grow top-line revenue.
With PinnacleCart, businesses will have professionally designed online stores that can be developed using conversion-focused templates that can be quickly adapted according to their preferences. This can be done using the platform’s easy-to-use “point-and-click” storefront designer and managed with its intuitive control panel.
Ecwid
Ecwid is a great way to get involved in the world of e-commerce in a way that is quick and easy, requiring little effort up front and not much financial investment either. It’s a flexible and scalable solution that can be integrated directly with existing websites or, you can start completely from scratch if that’s what you need.
Ecwid is also compatible with most customer management systems (CMS) like WordPress, so it can be a great solution even if you want more than just e-commerce. However, you’ll need to host your Ecwid site separately, and while the platform is free in its most basic form, you’ll need to pay a subscription fee for additional features like payment processing and social media integration, although it’s not too expensive.
It’s quick, easy, and flexible in terms of start-up and design. You can integrate it directly with your existing website, or you can build your own from scratch. And if there are design templates that you found elsewhere and just can’t live without, no problem.
Ecwid is compatible with most CMS platforms (like WordPress). So even if your site needs to serve a purpose other than eCommerce, you’ve got the flexibility to do just that. For this reason, Ecwid is a great option for anyone looking to keep costs low.
Wix
Wix is primarily a website builder, allowing you to create websites that can be used for a broad array of uses, and one of its most useful features is its e-commerce platform. Is ideal for anyone looking for a really simple way to create an e-commerce site, and it’s perfect if you’re looking for multiple functions.
Wix is known for being really easy to use, making it ideal for anyone hoping to launch an e-commerce quickly and easily.
Shift4Shop
Shift4Shop has been around since 1997, operating as one of the oldest and most successful (especially in terms of longevity) -commerce websites.
What sets Shift4Shop apart from its competitors is its focus on SEO, providing an SEO-optimised and customisable platform. Users have access to industry-specific templates that are mobile-friendly and intuitive to use. Users can edit the HTML and CSS directly which allows them to make any changes they like, helping them reach visitors, nurture existing customers, engage with shoppers and convert plenty of sales.
