How we make this list: we compare vendor pricing pages, product documentation and plan limits, and print the month we checked each price. We don’t accept payment for rankings.
QUICK ANSWER
Square Online is the best Shopify alternative in 2026 because its free plan costs $0 and syncs with Square POS, against Shopify Basic at $39 a month. WordPress ranks second for WooCommerce control, and Wix is the best pick for a general site with a store built in.
Key takeaways
5 of 8 tools in this list have a free plan, and the lowest paid start is $2.99 a month (Hostinger Premium, 48-month term) (Nov 2026).
Square Online ranks first as a Shopify alternative because it sells with no monthly fee.
Shopify Basic costs $39 a month, or $29 a month billed annually, with a 3-day trial.
WordPress with WooCommerce is the best pick for full control over the store.
Hostinger and Framer rank low here because neither has a real store.
Shopify alternatives make sense once the monthly fee, app costs or transaction fees become the problem. Shopify Basic costs $39 a month, or $29 a month billed annually, with a 3-day trial, and apps each add their own fee on top. This list groups the 8 best Shopify alternatives by the reason people leave: price, app costs, transaction fees and missing content tools. Each pick carries a switch-if line, so you can find the tool that fixes your exact complaint.
Starting price$0/month (Free); Plus is $49/month per loc…
Free planYes
Free trial30 days on Plus and Premium
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android
Switch if: Switch if you want to sell without a monthly fee.
Square Online is the best Shopify alternative for sellers who want to stop paying a monthly fee. The free plan publishes a store on a Square subdomain with no monthly fee, and items, stock and orders sync with Square POS, so a seller who already uses Square pays only card processing fees. A custom domain needs Plus at $49 a month per location, and online card payments cost 3.3% plus 30 cents on the free plan.
The catch is the domain and the card rate. Square Free costs $0 a month and publishes on a Square subdomain, but connecting your own domain needs Square Plus at $49 a month per location, and free-plan online card payments cost 3.3% plus 30 cents. Plus and Premium lower the online rate to 2.9% plus 30 cents, and there is no annual discount published.
What we like
Free store with no monthly fee to start (Nov 2026).
Items, stock and orders sync with Square POS.
Pickup, delivery and shipping are built in.
Watch out for
Your own domain needs Plus at $49 a month per location.
Free online card rate is 3.3% plus 30 cents.
Design flexibility is narrower than Squarespace or Webflow.
Starting priceFree software; WordPress.com Personal $9/m…
Free planYes
Free trialNot confirmed
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, API
Switch if: Switch if you want to own your store and skip platform fees.
WordPress with WooCommerce is the Shopify alternative for sellers who want full control. The software is free, WooCommerce is free, and you own the store outright, with no platform fee on sales beyond your payment processor. WordPress.com Personal costs $4 a month billed annually, and since April 2026 it allows plugin installs, though a real store needs the Commerce plan or self-hosting with WooCommerce.
The catch is the extra cost and upkeep around the free core. Self-hosted WordPress costs nothing for the software, but you pay for hosting, a domain and any premium themes or plugins, and you handle updates and security yourself. WordPress.com Personal costs $9 a month, or $4 a month billed annually, and since April 2026 it allows plugin installs, which used to need the Business plan.
What we like
Free software and a free WordPress.com plan to start (Nov 2026).
Thousands of plugins and themes cover almost any job.
You own the site, the content and the data outright.
Watch out for
Hosting, a domain and premium plugins add to the bill.
Switch if: Switch if you want a site and a store in one cheaper bill.
Wix is the Shopify alternative for sellers who want a general site with a store built in. Its editor covers pages, bookings, a blog and a store in one place, and Core at $29 a month billed annually adds payments for a small catalog. The free plan gets a first site online, though selling needs Core, and its store tools are thinner than Shopify for large catalogs.
The catch is lock-in and the tier ladder. The free plan works for a first site, but it carries Wix branding and a Wix subdomain, and moving a finished site elsewhere is painful. Light costs $17 a month billed annually, or $24 month to month, and you need Core at $29 a month billed annually before you can take payments.
What we like
Free plan to start, with an AI site builder on every plan (Nov 2026).
Drag-and-drop editor plus apps for bookings, music and stores.
Light at $17 a month adds a custom domain and removes Wix ads.
Watch out for
Free plan shows Wix branding on a Wix subdomain.
Sites are hard to move to another platform.
Light cannot accept payments; selling starts on Core at $29 a month.
Switch if: Switch if you want a beautiful store for less than Shopify Basic.
Squarespace is the Shopify alternative for sellers who want a beautiful store with no setup. Its templates show off products elegantly, and scheduling, commerce and email tools sit in one bill. Basic costs $19 a month billed annually, with a 14-day trial and no free plan, and it adds a 2% fee on store sales, which only disappears on Core at $29 a month billed annually.
