Shopify, which is based in Canada, is one of the most popular eCommerce solutions. It makes it easy to set up interactive online stores. Even though Shopify has some of the best features in its class, users sometimes look for alternatives to Shopify.
So, to help you decide, I’ve come up with a list of the best alternatives to Shopify that you can use to set up your dropshipping store.
About Shopify: What You Need to Know
Before we talk about some of the most popular alternatives to Shopify, let’s take a look at how the platform works. Some of the biggest eCommerce store owners in the world trust this all-in-one platform that is easy to use. Here are a few of the main reasons why you might want to set up your own online store with Shopify:
User-friendly
One of the best things about Shopify is that it is very easy to use and is good for people who are just starting out. It comes in different languages, and you can make the interface for your store by dragging and dropping.
Easy to Manage
Shopify makes it easy to run an online store because it has a lot of automatic features. For example, shipping costs, taxes, customer reminders, and so on can all be done automatically.
Lots of Things
You can look at many features, like email templates, fulfillment centers, customer profiles, and more, all in one place.
What Else?
Aside from that, Shopify also lets you use a lot of SEO techniques and sell your products on social media sites like Facebook. Shopify also has a layer of security called 256-bit SSL, and its customer service is known for being helpful.
What Shopify Can’t Do
- Shopify is good for small and medium-sized stores, but it can be hard for large online stores to get results that are tailored to their needs.
- Shopify is a bit pricey compared to other online stores.
- Shopify doesn’t have many tools for managing content (like fewer AR tools and carousel display options).
- Shopify’s support for shopping on mobile apps is not very good.
Sites that are better than Shopify
Wix is mostly recommended for people who are just starting out because its website builder makes it easy to make a unique online store.
PROS:
- It has a lot of ready-made themes for online stores that you can change to fit your needs.
- Wix has an easy-to-use website builder with a lot of add-ons to choose from.
- It has automatic marketing plans, secure payment gateways, and other features.
CONS:
- There aren’t many ways to connect it to other applications.
- At the moment, you can’t add Apple Pay or Amazon Payments to your Wix store.
- Its premium plans can get a little pricey over time.
WooCommerce
The WordPress company owns the open-source plugin WooCommerce. If you want to find free alternatives to Shopify, WooCommerce is a great choice.
But if you want to try out WooCommerce’s more advanced features, you can sign up for its premium plan.
PROS:
- WooCommerce is free, and you can get the basic version of it for free.
- Integration with WordPress is smooth (for free website creation).
- There are many SEO tools and hundreds of plugins that you can use.
CONS:
- Your store would depend heavily on WordPress plugins and extensions.
- Creating and running a WooCommerce store can take a little bit of time.
- Overall, WooCommerce’s customer service is not as good as what other solutions offer.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is one of the oldest companies in the business, and it can help you set up and run an online store.
BigCommerce is the source
There are also more advanced tools for content marketing and SEO for your store.
PROS:
- It has a tool that lets you build your store’s interface without having to know how to code.
- It has features for selling across all channels (to sell your products on Facebook or Instagram).
- BigCommerce has a lot of add-ons and works with more than different payment gateways.
CONS:
- There aren’t many free themes for online stores, and you have to pay extra for some plugins.
- It can be hard to figure out how to use its advanced SEO features.
- The steps for making a store and putting it all together could be made easier.
Magento
Even though Magento was started in 2007, it went through a big change when Adobe bought it in 2018.
Now, Magento has a lot of themes and smart ways to run your store, making it one of the best alternatives to Shopify.
PROS:
- The best thing about Magento is that it is a very strong open-source platform.
- Magento also has a lot of cloud-based solutions for your store that are easy to use.
- Magento has a large community of developers, so you can find a lot of useful extensions and plugins, like one-step checkout, free gifts, product feeds, and SEO.
CONS:
- Magento is difficult to learn compared to Shopify and Wix.
- To use Magento, you would need hosting services from a third party.
- No specialized customer service.
Shift4Shop
Shift4Shop has been around since 1994, and it is still thought to be one of the best ways to host an online store.
It is one of the most affordable alternatives to Shopify, and small business owners are encouraged to use it.
PROS:
- Shift4Shop’s built-in features make it easy to use good SEO techniques.
- You can make your platform mobile-friendly by integrating your store with Google AMP.
- It works with more than different payment gateways, and there are no extra transaction fees.
CONS:
- Shift4Shop can be hard to learn (not as user-friendly as Shopify).
- There aren’t many free themes for online stores, and many of them are no longer relevant.
- It only works with a small number of plugins and apps from outside sources.
Conclusion
You’ll learn more about Shopify and all the high-end features it has after reading this post. Even though Shopify is a cheap and easy way to set up your online store, you might want to look for other options.
So, you can check out all of the top Shopify alternatives and competitors listed in this guide. You can also use a tool like dropship-empire to find the right products for your store and use its advanced back-end features to run it like a pro.