Today I am privileged to invite Belinda Kendi to talk about 9 of best Shopify alternatives you should for your eCommerce business.
In this comprehensive guide Belinda will cover:
BigCommerce Volusion Squarespace Woocommerce 3Dcart Magento Prestashop Big Cartel Weebly
So if you want to choose the best eCommerce platform for your small business, you’ll love Belinda guide.
Belinda take it away!
Thanks Bill!
If you are like me.
Browsing fashion online is my thing.
The elegant drop-dead gorgeous Shopify sites can keep me glued on my phone the whole day.
But why can’t I start one?
Well?
It’s somehow costly.
However, I know there are other Shopify alternatives to get one started.
So I went ahead to review nine Shopify alternatives:
- BigCommerce
- Volusion
- Squarespace
- WooCommerce
- 3Dcart
- Weebly
- Magento
- Big Cartel
- Prestashop.
Nit-picking on each.
Checking their pricing, benefits, drawbacks and why one should consider.
Ready?
Let’s get started.
1. BigCommerce
BigCommerce has over 100,000 stores globally.
Pricing
Here are their monthly pricing plans.
● Standard at $29.95
● Plus at $79.95
● Pro at $299.95
● Enterprise for custom pricing
Note: Sales volume limitations exist in each plan. If you exceed your limit automatically BigCommerce upgrades you to a higher plan. As a result, doubling your monthly cost.
Benefits
● Supports multichannel selling-Amazon, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and eBay.
● Great SEO tools
● No transaction fees
● Top-notch store management and report analysis tools
● Supports multi-currency
● Integrates with third-party apps- Mailchimp, Quickbooks, Xero
● Trucks abandoned cart
● Has a built-in blog
● Works with mobile app for IOS and Android
● Has responsive designs
● Offers great shipping deals with UPS, DHL, FedEx Express, USPS
● Strong security dedicated SSL certificate
Drawbacks
● Expensive for higher volumes
● Few free themes you have to invest in Premium theme
● Inconsistent speed
● Interface not user friendly
Who should consider
Bigcommerce works well with small companies. You can Try BigCommerce for 15 days.
2. Volusion
Volusion is a cloud-based e-commerce platform.
Its current clients include Intel, Slickwraps and 3M. It has processed over 185 million orders so far.
Pricing
Volusion pricing plan helps you save 10% when you pay for their annual plan. Here are their monthly plans.
Personal Plan: For $29 it offers basic e-commerce features including social media integration. It’s limited to 100 products.
Professional Plan: For $75 it supports advanced features like abandoned cart, phone orders. It also integrates with eBay or Amazon.
Business Plan: For $ 299 it can support up to $500,000 annual online sales. You can sell an immense number of products. It also integrates with third-party gateways.
Prime plan: It’s the highest Volusion custom plan contact sales to get a quote.
Benefits
- Supports different payment methods
- Mobile app
- Great analytical tools
Drawbacks
● SSL certificates will cost you extra.
● Not fit for digital products
● No blogging function
Who should consider
Suitable for a data-driven e-commerce store. Because it has strong analytical tools.
Try Volusion free for 14 days
3. Squarespace
Looking for a sparkling DIY website builder for your e-commerce platform?
Think Squarespace.
Its 7.1 version is designer-friendly and has an eye-catching blogging platform.
It integrates with Apple pay, PayPal and Mailchimp. Upon registration, you get free SSL and domain registration.
Pricing
Squarespace offers value for money with its annual pricing plans:
● Personal Plan for $16 /mo and $12 annual
● Business plan for $26/mo and $18 annual
● Ecommerce basic plan at $30/mo and $26 annual
● Ecommerce advanced plan at $46/mo and $40 annual
Benefits
Why should you consider Squarespace?
● It has super design templates
● Value for money-free SSL and Domain hosting
● Strong uptime with 24/7 customer support
Drawbacks
Squarespace limits third-party apps like G-suite or Salesforce.
Who should consider
Squarespace is right for you if you sell products that need visual marketing.
You can get started with your free trial.
4. Woocommerce
Starting your ecommerce store with no budget. Think Woocommerce it’s a free plugin within WordPress with e-commerce functionality.
You will need knowledge on website design, domain naming, and hosting. You will also have to invest in hosting.
Pricing
The pricing applies to hosting only.
