Ecom Store Pro

Shopify vs Other Platforms

Every head-to-head comparison of Shopify with another way to sell online — website builders, marketplaces, self-hosted software, POS systems and creator storefronts — grouped by the kind of platform, each linking to the full guide.

Five questions that decide it

  1. Where will your buyers come from? A marketplace such as TikTok Shop or Amazon puts your listing in front of shoppers who are already there. Your own store has to bring its own traffic, but the customer list it builds is yours.

  2. Is the shop the business, or part of a website? When a portfolio, a service or content leads and the products follow, a builder can be the better fit — the Squarespace and WordPress comparisons say when.

  3. What will it cost after the first year? Shopify costs more at the entry tier than budget builders such as IONOS in year one, and orders paid through a provider other than Shopify Payments carry a Shopify transaction fee, as the Shopware comparison sets out. Compare the whole bill, not the headline plan.

  4. How much of the technical work will you own? With self-hosted software or a custom build, hosting, updates and security are yours or your developer's; a hosted platform carries them for you.

  5. Do you sell in person, or only digital products? A shop counter puts the till at the centre — see the Square and Clover comparisons. A creator platform such as Payhip can collect and pay EU and UK VAT on digital products and US sales tax for you; the comparison shows where Shopify gets cheaper.

Each comparison below names the cases where the other platform is the better choice, not only the ones where Shopify wins.

Website builders with a store

Best for: You want a website first and a shop inside it, built without code.

Marketplaces and social selling

Best for: You would list on a platform that already has the buyers, instead of or beside your own store.

In-person selling and POS

Best for: You sell at a counter, a market stall or several shops, and the till matters as much as the website.

Self-hosted software and custom builds

Best for: You are weighing software you host and maintain yourself, or a site built for you from scratch.

Other hosted ecommerce platforms

Best for: You want a hosted store platform and are comparing Shopify with its direct competitors.

Creator and digital-product storefronts

Best for: You sell downloads, courses, links or funnels, and a full store may be more than you need.

Already decided? Moving your store

If you have picked a direction, these guides cover the move itself — what transfers, what does not, and in what order.

Questions merchants ask before choosing