Shopify Review
Shopify helps the largest companies in the world, as well as the upcoming generation of business owners.
Shopify is an outstanding choice for any retail-focused business, offering a wide range of options and features. Even the most affordable plan is sufficient to kickstart your online venture, and I have no major complaints.
However, other e-commerce platforms offer similar pricing plans and may provide easier customization options for your site. Ultimately, the decision will depend on which specific features you believe are best suited for your business.
4.8
Pricing
Starter Plan ₹415
Basic Shopify ₹2407
Shopify ₹6558
Advanced Shopify ₹24821
Ranked 3 from 250 Website Builders
Performance: |4.9| 
Shopify performs exceptionally well with fast loading speeds and a high uptime of 99.98%, ensuring reliability for online stores. Its scalable architecture handles traffic spikes effectively, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes. The platform’s user-friendly interface, comprehensive features, and strong third-party app support make it a top choice for eCommerce, though customization options may be more flexible on other platforms.
Uptime: |4.9|
Shopify boasts an impressive uptime of 99.98%, ensuring that your online store is almost always accessible to customers. This high level of reliability minimizes the risk of lost sales and enhances customer trust. Shopify’s robust infrastructure is designed to maintain consistent performance, even during peak traffic times, making it a dependable choice for eCommerce businesses.
Customer Service: |4.8|
Shopify offers excellent customer service with 24/7 support via live chat, email, and phone. The support team is knowledgeable and responsive, helping users quickly resolve issues. Additionally, Shopify provides an extensive Help Center, community forums, and educational resources to assist with various aspects of the platform, making it easy for users to find answers and optimize their eCommerce experience.
Pricing: |4.7|
Shopify’s pricing is competitive, with plans starting at $39 per month for the Basic plan, which includes essential eCommerce features. The Shopify plan at $105 per month offers more advanced tools, while the Advanced plan at $399 per month provides detailed reporting and lower transaction fees. While slightly higher than some competitors, Shopify’s robust features and scalability justify the cost for many businesses.
Shopify
| ⭐ Rating: | 4.8 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ |
|---|---|
| 💵 Price: | From $29.00/month | 🪄 Ease of use: | Foolproof design options |
| 🎨 Templates: | 9 free templates, many more premium options | 🏢 Business features: | Excellent first party features, good app market |
| 👨💻 24/7 live support: | Yes | 🔥 Coupons: | Get the offer of Shopify |
Overview
Is Shopify the Right Choice for Selling Your Products?
Shopify has become almost synonymous with building an online store, much like how eBay was once synonymous with online shopping. If you’re looking to sell something and don’t find the big marketplaces appealing, most people will suggest, “Why not try Shopify?”
And there’s a solid reason for that: Shopify is genuinely good and quite affordable. So, the real question isn’t whether it’s a good platform, but whether it’s the right fit for you. To help you decide, I set up my own Shopify account, built a full store, and tested every feature available.
The honest truth? If you have something to sell, Shopify is likely the platform you need.
Some users might find Shopify’s pricing a bit high, but rest assured, you get excellent value for your money. Shopify delivers top-notch performance across the board. While it’s not the only option for building an eCommerce site, it’s certainly one of the best.
To validate our claims, we set up our own Shopify account and created a demo site for thorough testing. We discovered both pros and cons—primarily the higher costs and a limited selection of templates. However, its extensive range of eCommerce tools is truly unmatched.
| 💯 Free Plan | ❌ |
| 💲 Starting Price | ₹2407 |
| 📄 Number of Templates | 170+ |
| 🔌 Apps/Integrations | Yes |
| 🛒 E-commerce Tools | Yes |
PROS AND CONS OF SHOPIFY
Pros of Shopify
Wide array of eCommerce features
Ability to sell across multiple channels (Instagram, Amazon, Facebook, eBay)
Easily scalable for businesses of any size
Extensive app library
Cons of Shopify
High startup and transaction fees
Limited design customization options
Restricted SEO and content marketing capabilities
TEMPLATE |4.4|
Shopify Lets You Create Stunning Stores Quickly
Shopify offers visually appealing, high-quality templates, although they tend to be fairly simple. Currently, there are 171 themes available: 12 free and 159 paid. You can also import third-party themes, with thousands of options to choose from.
Shopify’s templates are categorized by catalog size and features (e.g., sticky header, stock counter, store locator, EU translations, mega menu). They can also be sorted by industry, including arts and crafts, clothing, electronics, and pet supplies.
All themes include a mobile-friendly version.
The main drawback is the cost of paid themes, which can be quite expensive. If you’re looking for a stylish theme but don’t want to spend over $200, consider exploring ThemeForest or other third-party theme sites.
