Website builder that drafts your site from a prompt, with booking, shop and email tools.
Website & App Builders
Shopify
Online store platform with an AI assistant, Sidekick, that helps you build and run it.
4.4our rating
PaidFrom $29/moWorks with Claude Code
Quick take
- The default choice for selling products online: store, checkout, payments, shipping and point of sale in one account.
- Basic is $29 a month billed yearly ($39 monthly); Grow is $79 yearly ($105 monthly). New stores usually get a few days free, then $1 a month for three months.
- Sidekick, the built-in AI assistant, is included on every plan. It can build themes, write copy, set up discounts and answer questions about your sales.
- Budget for apps and card fees on top of the plan. They often cost more than the plan itself.
What is Shopify?
Shopify is the platform millions of businesses use to run an online store: website, product catalogue, checkout, payments, shipping, inventory and an in-person point of sale, all in one account. Its AI is built in on every plan. Sidekick is an assistant inside your store admin: ask it in plain English to build a store theme, write product descriptions, set up a discount, create an automated workflow, or explain why sales dipped last week. Shopify Magic adds AI writing and image editing across the admin, and Shopify Inbox can suggest replies to shopper chats.
Pick Shopify when selling products is the business and you want one system that grows with you, plus the biggest choice of apps, themes and experts to help. Website builders like Wix, Framer or Durable are better if a store is a small side part of your site. Lovable or Base44 can build a custom shop app, but you then own payments, security and upkeep yourself. Shopify can also list your products for sale inside AI chat apps like ChatGPT.
The catch: the monthly plan is only the start. Most stores add paid apps for reviews, email, subscriptions and more, and card fees come off every sale (with an extra fee if you don't use Shopify Payments). Sidekick works for the store owner, not shoppers, and can't fix everything. Deeper design changes still need a developer or theme expert.
Who's using it, and who it's for
- Online stores
- Product brands
- Retailers
- Makers and creators
- Dropshippers
Anyone selling physical or digital products online, from first-time sellers to established brands.
Key features
Sidekick
An AI assistant in your admin that builds and edits your store, writes copy, creates discounts and workflows, and explains your numbers.
Shopify Magic
AI writing for product descriptions, emails and FAQs, plus AI image editing for product photos.
Online store and checkout
Themes, a fast checkout and Shopify Payments, with Shop Pay for one-tap buying.
Sell everywhere
List products on Instagram, TikTok, Google, marketplaces and AI chat apps, and sell in person with POS.
Orders, stock and shipping
Manage inventory across locations, print labels and get discounted shipping rates.
App store
Thousands of apps for email, reviews, subscriptions and more when you need them.
How we rate it
4.4 / 5
Our rating
From using the tool ourselves. The average of the five scores.
- Ease of use
- 4.5
- Features
- 5.0
- Output quality
- 4.0
- Value for money
- 4.0
- Speed & reliability
- 4.5
How quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
How completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
How good the results are before you fix them.
What you get for the price, including the free plan.
How fast it is and how often it falls over.
Shopify pricing
- Our pick
Basic
$29/mo billed yearly, or $39 monthly
New and solo sellers.
- Online store, checkout and Sidekick
- Lower card rates than selling without Shopify Payments
- Basic reports
- Sell on social channels
Grow
$79/mo billed yearly, or $105 monthly
Small teams with steady sales.
- Lower card rates than Basic
- Up to 5 staff accounts
- Bigger shipping discounts
- More detailed reports
Advanced
$299/mo billed yearly, or $399 monthly
Bigger stores selling internationally.
- Lowest standard card rates
- Up to 15 staff accounts
- Live third-party shipping rates
- Region-specific stores
Plus
From $2,300/mo
High-volume and complex businesses.
- Checkout customisation
- B2B and wholesale tools
- Priority support
Which plan should you pick?
Start on Basic; Sidekick and the core store are the same on every plan. Move to Grow when you add staff or your monthly sales are high enough that its lower card rates cover the price difference.
Prices in USD unless noted, checked 22 October 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on their site before you buy.
Best use cases
Ways Shopify can slot into your week.
- 1
Build your first store
Describe your brand to Sidekick, let it set up a theme and starter pages, then add products and connect a domain.
- 2
Write product listings faster
Generate product descriptions from a few key points and clean up product photos with AI image editing.
- 3
Ask about your sales
Ask Sidekick which products sold best last month or why conversion dropped, instead of digging through reports.
- 4
Set up promotions
Tell Sidekick to create a 15% discount for customers who haven't bought in 90 days and draft the win-back email.
- 5
Sell at markets and pop-ups
Use Shopify POS on a phone or tablet so in-person sales and stock stay in sync with your online store.
How it fits your tech stack
Shopify becomes the centre of an online business. Most stores add Klaviyo for email, an analytics tool like Triple Whale, and accounting links to Xero or QuickBooks, all through its app store.
Connects to
- Klaviyo
- TikTok
- Amazon
- Xero
- QuickBooks
- Triple Whale
Pros and cons
Pros
- Everything to run a store in one account, from website to shipping labels
- Built-in AI on every plan, not a paid add-on
- Huge choice of apps, themes and experts
- Reliable and fast checkout that shoppers trust
- Public APIs, a CLI and developer tools
Cons
- Paid apps and card fees add a lot to the monthly cost
- Extra transaction fee if you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments
- Sidekick is for the store owner, not a chatbot for shoppers
- Bigger design changes still need theme code or a developer
- Support quality gets mixed reviews from merchants
Shopify alternatives
The closest alternatives to Shopify in the library, best rated first.
Lovable
4.2
Best for MVPs and prototypes
Compare with Shopify
Framer
4.1
Best for startup marketing sites
Compare with Shopify
Durable
4.0
Best for A website for a local service business in minutes
Compare with Shopify
v0
3.8
Best for landing pages and marketing sites
Compare with Shopify
Why it made the list
It is the most used ecommerce platform for small and mid-sized businesses, and its built-in AI now handles a lot of the day-to-day store admin.
Shopify FAQ
How much does Shopify cost?
There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $29/mo. Prices checked 22 October 2026 against Shopify's pricing page.
Is Shopify free?
No. There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $29/mo.
What is Shopify best for?
Shopify is best for launching an online store, running products, orders and stock in one place and writing product descriptions with AI. Anyone selling physical or digital products online, from first-time sellers to established brands.
What are the best Shopify alternatives?
The closest alternatives are Lovable, Framer, Durable and v0. Lovable is best for MVPs and prototypes.
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