Prices checked October 24, 2026
Shopify compared with the platform you use now
Seven side-by-side guides for brands deciding whether to move to Shopify. Every price and fee comes from each platform's own US pages, checked on October 24, 2026, and every guide says when staying put is the better call.
Pick the platform you use today
Each guide compares ten things side by side, says when to stay, and what a move to Shopify costs and takes.
WooCommerce vs Shopify
WooCommerce is free, open-source software for WordPress: you control the code, and you pay for and run the hosting, extensions, updates and security yourself. Shopify starts at $29 a month billed yearly and runs hosting, security and checkout for you, with no extra transaction fee on Shopify Payments. Choose WooCommerce if you have developers and need full control, and Shopify if you would rather spend that time selling.
Etsy vs Shopify
Etsy brings shoppers to your listings and charges for it on each sale: $0.20 per listing, a 6.5% transaction fee, 3% + $0.25 payment processing in the US, and 12% or 15% on orders from its Offsite Ads. Shopify starts at $29 a month billed yearly with no listing fees and no extra transaction fee on Shopify Payments, but you bring your own traffic. Etsy is the easier start, and Shopify is the better home once customers come back to your brand by name.
Wix vs Shopify
Wix is a website builder that also sells, and it suits a small catalog next to bookings, events or content, with store plans from $29 a month billed yearly. Shopify starts at the same $29 a month billed yearly and is built around the store: checkout, B2B, selling in many countries with Shopify Markets, and thousands of apps. Pick Wix when the website is the business, and Shopify when the store is.
Squarespace vs Shopify
Squarespace is a design-first website builder with a capable shop: plans start at $19 a month billed yearly, with a 2% store fee on Basic and none from Core up. Shopify starts at $29 a month billed yearly and goes further on commerce, with B2B, Shopify Markets for selling abroad and thousands of apps. Stay on Squarespace if the shop is a small part of a content site, and move when the shop becomes the business.
Square vs Shopify
Square is built around in-person payments, and its online store comes with them: a free plan, then Plus at $49 and Premium at $149 a month per location, with online card fees from 2.9% + 30¢. Shopify is built around the online store and adds point of sale on every plan, with POS Pro at $89 a month per location. If most of your sales happen at the counter, Square is simpler, and if most happen online, Shopify fits better.
Magento vs Shopify
Magento can be shaped around almost any catalog or B2B process, but you carry its hosting, extensions, security patches and version upgrades, and Adobe Commerce is priced by quote only. Shopify Plus starts at $2,300 a month on a three-year term and includes hosting, security and platform updates. So the total cost of ownership comes down to one question: does your business logic need code that runs inside the platform?
BigCommerce vs Shopify
BigCommerce and Shopify are both hosted platforms from $29 a month billed yearly, but each BigCommerce plan has a sales limit and moves up automatically as you grow, while Shopify's pricing page sets no sales limit. BigCommerce builds buyer portals, quotes and purchase approvals into its B2B tools, and charges no extra fee with its embedded payment providers. Shopify suits brands that sell mostly direct to consumers and want Shop Pay, Shopify Markets and its app ecosystem.
How we compare
Their pages, not ours
Every price, fee and plan comes from the platform's own pricing page or help center, with the source listed on each guide.
US prices, with the date
Plans change often, so each guide shows US prices and the day we checked them: October 24, 2026.
When to stay
Each guide says who should stay where they are. We earn our living moving the stores that should switch.
Not sure you should switch?
Book a call. We look at your store and tell you whether Shopify would pay off, even when the answer is to stay.