Shopify remains one of the most widely used ecommerce platforms, but it isn't the only option, and it isn't the right fit for every seller.
Most people looking for an alternative are usually trying to solve one of a few specific problems: avoiding Shopify's third-party payment surcharge (which currently runs 2.0% on the Basic plan, 1.0% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced, and 0.2% on Plus if you skip Shopify Payments), wanting more direct control over site SEO, running a catalog too large or complex for Shopify's structure, or simply wanting a different pricing model.
Here's an updated look at nine alternatives, what's actually changed about each one recently, and where they fit.
1. WooCommerce
WooCommerce remains a free, open-source plugin built on top of WordPress, and that hasn't changed. You pay for hosting and any premium extensions or themes you add, rather than a platform subscription — which gives you more control over cost and customization than a hosted platform, at the cost of having to manage more of the technical setup yourself. It's a solid fit if you already run WordPress or want full control over your stack. WooCommerce's own site has current extension and hosting-partner pricing, since that's where most of the real cost sits.
2. BigCommerce
BigCommerce restructured its plans on June 1, 2026: Standard, Plus, Pro, and Enterprise were renamed Core, Growth, Scale, and Performance.
Base prices didn't move much — Core runs $39/month ($29 billed annually), Growth $105/month ($79 annually), and Scale $399/month ($299 annually), with Performance custom-priced from roughly $1,499/month — but the trailing-12-month revenue thresholds that force an upgrade dropped sharply (Core's cap fell from $50,000 to $30,000, for instance), and a new Open Payment Provider Fee of up to 2% now applies to orders processed outside BigCommerce's approved gateway list.
If your revenue is growing, check where you'd actually land under the new caps before assuming your current plan still fits. BigCommerce's own pricing page has the current numbers. If you go this route, Doba's BigCommerce integration can handle product listing and order sync on the supplier side.
3. Wix
Wix's ecommerce entry point is now the Core plan at $29/month (billed annually), not a standalone "Business" plan — the lineup runs Light ($17, no ecommerce), Core ($29), Business ($39), and Business Elite ($159). All ecommerce plans include Wix Payments with no added Wix transaction fee.
Wix remains a strong option if you want a drag-and-drop builder rather than a headless or code-first setup. Wix's pricing page has current figures, and Doba's Wix integration covers listing and inventory sync if you pick this route.
4. Volusion
Volusion's current plans are Personal at $35/month, Professional at $79/month, and Business at $299/month, plus a custom-quoted Prime tier for high-GMV sellers — a similar structure to before, though the exact numbers have shifted. It's a reasonable like-for-like swap for sellers who want a hosted, cloud-based platform without WordPress or a heavier enterprise tool.
Check Volusion's own pricing page directly, since this is exactly the kind of figure that moves without much notice.
5. Magento (Now Adobe Commerce)
This is the biggest change since the original version of this article: Magento is now marketed as Adobe Commerce, following Adobe's acquisition of the platform. Adobe Commerce itself is enterprise-priced and custom-quoted — realistically not the right fit for a new dropshipper, same as before.
Magento Open Source still exists as a free, self-hosted version under the original name, but it requires your own hosting and development resources to run, closer to WooCommerce's model than a hosted platform. If you're evaluating this option, check Adobe's Commerce product page to see current packaging before assuming "Magento" refers to one single product.
6. Big Cartel
Big Cartel is still a smaller, less common choice among dropshippers specifically, but it remains active, with pricing starting around $9.99/month and a free plan available for stores selling five or fewer products. It's a reasonable fit for small, curated catalogs — artists and small-batch sellers in particular — rather than a large, fast-moving dropshipping catalog. Big Cartel's pricing page has current tiers.
7. Shift4Shop
This one changed in a way worth flagging directly: Shift4Shop is no longer free. It previously offered an unlimited free plan for stores using its own payment processing, but its pricing page now lists a single paid plan at roughly $41/month, with no free tier.
If you were considering Shift4Shop specifically because of its old free-plan reputation, confirm the current terms on Shift4Shop's own pricing page before building a cost comparison around outdated information. Doba's Shift4Shop integration is available if you move forward with it.
8. Weebly (Now Square Online)
Another significant change: Weebly no longer exists as a standalone brand. Square (now Block, Inc.) acquired Weebly in 2018 and has since folded it into Square Online, which is the product you'd actually sign up for today — it has a free tier, with paid tiers adding features like real-time shipping rates.
If you're specifically drawn to Weebly's old reputation for simplicity, Square Online is effectively its successor, not a separate product to compare against it. Check Square's own online-store page for current plans, and note that Square is one of Doba's supported integrations if you go this route.
9. Squarespace
Squarespace raised its top-tier "Advanced" plan from $99/month to $139/month in April 2026 — a 40% jump worth knowing about if you're comparing against older pricing you may have seen elsewhere.
Current plans run roughly $16–$25/month (Basic), $23–$36/month (Core), $39–$56/month (Plus), and $99–$139/month (Advanced), depending on monthly versus annual billing. It remains a strong pick if design and template quality matter more to you than deep ecommerce feature depth. Squarespace's pricing page has current numbers.
Choosing the Right Platform
The right alternative depends on what you're actually optimizing for: WooCommerce and Magento Open Source if you want full control and don't mind managing hosting yourself; BigCommerce, Wix, or Squarespace if you want a hosted platform with strong built-in features; Volusion or Shift4Shop if you want a straightforward, US-focused hosted cart; and Big Cartel or Square Online if you're running a smaller, simpler catalog.
Whichever platform you land on, revisit this comparison periodically — three of the nine platforms above changed their pricing structure, plan names, or even their brand name within the past year alone, which says something about how quickly this space moves.
Once you've picked a platform, you'll still need suppliers and products behind it.
Doba has been a dropshipping supplier network since 2002, with integrations across most of the platforms mentioned above — Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix, WooCommerce, Shift4Shop, Square, plus eBay and Amazon — so switching platforms doesn't necessarily mean switching your entire supplier setup.
Whatever platform's total cost you're weighing, running the numbers through Doba's profit calculator alongside the platform's own subscription and transaction fees gives you a fuller picture than the sticker price alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1:Is there a Shopify alternative with no monthly fee at all?
WooCommerce and Magento Open Source are both free as software, though you still pay for hosting, and typically for premium themes or extensions — so "free" describes the license, not your total cost. Among fully hosted platforms, free tiers are more limited than they used to be; Shift4Shop, for instance, dropped its unlimited free plan.
Q2:Which Shopify alternative is cheapest for a small dropshipping store?
It depends on what you need beyond hosting a catalog. Big Cartel's free tier (five products or fewer) and entry paid tier are among the lowest sticker prices here, but check whether it supports the order volume and integrations your dropshipping workflow actually needs before choosing based on price alone.
Q3:Do any of these platforms charge a transaction fee the way Shopify does on third-party payment providers?
It varies by platform and has changed recently in a few cases — BigCommerce's new Open Payment Provider Fee (up to 2%) is a good example of a platform adding a fee where one didn't previously exist. Check each platform's current payments documentation directly rather than assuming last year's fee structure still applies.