Customization is done via a sidebar in the “customizer,” but only the homepage layout and content are fully editable. Other pages are mostly fixed by the templates, though you can still customize elements like typography, colors, and more.
Popular Website Builders
FEATURE |5.0|
Shopify Offers More Features Than I Can Cover
Seriously, comparing Shopify to other top site builders presents a challenge for me as a reviewer. While it may not excel in layout and design options, it boasts an extensive array of retail features.
And it truly delivers.
I’ve highlighted the standout features below, though this isn’t a comprehensive list. To start, here’s what you can expect:
For site-building, Shopify provides:
Unlimited products, bandwidth, and online storage
SEO and marketing tools
Custom domains (You can edit DNS records, allowing you to host mail servers elsewhere while using the same domain.)
A basic but functional blogging platform. It may not satisfy those in the publishing industry, but it’s sufficient for sharing product updates and deals with customers.
Shopify's Comprehensive Store Management Features
- Discounts and discount codes
- Inventory management
- Gift cards
- Multi-language stores
- Automatic tax calculation (to simplify compliance)
- Customer accounts
- Automated store emails
- Social media integration
- Video displays
- 3D asset displays (a cool feature for those interested in 3D graphics)
- Subscriptions
- Google Analytics
- Over 100 alternative payment gateways, including PayPal, Google Pay, and Stripe
Shopify Point of Sale
Shopify POS allows you to manage sales and inventory for physical locations using the same system you use for online sales. This means you can handle both online orders and in-person transactions seamlessly.
Multiple Online Sales Channels
Selling exclusively through your website is outdated. Today, it’s essential to reach customers through various channels, and Shopify facilitates this. You can sync your Shopify inventory with Amazon, eBay, and other marketplaces, as well as sell through social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. This allows you to manage all your sales from a single place, eliminating the need for multiple inventories.
Fraud Analysis
Shopify includes a fraud analysis system to help you identify potentially fraudulent orders. Each transaction displays indicators to help assess its legitimacy. Users on more advanced plans receive additional recommendations for handling suspicious orders, and all Shopify plans support third-party anti-fraud apps.
Mobile App
Shopify’s mobile app helps you manage inventory, handle orders, and monitor your store from anywhere. While it might affect your work-life balance, it’s a valuable tool for those frequently on the move. With this app, you can manage your online shop without needing a laptop or desktop, which is ideal for users who primarily rely on smartphones and tablets.
EASY OF USE |5.0|
Shopify Makes Selling Online as Simple as Possible
n the world of e-commerce, “ease of use” is somewhat subjective, given the complexity of the industry. If you’re new to sales or retail management, there will be a learning curve with any e-commerce platform.
However, Shopify stands out as one of the most user-friendly online store platforms, despite its extensive feature set. It offers a comprehensive knowledge base, in-app tutorials, and setup guides to help you get started.
Here are some features that can simplify your experience:
Easy Product Management and Imports
Shopify’s intuitive interface makes adding products straightforward. You can quickly enter details like product name, category, price, and image. While there are many additional options for customizing individual products, the initial setup is kept simple.
You can also import products in bulk using a CSV file, making it easy to populate your store quickly. For my test store, I used sample CSV files from GitHub, and the process was smooth and efficient.
Calculated Carrier Shipping
Shopify offers a feature that automatically calculates shipping rates based on the product and shipping service selected. You’ll need to provide details such as the weight and dimensions of the item, but this helps ensure you don’t end up charging customers more than anticipated after they’ve placed their orders. This transparency avoids the negative experience of having to issue refunds or adjust charges post-purchase.
Customer Reports
Shopify generates detailed reports that help you analyze sales trends, assess the effectiveness of marketing strategies, and understand customer preferences. These insights can guide you in optimizing your online store. However, I couldn’t fully test this feature due to the lack of a real, long-term store setup. While my hypothetical cat-themed t-shirts might have sold well, I didn’t have the time to pursue that experiment.
Hire an Expert
Shopify offers a feature to hire experts who can build and configure your store for you. While they won’t manage it long-term unless you arrange something specific, this option is ideal if you prefer not to navigate e-commerce setup on your own and have the budget for professional assistance.
SUPPORT |5.0|
My Support Experience Was Fast and Smooth
Overall, my experience with Shopify’s support was efficient and seamless. They offer a comprehensive knowledge base, help center, and tutorial platform for learning the basics. For additional assistance, there’s a community forum where you can ask questions. However, the main support channels are live chat, email/tickets, and phone callbacks, all available 24/7.
