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Best Shopify Alternatives in 2026: Top 7 Platforms
James Crawford
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Start for freeOur pick is LaunchMyStore, our own product: every plan includes 0% platform transaction fees on 34+ gateways, premium themes and 104 storefront languages, with product reviews free through its own Foundry Reviews app, from $24 a month billed yearly. In our like-for-like example at $5,000 a month, six of the ten setups cost $2,520 to $2,628 a year with card fees included; the two most expensive are Shopify with a third-party gateway (its 2% fee adds $1,200) and BigCommerce once sales pass $30,000. BigCommerce suits large catalogs, WooCommerce full control, Wix and Squarespace design-led shops, Ecwid an existing site and Square in-person sellers.
- Shopify Basic costs $29 a month billed yearly or $39 monthly, and Shopify adds 2% per sale on Basic (1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced) if you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments (Shopify pricing, checked November 2026).
- At $5,000 a month in sales, that 2% costs $1,200 a year, more than three years of the Basic plan. In our example, card processing at Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ adds about $2,280 a year on 150 orders a month, whichever platform you choose.
- BigCommerce Core matches Shopify at $29 billed yearly but moves you to Growth ($79) once yearly sales pass $30,000.
- WooCommerce is free software; WooCommerce itself estimates hosting at $25 to $350 a month, and extensions such as Subscriptions cost $279 a year.
- LaunchMyStore Starter costs $24 a month billed yearly ($30 monthly) with 0% platform fees on 34+ gateways; product variants need Gold at $70. It lists 55+ apps against Shopify's 16,000+.
Prices at a Glance (Checked November 2026)
LaunchMyStore, our pick, starts at $24 a month billed yearly ($30 monthly) with 0% platform fees, premium themes and 104 storefront languages on every plan, plus free product reviews through its Foundry Reviews app. Shopify Basic costs $29 billed yearly ($39 monthly). Square Online has a free plan, Ecwid starts at $5, Squarespace at $19, Wix and BigCommerce at $29, and WooCommerce is free software plus hosting.
Prices checked November 2026 on each platform's own pricing or fee page, linked in the table. US prices in USD; card processing is extra unless a row says otherwise. LaunchMyStore publishes this guide.
Why LaunchMyStore Is Our Pick
Every LaunchMyStore plan includes 0% platform transaction fees on all 34+ gateways, 104 storefront languages, premium themes, custom price lists for wholesale and B2B customers, and the Nova AI agent with an MCP server; product reviews are free with Foundry Reviews, LaunchMyStore's own reviews app, and Platinum adds a POS with 2 seats at no extra cost. A Shopify switcher with up to 100 products and no variants needs Starter ($24 a month billed yearly); sizes, colors, digital products, subscriptions, multi-currency and the Shopify importer come with Gold ($70 billed yearly). Its themes use Liquid, the language Shopify themes are written in.
Pick something else if you rely on a specific app from Shopify's 16,000+, sell more than 5,000 products, or need Shopify's POS hardware or Shop Pay. The figures sit side by side in LaunchMyStore vs Shopify and the six-platform comparison table; the Shopify migration guide covers the move, the ecommerce platform cost calculator runs your own numbers, and the feature list and plan prices show what each plan includes.
Why Look for a Shopify Alternative in 2026?
Most merchants look for a Shopify alternative to lower a bill that grows past the plan price. Shopify Basic costs $29 a month billed yearly, but Shopify adds 2% per sale on Basic when you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments (Shopify pricing), paid themes cost $100 to $500 each (Shopify Theme Store), and product reviews need an app. On $5,000 a month in sales, the 2% alone is $1,200 a year.
Shopify is an excellent platform that leads the market for good reason, but it is not the only strong option, and it is rarely the cheapest once you account for app subscriptions, paid themes, and per-transaction fees. The right choice depends on your catalog size, whether you sell B2B as well as D2C, how much you want to handle technically, and how fast you expect to grow. This guide weighs seven alternatives honestly so you can match a platform to your situation rather than the loudest brand.
LaunchMyStore publishes this guide and is our pick, so it comes first. The other alternatives follow by entry price billed yearly, lowest first (Ecwid and Square, Wix and Squarespace, WooCommerce, then BigCommerce), each with the same price-and-catch treatment.
