Shopify Plus vs Competitors: Which is Right for You?

E-commerce platforms are more than creating online stores and selling products. You need a platform that goes beyond just creating beautiful websites. The core reason for any eCommerce platform built must help your business with features that assist you in managing your product inventory, providing memorable customer experiences, optimizing marketing workflows, and much more.

Shopify Plus fulfills these benchmarks effortlessly. No one can beat its ease of use, flexibility, and automation capabilities. As your eCommerce business grows, upgrades will be required to dwell in this highly competitive market. But Shopify Plus does not offer everything you need.

Let’s make a quick presumption, you have landed on this page probably since:

• You didn’t find the feature you are looking for
• The price didn’t match your budget
• You don’t want to deal with the complexities of e-commerce technicalities

Whatever the reason may be, in one word, you are looking for a credible Shopify Plus alternative. This is the right place for your queries. In this blog, we will move forward along with the Shopify Plus definition, key features, advantages, disadvantages, and Shopify free alternative in 2024 and explore why they might be worth it to be your best bet.

A Brief Overview: Shopify Plus Simplified

What is Shopify Plus?

First introduced in 2014, Shopify Plus is a next-generation eCommerce platform uniquely built for high-volume enterprise brands. Shopify Plus is popular among fast-growing merchants because of its customization, seamless automation, combined with faster speeds.

You can connect your online store to the systems through flexible APIs as headless tech architecture is implemented in Shopify Plus. It decouples the backend, i.e. order payments, inventory management, and front-end of your website, allowing developers more control over their storefronts to provide a seamless customer experience.

Key Features of Shopify Plus

• Flexible APIs for customized integrations
• Shopify Plus never disappoints in scalability
• High-performance digital stores
• Dedicated & experienced account manager
• Manage up to 10 stores simultaneously
• Customized payment & checkouts
• Track analytics & requirements
• Cost-effective payment supports
• 24/7 dedicated customer support
• Wholesale channel management
• Manage promotional campaigns
• Automatic task management

Advantages & Disadvantages of Shopify Plus

Advantages

Get the UX Design You Want

With Shopify Plus, get the creative design for your customized website that suits your business requirements. Flexibility is the key when you’re planning to deliver unique customer experiences to your customers.

Faster Performance

When you go for Shopify Plus, headless architecture does wonders for the platform’s performance as both front-end and back-end are separated from each other. Both are designed in such a way that they complement each other, and one part is not left slowing the other. It helps you build a faster eCommerce store for your customers.

Stay Ahead in the eCommerce Competition

Going with headless solutions assures a futureproof eCommerce ecosystem that will make software updates simpler and faster. Keeping your eCommerce store future-ready with headless technology should be highly recommended to travel the extra mile to compete with industry contenders.

Leave the eCommerce Complexities to Shopify

The job is half done when you go to Shopify Plus for your eCommerce business. Setting e-commerce business has never been a piece of cake when dealing with complex enterprise challenges. Shopify does this job seamlessly to save you from unwanted technical responsibilities. Leave your business complexities to Shopify Plus, and the rest will be taken care of.

Disadvantages

If you are using a Monolithic-based eCommerce platform, you cannot convert into a headless straightaway. You need to build from scratch to transpose your existing eCommerce system. Other drawbacks are high transactional fees for external payment gateways, narrow control over the hosting environment, more platform dependency, etc.

Cost Can be a Factor if You’re on a Limited Budget

Price is the bitter part when investing a huge sum of money in setting up an eCommerce business. You are already paying extra for miscellaneous business needs. Shopify Plus adds the extra burden a bit more as they charge a monthly fee of $2000. You will be charged extra for third-party app integration.

Technical Debt Possibility for Complex Stores

We agree it’s a rare event, but this can become a cause of concern for complex stores. If you are excessively using tagging, scripts, and apps that can be twisted and influence the manageability of the store, it can make things like creating a shipping rule a lot more complex for customers. Avoid such issues at all costs as they can quickly become problematic and hamper overall store efficiency.

Shopify Plus is Not the Only Choice

But Shopify is not the end of eCommerce as there is fierce competition in the marketplace and many free Shopify competitors are available to give a better fight against it. Here are some notable market players similar to Shopify are BigCommerce, Magento Commerce, and Salesforce Commerce Cloud that equally deserve your attention. Although they differ in their features and pricing plans. Shopify Plus is not the only option in the market. Read further to find out who can be better than Shopify and explore more about our suitable advice to choose the free Shopify alternatives.

Top 5 Best Shopify Competitor Analysis

Discover the top contenders in the eCommerce realm with our comprehensive guide to the Best Shopify alternatives. Let’s explore the different competitors to Shopify below.

Magento

• Create a stunning eCommerce store with cutting-edge features
• Stay stress-free about safe payment transactions
• Enjoy the benefits of add-ons and extensions
• Trusted name for scalability & flexibility

BigCommerce

• No prior coding knowledge required
• Try your hands on exciting drag-and-drop visual editing tools
• Sell on multiple channels with ease
• Editable URLs and SEO optimization
• Designed for enterprises needs

Ecwid

• Connect your e-store to social networks seamlessly
• Connect your digital store to websites with few clicks
• Ecwid can identify & translate in 51 languages
• Reap the benefits of no-cost plan with Ecwid
• Offers comprehensive supports systems including email, live chat

Wix

• Best value for money & beginner-friendly
• PCI-compliant, free-SSL certificate & high-end security measures
• Zero transaction fees on third party payment gateways
• Drag-and-drop visual editor
• Built-in SEO tools
• Free domain on all pricing

Dukan

• Trusted Indian eCommerce platform for complete B2B & D2C transactions
• Very easy to set up & UI friendly
• Sell unlimited products through 22+ worldwide data center network
• Faster loading time
• Zero Transaction fees
• No learning curve required

OpenCart

• Up-to-date framework to build professional eCommerce websites
• User-friendly dashboard with large numbers of extensions
• Extremely affordable
• Supports multiple payment gateways
• Easy to launch & suitable for most eCommerce stores

Weebly

• Simple website builder with affordable price
• Offers 70+ store templates
• Launch your e-store faster
• Free trail available
• Stunning free themes
• Free apps & tools available

Factors to Consider Before Choosing Shopify Plus Alternatives

• Focus on key features– Prepare a quick list of features you are searching for. Try not to deviate from your core requirements. It will help you to not get lost in the sea of options
• Value for money: There is no point if you invest your hard-earned money into the wrong e-commerce platform. Always make sure you don’t need to pay extra for unwanted features. Many free and open-source options are available for Shopify plus alternative, give it a try before making your final decision
• Never undermine the Shipping options– Think from the customer’s point of view, as they prefer free and seamless shipping options for faster checkouts. Look for the best Shopify alternatives that offer the best shipping options to save time and effort.

Conclusion

If you have come this far, we assume that you’ve got a broad idea about Shopify Plus and what can be its alternatives in 2024. Now, you know what to expect from it. For major instances, if you’re willing to take your eCommerce business to the next level, the disadvantages of Shopify Plus can be outweighed.

While amid the strong buzz against websites like Shopify Plus, it remains a strong contender. However, platforms like Magento, BigCommerce, and OpenCart offer compelling Shopify free alternatives with their own set of pros and cons.

Choosing an alternative to Shopify is not as straightforward as it looks. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution specifically in the eCommerce domain. Apply this knowledge resource to build a profitable eCommerce store using any of the platforms we’ve mentioned in this blog. Assess your business requirements before making the final decision. For expert assistance, Ignitiv can be your partner to commence your successful eCommerce journey.