The catch is the price and the missing free plan. Squarespace raised its prices in 2026, so Basic now costs $19 a month billed annually, or $25 month to month, and there is no free tier to fall back on, only a 14-day trial. Basic also takes a 2% fee on store sales, which only disappears on Core at $29 a month billed annually.
What we like
Polished templates that look good with little effort (Nov 2026).
Scheduling, commerce and email tools sit in one bill.
Core adds code injection, unlimited contributors and no store fee.
Watch out for
No free plan, only a 14-day trial.
Basic adds a 2% fee on online store sales.
Prices rose in 2026; Basic was $16 a month before.
Switch if: Switch if you want a storefront that looks like no one else's.
Webflow is the Shopify alternative for brands that want a custom storefront. Its visual canvas gives full control over the shop layout, and its CMS handles products and collections cleanly. Ecommerce plans start at $29 a month, so the store costs about the same as Shopify Basic, but the design freedom is greater. The free Starter plan lets you build before paying, though selling needs a paid plan.
The catch is the learning curve and the split billing. Webflow consolidated its CMS and Business site plans into Premium at $25 a month billed annually in May 2026, so Basic at $15 a month covers static sites only, with no blog or dynamic content. The free Starter plan is limited to two pages on a webflow.io domain, and localization and analytics are paid add-ons.
What we like
Design freedom close to hand-coded sites (Nov 2026).
Free Starter plan to learn the Designer before paying.
Premium adds a structured CMS for blogs and content sites.
Watch out for
Steeper learning curve than drag-and-drop builders.
Basic has no CMS, so blogs need Premium at $25 a month.
Site plans, workspaces and add-ons are billed separately.
Starting pricePremium from $2.49/month on a 48-month ter…
Free planNo
Free trial14 days
PlatformsWeb
Switch if: Switch if you want the cheapest store with no transaction fees.
Hostinger Website Builder is the Shopify alternative for small sellers on a tight budget. Its Unlimited plan adds ecommerce with 0% transaction fees, starting at $3.49 a month on a 48-month term paid upfront, against $39 a month for Shopify Basic. Premium at $2.99 a month has no store, so selling needs Unlimited, which renews at $16.99 a month, and there is no free plan, only a 14-day trial.
The catch is the renewal. Premium costs $2.99 a month only on a 48-month term paid upfront, and it renews at $10.99 a month, so the cheap first term is not the long-term price. Premium also leaves out ecommerce, and the plan caps at a small number of pages, so a growing site pays more sooner than the headline suggests.
What we like
Cheapest intro price in this list (Nov 2026).
Domain free for a year and email included on Premium.
AI builder generates a site from a short description.
Watch out for
No free plan, only a 14-day trial.
Premium renews at $10.99 a month, over three times the intro.
Premium has no store; selling needs Unlimited or above.
Switch if: Switch if your site is a brand page and the store lives elsewhere.
Framer is the Shopify alternative for brands that want a striking site and sell through another checkout. Basic costs $10 a month billed annually, with a custom domain and 1,000 AI credits a month, and the free plan publishes on a Framer domain. There is no native store, so the site links to a checkout elsewhere, which suits brands that sell on a marketplace or through a separate store.
The catch is the per-site price and the missing store. Framer charges per site, so three sites on Basic cost $30 a month billed annually, and extra editors add $20 a month each. Basic at $10 a month billed annually, or $15 month to month, covers 30 pages and 2 CMS collections, and there is no native ecommerce, so selling needs a third-party checkout.
What we like
Free plan publishes on a Framer domain to try before paying (Nov 2026).
AI site generation with 1,000 credits a month on Basic.
Animations and interactions are built in, not bolted on.
Switch if: Switch if you build stores for clients and need white label.
Duda is the Shopify alternative for agencies and designers who build client stores. Its builder produces fast, clean sites with strong technical SEO, and its white-label and client management tools suit teams that hand sites to clients. Basic costs $25 a month, or $19 a month billed annually, for one published site, with a 14-day trial and no free plan, and ecommerce is an add-on.
The catch is the audience. Duda is shaped for agencies and designers who manage client sites, so Basic at $25 a month, or $19 a month billed annually, buys one published site plus client tools a solo user may never open. Team, Agency and White Label climb to $29, $52 and $149 a month billed annually, and extra published sites cost extra.
What we like
Built for agencies, with client management and white label (Nov 2026).
Fast, clean sites with unlimited storage and bandwidth.
150 AI credits a month on every plan, including Basic.
Sources used: vendor pricing pages, vendor product pages and vendor help pages, checked Nov 2026.
