Top pick: WooCommerce. Switching saves about $348 USD a year.
$348 USDa year
$444 CAD
Every pick below has a free version.
3 alternatives
The editor’s first choice for most people switching.
Best for a free store on WordPress you host yourself
The plugin is free under GPL-3.0-or-later. You pay for hosting, a domain, paid extensions and payment fees, and you handle updates and security yourself.
Covers most of the same work, with trade-offs noted on each card.
Best for a self-hosted multi-language store
Free to download under OSL-3.0 for the core and AFL-3.0 for modules. You pay for hosting, modules and payment fees. Setup and upkeep need more technical work than Shopify. Free version: The source code is free to download and host. A paid hosted version is also offered.
Right for specific needs, or not yet mature enough to recommend widely.
Best for developers building a custom headless store
Open source under MIT apart from enterprise-licensed parts. Needs developers to build the storefront and run the server. Medusa Cloud starts from US$29 a month for hosting. Free version: Self-hosting the open-source code is free. Medusa Cloud hosting starts from US$29 a month.
Sponsor this page: $149 for 30 days. Sponsors appear above the ranking, labeled; the ranking itself is not for sale.
How each alternative covers what people use Shopify for. Numbers link to editor notes.
| Feature | WooCommerce | PrestaShop | Medusa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Store | |||
| Hosted online store with themes | PartialNote 1You provide WordPress hosting; themes and extensions are in the marketplace | PartialNote 2Free source code you host yourself; a paid hosted option also exists | PartialNote 3Admin dashboard and storefront starters; you build and host the storefront |
| Sales | |||
| Built-in checkout and payments | YesNote 4You choose your own payment providers | YesNote 5Modules for Stripe, Klarna and PayPal-based checkout | PartialNote 6Payment providers are modules you set up |
| In-person point of sale | PartialNote 7Selling in person needs a separate extension | NoNote 8Not listed on the product page | PartialNote 9Sales channels can include POS; no ready-made POS app is listed |
| Operations | |||
| Products, inventory and orders | Yes | Yes | YesNote 10Product bundles and multi-warehouse inventory |
| Shipping rates and tax handling | PartialNote 11Shipping zones and taxes are built in; shipping labels use an extension | PartialNote 12Carrier modules and a shipping add-on; tax rules are built in | PartialNote 13Multi-region currencies and regional tax rules |
| Ecosystem | |||
| App store and extensions | YesNote 14A marketplace of hundreds of extensions and themes; many are paid | YesNote 15The Addons marketplace sells modules and themes | PartialNote 16Modules and plugins; a smaller ecosystem |
| AI | |||
| Built-in AI assistant | NoNote 17No built-in assistant | NoNote 18No built-in assistant | NoNote 19Only developer tooling for agents |
| Parity score | 64% | 57% | 50% |
Not covered by any free alternative yet: Hosted online store with themes, Shipping rates and tax handling, In-person point of sale, Built-in AI assistant. See all feature gaps
Switching saves about $348 USD / $444 CAD a year. Prices checked .
Based on Shopify Basic, yearly billing. Price source.
Last verified . Ranking: tier first, then the published score.
Something wrong or out of date? Report outdated info.
Shopify is a product of Shopify, named here for comparison only. Platforms listed for Shopify: Web, iOS, Android.