Are There Any Alternatives To Shopify For Dropshipping

October 22 2021 02:23

Winnie

Are There Any Alternatives To Shopify For Dropshipping

Shopify is arguably the most popular e-commerce platform in the world right now, powering more than one million businesses in more than 175 countries. But just because Shopify is popular doesn't mean it's without downsides. Most people look for a Shopify alternative for the following reasons:

They don't want to use Shopify payments because of the 2% transaction fee on each sale
They want more control over site SEO
They have a large, complex catalog, and Shopify might not be able to keep up
They're just frustrated for some other reasons

If you're unsatisfied with Shopify and would like to explore other options, here are the best alternatives that you can try.

1. WooCommerce

Launched in 2011, WooCommerce is one of the most popular e-commerce platforms in the world and is just as powerful as Shopify. It's an open-source e-commerce platform that's built on top of WordPress. Not only does this plugin have the standard e-commerce feature, but it also comes free and empowers you with the freedom to completely tailor your site to fit your needs and reach your customers who may be interested in your product. With a little tweaking, you can build your mobile-friendly site and pay for only hosting.

2. BigCommerce

BigCommerce is another trusted market with an extensive collection of regular features on the platform and some extras on top. If you're looking to create and scale your online store, BigCommerce may just be the perfect tool. Its themes are downright stunning, but just seven of them are free, meaning you will have to pay to use other themes. Its pricing structure is quite similar to that of Shopify, with the basic plan starting from $29.95 per month. What's more, BigCommerce also supports multiple payment options and different currencies, allowing you to cater to a wide range of customers worldwide.

3. Wix

Wix has been around for over 15 years and is one of the most popular website builders around, with a variety of features for you to use in the process, and you can get started for free. You get access to more than 100 hundred templates, a wide range of apps, highly customizable theme options, and more. When you want to build a website that looks exactly just like you imagined without needing to work with code, Wix is one of your best bets as it offers simple tools like drag and drop. Additionally, Wix allows newbies to start creating their website for free but keep in mind that you won't be able to sell your products until you upgrade, and you will have Wix ads on your site until you do. Business plans start from $23/month.

4. Volusion

The British-bred Volusion is a reliable alternative to Shopify and shares some similarities with it. For instance, they are both cloud-based platforms, which means you don't have to deal with web hosting or software updates yourself since the service provider is responsible for that. Also, the pricing plans are based on the number of add-ons and plugins you want to connect to your online store, and they cost either $29, $79, or $299 per month. Apart from its reasonable pricing, beginners also find Volusion attractive because it is user-friendly as you can start selling your products without hassles.

5. Magento

Magento is not suitable for new dropshippers because its premium plans can be pricey, as you would see in a moment, but it is one of the best alternatives to Shopify. It is an open-source, feature-rich, and downloadable platform with a large network of developers working to create additional functionality for the platform. To use Magento, you will need to download the program and install it on a compatible web server. Although Magento is free to use for a start, you won't get support until you upgrade to premium plans, and one of such plans, the Gold Support package costs more than $22,000.

6. Big Cartel

If you've never heard of Big Cartel, you're not alone as the e-commerce platform isn't very popular among dropshippers, but it is a fantastic alternative to Shopify, offering unlimited bandwidth, inventory tracking, HTML and CSS customization, payment processing, tons of features and affordable pricing. Its pricing is slightly lower than the industry average ($9.99/month to $29.99/month), and you can also leverage the free plan if you sell fewer than five products.

7. Shift4Shop

Formerly known as 3dcart, Shift4Shop has been in business since 1997, making it one of the oldest e-commerce platforms around. It is actually a cloud-hosted shopping cart platform that offers a free plan without any limitations, which is something that's nearly impossible to find among other e-commerce solutions. Plus, there is no compulsion to upgrade to a premium plan no matter how much revenue you make from the platform, but, of course, upgrading lets you unlock more features. This makes it a fantastic choice for small businesses looking to scale. Prices start from $19.

8. Weebly

While you won't get close to the number of features available on Shopify, Weebly is particularly suitable for dropshippers that want simplicity. It is a user-friendly website development platform that lets you set up your online store in no time and with minimal stress. Weebly has just about everything you might want in an e-commerce platform, and that includes social media plug-ins, Google Analytics, and payment processing software. Additionally, Weebly is one of the cheaper options available on the market, with prices for online stores hovering around £10, £20, or £30. Keep in mind that these prices are for yearly plans.

9. Squarespace

One of the top contenders vying for Shopify's crown is Squarespace. Most of its users race about its incredible themes but what most people don't know is that Squarespace also has powerful customization tools and classy templates. The website builder isn't just beginner-friendly but also focuses on designers and small businesses, which means this is the option to choose if you want your store to appear professionally designed and expensive as though you invested a lot of time and money into building it.

Conclusion

Finding the right alternative to Shopify can be a pretty overwhelming task, but knowing what to look out for can make the search easier. The e-commerce platform that's right for you should offer the following: value for money, flexibility, robust e-commerce tools, and excellent SEO tools.

When you have selected an alternative to Shopify, you will still need to find suppliers for your online store. You don't need to look too far as Doba has got you covered. Doba has been a leading dropshipping website since 2002, dedicated to providing high-quality dropshipping suppliers and products for online sellers to dropship. Doba provides integrations with top marketplaces and e-commerce platforms, including Amazon, eBay, Shopify, and more，allowing sellers to add products to their stores and sync orders to the suppliers to fulfill efficiently.