Swell vs. Shopify - A comparison for teams building modern ecommerce experiences

Shopify pioneered accessible ecommerce. But as commerce evolves, teams need platforms that don't force tradeoffs between speed and flexibility. That's why we built Swell.

How they're different

Shopify bundles everything together. Your storefront, checkout, and backend are interconnected. This makes initial setup quick, but creates friction when you need to build something custom.

Swell separates your frontend from your commerce infrastructure. You get complete control over the customer experience, while we handle the complex commerce logic. Build what you want, without rebuilding the foundation.

Why teams choose Swell

Full creative control

Build experiences that reflect your brand. Mobile apps, custom checkouts, unique interfaces—if you can design it, you can build it on Swell.

Shopify's templates are a starting point, but they're also a ceiling. Custom work means fighting the system, not working with it.

Advanced commerce, included

Core features, no app tax:

• Subscriptions with flexible billing
• Native B2B and wholesale
• Multi-vendor marketplaces
• Digital products
• Pre-orders
• Unified carts (physical, digital, subscriptions)

On Shopify, these features mean multiple paid apps at $50-$200+ per month. That's $600-$2,400+ annually for functionality Swell includes by default.

Performance that matters

Every second of load time costs you 7% of conversions. Swell's infrastructure delivers sub-second page loads and smooth interactions.

Shopify apps compound performance issues. Each one adds weight, creating slow experiences that hurt conversion.

Transparent pricing

Shopify's real cost:

• Platform: $39-$399/month ($2,300+ for Plus)
• Transaction fees: 0.5-2% per sale
• Payment processing: 2.4-2.9% + $0.30
• Apps: $50-$300+/month
• Themes: $140-$350

For a business doing $500K annually, total costs reach $15K-$30K per year. Swell includes enterprise features without the enterprise tax—typically 30-50% lower for equivalent capability.

Own your data

Complete access to your customer data, order history, and analytics. Integrate with any tool, build custom reports, export everything.

Shopify controls access to your data. You work within their ecosystem, dependent on their infrastructure and rules.

Built for how you actually work

Modern business models—subscriptions, B2B, marketplaces—are core features, not afterthoughts. Launch complex commerce strategies without duct tape and workarounds.

Your non-technical team members get an intuitive dashboard. Your developers get full flexibility. No compromises.

What changes after migrating

Teams report:

• 50-70% faster page loads
• 30-50% lower total costs
• 60-75% faster feature development
• Higher conversion rates
• Complete control over UX

A B2B marketplace launched in 3 months on Swell. Same project on Shopify Plus: 9-12 months. A subscription brand cut software costs 45% while gaining features impossible on Shopify.

What growing businesses need

To compete, you need:

• Differentiated experiences
• Modern business model support
• Performance that converts
• Predictable economics
• Data ownership
• Room to scale

Swell delivers. Shopify is fine for getting started. But teams building for the long term need more flexibility.

Migration overview

The process:

• Export from Shopify
• Import to Swell
• Build your experience
• Configure integrations
• Test in staging
• Launch

Most teams complete migration in 1-3 months. The investment compounds through better performance and lower costs.

The bottom line

Your platform either enables your strategy or limits it.

Shopify works for basic needs. But if you're building something meaningful—if growth and differentiation matter—you need infrastructure that doesn't force compromises.

That's what we built Swell to be.