● Starter for $13.99 for up to 100GB webspace
● Plus for $17.99 you get unlimited Woocomerce space
● Pro for $31.99 for unlimited space and backup
Benefits
With Woocommerce you can run an e-commerce store and affiliate site on the same site. Furthermore, Woocommerce works with multi-languages.
It has a robust SEO functionality. You will enjoy its built-in email tools while sending beautiful emails.
Woocommerce sends automated reviews to your customers. You can have user-generated content (UGC). Photos and videos to use as social proof.
Drawbacks
● Offers zero virtual support
● Requires extension even on simple things
Who should consider
It’s suitable for starters with a limited budget. It ranks better on SEO. The social proof can boost your business.
Get started with Woocomerce for free.
5. 3Dcart
3Dcart has over 170,000 customers globally. It powers some renowned sites like U.S.Salon, Sperberries and Li-lac chocolates.
3Dcart supports multi-channel sales. You can sell on mobile or through Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Shopzilla, and even Google.
Pricing
3Dcart offers five monthly pricing plans
Nano plan: for $9.99 up to 25 products
Mini Plan: for $19.99 up to 200 products
Starter plan: at $35.99 up to 100 products
Professional plan: at $65.99 up to 10,000 products
Professional plus plan: at $99.99 for unlimited products
Benefits
3Dcart offers the best SEO features. It works with over 160 payment gateways. 3Dcart offers a blogging platform that you can use to market your store.
You don’t have to worry about transaction fees as they are all taken care of.
Drawbacks
Your bandwidth depends on the plan you are using.
Who should consider
Best for stores that have big marketing plans. You will get marketing features like drip campaigns, gift cards. Promotional coupons and in-built affiliate program
Start your 15 days free trial
6. Magento
Looking for an e-commerce store that is easy to scale from a small store to a large multi-location store? Consider Magento.
According to Alexa’s study, 20% of all e-commerce stores use Magento.
It handles over $100 billion in merchandise in a year. But only works best with professional web developers.
Pricing
Magento is available for free since it’s an open source. But they also offer cloud-based e-commerce platforms.
Contact the sales team to get a quote. Meaning every business receives a different quote depending on their needs.
Benefits
Magento is free to download. Easy to scale and can have many customizations. It has many active users globally.
Drawbacks
You have to work with a professional web developer. They also don’t have customer support.
Who should consider
If you are planning to scale to a multi-location store and you have a web designer.
Get a free demo on how to get started.
7. Prestashop
Download the free Prestashop platform and start your ecommerce store. It has powered more than 270,000 stores worldwide.
Use Prestashop ready that is easy to install. You will have to pay for hosting. Further, you also need web design knowledge to get started.
Pricing
Prestashop is free to download. Yet, you will have to pay for hosting which ranges from $8 to $15 per year.
Furthermore, you will have different paid modules for you to make a stunning site.
Benefits
It has built-in marketing tools like discount mode, coupon codes. Gift wrapping, affiliate programs, and free shipping.
Drawbacks
It experiences unstable updates that affect its coding
Who should consider
Downloadable Prestashop is good for one with web design knowledge. Those on big-league with HTML, PHP, and CSS coding.
8. Big Cartel
Are you a small scale artist looking to sell your stuff online?
Big Cartel will make it happen. It’s free to set up.
Currently, it is supporting over 250,000 artist stores. Who include photographers, painters, bakers, porters and many more.
Pricing
It has a free plan for up to five products.
- Platinum at $9.99 per month for 25 products.
- Diamond for 100 products at $ 19.99
- Titanium for 300 products at $29.99.
Benefits
Free for basic small stores
Drawbacks
Their themes are very basic with limited customization
Who should consider
A beginner artist
9. Weebly
Weebly allows you to launch your site in less than an hour. Currently, it is supporting over 50m websites.
Pricing
Weebly for online stores cost $12 for Pro,$25 for business and $38 for business plan.
Benefits
You enjoy fast load speed and on the business plan they take care of security and hackers
Drawbacks
When it comes to backup, you are on your own.
Who should consider
Anyone who is testing products online. Then later they can change to a better option.
Over to You
Now I know, there are many Shopify alternatives that I can try out.
Go ahead and choose your favorite platform to get started. Share your thoughts in the comment box below
Belinda Kendi
Latest posts by Belinda Kendi (see all)
- 9 Best Shopify Alternatives for 2020: The Complete Guide - April 14, 2020
Speak Your Mind