# Shopify review

All-in-one e-commerce platform for building and running online stores, from $39/month with a 3-day free trial.

By Noah — last updated & pricing verified September 15, 2026.

> **Shopify** is a hosted commerce platform that provides the storefront, checkout, inventory, and order-management infrastructure for running an online store, so merchants don't manage their own hosting or payment infrastructure directly.

Beyond the storefront builder (with AI-assisted design and prebuilt themes), Shopify includes Shopify Checkout with Shop Pay for faster conversions, multichannel selling across social platforms and marketplaces, Shopify Markets for international expansion, and an AI assistant (Sidekick) for surfacing growth opportunities and automating routine tasks. Its Shop app reaches over 250 million shoppers, and developers can extend stores through 21,000+ apps in the Shopify App Store or build fully custom storefronts using its APIs, CLI, and Hydrogen headless-commerce toolkit. Shopify serves everyone from solo entrepreneurs launching a first store to large enterprise brands running complex, multi-region commerce operations on Shopify Plus.

## Facts

- Website: https://shopify.com
- Pricing: From $39/mo (verified undefined NaN, NaN)
- License: Paid
- Platforms: web, ios, android
- Best for: solo entrepreneurs and growing merchants who want an all-in-one hosted platform for building an online store, accepting payments, and selling across multiple channels without managing their own hosting
- Standout feature: A fully hosted, all-in-one platform combining storefront builder, high-converting checkout (Shop Pay), inventory, and multichannel selling (social, marketplaces, in-person POS), backed by a 21,000+ app ecosystem.
- Biggest weakness: Card processing rates and third-party app costs stack on top of the base subscription, and reviewers say total cost climbs quickly once apps, themes, and higher-tier shipping discounts are added; using a payment processor other than Shopify Payments also adds extra transaction fees on top of the plan price.
- Third-party ratings: Capterra 4.5/5 (6,707 reviews)
- Categories: [E-commerce & Selling](https://findalternative.to/categories/ecommerce)

## Pricing snapshot

| Plan | Price | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Basic | $39/mo | Online store, unlimited products, checkout, selling on social/marketplaces/AI chats. $29/month billed annually. Target: solo entrepreneurs. |
| Grow | $105/mo | Everything in Basic plus up to 5 staff accounts and enhanced shipping discounts (up to 87% off). $79/month billed annually. Target: small teams. |
| Advanced | $399/mo | Up to 15 staff accounts, live third-party shipping rates, regional customization. $299/month billed annually. Target: global operations. |
| Plus | $2300/mo | Unlimited staff accounts, fully customizable checkout, up to 200 POS locations, unlimited B2B catalogs, priority 24/7 support. Target: complex, high-volume businesses. |

## Pros and cons

- Pro: Quick to launch an online store without managing hosting or server infrastructure.
- Pro: Reliable, high-converting built-in checkout (Shop Pay) and payment processing.
- Pro: Large app ecosystem (21,000+ apps) for extending functionality without custom development.
- Pro: Multichannel selling built in across social platforms, marketplaces, and in-person POS.
- Con: Third-party apps and premium themes add up quickly beyond the base subscription price.
- Con: Non-Shopify Payments processors incur extra transaction fees on every plan.
- Con: Customizing beyond templates requires learning Shopify's proprietary Liquid templating language.
- Con: Plus tier jumps to $2,300+/month, a large gap from Advanced's $399/month.

## AI summary

- Shopify has no permanent free tier; Basic starts at $39/month ($29/month billed annually).
- Grow is $105/month; Advanced is $399/month; Plus starts at $2,300/month.
- Shopify holds a 4.5/5 rating from 6,707 reviews on Capterra.
- Shopify's app ecosystem includes 21,000+ apps.
- The Shop app reaches over 250 million shoppers.
- Best for: solo entrepreneurs and growing merchants wanting an all-in-one hosted online store platform
- Pricing: No permanent free tier (3-day trial). Basic from $39/month; Grow from $105/month; Advanced from $399/month; Plus from $2,300/month.
- Top alternatives: WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Wix, Squarespace, Adobe Commerce
- Limitation: Third-party apps and themes add cost quickly beyond the base plan.
- Limitation: Non-Shopify Payments processors incur extra transaction fees.
- Limitation: Deep customization requires learning Shopify's proprietary Liquid language.

## Alternatives

5 vetted alternatives to Shopify: https://findalternative.to/shopify — top picks: WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Wix

## Comparisons

- https://findalternative.to/compare/bigcommerce-vs-shopify
- https://findalternative.to/compare/gumroad-vs-shopify
- https://findalternative.to/compare/shopify-vs-squarespace
- https://findalternative.to/compare/shopify-vs-wix
- https://findalternative.to/compare/shopify-vs-woocommerce

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