Shopify
Shopify. Good at one thing, expensive at the rest.
I have built on Shopify and I understand why people choose it, so when I talk about Shopify alternatives it is not from the outside. I also rarely recommend it, and this page explains why honestly: what it does well, where the fees and the limits bite, and what I usually suggest instead.
What Shopify does well.
Credit where it is due.
- Nothing to maintainHosting, security, updates and PCI compliance are handled. You never think about a server.
- A reliable checkoutFast, trusted and well tested, with Shop Pay for returning customers. It converts.
- Quick to launchA simple catalogue can be selling in days from a theme, with no technical involvement.
- Point of saleIf you run a physical shop, Shopify POS and the online store share stock and customers neatly.
- An app for everythingReviews, subscriptions, bundles, loyalty: there is an app, usually several.
- Scales without effortA busy sale day is Shopify’s problem, not yours.
Where it catches shops out.
The reasons I usually recommend something else.
- The fees stack upA monthly plan, then transaction fees unless you use their payment system, then an app subscription for most things the shop grows into. It is rarely the price you first saw.
- Most of the good apps are paidFeatures that are free plugins or plain code elsewhere become monthly subscriptions, and they add weight to every page.
- You cannot really tweak itThemes are customisable within limits; the checkout on standard plans and the platform’s own behaviour are not. When you need something the platform did not anticipate, you are stuck or paying for Plus.
- The URL structure is fixedEvery product lives under /products/ and every category under /collections/, with no way to change it. For SEO on a content-led shop, that is a permanent handicap.
- Content is an afterthoughtBlogging and pages are basic. A shop that wins through guides and content is better served where content is a first-class citizen.
- It is their platform, not yoursYou rent the store. Prices, features and terms can change under you, and leaving means rebuilding.
Shopify or WooCommerce?
The comparison I actually walk clients through.
| Consideration | Shopify | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Running costs | Monthly plan, payment or transaction fees, app subscriptions | Hosting and maintenance only; no platform fee, no cut of sales |
| Control | Within the theme and the platform’s rules | Complete: every template, every step of checkout |
| Customisation | Apps, or developer time inside Liquid; checkout locked on standard plans | Anything, via plugins or code written for the job |
| SEO | Good basics; fixed URL structure; weak content tools | Full control of structure, content and technical SEO |
| Content | Basic blog and pages | WordPress: the best content platform there is |
| Maintenance | None | Updates needed; a care plan advised |
| Checkout | Excellent and consistent | Excellent when built well; fully customisable |
| Point of sale | Strong | Possible via integrations |
| Ownership | Rented | Yours |
For a simple shop that must launch fast with zero technical involvement, Shopify is a fair choice and I will say so. For almost everything else, a WooCommerce shop built lean costs less to run, ranks better and can become whatever the business needs.
For very large or B2B operations, Magento enters the conversation. For a buying process that is not a standard basket at all, bespoke software does. The platform follows the business.
Already on Shopify?
I can help you improve it, or help you leave.
If the store is working and you are happy paying for it, I will make it better: theme work, speed within the platform’s limits, SEO on the pages you can control, and a clear-out of apps that are costing money and slowing pages.
If the fees and the ceiling have become a drag, a move to WooCommerce keeps your products, customers, orders and rankings and removes the monthly bill. Either way, the advice comes first and it is honest.
Ask about your Shopify storeThe alternatives in practice.
The alternative I usually recommend is laid out on the WooCommerce page, with three live shops. What actually drives the cost of a website covers the running-cost comparison in more depth.
Shopify questions, answered.
Yes, I have built Shopify stores and I know the platform well, which is why I can be specific about where it falls short. If you have a Shopify store and want it improved, I can help. If you are choosing a platform for a new shop, this page explains why I usually recommend something else.
Nothing is wrong with it; it is a well-run platform that does a narrow job well. My reservations are about cost and control: the monthly plan is only the start once apps and payment fees are added, and the things you cannot change, the checkout on standard plans, the URL structure, the parts of the theme that sit behind the platform, are exactly the things an ambitious shop eventually wants to change.
To start, often yes. Over three years, usually no. Shopify’s plan fee, app subscriptions and payment or transaction fees accumulate every month; a WooCommerce shop costs hosting and maintenance, with no platform fee and no cut of each sale. I work through the real comparison for your numbers before recommending anything.
For a simple catalogue that needs to be live quickly with no technical involvement at all, for a business that already runs Shopify POS in a physical shop, or for a short-lived store where the monthly fee is a fair trade for having nothing to maintain. In those cases it is a sensible choice and I will say so.
Yes. Products, collections, customers and order history can be exported and migrated to WooCommerce, every product and collection address is redirected so rankings carry over, and the switch is timed so trading continues. Most shops that move do it because the fees and the limits have become a drag on growth.
Of course. Theme work, speed, SEO within the limits the platform allows, and app clean-up are all things I do on Shopify stores. I will just be honest about the ceiling when you hit it, and about the Shopify alternatives that remove it.
Choosing a shop platform?
Tell me what you sell, how many products and how you want to run things. I’ll give you a straight recommendation, even if it is Shopify.
- 1You send a few lines.What the business does and what the website needs to do.
- 2I reply, personally.Usually the same day, with questions and a time for a call.
- 3You get a written proposal.Scope, stages and price for exactly that. No obligation, no hard sell.
Monday to Sunday, 9am to 9pm. You talk to me, not an account manager.