9 Shopify Alternatives for Growing Stores (2027)

Why growing stores look beyond Shopify

Shopify is the default choice for a reason: it is fast to launch and hard to break. But the stores that search for alternatives to Shopify are usually past launch, and they hit a specific constraint. Shopify’s pricing page ties several limits to plan level, and the pattern is worth knowing before you decide whether to stay.

• Third-party payment fees. Shopify lists a fee on top of your payment provider’s processing cost when you use an outside gateway: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced, and 0.2% on Plus.
• Staff accounts. Grow includes up to 5 staff accounts, Advanced up to 15, and Plus unlimited.
• Checkout control. A fully customizable checkout is listed on Plus, and so are unlimited B2B catalogs.
• Platform fit. Some teams want to own their code and hosting, run a WordPress content site next to the store, or sell through complex B2B price lists.

None of these is a reason to leave by itself. If two or more describe your store, the alternatives below are worth a serious look. For a broader comparison of build approaches, see our guide to custom ecommerce development versus SaaS platforms.

The 9 alternatives at a glance

1. BigCommerce

BigCommerce is the nearest hosted equivalent to Shopify. Its pricing page lists four plans: Core at $29 per month on annual billing ($39 monthly), Growth at $79 ($105), Scale at $299 ($399), and Performance from $1,499 per month on annual billing. Each plan has an online sales cap measured as trailing twelve-month gross merchandise value: up to $30K on Core and $100K on Growth, then $33,333 per month on Scale with a 0.9% overage above the cap.

Open Payment Provider fees are 2.0% on Core, 1.0% on Growth, and 0.6% on Scale, and orders through embedded payment providers carry no fee on any plan. Built-in features include single-page checkout, multi-currency, coupons and gift cards, a blog, and, from Growth, customer groups and abandoned cart saver. Performance adds price lists and advanced promotion management. Pick it when you want a hosted platform with strong native B2B tools. Skip it when your revenue is growing faster than the plan cap and you do not want to move up a tier. Our BigCommerce development guide covers the build side.

2. WooCommerce

WooCommerce is the open-source ecommerce plugin for WordPress. Its WordPress.org listing shows more than 7 million active installations, version 11.2.0 with a changelog dated October 7, 2026, and requirements of WordPress 7.0 or higher and PHP 7.4 or greater (PHP 8.0 or greater recommended). The core is free, with paid extensions, upgrades, and support optional. It supports 100+ payment gateways including Stripe, PayPal, and Square, and the listing says store owners keep full ownership of their content and data and can export it to another platform.

The tradeoff is operational. You own hosting, security updates, performance tuning, and extension compatibility. Pick it when content and SEO drive your sales and you want the store on the same WordPress install. Skip it when you do not have a developer or agency to maintain it. See our WooCommerce development guide and WooCommerce development services.

3. Adobe Commerce

Adobe Commerce, formerly Magento, is built for complex requirements. Adobe’s developer page describes software, tools, and services to customize and extend it for multichannel, global commerce for both B2B and B2C, with integration into backend systems, and names Commerce as a Cloud Service as a newer offering. Pricing is not published; it is a sales quote.

The cost is in implementation. Complex catalogs, custom pricing logic, and ERP integrations are what the platform is for, and they need experienced developers. Pick it when you have an unusual business model that SaaS platforms cannot model. Skip it when you want to launch quickly with a small team. Our comparison of Adobe Commerce versus Magento Open Source explains the editions, and Shopify versus Magento compares the two head to head. Our Magento development services cover builds and migrations.

4. Shopware

Shopware is a German open-source commerce platform. Its pricing page describes the Community Edition as the open-source, MIT-licensed core, free to use. Paid editions add support and features: Rise from €600 per month with an 8-hour service reaction time, Evolve from €2,400 per month with a 4-hour reaction time and phone support and B2B components, and Beyond with custom pricing, 24/7 priority support, and a 1-hour reaction time. Prices exclude VAT, and the FAQ says pricing is based on gross merchandise value and other individual factors.

The page also describes a headless, API-first architecture. Pick it when you sell in Europe or need B2B features with open-source flexibility. Skip it when you want a large US-based app marketplace.

5. PrestaShop

PrestaShop is an open-source platform with two routes. Classic lets you download the source code for free and install the store yourself. Hosted has PrestaShop manage the technical side. Its site claims more than 250,000 merchants, thousands of modules and themes, and a community of over 1 million members. Hosted prices are not listed on the main page, so you need to check its offers comparison.

Pick it when you want an open-source storefront with a broad module catalog and you have a developer. Skip it when you need an enterprise B2B feature set out of the box.

6. Wix

Wix is a site builder with ecommerce plans. Its ecommerce page said annual plans run from $29 per month for basic ecommerce to $159 per month for advanced, in US dollars and current as of November 2025, which makes this the oldest price in this article. Plans include free hosting and a free domain for one year, a no-code editor, up to 1,000 variants per product, CSV import and export, and PCI DSS Level 1 compliance. The page lists payments through Wix Payments (cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay), PayPal, Stripe, and other providers, and sales channels including Google, eBay, Etsy, Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. It did not state transaction fees.

Pick it when you run a small store and want to design it yourself. Skip it when you need deep ERP or B2B integrations.

7. Squarespace

Squarespace is aimed at design-led brands. Its commerce pricing showed a 2% transaction fee on online store sales on the Basic commerce plan and 0% on the Advanced plan, with a 7% fee on digital content and memberships on Basic. The page showed prices in a local currency to us, so we quote fees only. Pick it when brand presentation matters more than catalog depth. Skip it when you need complex inventory or custom checkout logic.