LaunchMyStore: Our Pick
LaunchMyStore is our pick for sellers who want the essentials in the plan. Every plan includes 0% platform transaction fees on all 34+ gateways, including Stripe, PayPal, Square and Authorize.Net, plus 104 storefront languages, premium themes, and the Nova AI agent with an MCP server for Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor; product reviews are free with Foundry Reviews, LaunchMyStore's own reviews app. Starter costs $24 a month billed yearly ($288 a year) or $30 monthly for up to 100 products, after a 7-day free trial (LaunchMyStore pricing).
Features beyond those are tied to a plan. Gold ($70 a month billed yearly, $83 monthly) adds product variants, digital products, Stripe-billed subscriptions, multi-currency and the Shopify and WooCommerce importer. Platinum ($132 billed yearly, $155 monthly) adds 5,000 products, full API access, free abandoned-cart recovery and a POS with 2 seats included. Every plan also has custom price lists for wholesale and B2B customers, and the themes use Liquid, the templating language of Shopify themes.
The catch is the ecosystem: 55+ apps against Shopify's 16,000+, and a 5,000-product ceiling on Platinum where Shopify has none. For a feature-by-feature breakdown, see our LaunchMyStore vs Shopify comparison.
What About Ecwid and Square as Shopify Alternatives?
Ecwid and Square suit sellers who already have a website or a counter. Ecwid embeds a store in a site you already run, or on social channels, so you can sell without rebuilding. Square Online shares its catalog and payments with Square's point of sale, which suits cafés, salons, pop-ups and shops.
Both are cheap to start. Ecwid has no free plan: Starter costs $5 a month for 10 products and Venture $29 billed yearly ($35 monthly) for 100, with no transaction fees on any plan (Ecwid pricing, November 2026). Square Online has a free plan that charges 3.3% + 30¢ per online card sale, or 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus at $49 a month per location (Square pricing). If you are weighing all of these, our complete guide to choosing the best ecommerce platform walks through the full evaluation framework.
Are Wix and Squarespace Good Shopify Alternatives for Small Stores?
Wix and Squarespace are good Shopify alternatives for small, design-led stores. Wix Core costs $29 a month billed yearly or $36 monthly, with 0% platform fees on store products (Wix plans, Wix). Squarespace Basic costs $19 billed yearly ($25 monthly) but charges 2% per sale; Core at $29 ($39 monthly) removes the fee (Squarespace pricing, Squarespace fees).
Wix is the more flexible visual editor and can sell in 180+ languages (Wix Multilingual); Squarespace has the more refined templates and suits creatives and service businesses. Both share one catch: neither lets you switch templates once the site is built (Wix; Squarespace on version 7.1), and both feel limiting as a catalog grows into the hundreds. They suit small stores, creatives and service-led brands that value design over advanced scale.
Is WooCommerce the Best Free Shopify Alternative?
WooCommerce is the best Shopify alternative if you want full control of the code and the server. The plugin is free and open source (WordPress.org) and charges no platform transaction fee, but a working store needs hosting, which WooCommerce itself puts at $25 to $350 a month for most stores (WooCommerce pricing, November 2026), plus paid extensions such as Subscriptions at $279 a year (WooCommerce Marketplace).
That control is the point. With WordPress underneath, WooCommerce gives you near-unlimited customization, a vast plugin library and strong content and SEO tools, which is why content-led brands choose it. It also makes upkeep your job: WooCommerce advises a backup and a staging-site test before each update (How to update WooCommerce), and your host decides how fast the store loads. It suits technically confident builders, agencies and content-heavy brands.
Is BigCommerce a Good Shopify Alternative for Larger Stores?
BigCommerce is the closest like-for-like Shopify alternative: a hosted platform whose Core plan costs the same $29 a month billed yearly ($39 monthly), with unlimited products and a 15-day free trial (BigCommerce pricing, November 2026). It charges no platform fee on orders through its 21 partner gateways; with any other gateway it adds 2% on Core, 1% on Growth and 0.6% on Scale (BigCommerce 2026 plan update).
The catch is the sales cap. Core covers up to $30,000 a year in sales and Growth ($79 a month billed yearly, $105 monthly) up to $100,000; pass a cap and BigCommerce moves you up a plan automatically. It also sells B2B Edition for company accounts, quotes and purchase orders. It suits established stores with large catalogs or business buyers that can budget for the upgrades.