Live Chat
I tested the live chat by inquiring about Shopify’s refund policy. The response came within minutes, providing clear information, even though Shopify does not offer refunds (details below). The agent was responsive and inquired if I had any other specific issues.
Email/Tickets
The email/ticket system is user-friendly. You simply send an email via Shopify’s website to open a ticket. I asked whether it’s possible to sell services like consulting alongside products. The support agent responded in under three hours with useful information, confirming that it is indeed possible.
Phone
The phone support system only allows for callback requests, not direct dialing. Although this is somewhat inconvenient, the system called me back promptly and put me on hold for a short time. The on-hold music featured the Super Mario theme song, which was a fun touch. When connected to a support representative, I inquired about purchasing a domain through Shopify and using DNS records to direct subdomains to other servers for various purposes, such as sub-sites, blogs, landing pages, or email.
PRICE |5.0|
It Could Be Cheaper, but It’s Fair
Shopify’s plans aren’t the most affordable compared to other site builders, but they are reasonably priced given their capabilities. If your business is successfully selling products at a good price point, covering Shopify’s monthly fees should be manageable.
You might find cheaper alternatives like Wix or SITE123 that offer functional online stores at lower costs. However, if e-commerce is a core part of your business, Shopify’s pricing is justified by its extensive range of e-commerce features, which other site builders may lack.
Cancellations & Refunds
Shopify does not offer traditional refunds. While you can process refunds for orders in your store, Shopify does not provide refunds for its subscription plans.
However, you can start with a 3-day free trial without needing a credit card. After the trial, you can enjoy a significant discount on your chosen plan for the first few months. Although sales are not possible during the free trial, you can access Shopify’s standard features by opting for a $1-per-month plan for the initial three months.
Shopify
STARTER PALN
₹415
/MONTHS
Shopify
BASIC SHOPIFY
₹2407
/MONTHS
Hosting Storage : Unlimited
Number of Pages for Site : Unlimited Products
Custom Domain
Free Image Gallery
Shopping Cart
Shopify
SHOPIFY
₹6558
/MONTHS
Hosting Storage : Unlimited
Number of Pages for Site : Unlimited Products
Custom Domain
Free Image Gallery
Shopping Cart
Shopify
ADVANCED SHOPIFY
₹24821
/MONTHS
Hosting Storage : Unlimited
Number of Pages for Site : Unlimited Products
Custom Domain
Free Image Gallery
Shopping Cart
Shopify
STARTER PLAN
₹415
/MONTHS
Shopify
BASIC SHOPIFY
₹2407
/MONTHS
Hosting Storage : Unlimited
Number of Pages for Site : Unlimited
Custom Domain
Free Image Gallery
Shopping Cart
Shopify
SHOPIFY
₹6558
/MONTHS
Hosting Storage : Unlimited
Number of Pages for Site : Unlimited Products
Custom Domain
Free Image Gallery
Shopping Cart
Shopify
ADVANCED SHOPIFY
₹6558
/MONTHS
Hosting Storage : Unlimited
Number of Pages for Site : Unlimited Products
Custom Domain
Free Image Gallery
Shopping Cart
Shopify Alternative
Frequently Asked Question.
Shopify is a comprehensive e-commerce platform that allows users to create and manage online stores. It provides tools for setting up an online shop, managing inventory, processing payments, and more.
Shopify is recognized for its intuitive interface, vast range of apps, and strong customer support. Compared to other platforms like WooCommerce or BigCommerce, Shopify often stands out for its ease of use and scalability.
Shopify is known for its user-friendly interface, extensive app ecosystem, and robust support. Compared to other platforms like WooCommerce or BigCommerce, Shopify often stands out for its ease of use and scalability.
Shopify offers several pricing plans, typically starting with a Basic plan and going up to Advanced and Shopify Plus tiers. Prices vary based on features, transaction fees, and support options.
Yes, Shopify is designed to be user-friendly with an intuitive interface, making it accessible for beginners. It also offers extensive documentation and customer support.
Absolutely. Shopify provides a range of themes that can be customized through its theme editor. For more advanced customization, you can edit the code or hire a developer.
Shopify supports various payment methods including credit cards, PayPal, Shopify Payments, and other third-party payment gateways.
Shopify includes several SEO features like customizable meta tags, sitemaps, and clean URL structures. However, for advanced SEO needs, additional apps or tweaks may be necessary.
Yes, Shopify integrates with a wide range of third-party apps and services, including email marketing platforms, accounting software, and social media tools.
Shopify provides 24/7 customer support through various channels including live chat, email, and phone. There are also extensive online resources, including tutorials and forums.