It's time to compare Shopify to its competitors after you have a more precise notion of the features you want in your next eCommerce platform.

While we didn't include every eCommerce solution available, such as Volusion, Weebly, or OpenCart, this list should give you a decent understanding of today's most popular eCommerce platforms.

 

1. BigCommerce:

BigCommerce, founded in 2009, is a versatile and open SaaS e-commerce platform that allows businesses of all kinds to create and scale their online storefronts.

While Shopify is excellent for getting started, BigCommerce is the best option if you want to build and scale your business.

 

Pros

  • Every plan has robust out-of-the-box features.
  • There are over 55 payment gateways supported, and there are no additional transaction costs.
  • The drag-and-drop visual editor Page Builder doesn't require any coding skills.
  • The ability to sell across several channels, including an in-app checkout for the social media network Instagram.
  • SEO options abound, including fully configurable URLs.
  • Support is provided 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with over 85% of issues handled on the first call.
  • A broad ecosystem of technology and agency partners.

Cons

  • While BigCommerce has many commercial themes, it only has five free themes compared to Shopify's nine.
  • There is a modest learning curve compared to Shopify because you get so many more out-of-the-box functionalities.

 

2. WooCommerce.

WooCommerce is an open-source plugin that converts WordPress websites and blogs into eCommerce sites. It was first released in 2011.

WooCommerce is a viable option for Shopify if you're already familiar with WordPress. Don't worry if you think you can utilize WooCommerce with your WordPress blog. BigCommerce, for example, has an easy-to-use extension that works with your existing WordPress site.

Pros

  • The plugin is available for use on any WordPress site for no cost.
  • It's simple to integrate with any WordPress website.
  • Because it's open-source, you can completely alter the code for your store.
  • Hundreds of free and paid extensions are available to you.

Cons

Even though the plugin is free, you are still responsible for the price of domain hosting, SSL certificates, email providers, and other features.

If you don't know HTML or CSS, you'll probably need the services of a dedicated developer or designer to make the most of your eCommerce store.

Adding key features to WooCommerce necessitates plugins, which increases site complexity and slows down performance.

 

3. Magento.

Magento is an open-source eCommerce platform that you first launched in 2007. Adobe acquired Magento in 2018 and now offers Magento Commerce and Magento Open Source for small businesses.

If you're a big admirer of Adobe's other products and have a lot of technical abilities, Magento might be a better fit for you than Shopify.

Pros

  • Because it's open-source, you can tweak everything in your business from the backend.
  • Magento has a strong developer community of over 260,000 people working on adding new features to the platform.
  • Magento Commerce enterprise customers can choose between a cloud-hosted solution included in the package hosted on AWS or a self-hosted solution.
  • For third-party apps and add-ons, you have access to a broad partner ecosystem.

Cons

  • Magento Open Source is an on-premise solution, which means you must either host it yourself or use a third-party web hosting service.
  • Magento provides patches and upgrades, but you are responsible for installing and managing them.
  • You'll need a developer, an in-house IT team, or an agency to oversee the build and upkeep, regardless of whatever version you choose or how you host your website.
  • Magento has a complex configuration, which results in hefty build costs.
  • PinnacleCart is number four on the list.

 

4. PinnacleCart.

PinnacleCart, founded in 2003, is a shopping cart solution for small to mid-sized enterprises with a strong marketing focus. It's a beautiful Shopify option if you want greater control over your shop and SEO features.

Pros

  • You have the option of using PinnacleCart hosting or managing your hosting.
  • Schema.org tags and custom URLs are examples of SEO-friendly features.
  • Every package comes with an unlimited number of goods and categories.

 

Cons

  • If you choose to host with PinnacleCart, their most basic $79.95 plan has bandwidth and storage limits, so as your traffic grows, you'll either have to pay more or change to a more expensive plan with unlimited capacity.
  • You'll need to manage upgrades because PinnacleCart has versions.
  • It only interfaces with 64 apps. Therefore it has a small partner network.
  • Unlike Shopify, which has many themes, PinnacleCart only has 12 themes.

 

5. Shift4Shop.

Shift4Shop has been providing eCommerce software with an emphasis on SEO since 1997.

If you're an SEO nerd who relies significantly on organic search, Shift4Shop may be a better fit for you than Shopify.

 

Pros

  • Many SEO solutions are available, including Google AMP for products and 301 redirects.
  • Every plan includes a built-in blogging platform.
  • On Shopify, you can purchase a complete eCommerce platform for less than the Basic plan for tiny businesses.
  • There are more than 100 online payment options available, including foreign processors.

Cons

  • There are a limited number of staff users, and each user costs $10 per month.
  • The store builder has a steep learning curve, making it tough to browse and discover the tools you need.
  • The free themes have a similar design that isn't as current as Shopify or BigCommerce's premium themes.

6. Wix. 

Wix, founded in 2006, makes it simple for anyone to create a website and offers eCommerce-friendly solutions.

Wix may be a better choice than Shopify if you have little experience and want a simple website builder.

Pros

  • It's simple to get your store up and running with a drag-and-drop website builder.
  • 300 variant SKUs are supported for each product, with 6 alternatives per product.
  • Wix has a comprehensive, well-organized, and searchable Help Center.
  • A complimentary one-year domain is included with each of their premium eCommerce programs.

Cons

  • You're limited to 50GB of storage space unless you're on an enterprise plan with bespoke storage space.
  • Apple Pay and Amazon Payments are not available as payment options on Wix.
  • There is no live chat help available right now, so you'll have to call or send a ticket.
  • Because Wix offers many different website alternatives that aren't focused on eCommerce, searching through the app store might be difficult.

 

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