Criterion
Weight
What we looked at
Fixes the reason people leave Shopify
40%
We grouped picks by the leave reasons: price, app costs, transaction fees and missing content tools, and favored tools that fix each one.
Price vs Shopify Basic
30%
We compared each tool against Shopify Basic at $39 a month, or $29 a month billed annually, since price drives many switches.
Store strength
30%
We weighed store tools, variant handling and checkout quality, since a weaker store is a bad trade for a lower price.
What are the best Shopify alternatives in 2026?
The best Shopify alternatives in 2026 are Square Online, WordPress and Wix. Square Online leads because its free plan costs $0 and syncs with Square POS, WordPress with WooCommerce is the best pick for full control over the store, and Wix is the best pick for a general site with a store built in.
How much cheaper are Shopify alternatives?
Shopify Basic costs $39 a month, or $29 a month billed annually. Square Online costs $0 on its free plan, WordPress.com Personal is $4 a month billed annually, and Wix Core is $29 a month billed annually. Squarespace Basic is $19 a month billed annually, and Hostinger Unlimited starts at $3.49 a month on a 48-month term, renewing at $16.99 a month.
Is there a free Shopify alternative?
Yes, Square Online, WordPress, Wix, Webflow and Framer all have free plans. Square Online is the strongest free alternative for selling, since its free plan takes orders with no monthly fee, and WordPress is the best free pick for control, since the software and WooCommerce are free. Shopify itself has no free plan, only a 3-day trial.
Why do people leave Shopify?
People leave Shopify for four main reasons: price, with Basic at $39 a month; app costs, since each app adds its own fee; transaction fees, with a 2% fee on Basic when you use a third-party gateway; and weak content tools, since blogging is basic next to WordPress.
Can I switch from Shopify to WordPress?
Yes, most people can switch from Shopify to WordPress with WooCommerce and keep most of their products, customers and orders, using a migration plugin or service, though the theme and the apps need rebuilding. Move the catalog first, set up redirects from the old Shopify URLs, and run both stores for a week before cancelling Shopify.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Shopify alternative?
Square Online is the best Shopify alternative because its free plan costs $0 and syncs with Square POS, against Shopify Basic at $39 a month. WordPress ranks second for WooCommerce control, and Wix is the best pick for a general site with a store built in.
Is Square Online better than Shopify?
Square Online is better than Shopify for sellers who already use Square POS and want no monthly fee, while Shopify is better for sellers who need strong store tools, apps and scale. Square Online is free at a 3.3% plus 30 cents card rate, and Shopify Basic is $39 a month, or $29 billed annually, at 2.9% plus 30 cents.
What is the cheapest Shopify alternative?
Square Online is the cheapest Shopify alternative at $0 a month on its free plan, with only card processing fees. WordPress.com Personal is $4 a month billed annually, Wix Core is $29 a month billed annually, and Hostinger Unlimited with ecommerce starts at $3.49 a month on a 48-month term, though it renews at $16.99 a month.
Does Shopify have a free plan?
No, Shopify has no free plan. It offers a 3-day free trial, then $1 a month for 3 months on most plans, before the standard price starts. Basic costs $39 a month, or $29 a month billed annually. Square Online, WordPress, Wix, Webflow and Framer all have free plans.
How much does Shopify cost?
Shopify Basic costs $39 a month, or $29 a month billed annually, Grow costs $105 a month, or $79 billed annually, and Advanced costs $399 a month, or $299 billed annually. Plus starts at $2,300 a month. Apps add their own fees, and a 2% fee applies on Basic when you use a third-party payment gateway.
Why do people leave Shopify?
People leave Shopify for four main reasons: price, with Basic at $39 a month; app costs, since each app adds its own fee; transaction fees, with a 2% fee on Basic for third-party gateways; and weak content tools, since blogging is basic next to WordPress. This guide groups the alternatives by those reasons.
Which Shopify alternative is best for a small store?
Square Online is the best Shopify alternative for a small store because its free plan costs $0 and syncs with Square POS, which suits sellers who also sell in person. Wix Core at $29 a month billed annually is the best pick for a small store beside a full site, and WordPress with WooCommerce is the best pick for control.
Final verdict
Pick Square Online if you want to sell without a monthly fee.
Pick WordPress if you want to own your store and skip platform fees.
Pick Wix if you want a site and a store in one cheaper bill.
Pick Squarespace if you want a beautiful store for less than Shopify Basic.
Pick Webflow if you want a storefront that looks like no one else's.
Pick Hostinger Website Builder if you want the cheapest store with no transaction fees.
Pick Framer if your site is a brand page and the store lives elsewhere.
Pick Duda if you build stores for clients and need white label.
Looking for the best free website builders? We compared 8 options on pricing, free plans, key features and trade-offs so you can pick the right one fast.