How Do the Top Shopify Alternatives Compare on Price and Fees?
Side by side, the alternatives split on fees more than on price. Ecwid, LaunchMyStore, WooCommerce and Wix charge no platform fee on their entry plans; Squarespace charges 2% on Basic, and Shopify and BigCommerce add up to 2% for gateways outside their own or partner lists. The table adds who each platform fits to the list prices above.
| Platform | Entry plan (billed yearly / monthly) | Platform transaction fee | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| LaunchMyStore (our pick) | Starter $24 / $30; Gold $70 / $83 | 0% on all 34+ gateways | Themes, 0% fees and 104 storefront languages on every plan |
| Square Online | Free; Plus $49/mo per location | None; online cards 3.3% + 30¢ (Free), 2.9% + 30¢ (Plus) | In-person and online sellers |
| Ecwid | Starter $5 / $5 (10 products); Venture $29 / $35 | None | Adding a store to an existing site |
| Squarespace | Basic $19 / $25; Core $29 / $39 | 2% on Basic; 0% from Core | Creatives and service brands |
| WooCommerce | Free plugin + $25–$350/mo hosting | 0%; you pay your gateway | Technical builders and content-led brands |
| Shopify | Basic $29 / $39 | 2% / 1% / 0.6% unless Shopify Payments | App-heavy stores |
| Wix | Core $29 / $36 | 0% on store products | Small, design-led stores |
| BigCommerce | Core $29 / $39; Growth $79 / $105 | 0% with 21 partner gateways; 2% on Core otherwise | Large catalogs under the sales caps |
Prices checked November 2026; each figure links to the platform's own pricing or fee page.
Sticker price is only part of the story. On Shopify, the costs that can catch merchants out are paid themes ($100 to $500 each, although 24 themes are free), the 2% fee when you bring your own gateway, and paid apps when a free plan isn't enough (Judge.me's reviews app has a free plan and a $15-a-month plan, per its Shopify App Store listing). WooCommerce looks free until hosting, extensions and your time are counted. LaunchMyStore includes premium themes in the plan, offers free product reviews through its own Foundry Reviews app and takes no platform cut, but its smaller app store means checking any must-have integration first.
What Would a $5,000-a-Month Store Pay on Each Platform?
A store selling $5,000 a month in 150 orders pays $2,520 to $3,828 a year on the hosted setups below, card processing included. Six options land between $2,520 and $2,628. The two most expensive are Shopify Basic with a third-party gateway, where the 2% fee adds $1,200, and BigCommerce, which moves a $60,000-a-year store to Growth.
| Setup | Plan (1 year) | Platform fee | Card processing | Year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square Online, free plan | $0 | $0 | $2,520 | $2,520 |
| LaunchMyStore Starter (100 products, no variants) | $288 | $0 | $2,280 | $2,568 |
| WooCommerce + WooPayments (hosting only) | $300–$4,200 | $0 | $2,280 | $2,580–$6,480 |
| Ecwid Venture (100 products) | $348 | $0 | $2,280 | $2,628 |
| Shopify Basic + Shopify Payments | $348 | $0 | $2,280 | $2,628 |
| Wix Core | $348 | $0 | $2,280 | $2,628 |
| Squarespace Core | $348 | $0 | $2,280 | $2,628 |
| LaunchMyStore Gold (variants) | $840 | $0 | $2,280 | $3,120 |
| BigCommerce Growth, partner gateway | $948 | $0 | $2,280 | $3,228 |
| Shopify Basic + third-party gateway | $348 | $1,200 | $2,280 | $3,828 |
How we calculated this: $5,000 a month is $60,000 a year in 1,800 orders (150 a month, $33.33 average). Plan = the billed-yearly monthly price × 12. Card processing = 2.9% × $60,000 + $0.30 × 1,800 = $1,740 + $540 = $2,280 at Stripe's US standard rate, used for every option except Square's free plan (3.3% × $60,000 + $540 = $2,520). Shopify's third-party fee = 2% × $60,000 = $1,200. BigCommerce is priced at Growth ($79 × 12 = $948) because $60,000 passes Core's $30,000 cap. WooCommerce = Woo's $25–$350 monthly hosting estimate × 12. No themes, apps, shipping or tax. Prices checked November 2026.