8. Ecwid by Lightspeed

Ecwid adds a store to a site you already have. Its pricing page lists, in USD, Starter at $5 per month, Venture at $35 ($29 on annual billing), Business at $65 ($49), and Unlimited at $149 ($119). Product limits are 10 on Starter, 100 on Venture, 2,500 on Business, and unlimited on Unlimited. Pick it when you want to keep your current website and bolt on selling. Skip it when you want one platform to run everything.

9. commercetools

commercetools is a headless, modular, API-first platform for enterprise commerce. Its site cites more than 500 enterprise customers in 50+ countries and offers a 60-day free trial, with pricing through sales. It targets large retail, B2B, manufacturing, and similar organizations. Pick it when you are building a custom storefront experience across many channels and have an engineering team. Skip it when you want an off-the-shelf store without developers.

How to choose

Check four numbers before you commit: your payment-provider fee on each platform, the plan cap or tier you will outgrow within a year, the cost of apps or extensions you rely on today, and the developer time to rebuild your theme and integrations.

Planning the move

A platform change touches URLs, data, and integrations at once. Export products, customers, and orders, map every old URL to a new one with 301 redirects, rebuild tracking, and test checkout and payment webhooks before switching DNS. Our ecommerce migration SEO guide walks through the redirect plan, and our ecommerce migration services handle the build and cutover.

If you decide to stay, the answer is often a better Shopify setup rather than a new platform. Our Shopify development services and Shopify Plus agency guide cover the options, and the Shopify payment gateway guide explains how third-party gateway fees apply. For BigCommerce builds, see our BigCommerce development services.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Shopify’s biggest competitor?

There is no single answer among Shopify competitors. BigCommerce is the closest hosted rival, WooCommerce is the largest open-source option for WordPress sites (7+ million active installations on WordPress.org), and Wix and Squarespace compete for small stores. Adobe Commerce, Shopware, and commercetools compete at the complex and enterprise end.

What are the disadvantages of Shopify?

The ones growing stores raise are plan-tied limits and fees: a 2% to 0.2% fee on third-party payment providers depending on plan, staff account caps (5 on Grow, 15 on Advanced), and checkout customization and unlimited B2B catalogs listed at the Plus level. Those are tradeoffs, not defects, and Shopify Payments avoids the extra gateway fee.

Is there a better option than Shopify?

It depends on the store. BigCommerce can be better for B2B, WooCommerce for content-led stores, and Shopware or Adobe Commerce for complex catalogs. Shopify remains a strong default for fast launches and a large app ecosystem.

How much does Shopify take from a $100 sale?

On Basic with a third-party payment provider, Shopify charges its 2% fee, which is $2 on a $100 order, on top of the provider’s own processing fee. Grow charges 1%, Advanced 0.6%, and Plus 0.2%. Check your payment setup, because the extra fee depends on which provider you use.

What is the best free alternative to Shopify?

WooCommerce core is free, PrestaShop’s Classic source code is a free download, and Shopware’s Community Edition is free and MIT licensed. Free software still needs hosting, security maintenance, extensions, and developer time, so compare total cost, not license price.

Is WooCommerce cheaper than Shopify?

The software is free, but hosting, premium extensions, and developer time are not. WooCommerce often costs less for a simple store you can maintain yourself and more for a store that needs professional upkeep. Price both setups for your catalog before deciding.

Which Shopify alternative is best for B2B?

BigCommerce lists customer groups from Growth and price lists on Performance, Shopware lists B2B components from Evolve, and Adobe Commerce and commercetools both target B2B and B2C. Confirm that the plan you need includes your specific B2B features before you buy.

Will I lose SEO if I move off Shopify?

Not if you plan the move. Keep URLs where you can, map every changed URL to its new address with a 301 redirect, carry over titles, meta descriptions, and structured data, and monitor Search Console after launch. Most traffic loss in migrations comes from missing redirects.

Is Shopify still worth it?

For many stores, yes. If your catalog is simple, you sell mostly direct to consumers, and the plan-tied fees are small against your margin, switching costs more than it saves. Reconsider when payment fees, staff limits, or checkout and B2B needs start driving your plan choice.

Bottom Line

Leave Shopify when a specific constraint, such as payment fees, B2B needs, or code ownership, costs you more than a migration would. BigCommerce is the closest hosted swap, WooCommerce and PrestaShop are the open-source routes, Adobe Commerce and Shopware handle complexity, and commercetools serves enterprises. Price your real setup on each, plan redirects first, and confirm current fees on the vendor page. If you want a second opinion before moving, talk to us about ecommerce migration services.

Mihir Ajmera

Account Manager

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Mihir Ajmera is a leading Technical Account Manager at Commerce Pundit, with 15+ years of experience in Enterprise-level Technologies and Digital Transformations, where he has earned a reputation for tackling difficult business issues with powerful and scalable Artificial Intelligence AI-based solutions. Mihir is an accomplished leader and prolific solution provider who provides valuable tips about implementing effective technological projects throughout their entire life cycle, from conception and architectural design to Implementation and Optimization, with the focus on maximizing business benefits by aligning them with technological innovations. His professional experience includes AI-Automation, Large Language Models (LLM), Custom Software Development, Enterprise e-commerce platforms, Cloud Architectures, System Integrations, and Strong Customer Success and account management skills.

Expertise: AI and Automation Custom Solutions Enterprise eCommerce