The best online e-commerce platform for setting up a small business is Shopify, without a doubt. A quick guide provides users with everything they need to start and run a business. Besides providing security, features, and customer support, they also provide marketing tools. Unfortunately, Shopify also has some disadvantages; most add-ons require a monthly subscription fee. As a result, growing startups will incur monthly costs to maintain their websites.
Top 5 reasons why merchants switch to Shopify Competitors
1. Every little thing is billed monthly
Add-on apps offered by Shopify are heavily relied upon by Shopify users. The most popular app for showing a line at the top of your website that tells you how much more you should spend to get a discount. The monthly fee for this service is $4.99. If you want social login on your website, the price is $9.00 per month. Additionally, Shopify will gradually become more expensive than a self-hosted store, just like all hosted platforms. Occasionally, self-hosted stores (such as WordPress + WooCommerce) require less development.
2. Customizability is limited
While Shopify’s app store offers a lot of handy functions, it can only compete with a few free plugins available for platforms like Woocommerce (there are free, bug-free, and very powerful plugins). Furthermore, Shopify allows you to change only certain parts of its functionality, whereas self-hosted platforms will enable you to change almost anything, which is what Shopify Competitors provide.
3. Shopify – Not Forever
It would help if you considered moving your store to a different platform as a warning; it will take work. Because of this, choosing a flexible eCommerce platform can take time since you have to consider the future and the present. The Shopify platform is excellent for growing businesses, but a self-hosted platform makes more sense for those who want complete control over everything.
4. Management of content
Since Shopify is only optimized for selling products, it is not a content management system. So go with something other than Shopify if you want to add a ton of rich content to your site, such as videos, carousels, etc.
5. Take control of your data
It is your right to take complete control of your data. Don’t let anybody ruin it, even Shopify. Shopify requires all data to be transmitted through Shopify; however, when moving your store to a self-hosted platform or other Shopify competitors, you will have complete control over the console.
5 best Shopify Competitors
WooCommerce is easily found by researching eCommerce applications. We have created a WooCommerce tutorial to help you set up your WooCommerce store.
Among the best Shopify Competitors, WooCommerce is a good choice for many entrepreneurs. The best part is that it’s free to use, open-source, and highly rated when measuring visitor experience. Many users even claim it’s better than Shopify.
You must invest in the more expensive version if you want advanced features. Apart from that, WooCommerce has everything you could need. Within minutes, you can build a site with a costly cart.
Pros:
- There are no transaction fees.
- Integrate seamlessly with WordPress
- Several features guarantee maximum creativity.
- Upsells after the purchase with one click
- The setup is straightforward.
- Sell as many products as you want
- Free extensions and premium
Cons:
- Hosting is not included.
- Tech skills are required.
- Clumsy at times
- Your hosting may be slow. Ensure fast speeds by choosing a dedicated WooCommerce host like Cloudways’ Woocommerce hosting.
When setting up your website, you can use a drag-and-drop editor with BigCommerce for a simple, no-frills experience.
Only seven themes are accessible across all industries on the platform. However, when it comes to customization, it’s better than Shopify since the premium ones cost more.
If you compare BigCommerce’s load times with others, they are slightly slower.
Pros:
- Create a beautiful eCommerce store with multiple drag-and-drop visual editing tools
- There are more than 55 secure payment gateways and no transaction fees
- Selling across multiple channels
- There are several free apps and features available, including Instagram in-app checkout
- The URLs can be fully customized, and SEO functions can be enabled
- Suitable for a variety of business models
Cons:
- New users may find pricing confusing
- Setup is a little challenging
- There are only five free themes available
- Speeds are inconsistent
You might have heard of Magento already. In 2011, eBay purchased the company, followed by Adobe’s purchase in 2018. A comprehensive global community makes this platform ideal for established store owners.
Magento’s popularity can be explained by its prices. It is one of the finest among Shopify Competitors because its pricing is similar to WooCommerce’s. However, even though the content management software is free, you will need to pay for the hosting, themes, and plugins.
Magento is a great CMS platform for businesses looking to expand since it lets you focus on selling all of your products through an open-source ecosystem.
Pros:
- The system is quite flexible and scalable
- We help you create a beautiful and functional eCommerce store with 250K+ developers.
- Secure payment gateways offer a variety of options
- An eCommerce store with a responsive design
- With its extensive partner ecosystem, it provides multiple add-ons and extensions
- A very supportive community
Cons:
- Using open source requires coding and technical expertise
- Managing it on your own can be challenging for new users
- A bit pricey
If you are looking for an easy-to-manage platform for your online store, Wix is the best choice. You can start selling online with its beautiful templates, marketing tools, and eCommerce tools.
Although customization is limited, It’s simply not possible to add tracking pixels, integrate sophisticated user flows, or migrate your online store (or content) elsewhere.
Pros:
- A beautiful online store template.
- Easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface.
- Produces high-quality marketing tools, such as videos.
- Social channel selling, loyalty rewards, and subscriptions are all eCommerce tools.
Cons:
- The structure of the page cannot be easily changed.
- There are no tools (such as subpages within subpages).
Squarespace stands out as an all-in-one website builder in a sea of online stores.
How?
With its stylish, expressive, and best-in-class designs. Using Squarespace, you can showcase your products (or services) to their fullest potential.
Yes, Squarespace lets you sell your services as well.
If you’re a restaurant, an online magazine, or an artist wanting to showcase your latest work, SquareSpace can support the way you do business with a booking function.
Pros:
- Choose from a wide range of stylish templates.
- Even non-techies can use it.
- Website visitors can also make bookings.
- Taxes, payments, and checkouts are flexible.
Cons:
- Quite expensive.
- Plug-ins and features are limited.
Final Lines:
We discussed everything, including why you should look for Shopify Competitors and how to get started.
Now the question is, which should you choose? Before choosing a shopping cart platform, you must define your needs and compare them to what it offers. Then, only invest in it if it suits your needs. Instead, make sure you choose the platform that’s right for you!
It doesn’t matter which platform you find on different sites if your business needs are met. Make sure you do your research and keep your end goal in mind. It’s easy from there.
And click here know Why to choose Shopify for eCommerce Business