Like for like: we add a paid app only where a free option doesn't match what LaunchMyStore Starter includes. On Shopify, Judge.me's free plan covers product reviews and 24 of its themes are free, so we add $0; Judge.me's $15-a-month plan ($180 a year, Judge.me) or a $100–$500 premium theme (Shopify Theme Store) would be optional extras. WooCommerce has reviews in its free core, Squarespace and BigCommerce include them, and Wix has its own reviews app, so they get $0 too, as does LaunchMyStore, whose reviews are free with Foundry Reviews. The example sells in one language; a second would add MultilingualPress ($149 a year, WooCommerce) to WooCommerce, while Shopify's free Translate & Adapt app (up to 20 languages), BigCommerce (5) and Wix (180+) cover it at no cost.
At this volume the plan itself is the small number: $0 to $348 a year for the entry plans, against $2,280 in card fees that every option pays. What separates the totals is a percentage fee or a forced upgrade, so price next year's sales before you choose, and treat the gateway you plan to use as part of the platform decision.
Year-One Cost at $5,000 a Month in Sales, Card Fees Included (November 2026)
Plan billed yearly + platform fee + card processing on $60,000 and 1,800 orders, from the table above. *Ecwid Venture, Wix Core, Squarespace Core and Shopify Basic with Shopify Payments. WooCommerce ($2,580–$6,480) is left out because its hosting range is too wide for one bar.
How Do You Choose the Right Shopify Alternative?
Choosing the right Shopify alternative comes down to four questions: your budget, your technical comfort, whether you sell B2B as well as D2C, and how fast you expect to grow. Hosted platforms remove server management and suit most sellers, while self-hosted WooCommerce rewards technical control. Price the next 12 months rather than this one, because a sales cap or a percentage fee changes the answer as you grow.
A simple approach works well. Shortlist two or three platforms, use their free trials, load 10 to 20 real products, and run a test checkout on both desktop and mobile. Pay attention to the daily admin workflow, since you will live in it for years. Factor total cost of ownership, not just the monthly fee: add themes, transaction fees, and any apps you would need. If you sell to businesses, confirm B2B is included rather than gated behind a premium tier. If you are building your very first store, our guide on how to start an online store from scratch covers the full launch process step by step. Comparing more builders? See our breakdowns of the best Wix alternatives and best WooCommerce alternatives, and if you sell apparel, the best ecommerce platforms for clothing brands.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Shopify alternative for small business?
Our pick is LaunchMyStore Starter: $24 a month billed yearly, 0% platform fees on your own gateway, premium themes and 104 storefront languages included, and free product reviews through Foundry Reviews. Wix Core and Squarespace Core cost $29 and suit design-led shops, and Ecwid adds a store to an existing site from $5. Choose by catalog size and how you take payments.
Are there free Shopify alternatives?
Not fully free. WooCommerce is free software, but WooCommerce estimates hosting at $25 to $350 a month and sells extensions such as Subscriptions for $279 a year. Square Online has a free plan that charges 3.3% + 30¢ per online card sale. Most hosted platforms offer a trial instead: 7 days on LaunchMyStore, 14 on Squarespace and 15 on BigCommerce.
Does LaunchMyStore charge transaction fees?
No. LaunchMyStore charges 0% platform transaction fees on every plan and all 34+ gateways, including Stripe, PayPal, Square and Authorize.Net, so you pay only your gateway's own rate, such as Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ for US cards. Shopify adds 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced unless you use Shopify Payments.
Which Shopify alternative is best for selling both D2C and B2B?
BigCommerce is the strongest B2B pick, with B2B Edition for company accounts, quotes and purchase orders. LaunchMyStore includes custom price lists for wholesale and B2B customers on every plan, which covers simpler wholesale. Shopify itself now offers B2B on its Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans (Shopify Help Center), so compare its B2B features before you switch.
Do I need coding skills to use a Shopify alternative?
Not on the hosted platforms. LaunchMyStore, BigCommerce, Wix, Squarespace, Ecwid and Square Online run hosting, security and updates for you, with visual editors and guided setup. WooCommerce is the exception: it runs on your own hosting, and WooCommerce advises backing up and testing each update on a staging site first.
Written by
James Crawford
Ecommerce Specialist at LaunchMyStore. Helping online businesses scale with data-driven strategies and the latest ecommerce best practices.
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