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Shopify

E-commerce Platforms

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★★★★☆ 4.4 / 5 on G2 · 4.5 on Capterra (5,145 G2 reviews)
4.4 / 5
G2 rating, 5,145 reviews [source]
Hosted
All in one [source]
$39
From / mo [source]
Apps
Huge ecosystem [source]

Quick facts

CategoryHosted e-commerce platform
VendorShopify
Starts atFrom ~$39/mo
Best forAll round online selling
DeploymentCloud (hosted)
Free planTrial; Starter cheap
IntegrationsShopify App Store
G2 rating4.4 / 5
Capterra rating4.5 / 5

What is Shopify?

Shopify is the leading all round e-commerce platform, a hosted, easy to use store builder with a huge app ecosystem, payments, omnichannel selling and scalability, the default choice for most online stores. It lets businesses build and run an online store without technical hosting, with themes, product and order management, Shopify Payments and checkout, a huge App Store to extend the store, omnichannel selling (web, social, marketplaces, in person with POS), and plans from small shops to enterprise (Shopify Plus). Powering millions of stores, Shopify combines ease, capability, a vast ecosystem and scalability, the most popular dedicated e-commerce platform. For all round online selling, Shopify is the standard.

Shopify's distinction is being the easy, all round, scalable hosted platform with a vast ecosystem. It makes building and running a capable online store easy (hosted and managed), with the largest app and theme ecosystem, strong payments and omnichannel, and scalability from startup to enterprise, which open source and niche platforms do not match for ease, ecosystem and all round capability. That ease, ecosystem and all round scalability set it apart.

Shopify at a glanceShopify is the leading all round, hosted e-commerce platform [Shopify]. It holds a 4.4 out of 5 rating across 5,145 reviews on G2 and 4.5 on Capterra, the default choice for most online stores.

Who Shopify is best for

Shopify is best for most businesses wanting to sell online, from small shops to large brands, that want an easy, capable, scalable hosted platform with a huge app ecosystem, payments and omnichannel selling, without managing hosting. It suits all round online selling. It is a weaker fit for those wanting a free open source platform with full control, where WooCommerce or Magento fit, deep enterprise customisation on their own terms, where Adobe Commerce fits, or just a simple combined site and store, where Wix or Squarespace fit.

Key features

The core strengths are an easy hosted store builder with themes, product, order and inventory management, Shopify Payments and checkout, a huge App Store and theme ecosystem, omnichannel selling (web, social, marketplaces, POS), and scalability to enterprise (Shopify Plus). Shopify offers easy, capable, all round commerce. Its ease, ecosystem and all round scalability are its defining advantages.

Shopify pricing

Shopify has a cheap Starter plan and main plans from around 39 US dollars a month (Basic), with Shopify, Advanced and enterprise Shopify Plus tiers, plus a free trial. Transaction fees apply unless you use Shopify Payments, and apps and themes can add cost. So pricing ranges from cheap to enterprise. Confirm details on the Shopify pricing page.

Integrations and ecosystem

Shopify has a huge App Store (thousands of apps for marketing, shipping, fulfilment and more), many themes, payment and marketplace integrations, APIs and a developer ecosystem. Its vast ecosystem, which lets stores extend in countless ways, is a major strength and reason for its dominance.

Shopify and all round commerce

Being the easy, all round, scalable hosted platform with a vast ecosystem is the signature strength: Shopify makes building and running a capable store easy, with the largest app and theme ecosystem, strong payments and omnichannel, and scalability from startup to enterprise, which open source and niche platforms do not match. For all round online selling, this is the main reason to choose Shopify.

Ease of use and support

Shopify is highly rated for ease of use, capability, its app ecosystem, payments, omnichannel and scalability, the most popular platform, with good support, though reviewers note transaction fees (unless using Shopify Payments), app costs adding up, and some customisation limits versus open source. Its G2 reviews praise ease and ecosystem, with fees and app costs the main considerations.

Is Shopify worth it?

For most businesses wanting to sell online with an easy, capable, scalable platform and huge ecosystem, Shopify is the default choice. The main caution is fees and app costs, so free open source control suits WooCommerce or Magento, deep enterprise customisation Adobe Commerce, and simple combined site and store Wix or Squarespace, but for all round online selling Shopify leads.

Pricing

Starter / Basic

$39
per month
  • Hosted store
  • Payments and checkout
  • Small stores

Shopify / Advanced

Higher
per month
  • More features
  • Lower fees
  • Growing stores

Shopify Plus

Quote
enterprise
  • Enterprise commerce
  • Scale and support
  • Large brands

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Easy, all round hosted platform
  • Huge app and theme ecosystem
  • Strong payments and checkout
  • Omnichannel selling and POS
  • Scales to enterprise

Cons

  • Transaction fees unless using Shopify Payments
  • App and theme costs add up
  • Less control than open source
  • Ongoing subscription

Shopify alternatives

These e-commerce platforms tools come up most often against Shopify.

BigCommerce

Scalable SaaS and headless commerce platform

WooCommerce

Open-source WordPress e-commerce plugin

Adobe Commerce (Magento)

Enterprise open-source and cloud commerce platform

Shopify FAQ

What is Shopify used for?
Shopify is used to build and run an online store: a hosted platform for listing and selling products, taking payments, managing orders and inventory, and selling across web, social, marketplaces and in person (POS), with themes and a huge app ecosystem, so businesses sell online easily and scale.
How much does Shopify cost?
Shopify has a cheap Starter plan and main plans from around 39 US dollars a month (Basic), with higher tiers and enterprise Shopify Plus, plus a free trial. Transaction fees apply unless you use Shopify Payments. See the Shopify pricing page.
Shopify vs WooCommerce, which is better?
Shopify is an easy, hosted, all in one platform with a huge ecosystem, while WooCommerce is a free, open source WordPress plugin with more control and flexibility but needing hosting and setup. Shopify suits ease and speed; WooCommerce suits WordPress users wanting control.
Does Shopify charge transaction fees?
Shopify charges a transaction fee on sales unless you use Shopify Payments (its own payment processing), in which case the fee is waived (you still pay card processing rates). So using Shopify Payments avoids the extra transaction fee, which matters at higher sales volumes.
Is Shopify good for small businesses?
Yes. Shopify is popular with small businesses for its ease, capability and cheap Starter and Basic plans, letting them build and run a capable online store without technical hosting, while also scaling to larger needs and enterprise (Shopify Plus) as they grow.
Can Shopify scale to enterprise?
Yes. Shopify scales from small shops to large brands, with Shopify Plus as its enterprise tier offering higher capability, scale, support and features for high volume and enterprise commerce, so businesses can start small and grow on the same platform.

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