Question 1

What is Shopify?

Accepted Answer

Shopify dominates DTC. Alternatives focus on digital goods, self-hosting and code-first stores.

Question 2

What does Shopify do?

Accepted Answer

Hosts storefronts with themes, product catalogues, carts and checkout, plus inventory, shipping and order management. Adds payments, point of sale for in-person selling, and an app store for extensions.

Question 3

Who is Shopify for?

Accepted Answer

Retailers and DTC brands selling physical goods who want hosting, checkout, payments and shipping in one paid platform. Overkill for someone selling a handful of digital downloads.

Question 4

What are the best alternatives to Shopify?

Accepted Answer

Medusa, Saleor and Vendure are open-source, code-first commerce backends. Lemon Squeezy handles digital products as merchant of record, while Snipcart and Reflow bolt a cart onto an existing site.

Question 5

How much does Shopify cost?

Accepted Answer

Shopify has a paid pricing model starting at $39/mo (Basic).

Question 6

Who founded Shopify?

Accepted Answer

Shopify was founded by Tobi Lütke, Daniel Weinand, Scott Lake in 2006, based in Ottawa, Canada.

Question 7

What category does Shopify fall under?

Accepted Answer

Shopify is listed in E-commerce. See all e-commerce tools in our directory.

Alternatives to Shopify

Pricing

About

Founders

Top alternatives

Lemon Squeezy

Snipcart

Medusa

Saleor

Reflow

Vendure